Procedures for Attending and Addressing the Meetings of the Board of Trustees

Meetings of the CAMH Board of Trustees (“Board”) are open to the public, and subject to the procedures established by the Board as outlined herein, non-Board members are permitted to attend in person, and in exceptional circumstances, address Board meetings.

This document addresses the manner in which information concerning the time, date and location of Board meetings and minutes of Board meetings will be available to the public, as well as the steps to be followed by non-Board members who wish to address the Board concerning agenda and non-agenda matters.

Notification of Board Meetings

A schedule of Board meetings (including the times, dates and places of board meetings) will be published on the CAMH website.

Board of Trustees: Schedule of Meetings

September 2023 - June 2024

Distribution of Agenda and Minutes of Board Meetings

An agenda of the matters to be considered at a given Board meeting will be available to the public through the Office of the CAMH Corporate Secretary approximately seven days prior to each Board meeting. Copies of the agenda will also be available at the Board meetings. Minutes of meetings of the Board are available. Minutes of Board meetings (or portions thereof) held in closed session will not be available to the public.

Closed Sessions

Closed sessions may be held at the beginning and the end of the public segment of each Board meeting. Only those persons authorized by the Board to remain at the closed session of the meeting will be permitted to remain. Other persons will be excused from the closed portion of the meeting.

Closed sessions will be held to discuss items of a confidential nature, including but not limited to: the security of the property of the hospital, personal matters about an identifiable individual (including patients and staff), a proposed or pending acquisition of land for hospital purposes, employment issues, labour relations, litigation or potential litigation affecting the hospital, and the receiving of advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege.

Participation in Open Board Meetings

Non-Board members may attend Board meetings as observers, but may not participate in the meeting discussions, unless explicitly invited to do so.

The Board will permit presentations at Board meetings by members of the public so long as the following procedure is adhered to:

Addressing the Board

Persons wishing to address the Board at a Board meeting must submit written notice of the request to the CAMH Corporate Secretary at least 14 days prior to the Board meeting. The request shall include a brief written description of the specific matter to be addressed, and it must be accompanied by any written material that the person will want to distribute to the Board. Persons will only be permitted to address the Board with respect to matters of governance.

Requests to address the Board will be considered by the Chair of the Board in the order of receipt of the requests.

Persons requesting an opportunity to address the Board will be notified of the Chair’s decision at least three business days prior to the Board meeting.

Person addressing the Board will be required to limit their remarks to five minutes.

No more than three presentations will be heard at any given meeting of the Board. The presentations will be made at the commencement of the public portion of the meeting.

The Board is not obligated to respond to a presentation.

No person or group may address the Board concerning an agenda or non-agenda matter if the person or group has addressed the Board concerning that matter during the preceding 12-month period.

Members of the public may also address the Board by providing a letter or memorandum addressed to the Chair of the Board, c/o the Office of the CAMH Corporate Secretary. While the Board may consider matters raised in such correspondence, it is not obligated to respond to it.

In some cases, the Chair may determine that it is more appropriate for a person or a group to address their comments to a specific Standing Committee of the Board, or to some other body. In these situations, arrangements for presentations will be facilitated by the CAMH Corporate Secretary.

General Procedures Regarding Attendance at Board Meetings by Non-Board Members

Non-Board members are asked to notify the CAMH Corporate Secretary if they plan to attend a Board meeting.

Members of the public and media attending Board meetings may be asked to identify themselves and whether they have any formal affiliations (i.e., by providing the name of the media outlet or health agency).

Non-Board members may attend and report on the public board meetings; however, no photographic, television and/or taping equipment will be permitted at any meeting unless explicitly authorized by the Board.

Non-Board members may be asked to leave a Board meeting if they are conducting themselves improperly or if they are otherwise disrupting the meeting, as determined by the Chair, and they may be prohibited from attending future meetings.

For further information, please contact the Office of the CAMH Corporate Secretary at:

CAMH: Bell Gateway Building, 100 Stokes Street, Toronto, ON, M6J 1H4
E-mail: anna.chow@camh.ca