PATHS

The Provincial Association of Transition Houses and Services of Saskatchewan

Annual General Meeting

1 pm June 7, 2016

Kerry Vickar Centre 206 Bemister Ave. E.

Melfort, SK

Agenda

1. Call to Order

2. Adoption of the Agenda

3. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting, June 2, 2015

4. Reports

• Chairperson’s Report • Financial report

Motion: To accept the audited financial statements for April 1, 2015 – March 31, 2016 as circulated and reviewed. Motion: That the yearend for PATHS be March 31, 2017. Motion: To appoint Sharon Gimas as auditor for the fiscal year April 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017.

• Coordinator’s Report

5. Adjourn

PROVINCIAL ASSOCIATION OF TRANSITION HOUSES & SERVICES ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

June 2, 2015 YWCA Saskatoon

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan PARTICIPANTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE BOARD Meghan Campbell, Saskatoon Interval House Sara Valli, Sofia House, Regina Alana Kewley, NEOSS Louise Schweitzer, NEOSS Judy Armstrong, Battlefords Interval House Sandy Bashnick, Hudson Bay Family & Support Services Marcie Cole, YWCA, Saskatoon Kim Fisher, YWCA, Saskatoon Dena Demarce, Moose Jaw Transition House Lori Lancaster, Moose Jaw Transition House Leesa Gross, Shelwin House, Yorkton Maria Hendrika, Regina Transition House Bernice Cartwright, S.I.G.N., Yorkton Tammy Genaille, S.I.G.N., Yorkton Heather Lennox, South West Crisis Services Tanya Wiggins, Saskatoon Interval House Anne McArthur, Battlefords Interval House STAFF MEMBERS: Jo-Anne Dusel, Provincial Co-Coordinator, PATHS REGRETS: ADVISORY COMMITTEE Amy Strensrud, YWCA, Regina Carol Yoner, Isabelle Johnson Shelter Karen Sanderson, Piwapan Women’s Centre, Laronge Karen McGillivray, Family Services, Regina Lavern Dumka, Shelwin House, Yorkton Rachel Trann, Partners Family Services, Humboldt STAFF MEMBER: Crystal Giesbrecht, Director of Member Program & Services, PATHS

1. Call to Order: Co Chair Kim Fisher called the meeting to order at 10:20 a.m.

2. Approval of the Agenda:

MOTION: Anne McArthur/Tammie Genaille moved that the agenda be approved. Carried.

3. Approval of the Minutes from the Annual General Meeting, May 28, 2014 MOTION: Maria Hendrika/Lori Lancaster moved to approve the minutes from the AGM, May 28, 2014. Carried.

4. Reports: • Co-Chair’s Report

A discussion took place regarding the Co-Chair’s report. MOTION: Sarah Valli/Tammie Genaille moved to accept the Co-Chair report as presented. Carried.

• Financial Report The financial report was discussed. MOTION: Sarah Valli/Heather Lennox moved to accept the audited financial statements for April 1, 2014-March 31, 2015 as circulated and reviewed. Carried. MOTION: Sarah Valli/Maria Hendrika moved that the year-end for PATHS be March 31, 2016. Carried. MOTION: Anne McArthur/Louise Schweitzer moved to appoint Sharon Gimas as the auditor for the April 1, 2015-March 31, 2016 fiscal year, with the option to look into a different auditor. Carried.

• Coordinator’s Report MOTION: Sarah Valli/Kim Fisher moved to accept the Report as presented. Carried.

5. Adjourn MOTION: Heather Lennox/Sarah Valli moved to adjourn the meeting at 10:24 a.m. Carried

PATHS Provincial Association of Transitional House and Services in Saskatchewan

Annual General Meeting June 7, 2016

Co-Chair Report Values Peace Equality Awareness Collaboration Empowerment The start of this year for PATHS was challenging with lots of ideas but less than suitable resources. It is only with determination and commitment, that the staff of the organization have been able to recover from limited opportunities to a strong future with partnerships and supported projects. Jo-Anne Dusel, Provincial Coordinator and Crystal Giesbrecht, Director of Member Programs and Services have focused not only on pursuing local and national causes but they have increased our training opportunities and revenue through donations and conference participation.

