Ontario  Camps

Association2011-­12  Annual  Report

ONTARIO CAMPS ASSOCIATION

2011-12 ANNUAL REPORT

Table of Contents

OCA Presidents Message .......1

OCA Executive Director’s Message ............... 2

OCA Treasurer’s Message ......3

Revenues & Expenditures ...... 4

Archive Committee .................5

Awards Committee ................ 6

Educational Conferences & Workshops ...................... 7-9

Health Care Committee ........10

Human Resources Committee ............................ 11

Membership Committee ....... 11

CCA/ACC National Business Survey / Ontario Trends ....... 12

Canadian Summer Camp Research Project: Phase III ... 13

Special Needs Resource Committee ........14-15

Standards Committee ...........16

Standards Revision Committee ............................ 17

ONTARIO CAMPS ASSOCIATION

Mission Statement:The OCA plays a leadership role in promoting and encouraging chil-

dren and youth camping in Ontario and is devoted to developing high

standards for organized camping and to sharing information and

ideas that maintain those standards.

FEATURING  TALENT  FROM  

LOCAL  SCHOOLS

Photos generously shared by Camp Awakening, Camp Mini-Yo-We, Camp Robin Hood and Girl Guides of Canada.

Our Values:INTEGRITYDemonstrating honesty and fairness at all times.

RESPECTRecognizing and protecting the inherent worth of every person, including oneself.

RESPONSIBILITYBeing dependable and accountable for choices, actions and commitments.

CARING Building relationships and demonstrating concern for the needs of others.

OPENNESSAbility and willingness to embrace new and different ideas and to be open to change.

President’s MessageO N T A R I O C A M P S A S S O C I A T I O N

The much needed organizational stability that OCA regained in 2010-2011 allowed our Association to fo-cus its attention to several issues this past year.

While marketing the importance of camp and the val-ue and credibility of OCA camps remains a necessary focus, 2011-2012 was once again dominated by atten-tion given to the influence of government regulation that directly impacted our industry. From Transport Canada’s regulations related to high occupancy pas-senger vessels to Canada’s rules related to the Tem-porary Foreign Worker Program, Board resources (both human and financial) were dedicated to resolv-ing and clarifying the OCA’s position to government officials. We are always supported by Robin Squires of Borden, Ladner, & Gervais, LLP, for his counsel, however, it was the wonderful support of camp di-rectors from across the province that assisted the Board and played a key role in framing our message to government and outlining the real challenges that OCA camps faced. Thank you to the many volunteers who worked with the OCA office and Board in these initiatives.

The financial health of OCA continues to be strong. The budgeting process for OCA is well organized and thorough and our newly implemented approach to membership fees in 2011-12 garnered positive feed-back. The Board will continue to evaluate the admin-istrative timing on annual membership renewals. The Board looks forward to creating a process to meet the administrative requirements of our office and the comfort level of member camps.

The OCA website is a natural marketing tool for our Association and despite challenges in the initial launch phase, this project is a Board priority. We are committed to providing a visually appealing, easy to navigate website that meets the needs of the public and our members.

Board discussions regarding the OCA constitution have been very productive. A working group of the Board in consultation with outside experts and a group of past presidents of the OCA including Dave Graham, Rick Howard, John Jorgenson and Jocelyn Palm have been instrumental in the creation of an updated version of our by-laws. The Board looks for-

ward to presenting the new constitution to the mem-bership in early 2013 and will provide ample time for review and feedback before seeking final membership approval in early spring. This updated version of our constitution reflects the current governance model of the OCA and at the same time, meets the require-ments of not-for-profit organizations in our province.

As I have mentioned in the past, the tradition of volunteerism is entrenched in our history and con-tinues to be at the heart of making the OCA strong and relevant. Board discussions throughout this past year have looked closely at prioritizing member en-gagement and identification of volunteer opportu-nities for our members. Thanks to Patti Thom and Mike Stewart for providing the Board with insight and recommendations for the future of volunteer in-volvement. Steps are currently being taken to identify volunteer needs and the new Board will continue this initiative in 2013.

The opportunity to serve the Association as your President has been an honour. Thanks to Sari, my children and my teams at Camp Robin Hood, Camp Walden and Madawaska Camps for their constant support as I have juggled the responsibilities of fam-ily, camp and OCA. A heartfelt thank you to Heather Heagle for the support she has provided me and her dedication to OCA.

Overall, I would like to think that I have left the OCA a little better than I found it as your President. But it was not done alone. A dynamic and professional Ex-ecutive Director and an engaged Board of Directors are only part of the story. My collaboration with past presidents and new and veteran volunteers has con-tributed greatly to the progress that has been made. There is still work to be done and I encourage all OCA members to contribute positively to move OCA for-ward.

