header

Community Alcohol Partnership

Terms of Reference

These terms of reference (TOR’s) will be used as a guide during the launching of the CAP and are expected to evolve and be modified over time as circumstances demand and as the core committee deems necessary.

Purpose

To shift the culture of alcohol in Kings and Annapolis Counties.

Mission

To reduce the harms related to the misuse of alcohol in Kings and Annapolis Counties.

Vision

To create a vibrant and successful community free of harms related to our culture of alcohol use. We believe in a progressive, prosperous, safe, and healthy communities. To this end, we will work together collaboratively and in sustainable ways toward achieving our purpose, mission, and vision.

"We want to live and work in a place where people can thrive, where they can feel fulfilled in their work, play and interpersonal relationships, and where the consumption of alcohol can be enjoyed without compromising the health, well being or safety of oneself or others.

We don't want to live and work in a place where people argue, fight and get hurt, and sexually harass or assault one another. We don't want to live in an environment where people's rights to freedom of choice and freedom of expression are ignored or ridiculed, their success is compromised, and where property is damaged or put into a state of disrepair as a result of overconsumption of alcohol."

Guiding Principles

The aims of the committee will be to:

  • strengthen the broad well-being of community
  • base the work on a model of best practices, and
  • encourage and support collaboration in design and delivery

Values

The values chosen to guide our committee work include transparency, respect, integrity and unity. These values will be modeled and communicated in our interactions with each other.

Transparency: The lack of hidden agendas accompanied by full disclosure of information required for collaboration, cooperation and collective decision making. Transparency breeds trust. It embodies honesty and open communication.

Respect: Accepting the equal worth of all people including the right of each person to their beliefs, coupled with the desire to understand the context and origins of those beliefs without prejudice.

Integrity: Congruence between what the committee stands for and how the committee acts. Committee members will display honesty, sincerity and fulfill commitments.

Unity: Being united as a whole through consensus decision making. It instills a notion of oneness and provides for harmony and agreement.
rethink
Membership:
Membership shall be open to any community member interested in, and committed to, the Vision, Mission, and Goals of the AVCAP. Strategically identified people/partners from within Kings and Annapolis Counties are recommended to be invited to be an AVCAP member*2. There is no formal structure to the membership structure except for the Chair position.

Meetings:
Meetings will occur monthly (except for the month of December, July, and August) at a regularly scheduled meeting date, time, and location decided upon consensus of the members. Current regularly scheduled meetings are scheduled to occur on the fourth Wednesday of the month from 1:30 PM and will be no longer than two hours in length.

Secretariat Support:
The AVCAP members representing Nova Scotia Health shall provide secretariate support to the Chair and the full committee in the way of preparing meeting agendas if needed, recording of minutes and all other information, communication and correspondence relevant to the AVCAP vision, mission, and goals. Minutes taken will be circulated to the group no later than the week of the following meeting. Action items and key decisions will be highlighted.

Decision Making:
The AVCAP shall make decisions by using a consensus decision-making model. This means that discussions will shape the decisions toward a consensus given unanimity minus one. Consensus means being able to live with the decision and being able to support it publicly. Committee members can excuse themselves from a decision if they feel there is a conflict of interest. This allows one person to oppose the decision (stand aside). This person can have their name recorded if it is their wish, but they will be required to support the consensus decision once it is reached. If two or more people chose to oppose consensus there will be no decision on the presenting issue. Each member is responsible for contributing their voice – if you do not share your comments, agreement is implied. In order for decisions to be made, a majority of the members present at the meeting is required for consensus to occur. If a key decision is to be made at an upcoming meeting and a member is unable to attend, it is their responsibility to send any comments to the chair prior to that meeting.

Review
These Terms of Reference may be amended at any time as deemed necessary or appropriate by the membership. The Terms of Reference should be reviewed once every two years by the AVCAP membership and make amendments if necessary.