NLIS 7
May 28, 2001
(Executive Council)

Committee works to address local issues

Linking social and economic development and better coordinating service delivery at the local level are key themes for one of the newest steering committees of the Strategic Social Plan (SSP).

"Helping to create healthy communities where people are actively involved in improving their collective well being is a cornerstone of the SSP," said Joan Dawe, newly elected chair of the Northeast Avalon Steering Committee. "We'll be meeting regularly to talk about how we can collaborate effectively."

The SSP's Northeast Avalon Steering Committee has identified community engagement, collaboration, prevention and early intervention, and measuring outcomes as core issues for the region. 

There are now SSP steering committees in all six regions of the province. The committees were created to help implement the Strategic Social Plan at the regional level, with a focus on improving the delivery of services, identifying common issues, and finding common solutions.

The Northeast Avalon Steering Committee, like the other five steering committees, has a diverse membership and includes representatives from the municipal, provincial and federal governments, along with board members and chief executive officers in education, health and economic development. 

"I am pleased to see that the Northeast Avalon Steering Committee is getting underway and I look forward to working with members as they address regional concerns," said Gerald Smith, Minister of Human Resources and Employment, and lead minister for the Strategic Social Plan. "I am certainly impressed by the level of interest and commitment that this group and all six regional steering committees in the province show for the goals and directions of the Strategic Social Plan."

The SSP was launched in 1998 after consultations with people across the province that looked at how government and community could work together to build stronger communities. 
For information on membership of the Northeast Avalon Steering Committee, please see the attached list, or call Gillian Janes, SSP regional planner for the Northeast Avalon Steering Committee, at 758-7474


Media contact: Marcia Porter, Communications, (709) 729-0175

Strategic Social Plan
Northeast Avalon Steering Committee Membership
Executive:
Chair: Joan Dawe, Health and Community Services, St. John's Region
Jim Hearn, Avalon West School Board
Brian McArthur, Health Care Corporation of St. John's
Sean Wiltshire, Capital Coast Development Alliance
Gillian Janes, Regional Planner, Strategic Social Plan 
Barbara Case, Manager, Regional Partnerships, Strategic Social Plan 

Committee Members:
Avalon East School Board
     Cyril Hayden, Chairperson
     Brian Shortall, Executive Director
Avalon West School Board
     Jim Hearn, Trustee
     Gordon Stone, Partnership Coordinator
College of the North Atlantic
     Gail Gosse, Associate District Administrator
Memorial University of Newfoundland
     Joe Byrne, Director, Student Recruitment and Promotion 
Health and Community Services, S.t. John's Region
     Joan Dawe, Chairperson
     Karen McGrath, Executive Director
Health and Community Services, Eastern Region
     Janice Warren, Director, Community Support Programs
Health Care Corporation of St. John's
     Brian McArthur, Board Member
     George Tilley, CEO
     Pam Elliott, Vice President, Patient Services
St. John's Nursing Home Board
     Primrose Bishop, (A) Chair
     Allan Bradley, CEO
Capital Coast Development Alliance (Zone 19)
     Sean Wiltshire, Co-Chair
     Christine Hollett, Executive Director
Human Resources and Employment
     Gordon Dunne, Regional Manager
Strategic Social Plan 
     Barbara Case, Manager, Regional Partnerships, Strategic Social Plan
     Gillian Janes, Regional Planner, Strategic Social Plan
Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities
     To be announced
Human Resources Development Canada
    Randy Williams, Director, Avalon Region

2001 05 28                                  4:20 p.m.