Proposed Governance Model

Sustainable Kingston is committed to Our governance model will facilitate community ownership the long-term cultural, economic, environmental, and social sustainability of the community. It is intended to provide high level strategic guidance to Kingston organizations, institutions, businesses, community partners, and citizens interested in making Kingston - Canada’s Most Sustainable City.

With its emphasis on community ownership and participation, the successful implementation of the Sustainable Kingston Plan will require the work of an organization that is:

Community-based
Arm’s length from municipal government
Adequately resourced
Effective and accountable

The governance of such an organization is critical to its success and to ensuring that the expectations of the community are met. Its governance structure must be flexible and welcoming of innovation, and facilitate relationships among partners, provide a framework for strategic decision making and define accountability for the work and actions related to Sustainable Kingston.

Recommended Structure of the Sustainable Kingston Organization

The Sustainable Kingston Plan will be implemented within the community and is not a project or program of the City of Kingston – though the City will be a partner in pursuing its goals. The community ownership principle adds to the complexity of implementing the Plan but ultimately will make it stronger. A governance structure that consists of an incorporated non-profit organization with a governing board of directors is recommended. The inclusive and community-owned organization and its governing board will be driven by the vision articulated in the Sustainable Kingston Plan and the commitment to a community ownership model (including the City as an equal partner among many others). The structure of the Sustainable Kingston organization will enable inclusive, broad-based involvement of the community and lead a process that builds trust and ownership through involvement.

The Sustainable Kingston organization will receive resources (funding) to undertake the work of implementing the first stage of the Sustainable Kingston Plan and to leverage additional funding opportunity for ongoing implementation.

The organization must be initially resourced to the extent that it can carry out the task of implementing the Sustainable Kingston Plan through:

Creating awareness of the Plan and the opportunities for citizen commitment and community partnership.
Maintaining a dynamic inventory of partner actions and their status.
Continuously improving the Sustainable Kingston Plan through consultation with the community and partners.

The mandate of the Sustainable Kingston organization will be to:

Advance community sustainability within the city of Kingston
Advance the reputation of Kingston as a sustainable city nationally, and internationally
Raise awareness within Kingston of community sustainability and the Sustainable Kingston Plan
Engage the community and advocate for community action
Leverage the resources of Sustainable Kingston to help facilitate community initiatives and actions
Consult with the community to continuously improve the Sustainable Kingston Plan

Initial Governance of the Sustainable Kingston Organization

Governance of the Sustainable Kingston organization will be provided by a Board of Directors composed of dedicated individuals with the qualifications to strategically lead the mandate of Sustainable Kingston while providing balanced representation from all four pillars of sustainability.

A board of “First Directors” will be appointed by the Kingston City Council based upon the recommendation of the FOCUS Kingston Steering Committee. The tasks of the “First Directors” shall be to:

Draft Bylaws/Terms of Reference
Establish a legally incorporated not-for-profit entity (governance structure for first SK board)
Develop an agreement between the City of Kingston and the Sustainable Kingston organization for the implementation of the Sustainable Kingston Plan.
Select and recommend a Board of Directors.

The role of “First Directors“ will be time-limited with the desire to have the formal Board of Directors of the Sustainable Kingston Organization in place within 6 months of commencement.

The “First Directors” shall have experience in:

Directorship of organizations
Establishment of partnerships
Communications and public awareness
The process undertaken to develop the Sustainable Kingston Plan.

The development of the bylaws and terms of reference must consider the following:

Resources and funds
Coordination and staffing
Office/work location(s)
Communication and representation
Balance, integration and dispute resolution

The role of the Board of Directors of Sustainable Kingston is described in Table 1.

Table 1: Overview of Proposed Responsibilities – Sustainable Kingston Board of Directors

Representation	Represent the funders, partners, committed citizens and the community Carry the public trust
Decision-making and leadership	Commitment to vision: development and/or custodianship of the organizational purpose, mandate, and identity Strategic Direction: provide vision for the future; develop and implement the long-term plan; set or approve the general direction and financing of the organization; ensure that the organizational mission remains responsive to changes Partnership: Revise requirements for partnership or membership in the organization from time to time Financial Stewardship: Trusteeship of financial resources to ensure that funds are expended for the purposes intended Managing transitional phases and critical events: act as organizational safety net; risk management Represent Sustainable Kingston to the community
Accountability	Ensure transparency of the process Monitor and evaluate performance Responsibility and reporting to the public at the annual sustainability conference Act as the ultimate source of accountability under the law for the performance and actions of the organization that is incorporated and one that might seek charitable status in the future

The make-up and criteria for members of the Board of Directors shall be determined within the bylaws and terms of reference of the Sustainable Kingston organization and drawn up by the First Directors.

The Sustainable Kingston organization will not have a formal reporting relationship with City Council beyond that required for accountability for funding. It will report out to the community via the annual sustainability report. Sustainable Kingston may at times be requested to provide advice to Kingston City Council, as part of an agreement with the City of Kingston. Similarly, FOCUS Kingston may continue to be an Advisory Committee for strategic planning to the Kingston City Council. The mandate of FOCUS Kingston Steering Committee continues to be, stewarding the creation and implementation of a community sustainability plan.

The Role of the FOCUS Kingston Steering Committee in Governance and Implementation

With respect to the governance of the Sustainable Kingston organization, the role of the FOCUS Kingston Steering Committee shall be to:

Continue to consult with the community and experts in the field in order to recommend the Sustainable Kingston Plan and its related sections on governance and implementation to the Kingston City Council and to the community of the City of Kingston.
Respecting the criteria as above seek potential members for the “First Directors” of the Sustainable Kingston organization.
Recommend to the Kingston City Council the endorsement of the Sustainable Kingston Plan highlighting the mandate of the Sustainable Kingston organization.
Recommend to Kingston City Council the appointment of the “First Directors” of the Sustainable Kingston organization.
Recommend to Kingston City Council the amount of annual funding required to initially implement the Sustainable Kingston Plan and to advance these resources to the Sustainable Kingston organization subject to an agreement satisfactory to the City and Sustainable Kingston.