The Diocese of Toronto’s 161st Regular Session of Synod is being held Nov. 17-19. The opening service, including the Bishop’s Charge, was held in-person and live-streamed at All Saints, Kingsway on Nov. 17. The rest of Synod is being held online. The theme of Synod, “Cast the Net,” comes from the Diocese’s visioning process. Here are the highlights from Synod on Nov. 18.
Morning Prayer
Synod began with Morning Prayer at St. John’s Convent by the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine.
Welcome and land acknowledgement
Bishop Andrew Asbil welcomed Synod members to the Synod. “Over the next day and a half, we will be working together, united in a common purpose: the mission and ministry of God’s Church in the Diocese of Toronto,” he said. “And even though we are many members, in many places, we are One as the Body of Christ. Let us hold that spirit of unity as we proceed with the business of today and tomorrow.”
He gave a land acknowledgement. “We acknowledge that where we are meeting to film this is in Mississauga and Brampton South, and the land on which we gather is the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee (ho-den-oh-show-nee) and Anishinabek (ah-nish-nah-bek) Nations, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and the Metis peoples. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. This territory was the subject of Treaty 13A, also known as the Head of the Lake Purchase.”
Agenda and Omnibus Motion
Synod approved the revised agenda for Synod, and in an omnibus motion it received Synod Council’s Report to Synod and approved the minutes of the 160th Regular Session of Synod, held Nov. 25-27, 2021. For more information, see Section A of the Convening Circular.
Synod since 2021
Synod members watched a video about the Property Committee and its work, especially in the area of helping parishes that want to build housing that includes affordable housing.
Missional and outreach moment
In the Missional Moments, Synod members hear about how communities in the Diocese are finding new ways of meeting people who are not being reached by traditional forms of church. In the Outreach Moments, they hear about how churches are reaching out to the most vulnerable members of society.
In the first moment, Synod members learned about St. Luke, Creemore’s foodbank, which caters to the needs of several families in the community. Local merchants provide food to the foodbank, which is run by a dedicated group of people at the church.
Notices of Motion
Synod voted on the following motions. The motions can be found in Section A of the Convening Circular.
Motion #11 A – Affordable Housing
The Secretary of Synod received the following notice of motion on Nov. 26, 2021. “It was moved by Frank Cormier and seconded by Marion Thompson that the Synod of the Diocese of Toronto direct Synod Council to draft:
- Revisions to the policies, canons and Constitution, as applicable, of the Diocese to facilitate parishes engaging in creative and innovative land uses and partnerships; and
- Diocesan policies that give preference to the use of surplus diocesan lands for the purpose of affordable housing and other community-centric uses, where appropriate.
And that those draft revisions be brought forward at the next session of Synod for consideration.”
The motion was carried.
Motion #11B – Allotment
The Secretary of Synod received the following notice of motion on Nov. 26, 2021, and it was amended by Synod on Nov. 18, 2022 to read: “It is moved by the Rev. Canon Mark Kinghan and seconded by Gail Browne that given parish allotments cannot meet the primary financial needs of the diocesan budget, this Synod requests that a detailed report be submitted to the next session of Synod from Synod Council outlining that because diocesan staff and ministries are important, how they can be maintained in the future and how past and future budget deficits can be covered using diocesan investments rather than increasing parish assessments.”
The motion was carried.
Motion #11C – Staff position
The Secretary of Synod received the following revised notice of motion on Oct. 22, 2022:
“Whereas Bishop Andrew has encouraged this Synod to continue to “Love thy Neighbour” by challenging us with the Synod’s motto: “Cast the Net.”;
And whereas the co-chair of the Property Committee has stated the process of building affordable housing “requires a lot of time and expertise, especially in legal and property matters” and the work “is done at the diocesan level, not by individual parishes, to avoid duplication of both effort and costs.”
And whereas this Synod expresses its gratitude for the volunteer work of both the Property Committee and the Working Group, it also understands the constraints of most appointees who have full-time employment and other life commitments;
And whereas the diocesan Synod, in November 2019, called for a diocesan Affordable Housing Plan which is to (1) determine the feasibility of building affordable housing on diocesan-owned lands; (2) prioritize strategic partnerships with industry experts in the fields of planning, development and affordable housing provision; and (3) establish specific achievable targets (e.g. 250 units by 2024);
And whereas this diocesan Synod, in November 2019, called for this plan to be completed by Nov. 30, 2020;
It is moved by the Rev. Hernan Astudillo and seconded by the Rev. Dr. Catherine Keating that the 161st Synod of the Diocese of Toronto recommends that the Diocese responds to the affordable housing crisis across the Diocese by appointing and hiring a full-time Director who is completely experienced in building affordable housing, the funding for this position to be realized through the establishment of partnership, and requires Synod Council to make any necessary adjustments to the budget to make the hiring possible, reporting back to Synod and the Diocese in six months and continue to do so at six-month intervals until a Director has been hired.”
The mover and seconder spoke to the motion, saying there is a critical need for affordable housing. During the debate, the co-chairs of the diocese’s Property Committee said they were not in favour of the motion because work in this area is well underway and the hiring of a director at this point could hinder that progress. “We already have a highly qualified team in place,” said Peter Patterson, ODT, co-chair.
The motion was defeated.
Motion #11D – Church Energy Management
The Secretary of Synod received the following notice of motion on Sept. 23, 2022. “It is moved by the Rev. Dr. Alison Kemper and seconded by Stuart Hutcheson, ODT, that the Diocese of Toronto adopt the national Net Zero Churches Network approach as a model for management of diocesan property:
- Every church to begin to assess their energy management challenges by completing a self-guided building audit and energy audit no later than their next required building survey.