The focus for 2015-16 has been to form a strategy plan that can lead the organization for the next five years. The analysis and assessment are complete and the targets have been identified. The next steps will be to match the most effective activities for the priorities.

The organization has also put concerted effort into the committee format with terms of references and the Staff Advisory Committee is taking the lead in our Shelter Standards evaluations. All efforts are good signs of professional leadership and organization.

On behalf of the Board of Directors I extend my sincere appreciation to Jo-Anne and Crystal for their devotion to the PATHS mission and their dedication to its members and stakeholders.

Sincerely

Sarah Valli Chairperson Heather Lennox Vice-Chairperson.

PATHS Provincial Association of Transitional House and Services in Saskatchewan

Annual General Meeting June 7, 2016

Coordinator’s Report

In last year’s coordinator’s report I talked about it being a year of changes for PATHS. This year, my first full year as PATHS coordinator, we have worked towards financial stability and developing direction through strategic planning. PATHS has begun to implement a strategy to diversify income sources by expanding our training capabilities, opening our conference up to the public and increasing the profile of PATHS through mainstream and social media which has led to an increase in donations. A Community Initiatives Fund grant has allowed us to move forward on our Provincial Standards by increasing the number of member agency staff certified in the Ontario Domestic Assault Risk Assessment (ODARA), providing training on Trauma Informed Care and working with the Staff Advisory Committee to integrate current best practices into our Shelter Standards. In September 2015, PATHS began a three project funded by Status of Women Canada to address the impact of Intimate Partner Violence on workers in the workplace. We have received enthusiastic support from our project partners, particularly those in the labour movement. A highlight of this project has been working with Barb MacQuarrie, the Community Director for the Centre for Research and Education on Violence against Women & Children in the Faculty of Education at the Western University, who played a key role in the pan Canadian survey Can Work be Safe when Home Isn’t?, 2014. PATHS has been active in partnership with other organizations on a provincial, national and international level. Provincially, we are pleased to have worked with STOPS to Violence and the Saskatchewan SPCA to develop the report ‘The Link: Interpersonal Violence and Animal Safekeeping'. PATHS is currently working with Sexual Assault Services of Saskatchewan (SASS) and Football Saskatchewan to assist in the delivery of Be More Than A Bystander presentations to youth from across the province. Through involvement with the Canadian Network of Women’s Shelters and Transition Houses (CNWSTH) PATHS has played a part in distribution of the results of the annual Shelter Voices survey, raised awareness of the national online resource Sheltersafe.ca and will have access to the Practice Exchange Project, a recently released manual on sharing best practices among shelters. PATHS is a partner the Canadian Domestic Homicide Prevention Initiative with

Vulnerable Populations, a five year project led by Dr. Peter Jaffe and Dr. Myrna Dawson and funded by SSHRC. PATHS coordinator is participating in an international coalition, Every Woman, Everywhere whose mandate is to develop language for an internationally binding treaty which would declare all forms of violence against women illegal, and currently sits on the Workplace Violence Committee for this group. Many thanks to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice, Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Unit for their ongoing support of PATHS and the work we do. I would like to personally thank PATHS’ Board of Directors for their commitment to PATHS despite the heavy workloads that they all carry. Thanks to Co-chairs, Sarah Valli and Heather Lennox, for their support and encouragement. Thanks to the Staff Advisory Committee whose knowledge of the day-to-day realities of domestic violence shelter and service work is an invaluable aid to the evolution of best practice policies and procedures as reflected in our Shelter Standards. Special thanks to PATHS Director of Member Programs and Services for her untiring devotion to PATHS, her organizational abilities and true passion for the work we do. After 20 years spent working directly with women and children impacted by all forms of violence, I feel very privileged to be in a position to address the systemic issues of gender, social and economic inequities that increase vulnerability to violence and look forward to continuing that work in the year ahead. Respectfully submitted, Jo-Anne Dusel Provincial Coordinator