Respectfully submitted by:

Howie Grossinger, President

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This year has been very challenging and at the same time very productive. Meetings with Transport Can-ada and with Service Canada, Temporary Foreign Worker Program have been positive. Both Ministries were open to listening and learning about the his-tory and high standards of our Membership, OCA’s mission and values of the camping industry. The vol-unteers who spearheaded these missions to Ottawa were incredibly supportive and well-prepared for each meeting. Both Transport Canada and Service Canada will have representatives at the 2013 Conference. Transport Canada has indicated they will have a panel of their specialists to discuss their new regulations, inspections, water-craft construction and more. Ser-vice Canada will be there to discuss the 2013 Labour Market Opinions (LMO) and how they can help us expedite our applications. In addition, there will be a Speaker from the Privacy Commission of Canada.

Lydia Coy and Robin Perlmutter have done an out-standing job with Membership renewals, new Mem-ber applications, Standards, educational programs, the 2013 Camps Guide and ensuring we were on course for the Budget. At this time, OCA office is ask-ing for your support. This year information required for the website and 2013 Camps Guide was very hard to complete. Every OCA Member was emailed and called on many occasions to ensure their informa-tion was current. We need everyone’s support for updating your information on a regular basis and for responding to inquiries affecting your marketing to families and consumers not only in Ontario, but to the world.

OCA Membership is continuing to increase. Pro-visional One Camps joining the OCA are amongst the most creative ever. From Staging, to Acting and Photography, to Scuba and Snorkeling the activities for campers are ever expanding. New Commercial Members are promoting Canadian camps to Mexico, Colombia, Spain and Brazil. In addition Commercial Members, who are in the media, are promoting OCA Camps to targeted cultural communities around the province who know very little about the value, safety and educational experience their children will have while attending Accredited Camps.

I would like to thank Howie Grossinger and the OCA Board for all of their support. It has been an amaz-ing year for the Association. Board Meetings are very constructive. Monthly Budget reporting, govern-ment lobbying, committee reporting and support, educational programs, Standards, industry news and impact, and much more are part of this dynamic group’s discussions.

Recognition should also be given to the hundreds of Members who have called or emailed their support for many of this year’s initiatives. Whether with their good news or with their concerns and issues, it was very reassuring that Members felt they could call the office to discuss the matter.

I look forward to 2013 with great relish!

Respectfully submitted by:

Heather Heagle, Executive Director

Executive Director’s MessageO N T A R I O C A M P S A S S O C I A T I O N

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Treasurer’s MessageO N T A R I O C A M P S A S S O C I A T I O N

I am pleased to be able to report that fiscal 2012 was a successful year for the OCA in a number of ways.

Membership revenue increased by 16.45% to $314,781.27, a reflection of both a recovery in the economy and camper enrollment in member camps as well as an increase in membership.

We generated a modest surplus in excess of our budgeted surplus.

Last year we were able to restore the Legacy Fund to its historic level and this year we added a further investment of $219.00 to the fund bringing it to $55,219.00

OCA’s cash position has increased in the amount of $39,192.00

Last year, the former treasurer Marj Booth, left me a financial situation entirely different from the one she inherited two years previous. Working with the execu-tive director, bookkeeper and accountant, Marj put the OCA’s financial house in order. A new financial accounting and reporting system was developed and instituted, providing detailed and consistent financial information for monitoring and decision making. I would also like to thank Heather Heagle who worked in such a detailed manner all year to make sure OCA spending was kept in line and with our goal to have a modest surplus. All major expense categories de-clined in 2012 except for two: 1) legal fees which were related to our logo and name registration and our work on new boating regulations which have created significant difficulties for camps; and 2) occupancy expenses. The OCA’s lease on our current office is up this year and we are planning a move to a lower cost location with better parking.

Cost containment was especially important with re-spect to the annual director’s conference which was budgeted to generate far more revenue than it finally made. However, those responsible for the confer-ence including, Ellen Nash and Heather Heagle, paid careful attention to the financial health of the event. Expenses were significantly reduced subsequently a net of $24,000 was achieved. We are looking forward to a significantly larger conference for 2013 in part-nership with ACA, Upstate New York.

For 2013 we restructured our membership fees to sig-nificantly reduce the number of categories in order to simplify administration. For several years before my tenure as treasurer I was struck by how much time the treasurer and the executive director focused on generating small amounts of revenue from a variety of sources in order to fund core activities. It is my belief and goal to make sure that core OCA activities are funded out of membership fees. Other sources of revenue are important, but should be associated with projects that are separate from core staff and activ-ity resources. Finance Committee work for 2013 will focus on new sources of revenue in order to finance those special projects the OCA, from time to time, wishes to undertake in the interests of its members and in the interest of children’s summer camps in Ontario. Our budget for 2013 reflects another mod-est surplus.

