Robert Bryce, regional manager for the YMCA, addressed the regional district board to explain changes to employment services programs in the area at the April 5 regular board meeting.
Bryce was also at the board meeting at the request of Keremeos Director Manfred Bauer, who wrote a letter to Bryce on behalf of Keremeos council. The village was expressing dissatisfaction with the downgrading of employment services to the Lower Similkameen as a result of the closure of WorkZone in Keremeos and subsequent rearrangement of employment services by the province.
Bryce began by explaining that funding changes to the Penticton catchment area – which includes Summerland, Penticton, Keremeos and Princeton – began in 2008. The YMCA, along with other parties, bid on the program for the Penticton area in 2011.
Referring to Bauer’s letter, Bryce noted that it was the province who decided that Cawston would be part of the Osoyoos catchment area, a decision that has rankled many in the Lower Similkameen.
Bryce explained that the new model for employment services is based on to one used under the old federal “Manpower” program. The model to be used by YMCA will be a “one stop shop” where most employment services would be available under one roof.
The YMCA opened the doors of their Penticton facility on April 2 at 50 Calgary Avenue. With 20 staff, the building also houses sub contractors to the YMCA. A scaled down version of the Penticton centre also opened up in Summerland.
“In our model for Keremeos, we proposed closure of the full storefront, as WorkZone was,” Bryce said of YMCA’s plans for the village. “We are delivering services there through different channels – itinerant, mobile, outreach and – be careful of the wording here – we do have a physical location there, but not a storefront per say.”
Bryce went on to say that programming in Keremeos would be available for any client that was “determined eligible for case management.” Carolyn Kidd, from On Your Mark employment services will be contracting out employment services programming for YMCA in Keremeos.
Bryce also noted that models for client numbers in their catchment areas were assembled during the recessionary year of 2008, saying that numbers had been adjusted to better fit the economic conditions of 2012.
Bryce told the board that the YMCA was not new to the task of providing employment services, having operated programs such as Penticton’s Jump Start – a contact centre for youth – during the past 15 years.
“All the things that existed in the “legacy” model (services provided by WorkZone) exist in this model,” Bryce concluded. “It’s just delivered by one (primary) in each catchment area.” (There are 73 catchment areas in the province.)
Summerland Director Janice Perrino expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the YMCA’s satellite office was not widely advertised, and not even municipal staff were aware of its’ location. Bryce answered that the province controlled media contact about the program, and that he would have to contact them to issue a media release, which, he added, he was in the process of doing. Bryce added that during the transition process, some 220 clients transferred into the YMCA program, a situation he described as “cumbersome.” In dealing with the clients, the YMCA was taking a “soft” opening approach to its storefronts, with more advertising and media coverage to come.
“It would be nice to know, from a council point of view,”(where the office location is) said Perrino.
George Bush, Area “B” Director, asked what it would take to get Cawston included in the Penticton catchment area. Bryce replied that it would probably require query from the local MLA and a process through the Ministry of Social Development.
“It’s totally crazy,” Bush said of the present alignment of Cawston with the Osoyoos catchment. A clause in the YMCA contract allows them to service up to five per cent of the population outside their designated catchment area.
Keremeos Director Bauer expressed a desire to meet with Bryce in Keremeos along with Director Bush to discuss the Lower Similkameen’s situation.
“It is interesting to note that I spoke with our MLA twice about this issue and he never mentioned at any time that they were actually responsible for the alignment of the catchment areas.
I still don’t think Keremeos has adequate services – that’s why I asked you to come down. I phoned you in January and I phoned you in February and it’s April and you still haven’t been down – this didn’t get any local input.”
Bauer also asked about the self help tool kit phone number that sent users through a menu that ultimately said there was no service.
Bryce responded that the YMCA was using a VOIP (voice over internet protocol) service and that there had been some “hiccups.
“Growing pains – if I can level with you – we kicked out door open on Monday and we were hit with some surprises,” Bryce said.
Bauer finished by stating that there were a “lot of issues” and continued to express an interest in meeting with Bryce.
Bryce noted that since November he had been pulling 12 to 14 hour days getting the new system up and running and added that it would be contractually hard to change the model the YMCA had bid on, especially to add a storefront component.
Oliver rural Director Allan Patton suggested the RDOS write a letter to the Ministry of Social Development requesting the restoration of service levels and a return of Cawston to the Penticton (Keremeos) catchment area.
Osoyoos Director Stu Wells asked about the status of the Osoyoos catchment area, to which Bryce answered that the Open Door Group were the contractors. He added that the area consisted of Osoyoos, Oliver and Cawston.
Area “G” Director Angelique Wood asked several times where the physical location of YMCA’s prescence in Keremeos was, never receiving a definitive answer.
“There is a place to go to, but it’s not a store front. We never proposed that in our contract,” Bryce said, to which Wood replied, “So is it a park bench?”
“No, it’s an office,” Bryce concluded. “It’s a storefront, but not a storefront – it’s an office where they can work with the subcontractor.”