- Churches contemplating renovations/upgrades to HVAC to complete thermal imaging whenever possible and be given information by the Diocese about recommended energy solutions for their building.
- Diocese to connect parishes with the necessary expertise and assistance (including potential financial assistance) to pursue net-zero type solutions.
- All redevelopment projects to clearly demonstrate efforts to adopt energy solutions that will bring them closer to net-zero GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions.”
The motion was carried.
Cast the Net visioning process
Synod members learned about Cast the Net, the Diocese’s visioning and strategy process. The Rev. Dr. Alison Falby, co-chair of Cast the Net, welcomed everyone and encouraged their participation in it. The consulting team – Canon Ian Alexander, the Very. Rev. Peter Elliott and Dr. Anita Gittens, ODT – were introduced. Synod members were given an overview of Cast the Net and the results of a Synod survey, and then broke into small groups to answer important questions related to it. In particular, Synod members were asked, “What would it mean as a Diocese, in this time and place, to cast our net on the other side of the boat?”
For more information, visit Cast the Net’s webpage.
Notices of Motion
Synod voted on the following motions. The motions can be found in Section A of the Convening Circular.
Motion #11E – Affordable Housing Plan
The Secretary of Synod received the following notice of motion on Oct. 14, 2022. “It will be moved by the Rev. Angie Hocking and seconded by the Rev. Jeff Nowers that this Synod ensure that the Affordable Housing Plan (Motion #11, 2019) is implemented in a way that prioritizes the wellbeing of our communities as well as our congregations by:
- aiming to increase the number of affordable units in each new housing project;
- ensuring that a meaningful portion of new housing is financially accessible to those with incomes equal to or less than current social assistance levels;
- considering all diocesan lands as potential sites for affordable housing, especially vacant and under-utilized lands.”
The motion was carried.
Motion #11F – Amendment to Motion #11 from 2019 Synod
The Secretary of Synod received the following notice of motion on Oct. 14, 2022. “It will be moved by the Rev. Dr. Jason McKinney and seconded by the Rev. Angie Hocking that this Synod request Synod Council to respond to the affordable housing crisis across the Diocese by developing an Affordable Housing Plan. This plan will:
- determine the feasibility of building affordable housing on diocesan-owned lands;
- prioritize strategic partnerships with industry experts in the fields of planning, development and affordable housing provision;
- establish specific achievable targets; clearly define the meaning of affordability for each project.”
The motion was carried.
Governance Pilot Project
Chancellor Clare Burns spoke about changes to the Diocese’s governance structure. “In June, an evaluation of the governance structure was initiated by a small group,” she said. “You may have read the article in the September issue of The Anglican. Joy Packham, a member of the regional ministry of St. Margaret, Barrie, Trinity, Barrie and Good Shepherd, Stayner, and Robert Hart, a member of St. James Cathedral are doing this work. They obtained feedback to get a sense of how people were finding the new model and if they felt the changes resulted in a more effective and efficient process for those doing business with Synod Council. The group submitted their report to the Risk and Governance Committee in October. Its findings showed that the majority of responses were positive and showed support for the new Synod Council structure, which is considered timely and efficient, fair and transparent, and representative of the overall Diocese. A few responses indicated it is too soon to tell.
“At this juncture, Synod will be asked to receive the Governance Project Review report. The group will continue its evaluation with regular reports to the Risk and Governance Committee leading up to our next Synod in 2023. There are two motions that deal with the Governance Project before this Synod. The first is the Governance Project Review report and the second relates to our Constitution and Canons.
“One year in, the new governance model has functioned largely as anticipated. Some minor changes will be made to how some of the committees do their work based on comments and recommendations made by the evaluation of the new structure. In order to continue, Synod will be asked to suspend Canons 2, 3, 5, 31, 36, 37, 39, 44 s.3, and 44 s.5(g) until the next Regular Session of Synod.”
Synod voted on the following motions dealing with the Governance Pilot Project:
Motion #4 – Governance Project
“It is moved by the Rev. Andrew MacDonald and seconded by Sheila Robson that Synod receive the Governance Review report dated Sept. 22, 2022.” For more information on the Governance Review report, see Section F of the Convening Circular.
Motion #5A – Suspension of Canons
“It is moved by the Rev. Andrew MacDonald and seconded by Sheila Robson that Synod suspend Canons 2, 3, 5, 31, 36, 37, 39, 44 s.3, and 44 s.5(g) until the next Regular Session of Synod, as recommended for approval by Synod Council and presented in Section E of the Convening Circular with respect to the Pilot Governance Project.”
The motions were carried.
Episcopal Leadership Implementation
The co-chairs of the Episcopal Leadership Implementation Team, the Rev. Canon Stephen Kirkegaard and Susan Abell, ODT, updated Synod on the team’s work, which will result in the creation of territorial archdeacon positions in the Diocese. They said work was progressing well and they thanked all those who contributed to this important initiative. See related story for more information.
Missional and outreach moment
Synod learned about All Saints, Whitby’s Community Garden, which was built with the notion of sharing the love of God, and to share with those who are in need, bringing the community closer together. The garden was assisted by a Reach Grant from the Diocese.
Evening Prayer
Evening Prayer was led by members of the Bishop’s Youth Ministry Committee and youth ministry leaders.
Adjournment
Bishop Riscylla Shaw adjourned the meeting.