Respectfully submitted by:

Leon Muszynski, Treasurer

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Revenues & Expenditures

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REVENUES

EXPENDITURES

Archive CommitteeCOMMITTEE MEMBERS

Janet Adamson, Chair

Brian BlackstockLiz GreenwayBruce HodginsMarilee MacFarlane

MANDATETo promote the importance and value of Archives in the camping community and to encourage and facilitate camps and camping groups in Ontario.

To encourage OCA and member camps to contribute archival ma-terials, and to facilitate their transfer to the Camping Archives at Trent University; and

To actively create archival materi-als through Oral History Inter-views and other projects.

2011-12The Brown Bag Program contin-ues to be valuable information. Standards Visitors were more than happy to ensure the materi-als were delivered to the OCA of-fice. Some camps chose to mail their information to the University directly.

The Archives Committee visited the University of Trent’s Archives Director in October 2012. Cur-rently, the OCA holdings com-prise approximately 36 linear me-ters; the first records were received in 1972 and the archives continue to acquire new material year after year. The holdings in-clude thousands of photographs, pamphlets and brochures, corre-spondence, minutes of meetings, standards records, camp manu-als, and interview tapes. There are also numerous books pertaining to camping and camp manage-ment, as well as complete sets of OCAsional News and Canadian Camping Magazine.

The Committee learned that OCA

Archives are heavily used by re-searchers from under-graduate students to Ph.D. levels. Informa-tion shared included:

Approximately, six to seven ad- ditional feet of camp materials are received each year.

The relationship between OCA and Trent Archives is very positive.

Ways to enhance the process was a big part of our meeting. Heather Heagle helped to facilitate this discussion.

Storage and technology of audio tapes is still a current method of recording informa- tion/stories; this format will continue to be used in the foreseeable future.

FUTURE PLANS 2012-13 Continue Brown Bag Plan,

providing information about the Brown Bags to camps each summer which are collected during Standards Visits.

Continue Audio Interviews of significant camping profes- sionals for submission to Trent University.

To increase knowledge of archives by use of OCA newsletter.

To seek OCA funding for Trent University Archives to cover the costs of processing archival material from camp.

Respectfully submitted by:

Janet Adamson, Chair

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Awards Committee

MANDATEOctober 2012: The Awards Chair puts out a notice for nomina-tions for the awards that have been listed (Commercial Rec-ognition Award, Volunteer Rec-ognition Award, International Development Award, Ron and Mickey Johnstone Youth Lead-ership Awards, Dorothy Walter Award of Excellence, Honorary Life Member). The OCA office sends reminders to members to send in submissions.

The OCA office is to receive nominations for awards on or before November 15, 2012

To continue to ensure a consis- tent process in choosing pre- senters for each award.

To create an ‘Awards Display’ to showcase the yearly awards recipients at OCA events (AGM and OCA Annual Conference).

To continue to find ways of celebrating OCA member mile- stones and accomplishments (certificates, presentations and special recognition announce- ments in newsletters).

To present this year’s awards at the Annual General Meeting on January 14, 2013.

To continue to develop the Kirk Wipper Wilderness Award.

GOALS/ACTIVITIES ACHIEVED IN 2012 Nominations are coming in at

a steady pace.

Honorary Life Member: No nominations were submit- ted in 2011; however, we have received four for this year.

The Awards Committee is maintaining a policy to allow for consistent presenters for each award from year to year as follows:

The OCA Milestone Award: A letter to be sent to the camp by the current OCA President and to be present- ed by individual camps at their own locations. Camps can submit their requests directly to the OCA office during the nominations period. The Awards Chair will review submissions.

Volunteer Recognition Award to be presented by the Human Resources Committee.

International Development Award to be presented by the CCA President (if available). Otherwise the Ontario repre- sentative of CCA will present the award.

Commercial Recognition Award to be presented by the current OCA President.

Ron & Mickey Johnstone Youth Leadership Award to be presented by Mickey John- stone or a family member and welcomed by an Honor- ary Life Member.

Dorothy Walter Award of Excellence to be presented by the previous year’s recipient.

Honorary Life Member to be presented by an Honorary Life Member.

THE 2012 AWARD INFORMATION/ RECIPIENTS/ PRESENTERSInternational Development Award

Commercial Member Recognition Award

Volunteer Recognition Award

Ron & Mickey Johnstone Youth Leadership Award

Dorothy Walter Award of Excellence

FUTURE GOALS 2013 To continue to develop mean-

ingful ways to recognize ‘excel lence’ within the Ontario Camps Association

To continue to include ‘recog- nition pieces’ in the OCA Newsletter called “Milestone Moments”.

To continue to develop the OCA Kirk Wipper Wilderness Award with the committee and to communicate this new award for presentation at a future AGM.

