Administration

The OAHSSC Board is comprised of representatives appointed by the Métis Nation of Ontario, the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres, and the Ontario Native Women’s Association. The by-laws of the Corporation allow for additional members in a number of classes.

OAHSSC administration operates from 500 Bay Street, Sault Ste Marie. The hours of operation are from 8am to 5 pm weekdays. The Corporation and its management operates within the guidelines not only of its legal contracts, but within the policy established by the Board of Directors for Personnel and Financial management. An independent audit is performed annually and presented to the Board of Directors for their acceptance. In addition, financial statements, budgets as required and financial projections are presented at each Board meeting.

The internal Financial Policy establishes several levels of reporting responsibility. The day to day operations of the Financial Manager’s functions related to budgeted expenditures, and generation of invoices are supervised by the Executive Director.

Any capital expenditures, or changes to the budget require a decision by the full Board. The Management and Executive Committee are required to operate within the guidelines of the Financial Policy. Changes to the Financial Policy are made only at the direction of the Board of Directors. An Auditor is appointed by the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting, to perform a consolidated audit.

The Board of Directors of OAHSSC has implemented an Audit Committee to be the link between the external Auditor and the Board. The committee is made up of a minimum of two individual directors that do not have signing authority from different representative PTO organizations, and is appointed on a two year term to coincide with the officers of the Corporation.

OAHSSC uses the existing community expertise being provided by the nine individually contracted Aboriginal Property Management Groups (PMG's). Program and financial auditing of the contracted companies is the responsibility of the Rural and Native Housing Division with the
assistance of the internal and external auditor. To ensure full integration of systems, the regionally contracted Property Management Groups will be provided with access and training over the next fiscal year on the new web based OAHSSC system and will operate on that system with all data being maintained centrally for financial monitoring purposes.

It is anticipated that due to the ever increasing need in the community for safe affordable housing that new programs to increase current levels will be jointly announced/developed by the Federal and Provincial governments. Allocations specific to the off-reserve Aboriginal community and appropriate targeting of those units should involve the accountable Provincial/Territorial Organizations. Over the past number of years the conclusions of all consultations specific to the community and housing have expressed the need for community ownership and control.

The Board of Directors of OAHSSC has been responsible for allocating units geographically within the province in the past and support this type of process. It has always been the desire of the board to utilize existing expertise in the housing field with the understanding that assistance with capacity building in under serviced, high need areas of the province may be required.

Dealing with the existing housing stock is a priority. At present the only housing repair program available to the community are the Federal Programs including RRAP, RRAPD and ERP. It is our understanding that the programs contain an Aboriginal delivery target however we are uncertain if the identified levels are being met and the number of house holds being assisted. The Board strongly supports the reintroduction of an Aboriginal specific repair program to address the communities’ existing stock.