January 30, 2025

To All Employees

At Karis Disability Services, our dedication to the safety and well-being of both employees and the people who use our services remains a top priority. As part of our ongoing efforts to improve and streamline our safety protocols, we’ve introduced key updates to our policies surrounding personal care, elevators, lifts, and safe lifting practices. Additionally, we have updated our tender policy and contract engagement process to enhance transparency and consistency in our operations.

Personal Care and Hygiene (ON B.8.2 and SK B.15.2)

We have updated this policy to outline clear expectations for protocols in supporting people who require the use of mechanical lifts. The protocols must include detailed information about slings, sling sizes, training requirements, and inspection procedures, in alignment with our Elevators and Lifts policy and Safe Lifting, Transferring and Repositioning of People Using Services policy.

Elevators and Lifts: Clarifying Expectations (ON B.12.14 and SK B.9.12)

One of the updates involves clarifying expectations around the inspection and maintenance of elevators and lifts. This equipment plays a vital role in safely transferring people, and it is crucial that they are regularly inspected and maintained to ensure their safe operation. Our policy now outlines clear expectations for the frequency and procedures of these inspections. All employees involved in lifting, transferring, or repositioning people we support using lifts must follow these updated guidelines to avoid accidents and ensure the equipment is in proper working condition.

Emergency Generator Training (ON B.12.6 and SK B.9.7)

Another important update focuses on emergency generator training. To ensure that all employees are prepared for emergency situations, we have updated the policy to specify that employees will receive training on how to use emergency generators at those locations that are equipped with emergency generators. This will ensure staff are equipped to handle power outages or other emergencies swiftly and effectively, minimizing any disruption to services.

Vehicles Maintenance: Snow Tires Best Practice (ON B.12.12 and SK B.9.15)

To ensure the highest level of safety and performance for our vehicles, we adopted an interim policy directive in 2020 requiring all our fleet vehicles to be fitted with appropriate snow tires for the winter period. Snow tires significantly enhance vehicle traction, handling, and braking in icy and snowy conditions, thereby reducing the risk of accidents. Exceptions are made for new vehicles under one year old or those in areas with minimal snowfall, subject to the approval of the Executive Director or Department Director. This requirement has now been formally incorporated into Karis’ Policies and Procedures.

Tender Policy (ON B.11.4 and SK B.8.6)

As part of our continuous improvement, we’ve updated our tender policy. The public tender amount has been increased from $100,000 to $120,000, and we’ve clarified the contractor engagement process. For projects valued between $9,999 and $120,000, districts are now required to obtain three bids. Projects exceeding $120,000 will follow an open competitive bidding process. These changes ensure transparency, aligns with the Broader Public Sector Procurement Guidelines in Ontario, and promote consistency in how we engage contractors across the organization.

Contractor Engagement Guidelines (ON B.11.5 and SK B.8.7)

We’ve updated the guidelines for contractor engagement based on the value of the work. These changes will ensure that all contracts are signed in accordance with our revised spending limit policies.

We believe these updates will strengthen our safety practices and enhance the overall efficiency of our service delivery. Furthermore, they will improve the personal welfare of both the people who use our services and our employees. We encourage all employees to familiarize themselves with the revised policies.

Please log into PolicyManager to review and complete the updated policies document in your iAttest folder. Ensure you review all updates and attest to them as assigned.

Thank you,

Dave Petkau, Executive Director of South District 

Peter Wyngaarden, Director of Quality, Research and Practice Initiatives