Respectfully submitted by:

Eric Shendelman, Chair

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Eric Shendelman, Chair

Marjorie BoothLiz GreenwayHeather HeagleJohn JorgensonPatti Thom

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Educational Conferences & Workshops

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Colleen McLean & Barb Weeden, Co-chairs

Ellen Nash, Board LiaisonJen AndersonJen CockburnKevin FrenchJanice GreensheildsRobyn HochglaubeKevin LindnerAndrew MacDonaldMike StewartMike Pearse

2012 Conference CommitteeMANDATEThe OCA Conference Committee was established to organize and execute the 2012 Annual OCA Conference at the Sheraton Park-way, January 25-27. The expecta-tion was that the conference would operate with an approved budget and contributing $30,000 to the OCA.

In reviewing the 2011 Conference the co-chairs, with support and approval of the Board, made two significant program changes.

1. EXHIBIT HALL: 2011 Confer-ence Exhibit Hall opened Thurs-day evening (unopposed 5:00-8:00); dinner was served in Exhibit Hall; Exhibit Hall opened Friday morning (opposed by pro-gram sessions 8:00-11:00); break-fast was served in Exhibit Hall.

2011 Feedback: Consistent that Commercial Members did not ap-preciate sessions running while the Exhibit Hall was open. They spoke positively of the evening’s dinner being offered at stations throughout the Exhibit Hall, and liked the opportunity to socialize with Delegates at the Presidential Suite social.

2012 Conference Decision: Exhib-it Hall would only be open for un-opposed time Thursday evening 4:30-9:00pm with dinner.

2. 2011 CONFERENCE LENGTH: Thursday program of keynote speaker breakouts; Friday and Saturday programs of 75 minute sessions. Final conference regis-tration numbers showed that only an additional 17 people registered for the day on Saturday.

2012 Conference Decision: Com-mittee needs to focus on program quality over quantity and full-con-ference registrations (versus one-day tickets). Conference length was changed to two days.

GOALS/ACTIVITIES ACHIEVED IN 2012In accordance with its mandate, the 2012 OCA Conference Com-mittee achieved the following: Creation of conference theme

“Grow Into Tomorrow” and conference logo Established advertising strategy

and created e-postcards for delegate e-mails Reviewed 2011 budget to

establish working 2012 budget Developed ten focus-streams

for Friday’s schedule: Adminis- tration, Child Development,

Environmental, Health Card, Leadership, Legal, Risk Management, Site/Facility, Social Networking and Training Confirmed four high-profile

keynote speakers: Michael Brandwein, Dr. Michael Ungar, Jill Hewlett, and Dr. Nick Bontis Confirmed speakers for forty

focus-stream sessions Pre-conference communication

with new delegates (Camp OCA) to enhance their experience

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FOOD SERVICES WORKSHOPA Food Services Workshop was held, Thursday, April 19, 2012 at La Récolte Catering, who cater for camps in Toronto. This is the first time the Food Services Work-shop was separated from the Maintenance and Facilities Con-ference, focusing solely on food services. Information was shared regarding: food storage, prepara-tion, variety, staff training, use of aprons, cleanliness, inspections, nut free environments, gluten free – what does that mean, cross contamination, unique allergies, new and old menus, snacks new and old, sharing ideas, and post-ing of nutritional values. There were 29 people representing 21 OCA Camps in attendance. In addition, there were speakers from Sysco, and Penny Redmond, a nutritionist, from Humanistic Fare Inc.

ACTUAL REPORT: Revenue: $1,740.00Expenses: $1,107.74Net: $632.26

MAINTENANCE & FACILITIES CONFERENCE Tuesday April 17 & Wednesday April 18, 2012

COMMITTEE: Jim Taylor, Camp Robin Hood and OCA Staff

MANDATE: To support and pro-vide educational opportunities on topics targeted to increase the knowledge of Camp Facilities and Maintenance Staff.

This year the Conference was or-ganized as an educational tour of camp sites. Facility and mainte-nance staff provided a list of top-ics for discussion. A bus was con-tracted from Coach Canada and OCA Camp Owners and Staff were called requesting their participa-tion and support for the tours. Camp Robin Hood, Camp Kilcoo, Onondaga Camp and YMCA-Wa-nakita confirmed their interest in hosting at their sites. Each camp site was fully toured and included discussions on facilities such as; canoe ponds, Arrowdome, climb-ing walls, water/sewage/septic treatment plants, high ropes, new lodges, new trails systems, docks and storage, kitchen expansions, new cabins, 440’ zip line, and a 7’ swing. There was also an in depth discussion on how to deal with bears and Reid Thornley, Aquatell, spoke on the evening of the 17th about water treat-ment with a special emphasis on Ultraviolet disinfection of water. Accommodation, supper and breakfast was provided by Pine-stone Inn and Resort. Lunch on Wednesday was provided by La Recolte and on Thursday, YMCA-Wanakita created a delicious buf-fet for the group. Fourteen Camps were represented at this success-ful event.

