2023/24 – 2025/26 business plan

Letter of transmittal

The Honourable Michael Parsa
Minister of Children, Community and Social Services

Dear Minister Parsa:

Consistent with the requirements of Treasury Board Secretariat, I am pleased to present this 2023/24 – 2025/26 business plan on behalf of the Soldiers’ Aid Commission

Sincerely,
Philip ten Kortenaar, CD
Chair

Executive summary

The Soldiers’ Aid Commission is continuing its work to support Ontario’s vulnerable Veterans and their family members as per the terms of the Soldiers’ Aid Commission Act, 2020. The key priority for the coming years will be to continue to raise program awareness to help boost program uptake rates.

Mandate

Pursuant to the Soldiers’ Aid Commission Act, 2020, the commission is mandated to:

• Administer a financial assistance program for eligible Veterans and eligible family members of Veterans who reside in Ontario;
• Review applications for financial assistance and decide whether or not to approve them, in whole or part, in accordance with the regulations made under the act;
• Provide advice to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services on matters affecting Veterans and their families; and
• Engage in any other activities that may be prescribed by the regulations made under the act.

By implementing this financial assistance program, the Soldiers’ Aid Commission will continue to make a positive difference to the well-being of vulnerable Ontario Veterans and their families by providing them with access to modest financial assistance.

The commission operates at arm’s length from government. The current members are appointed by Order-in-Council have term lengths fixed at three years.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the commission and the ministry was last ratified on January 1, 2021.

Eligible Veterans

A Veteran is a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces who has completed basic training and was released from service.

The following people are also Veterans:

• Any person who served in any armed force of Canada or any Allied Force during World War I or World War II
• Any person who served in any armed force of Canada during World War II and who was stationed in Canada or the United States
• Any person who served in the Merchant Navy in a theatre of war during World War II
• Any person who served in any armed force of Canada or any Allied Force and who served in a theatre of operations during the Korean War

Eligible family members

The following family members of an eligible Veteran may receive financial assistance from the Soldiers’ Aid Commission:

• the spouse of a Veteran, including the surviving spouse of a deceased Veteran
• the child of a Veteran or Veteran’s spouse who is financially dependent, including the child of a deceased Veteran or Veteran’s spouse

The commission may provide up to $2,000 over a 12-month period per household.

If both spouses in a household are Veterans, each spouse is eligible for up to $2,000 in a 12-month period. However, each Veteran cannot make an application for the same expense.

The commission will consider applications to support eligible recipients with financial assistance for essential expenses in the following categories:

• housing-related items, modifications or repairs that support mobility, accessibility or health and safety
• assistance to secure or maintain housing
• specialized equipment and assistive devices to support mobility, accessibility or health and safety
• health-related items and services to support physical and mental health
• personal items, services and expenses to support basic needs
• employment-related supports to remove barriers to employment or improve employability

The commission accepts applications for financial assistance made by Veterans in need or their dependents by way of the Royal Canadian Legion, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and the Royal Canadian Naval Benevolent Fund (RCNBF). The Royal Canadian Legion or Veterans Affairs Canada receives applications for assistance and completes an initial screening to confirm Veteran status, obtain financial/income documentation and quotes for services being requested. Financial assistance is available to resolve a specific situation when all other resources have been exhausted.

Organization

The commission is comprised of a chair and vice-chair, and six other commissioners for a total of eight members. As of January 2023, the membership of the commission is as follows:

Environmental scan

The commission is actively building its network to enhance awareness of the program. The Royal Canadian Legion (Legion) - Ontario Command and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) will be targeted more readily to ensure SAC’s key partners are fully aware of the function of the program. The new focus will create a new strategic direction including an updated communication plan to help strengthen these relationships.

One of the commission’s main partners is the Legion which has historically been SAC’s key partner for submitting applications. The Legion will continue to play a role in submitting future applications, but they struggle to reach a younger demographic of Veteran.

VAC implemented a new emergency fund in response to the pandemic and these supports may have resulted in fewer applications coming to SAC over the last couple of years. Currently, the VAC emergency fund continues to be available to applicants.

SAC is working within the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to help develop a new communication plan and overview. SAC is committing to more engagement directly within the Veteran support group sector to help raise program awareness and ultimately program uptake. A new overview and awareness engagement protocol needs to be put in place.

Strategic directions

As per the request of the minister, the commission should be:

• Implementing the expanded financial assistance program in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation and program guidelines, and operating within your agency’s allocation;
• Working collaboratively with Veterans Affairs Canada, Royal Canadian Legion – Ontario Command and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to ensure a smooth application process for Ontario Veterans and their families and explore digitization or digital modernization strategies for provision of supports online;
• Liaising with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services as needed to ensure the commission meets its goals and objectives;
• Abiding by applicable government directives and policies and ensuring transparency and accountability in reporting, including adhering to requirements of the Agencies and Appointments Directive and responding to audit findings, where applicable;
• Maintaining an effective system of internal controls and compliance with applicable requirements to promote accountability and sustainability;
• Developing and implementing an effective process for the identification, assessment and mitigation of risks, including planning for and responding to emergency situations such as COVID-19; and
• Supporting transparency and data sharing with the ministry, as appropriate.

