Welcoming 2023

January 10, 2023

Happy New Year! I hope you and your families enjoyed a safe and healthy holiday season after a very busy 2022. I recognize several of you continued to provide service excellence at our Conservation Parks and Lands and Education and Training sites over the holidays. Over the break, a number of us were also engaged in reviewing recently released information from the Province and to address time sensitive matters to achieve our mandate. On behalf of our Senior Leadership Team, I wanted to thank you for this important work. I also wanted to note our commitment to keeping you apprised of recent regulatory changes that were released over the holidays, TRCA’s ongoing responses, and planned operational adjustments. Some of this will be summarized in a report being considered at this Friday’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Important Information As We Begin 2023

The last year has shown us that our municipal, agency, industry, and community partners remain extremely supportive of our role and work in delivering programs and projects. As we prepare for the opportunities ahead for 2023, I wanted to take this opportunity to remind staff of our organizational priorities contained in the Board-endorsed 2023-2034 Strategic Plan, and our commitment to advancing work on Employee Engagement Action Planning. I also wanted to update you on the new incoming Board of Directors and the upcoming AGM.

Strategic Plan and Performance Development Plan Objective Setting

This Strategic Plan is our 12-year overarching guide for the whole organization. I encourage all staff to familiarize yourself with the 4 Strategic Pillars and 16 Outcomes in particular.

The Strategic Business Performance and Planning business unit has created a Business Unit Alignment Chart that cross references how your division and business unit align with the Strategic Plan Pillars and Outcomes.

Select the image below to view the full-sized chart.

The Playbook is our living implementation plan. It operationalizes our 12-year plan into shorter, four-year phases. The Playbook is organized by Pillars and Outcomes and should inform annual business unit planning as well as performance development program objective setting. The Playbook will be updated regularly and is available on the dedicated Staff Hub SBPP hub space page.

Again, in support of staff developing 2023 performance objectives, the Playbook has been organized by division. The links below are to sheets for each division’s area’s of focus.

• Government and Community Relations
• Corporate Services
• Human Resources
• Conservation Parks and Lands
• Restoration and Infrastructure
• Development and Engineering Services
• Policy Planning
• Education and Training

Employee Engagement Action Planning

As part of our ongoing engagement journey, your feedback from both the 2022 engagement survey and divisional action planning sessions from this summer have been rolled into a consolidated Employee Engagement Action Plan. The Action Plan will act as a mechanism for your Senior Management Team and Senior Leadership Team to further enhance TRCA’s employee engagement and make TRCA an even better place for all of us.

The Action Plan will span 2022 and 2023 and is divisionally focused to reflect the variable needs of individual teams/divisions. Your Senior Management Team will be driving the plan for your division, providing regular updates at team and Senior Management Team meetings. The plan will be updated quarterly and can be found on the Staff Hub. As always, I would encourage you to continue to get involved in employee engagement, and to bring your recommendations forward to your supervisor, SMT, or SLT member. If you have any questions relating to the Action Plan for 2022-2023, please speak with your SMT member.

Pulse/Full Survey Shift

Based on feedback received from various teams expressing a need for additional time to implement engagement actions, we will be shifting to a full engagement survey every two years, with the next one launching in 2024. During the off-years in the two-year cycle, we will be conducting a short micro-pulse survey to ensure we keep a gauge on engagement and can pivot as needed. More information on the pulse survey will be sent to all staff from HR in the coming weeks, with the pulse survey launching in February.

Our organizational commitment to maintain a service-oriented culture at TRCA helped us succeed in 2022 despite numerous challenges. Going into 2023 I would please ask that you read, understand and continue to incorporate TRCA’s Core Values into your daily work, as well as to refresh yourselves on TRCA’s Customer Service Standards. TRCA’s Code of Conduct (the Code) has been released for all employees’ annual review via our Learning Management System (LMS). I ask that you refresh yourselves on the Code and affirm your commitment to adhere to the Code within the LMS by January 30.

Board of Directors and Annual General Meeting

With the start of the 2022-2026 Terms of Council, municipal appointments across our jurisdiction have been received and I am pleased to announce the following Board of Directors members:

Adjala-Tosorontio/Mono

• Don Sinclair

Durham

• Mayor Kevin Ashe (City of Pickering)
• Mayor Dave Barton (Township of Uxbridge)
• Regional Councillor Joanne Dies (Town of Ajax)

Peel

• Regional Councillor Navjit Kaur Brar (City of Brampton)
• Councillor Stephen Dasko (City of Mississauga)
• Councillor Chris Fonseca (City of Mississauga)
• Regional Councillor Mario Russo (Town of Caledon)
• Regional Councillor Rowena Santos (City of Brampton)

Toronto

York

• Deputy Mayor and Regional Councillor Linda Jackson (City of Vaughan)
• Councillor Hugo Kroon (Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville)
• Regional Councillor Joe Li (City of Markham)
• Mayor Steve Pellegrini (Township of King)
• Mayor David West (City of Richmond Hill)

On Friday January 13, we will be holding our AGM. During the AGM, elections will be held for Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors. The AGM will also confirm TRCA Executive Committee and Board Subcommittee membership, including membership on the Regional Watershed Alliance, Partners in Project Green, and Natural Science and Education Subcommittees of the Board. At the AGM we will welcome new members and thank outgoing Board members including Chair Jennifer Innis and Vice Chair Jack Heath for their exceptional service. I will inform staff of the election outcomes after the AGM.

All of you play a major role in making our organization successful and a great place to work. I look forward to continuing to work with all of you to execute on our strategic priorities to make 2023 another memorable and successful year.

Sincerely,

John MacKenzie, M.Sc.(Pl) MCIP, RPP
Chief Executive Officer
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)