ACTUAL REPORT: Actual Income: $5,537.50Expenses: $4,634.90Net: $902.60

Secured conference sponsor- ship with commercial members

Portage Promotionals (delegate bags, committee and volunteer clothing)Sigma Promotions (speaker gifts) AdventureWorks! Inc. (bookstore) Yetta Nashman Foundation (keynote speaker)

Booked entertainment for the HLM reception and banquet

Worked with the HR Committee for HLM communication and support with HR room at conference

Worked with Awards Committee to arrange presentation times throughout the conference

Worked with OCA office to finalize conference program information

ACTUAL REPORT Actual Income: $150,053.25Expenses: $127,456.06Net: $22,597.19

FUTURE GOALS 2012 Co-chairs have prepared a

binder containing meeting agendas, minutes, hotel contract information, etc. for the Board to provide to next year’s co-chairs.

Respectfully submitted by:

Barb Weeden & Colleen McLean, Co-chairs, Annual Conference

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COUNSELLOR CONFERENCE Sari Grossinger, Chair

COMMITTEE: Robin Perlmutter and OCA Staff

MANDATE: To provide experi-ential education and networking opportunities for senior and new Camp Counsellors.

The revitalized annual Counsel-lor Conference has become very popular. The event was held May 26, 2012, at Camp Robin Hood. Over 22 amazing sessions were conducted by various camp lead-ers and other professional speak-ers and Scott Arizala, Summer Camp Consultant and Trainer was the inspirational Keynote for the event. 233 Counsellors from 26 OCA Camps attended the event. The committee was very apprecia-tive of the support and donations of goods and services by various companies and individuals, in-cluding Camp Robin Hood, Coach Canada, Licks Homeburgers, pre-senters, OCA Camps, participants and individual members.

ACTUAL REPORT Actual Income: $4,925.48Expenses: $4,863.87Net: $61.61

Respectfully submitted by:

Sari Grossinger, Counsellor Conference Chair

DAY CAMP WORKSHOPJeremy Laverty, Chair

MANDATE: The Day Camp Com-mittees’ mandate is to organize the annual Day Camp Workshop educational event for the Ontario Camps Association. The event is to be geared towards Senior Leader-ship of Day Camps in Ontario.

ACTIVITIES IN 2011-12The Day Camp Workshop ran suc-cessfully on October 21, 2011, at Seneca King Day Campus. There were 35 delegates in attendance. Speakers and topics included Stu Saunders from Youth Leadership Camps Canada (YLCC), “Seizing Camp Moments for Success”, Jennifer Fantini from Borden Lad-ner Gervais LLP, “Employment Law and You”, plus a Hot Topics Panel: Dara Kahane from Bay-

view Glen Day Camp, Tia Pearse from Camp Tawingo, Derek Am-brose from the City of Vaughan Recreation & Culture and Eugene Chong from Harbourfront Centre Camps. Feedback from our sur-veys was very positive indicating the content of the discussion was the highlight. The financial goal of $3,130.60 net revenue for the OCA was achieved as well.

GOAL FOR 2012-13The goal for the coming year is to implement the Day Camp Work-shop again at a new location. I will encourage the new Day Camp Committee Chair to recruit three Committee Members to assist in the development of the 2012 event and with a phone tree.

Respectfully submitted by:

Jeremy Laverty, Director, Day Camps Sub-class

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OBJECTIVES1. To raise the standards of camp health care2. To raise awareness of camp directors/managers, camp staff, health care workers and families regarding pertinent camp health care concerns3. To encourage health care professionals to seek work in the camp health care field.4. To encourage camp directors to employ appropriate profes- sional health care staff.

FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMITTEEProfessional Development1. Resources/Information

Recommend education material Prepare camp health care

related materials for web-based resource base (on OCA website)

2. Education

Be present at the annual OCA Directors Conference Present a spring Health Care

Conference

Be available to individual camps as a resource

Standards1. Develop Standards for profes- sional camp health care staff2. Encourage the utilization of professional health care staff at camp3. Carry out research and studies as required4. Recommend Standards to OCA Standard Committee

Advocacy1. Linkages

CNO, M/Health, OPHA, RNAO

Develop a Canadian camp nurse network, send infor- mative mailings

Maintain membership in Association of Camp Nurses

2. Legislation Be proactive in developing

and/or responding to legislation or regulatory issues affecting health services in the camp setting

GOALS FOR 20131. Continue to aim for represen- tation on the OCA Board of Directors.2. Continue to meet with kindred groups of the OCA to determine the needs of each groups’ health care staff3. Review Health Care Committee functions4. Continue developing teaching tools and provide links to appropriate website resources to replace the “Camp Health Issues Booklet”5. Work with the OCA office to ensure all camp health care staff have access to teaching tools and other health related information online

6. Engage in recruiting new committee members to assist in fulfilling our objectives 7. Present another excellent Health Care Conference on Saturday, May 4, 2013 and exceed our maximum attendance of 100 registrants

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2012As always, the major highlight was our annual Health Care Con-ference, held this year on May 5th at the Bayview Glen Upper School. We thank Nancy Cohen and Bayview Glen Day Camp for arranging this venue for us for the 3rd year in a row, at no cost to the Health Care Committee. The loca-tion has proved to be convenient and well-suited to our conference format. In addition, their kitchen provided us with all our meals and snacks, which were praised by many attendees.