As per the request of the minister, SAC will begin to:

• Make the conduits of the Legion and VAC aware of the expanded SAC mandate and engage with these organizations as to the benefits of the expanded mandate eligibility. This will be done on a regular basis either through in person or virtual presentations.
• Engage and increase awareness of the program via other Veteran support organisations. This includes actively engaging with groups such as True Patriot Love, Wounded Warriors, Helmets to Hard Hats, CF Military Transition teams and other military associations. The goal is to make these programs aware of the benefit of SAC and how it can help a Veteran or their immediate family.
• Review the possibility of supporting other Veteran organisations, within the existing legislative mandate, as another potential conduit into the SAC program.
• Strengthen the relationship with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services through structured and frequent meetings to assess SAC’s progress, and with other ministries as identified, to raise awareness of SAC and how its mandate may assist their respective service programs.
• Develop and implement a viable communications plan, in conjunction with the ministry’s Communication Branch, with the limited resources available to enhance SAC’s social media presence coupled with an advertising and a non-electronic engagement strategy.

Overview of commission’s current and future programs and activities

The commission will continue to meet monthly both virtually and in person to review the communications plan and implement awareness strategies to the support organizations mentioned. The commission will review all applications received within a five-business day period.

As an agency of last resort, the commission will maintain an ongoing review of its internal processes to ensure that decisions and issuance of payments are timely. It will also engage with Veterans organizations to solicit feedback.

Resources needed to meet goals and objectives

The commission is not requesting any additional financial or capital resources to continue its core services or to meet the proposed expansion of its mandate.

Realty and information technology (IT)

For fiscal years 2023-24 to 2025-26 the commission is not anticipating any capital or IT related expenditures.

Staffing, human resources and compensation strategy

Each commissioner is appointed by an Order-in-Council. These members serve without remuneration but may claim out-of-pocket expenses related to travel and meal expenses.

The ministry supports the commission with one FTE who performs administrative/analytical duties. The employee is a member of the Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario.

Performance measures and targets

Financial budget

• The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services will provide the Soldiers’ Aid Commission with up to $1.5M for each fiscal year from 2023-24 to 2025-26 to support eligible Veterans and their families.
• The commission does not receive any revenue, so staffing costs associated with supporting the commission will be paid by the ministry.

Risk identification, assessment and mitigation strategies

For fiscal years 2023-24 through 2025-26 there are no risks identified that will potentially inhibit the commission from fulfilling its mandate within the prescribed funding allotment.

Initiatives involving third parties

The commission currently relies on the Royal Canadian Legion and Veterans Affairs Canada for application intake. The commission will be working towards creating much closer ties between the organizations. This will include regular meetings with senior staff and presentations to front line staff to increase program awareness of SAC.

The focus of the coming years will be to create relationships and work closer with other Veteran-focused organizations throughout Ontario. The initial push will be to help raise awareness of the program but there will also be a focus on how SAC can work with these organizations to better help Ontario’s Veterans and their families.

The overall aim of SAC is to help more and more of Ontario’s vulnerable Veterans by boosting its presence within the province’s Veteran landscape. This will gradually help build new networks, conduits and improve overall program uptake rates.

Communication Plan

The commission will strengthen its partnership with the ministry’s Communication Branch and utilize their supports to help build and maintain a new and effective communications plan. The Communications Branch will be invited to SAC meetings quarterly, or more frequently as needed.

The commission is committed to establishing a relationship with all Ontario based Veterans’ support agencies and will establish a schedule of meetings to promote the programs mandate.

There will be an increased focus on more aggressive outreach tactics which will include creating more face-to-face opportunities with organizations and a much stronger virtual presence that could reach Veterans and the broader public directly.

The overarching goal will be to drive more and more people towards the program which in turn will help promote the program’s mandate directly within the Veteran community at large. This should mean that more applications to the program will be submitted over the coming years.

A response to the expectations set out in the agency mandate letter

The members of the Soldiers’ Aid Commission are eager to continue the long historical relationship with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. The expansion of its mandate is viewed by commissioners as a giant step forward in responding to the needs of Veterans in an ever-changing society.

The commission has already taken steps to strengthen the relationship with our two main community partners, the Royal Canadian Legion and Veteran Affairs Canada, through ongoing meetings that are now in place to address issues as they arise.

It is acknowledged that the strength of the commission lies in the dedication of its members and every step will be taken to assist the ministry by keeping the minister informed of upcoming appointment vacancies and by providing recommendations for appointments or re-appointments.

We look forward to the effective evolution of the program over the next few years and the continued support of the ministry.