The Regional Council

Mandate

The regional council will fulfill the following responsibilities as outlined in The Manual, 2024 Section C.2.

Delegation of Responsibilities
Appendix A reflecting Section C.2 of The Manual, 2024.

Responsibilities are assigned to:

Regional Council (full meeting of the region): RC
Executive: EX
Congregational Support Commission: CSC
Human Resources Commission: HR
Discipleship and Justice Commission: D&J

Please note the following responsibilities as outlined in sections G, H, I and J of The Manual, 2024.

• Section G: Any references to the regional council in Section G are the responsibility of the Congregational Support Commission;
• Section H: Any references to the regional council in Section H are the responsibility of the full regional council;
• Section I: Any references to the regional council in Section I are the responsibility of the Human Resources Commission, with the exceptions of I.1.3.2a), I.1.4.1 concerning community of faith profiles which are delegated to the Congregational Support Commission;
• Section J: Any references to the regional council in Section J are the responsibility of the Regional Council Executive.

In some cases, two bodies share responsibility for the effective fulfillment of The Manual, 2024 requirements.

Officers

President    *4 year term in total: serving as President‐Elect for 1 (one) year;
President for 2 (two) years, Past‐President for 1 (one) year

The Regional Council will elect a President for a two‐year term. The President will:

a) Preside at the communion table and business table of the region and its Executive;
b) Serve as the spiritual leader for the region, offer a theme and vision for the region;
c) Serve, along with the Executive Minister, as the official representative of the region;
d) Strive to inspire the members of the Regional Council and its communities of faith toward health, joy and excellence;

During the two‐year term as President, the President will receive a personal honorarium. The home community of faith of the President will receive an honorarium.

During the one‐year term as Past‐President, the Past‐President will receive a personal honorarium. The home community of faith of the Past‐President will receive an honorarium.

Travel expenses of the President, President‐Elect and Past‐President associated with the fulfillment of their roles will be reimbursed.

For more information, see the Governance Handbook.

Treasurer
The Regional Council will elect a Treasurer for a three‐year term, renewable once. The Treasurer will::

a) Serve as one of the signing officers for financial matters of the region;
b) Oversee the financial management of the region in partnership with the Executive Minister;
c) Assist with the preparation of the budget for the region in partnership with the regional council Executive.

The Treasurer will have travel expenses associated with this role reimbursed and will receive an honorarium annually.

Membership

See The Manual, 2024 Section C.1,.

Under section C.1.2b, the following are also members of the region

1. Any Past President of Horseshoe Falls Regional Council;
2. Any past president of Hamilton or Toronto Conference or past chair of Erie, Halton, Hamilton, Niagara, Southwest Presbyteries who is a member of a community of faith in the region;
3. Any Retired Designated Lay Minister who retired while serving a community of faith in the region who is a member of a community of faith in the region;
4. Provision will be made for youth and young adult members. This process is still being developed.

Under Section C.1.2, the Regional Council recognizes the following as members:

1. Up to 10 youth (up to age 19) elected by the youth at a gathering prior to the Annual Meeting; and
2. 50% of the Young Adults registered for the Annual Meeting to a maximum of 10 to be elected from among the Young Adults attending. The balance to be corresponding members.

To honour the separation of oversight and discipline of ministry personnel established by the Office of Vocation and in recognition of the workload attached to Office of Vocation roles, those members serving with the Board of Vocation or the Committees of the Office of Vocation will not be considered for decision‐making responsibilities in the regional council. Their involvement as members of a resource pool would be most welcome if their Office of Vocation duties allow for such a time commitment.

Meetings
The regional council shall have at least one in‐person meeting per year.

For more information, see the The Manual, 2024.

Assessment Presentation