Another highlight was the intro-duction of regular articles submit-ted by members of our commit-tee to the monthly OCA Newsletter, and an eNewsletter for Camp Nurses sent out over the summer months to regis-trants of our conference. In addi-tion, we have started the process of creating quick reference Fact Sheets regarding common Camp Health issues to be made avail-able on the OCA website.

ACTUAL REPORT Revenue (registration): $4,690.00Expenses (food, flyers, speaker): $1,761.36Net: $2,928.64

Respectfully submitted by:

Matthuschka Sheedy, Chair

Health Care CommitteeCOMMITTEE MEMBERS

Matthuschka Sheedy, Chair

Pearl BellCheryl BernknopfMary CaseyNancy CohenWendy MackenzieBarb Gray Pam LamontBev UngerMartha Williams Jennifer Wolfenden

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Human Resources Committee

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Patti Thom, Chair

Michael Bakker Matt Bernardo Sam Butcher, Kate Dineen Markus Fehr Jay HaddadKate HortonJohn Jorgenson Russell Marston Jen MurdockEllen Nash,Carol Rhynas Megan SnapeMike Stewart

The Human Resources Commit-tee has had a successful year! Some of the highlights of their work included:

Annual placement of new volunteers Creative presentation of

Volunteer Recognition Awards at the Annual Conference Active display in HR hospitality

room at the 2012 Annual Directors Conference Active hospitality at the OCA

Annual Conference Representation on the Awards

and Nomination Selection committees

Survey of attendees at the Annual Conference regarding volunteer recruitment In depth presentation to the

OCA Board of Directors on the state of Volunteerism – Past, Present & Future

The energy and enthusiasm of committee members continues to be amazing! They are to be com-mended for their ability and drive to come up with new innovative ways for our membership to be-come involved with each other and the work of the Association!

Respectfully submitted by:

Patti Thom, Chair

Membership CommitteeCOMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Lisa Wilson, Chair

Brian BlackstockEllen Nash

MANDATE1. Recruit and mentor new mem- bers from around the province;2. Report to the Board in February new applications for approval and for the OCA office to schedule Standards Visits;3. Review of application forms for each level of membership with the OCA office staff to apply new information or make changes as required;4. Provide reports to the OCA Board of any membership issues or initiatives.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS & GOALS1. Membership letters and forms were reviewed and revised for all members including: all levels of accredited members, com- mercial members, provisional 1 and 2 camps and for individual members. Membership renew- als were mailed the last week of July. By September 30th 97.5% of camps had renewed.2. Membership Committee members have been meeting, throughout the year, with camps who are interested in becoming members. These meetings are designed to provide information and insight to the Standards & Accreditation process.

3. Future plans include providing educational and training work- shops on issues important to the camping community.

Respectfully submitted by:

Lisa Wilson, Chair

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CCA / ACC National Business Survey / Ontario TrendsThe CCA/ACC National Business Survey is now entering its third year of data collection. Tabulating the results from the fiscal years 2010 and 2011 we can now begin to see how widespread economic trends are im-pacting our industry. The population, revenue and salary figures for OCA camps are extrapolations based on total OCA membership and factored according to the average in each category. Trends are representative of the 66 respondent camps for the fiscal year 2010 and the 82 respondent camps for the fiscal year 2011.

Total OCA Membership Fiscal Year 2010 Fiscal Year 2011 Overall ChangeNumber of Camper Days 2,183,850 2,624,400 > 440,550Revenues $177,560,000 $234,410,000 > $56,850,000Salaries $50,427,500 $49,036,500 < $1,390,500

Percentages for the following trends represent the number of camps that experienced an average decline or increase of 15% in each category.k

% Respondent Camps OnlyFiscal Year 2010 Fiscal Year 2011

Overall TrendDecline Increase Decline Increase

Sales 30.2% - 39.7% 30.8% 45.7% > 6.2%Subsidies & Grants 19.6% 22.9% 10.6% 33.4% > 10.5%Fixed Costs 0% 66.1% 1.2% 58% > 2.0%Salaries 4.8% 50.8% 3.7% 65.8% > 15%Capital Expenditures 14.5% 58.1% 9.8% 52.4% < 5.7%Food Costs 7.9% 73.1% 4.3% 67.6% > 34.2%Maintenance 6.4% 64.5% 4.9% 52.5% < 12%

Results of all national studies and general camp research from Canada are posted in the research section of the CCA/ACC website: www.ccamping.org. The 2013 National Business Survey for the fiscal year 2012 commenced in early November 2012. OCA members are encouraged to take this short, anonymous and very important survey so that we may continue to identify and track industry trends. The CCA/ACC National Business Survey can be accessed at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/3672RPT.

