This is to advise the field that at the last Community Living Transition Steering Committee (CLTSC) motions were tabled as a result of a presentation made by the Deputy Minister and Les Foster.  These motions read:

Motion #01:

The CLTSC accepts the Deputy Minister’s offer to stop deficit reduction planning and implementation to services for fiscal year 02/03.

Motion #02:

The CLTSC accepts the Deputy Minister’s request that the CLTSC work with the Ministry to eliminate barriers and set a framework of creativity and innovation.  The CLTSC will reinforce the mandate to encourage creative cost savings by all committees established:  Further, this work will be directed by the following objectives:

1.  No reduction in service quality;

2.   No changes in eligibility

3.   Increase capacity to respond to new service pressures; and

4.   Elimination of infrastructure barriers.

The Strategic Planning Groups will co-ordinate the CLTSC response to this co-operative effort with the Ministry.

As both motions were approved, I will not approve any deficit reduction plans submitted to date.  Motion #02 does allow the continuance of creative options and alternatives that may achieve a cost saving, and a process for that is being established. The CLTSC is mandated to submit a plan which will detail the transition to a new governance authority.  This plan is to include a budget plan that will meet the Ministry’s  budget targets for 02/03 to 04/05 for CLS services.  Until the plan is submitted and approved in September the Ministry will not take any further actions on deficit management. 

We will continue to proceed with health and safety approvals as per your regional approach.  I will be calling a conference call for early next week as I know that this will raise many questions.

I would like to close by thanking everyone for  the “blood, sweat, and tears”  over the past few months looking at ways and means to reduce the deficit.  I want to acknowledge and share my appreciation for your work. What is really important from my perspective is that we don’t lose site of the ideas generated.