Ontario Section Restructuring update
Radio Amateurs of Canada announced the intention to restructure the Province of Ontario into four Sections:
Ontario North, composed of the ARES Districts of Albany, Amethyst and Killarney;
Ontario East, composed of the Districts of Capital, Loyalist, Seaway and Severn;
Ontario South, composed of the Districts of Bruce, Golden Horseshoe, Lakes and St. Clair;
and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) composed to the Toronto, Halton/ Peel, Durham and York Districts.
The Section boundaries conform with Emergency Management Ontario section boundaries in order to respect existing relationships and agreements with political authorities and non-government agencies. The purpose of this Bulletin is to describe the transition plan that will be followed to inaugurate the new Sections. A third Bulletin, from the current Ontario Section Manager, will follow with more detailed information on the mechanics of the nomination process for the new Section Managers.
The transition milestones are as follows:
01 Feb Call for Section Manager nominations
31 Mar Nominations Close
01 Apr Selection Committee convenes
01 May New Provisional Section Managers Appointed, Transition Council Formed,
31 Aug Ontario Section Decommissioned
01 Sep New Section Manager appointments effective, four new Ontario Sections and Provincial Council inaugurated.
The principal reason for the Ontario restructure is to create a management model that better communicates with, and represents the interests of, the overall Ontario Amateur population. For that reason the new Sections will be organized and administered in accordance with the recently adopted Field Organization structure (see RAC Bulletin 2011-033E). In the past the Section Manager’s role has focused only on the operation of a Field Service, the component that delivers public services.
The Field Organization adds four new components (provincial government liaison, public information, affiliated club coordinator, and technical coordination) which will be the basis for a new communication and accountability relationship between the clubs and the RAC Section management team. The scope of the four functions is not yet fully defined, deliberately, so that a consultation with the clubs can be conducted during the transition period before submission to the VPFS Council for ratification and the RAC Board for confirmation as national policy.
The role of Section Manager takes on new importance with the adoption of a full Field Organization. The persons nominated for this position will need more than Field Service experience, they will need demonstrated leadership and administrative skills in order to lead the transformation process within their Section and to stand-up the new provincial council. The four Section Managers will initially serve as the transitional provincial council, and will have available to them the advice and assistance of the national Field Organization Advisors and the VPFS Council secretariat until the end of the transition period.
The clubs, in their capacity as the collective representative of the local Amateur population, also have a new partnership role within the Field Organization. It begins with nominating appropriate candidates for the inaugural Ontario East, South and GTA Section Manager appointments. The current Ontario Section Manager, Allan Boyd VE3AJB, will assume the appointment of Section Manager Ontario North for the remainder of his current term. Subsequent Section Manager appointments will follow the established process as the new Sections fit into the established election cycle.
During the transition period the new Section Managers will be recruiting their Section component heads and establishing their Cabinets (councils). Collectively they will form the transitional provincial council whose initial task will be to determine which functions should properly remain at the Section level, and which would be better accomplished at the provincial council level. Undoubtedly the advice of the clubs will be sought during this transition period, and the support of the Ontario Amateur community as a whole will be needed to fill the new Section Field Organization and secretariat positions if we are to achieve the ultimate goal of open and effective communication both up and down the RAC organization.
The current Ontario Section, which will be responsible for the provision of RAC services during the transition period, will cease operation effective 31 August, 2012. The four new Sections will become effective on 1 September, 2012. A further Ontario Bulletin from Section Manager Al Boyd VE3AJB will follow shortly with additional details on the transition process.
I would like to conclude with two comments. First, I would like to acknowledge the considerable effort and participation by the many Ontario Amateurs and clubs towards achieving this innovation. The project has enjoyed the full support of the RAC Board of Directors and President Bawden VE4BAW from the outset. Second, I recommend to the club presidents that you engage with your fellow club presidents within your new Sections. Don't wait, begin the consultation process now, and determine if you can collectively nominate candidates for Section Manager and Field Organization positions. It will greatly assist in identifying the best available talent.
73,
Doug Mercer, VO1DTM
Chief Field Services Officer
Radio Amateurs of Canada Inc.
Radio Amateurs of Canada
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