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Canadian Summer Camp Research ProjectPhase IIIIn January of 2012, the CCA/ACC with assistance from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council provided funding to the University of Waterloo for a further year of study to augment the find-ings of the Canadian Summer Camp Research Project (CSCRP), released in the fall of 2011. The study identified five areas of youth development provided through camp experience. These included: social integration/citizenship, environmental awareness, attitude towards physical activity, emotional intelligence, and self-confidence/personal development. The results of this study of camp programs from across Canada showed that statistically significant positive growth was observed in all five areas.

We as an industry now possess rigorous and well-vetted research to sup-port our position as providers of positive youth development programs outside of the school system. Judicious and creative use of this resource can assist all Canadian camps in their marketing to parents, present-ing background for staff training and education, providing justification to boards, funders, and government agencies. The comprehensive five year report is available from the CCA/ACC online at: www.ccamping.org on the English language site under “Camping Research.” Now during the 6th and final year, Phase III of the CSCRP has surveyed camper par-ents directly in order to determine the longer-term, post-camp effects on their children within the environments of home, school and community. The report on the findings of the CSCRP Phase III will be forthcoming in 2013.

INTERNATIONAL CAMP STUDY: CAMPS & GLOBAL CITIZENSHIPUsing modules developed by the American Camp Association this research project explores how camp experience impacts on skill sets such as: problem solving, exploration and teamwork as it relates to the development of globally-minded citizens. Within the study camper groups took part in either “benchmark” or “intervention” sessions during the camp season. The interven-tion sessions included intentional programming based upon global citizenship education curricula which were adapted specifically to the camp setting. Twenty camps from thirteen countries including two camps from Ontario partici-pated in the project. The results of the study will be forthcoming in 2013.

Respectfully submitted,

Stephen Fine, Ph.D., Chair, CCA/ACC National Research Committee

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Special Needs Resource Committee

The Special Needs Resource Committee (SNRC) is a standing committee required by the OCA bylaws.COMMITTEE

MEMBERSTracy Morley, Co-Chair & OCA Board LiaisonSari Grossinger, Co-ChairAndy McMullan, Vice-Chair

STANDING MEMBERSJohn BergmanErica Coutts Julie GallieBarb GrayLouise KublickJennifer Wilson

Note: SNRC meetings are open to all OCA individual/camp/com-mercial/affiliate members; plus rep-resentatives from partner organiza-tions/agencies and invited friends/guests. The President and Executive Director are standing guests of the Special Needs Resource Committee.

MANDATEThe Special Needs Resource Committee exists to advocate, educate and provide support on issues related to children and adults of varying backgrounds, abilities and medical needs and the member camps who serve them.

RESPONSIBILITIES1. To advocate for more oppor- tunities for children and adults, of varying backgrounds, abilities and medical needs, within a range of camps from mainstream to specialized.

2. To support the OCA in present- ing information to parents, private and public partners and the general public about the camping opportunities for children and adults with varying backgrounds, abilities and medical needs. 3. To support the OCA in providing awareness education training for camps and camp staff on the processes of accessibility and techniques of working with persons with varying back- grounds, abilities and medical needs, to promote inclusion.

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4. To keep the camping community informed on current accessibil- ity issues and standards as they relate to campers who have varying backgrounds, abilities and medical needs.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES1. Celebrate the contribution of specialized camps, agencies and organizations who share their expertise, resources and experience within the camping community about children and adults with varying backgrounds, abilities and medical needs.2. Support advocacy for inclusion by advocating for the expansion of the number of inclusive camping opportunities for children and adults with varying backgrounds, abilities and medical needs. 3. Promote inclusion as a way of thinking not as a specific way of doing.4. Promote inclusion as a process in which each child or adult is seen and respected as an individual with strengths and abilities. 5. Promote many ways to achieve successful inclusion.6. Recognize the process of inclusion as an ongoing journey not a destination.

The SNRC spent the majority of 2011-2012 engaging and inform-ing the OCA membership with regards to Ontario’s new Acces-sible Customer Service Stan-dards. In addition to this work, the committee focused on advo-cacy; education and support on issues related to children and adults of varying backgrounds, abilities and medical needs and the member camps who serve them.

Advocacy: Collaborated with the OCA office to completely over-haul the Helpful Hints & Special Needs sections of the Annual OCA Camp Guide to better reflect

the committee mandate and the belief that there is an accredited OCA camp for every child in On-tario. The committee also fo-cused on updating the increas-ingly important funding and financial assistance options avail-able for camper families within the annual guide. Furthermore, the committee continued our campaign to the Board of Direc-tors to keep the print version of the guide as a necessary resource for families of special needs’ campers in our increasingly digi-tal world.

Education: Provided speakers and suggested topics, such as Dietary Restrictions & Catering Panel; AODA Compliance; and Adaptive Activities at all annual confer-ences. The Committee devoted a lot of time to ensuring that all camps were informed of their leg-islated compliance with Ontario’s new Accessible Customer Service Standards. Additionally, the com-mittee hosted information shar-ing sessions for all members on “hot topics” within the camping industry.

Outreach & Support: Worked to improve camp-to-camp network-ing and resource sharing with regards to camper recruitment, staff training and camp adminis-tration by maintaining an “open door” policy at all SNRC meet-ings. Collaborated often with the Healthcare Committee and will

continue to host joint meetings throughout the year.

The Special Needs Resource Committee believes “camp is for everyone” and looks forward to continuing our work in 2013 and beyond. Join our FaceBook group for further news and updates!

Respectfully submitted by:

Tracy Morley, Co-chairSari Grossinger, Co-chair

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MANDATEThe Standards Committee exists to support high quality and safety at member camps in accordance with best practices developed by the membership.

RESPONSIBILITIES1. To provide direction and support to the accreditation program;2. To provide training and resources to camp directors and volunteers involved in the accreditation program;3. To work collaboratively with the Standards Review Committee to update and revise the Guidelines for Accreditation;4. To work collaboratively with the Membership Committee to prepare and guide provi- sional camps towards accredi- tation;5. To work collaboratively with the Board of Directors regard- ing legislation and other topical issues affecting the Guidelines for Accreditation or practices at member camps; and,6. To make recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the status of provisional and accredited camps following visits.

COMPOSITIONThe Standards Committee shall consist of experienced representa-tives from all of the Association’s sub-groups, and should also in-clude wherever possible, Honor-ary Life and Individual members. The Chairs of the Membership and Standards Review Commit-tees are ex-officio members of the Standards Committee. The Presi-dent is a standing guest of the Standards Committee.

Preparation sessions for visitors and camps to be visited took place at the January OCA Annual Conference and in sessions in the late spring. Standards documen-tation was revised. As the sum-mer progressed, 93 camps were visited as part of the standards/accreditation process. This mas-sive effort was successful due to the donation of time and talent of 78 volunteer senior visitors, plus another 31 first-time volun-teer visitors who accompanied them. The OCA owes a great debt of gratitude to them and their camps.

Substantial work has taken place this fall - before, during and after Committee meetings - to evalu-ate results of the summer’s visits. OCA staff did the most amazing job processing paperwork and readying it for review by Com-mittee members. The efforts of volunteer visitors, office staff and Committee members resulted in a long series of recommenda-tions by the Committee to the OCA Board of Directors concern-ing the camps visited. The vast majority of accredited camps were re-accredited. The vast majority of provisional camps moved forward in their accredita-tion process.

Work is already underway on Standards-related presentations for the February 2013 conference.

The OCA’s standards/accredita-tion process would not function without the tireless efforts of the members of the Standards Com-mittee. They are a remarkable group of camp professionals. The OCA is greatly served by their wis-dom and experience. On behalf of myself, and the OCA as a whole, I would like to thank them very much.

Respectfully submitted by:

Brian D. Edmonds, Chair

Standards CommitteeCOMMITTEE MEMBERS

Brian D. Edmonds, Chair

Michael AnkenmannBrian BlackstockMarjorie BoothT.J. ClarkRob CrewJen DundasBrandon McClounieSarah NellesMarci Shea-PerryEric Shendelman

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Standards Revision CommitteeMANDATEThe OCA Standards Revision Committee worked closely with the Standards Committee. The committee monitors current rec-reation practices and government legislation to ensure that the OCA standards are current and reflect the industries best practices.

SUCCESSES IN 2012 In the fall of 2010 the Ministry

of Transportation brought in new regulations for small ves- sels (Small Vessel Regulations, 2010-91).

Change in the government regulations, requires the OCA to change standard TR44 and TR51 to be in compliance with this regulation.

The OCA membership approved these changes at the annual general meeting.

GOALS FOR 2013 Monitor government legisla-

tion in particular changes to the Occupational Health & Safety Act, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Ministry of Transportation and Social Services.

Continue to seek feedback from the membership regard- ing the standards.

Communicate with the mem- bership about any changes in the standards.

Respectfully submitted by:

Barb Gray, Chair

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