1000-1-1 Policy Development, Revision & Publication

Policy

Policy Framework

1. Governance (i.e. Board) policies are established, overseen and administered by the Board of Governors. These policies provide strategic direction and guidance, and establish fundamental and key parameters for the institution.  They include the delegation of authority and responsibilities to the President.  The development, review and revision of Board policy are the responsibility of the Board of Governors and fall beyond the purview of this policy.
2. Administration (i.e. College) policies guide and direct the efficient and effective operation of the institution within the directions, parameters and limits established by Governance policy, College Mission, etc., and legislative requirements. Administrative policies reflect the responsibilities of the President, who is ultimately accountable for the policies and the implementation of them.  The development, review and revision of College policy are governed by this policy.
3. Departmental policies are established and implemented by individual Schools or Departments to provide detailed direction regarding operations and matters specific to that area. These policies, and the development, review and revision of them, are the responsibility of the administrator of the operational area. 
4. Department policies must be consistent with, and are subordinate to, College policies which, in turn, must be consistent with, and are subordinate to, Board policies. 

College Policy Development

1. The development of a policy is the responsibility of the administrator most directly responsible for the ultimate implementation of and/or compliance with the policy. This responsible administrator is identified in this policy as the “policy sponsor”.
   1. The policy sponsor will initiate, guide and oversee the creation, development and presentation for approval of the new policy.
   2. Before initiating the creation of a new policy, the Policy Sponsor will request approval to do so  from the responsible executive. The development of a new policy may not proceed without the approval of the responsible executive.
   3. During the development of a new policy, the policy sponsor will ensure that comment is sought, gathered and considered from College departments, individuals and groups who, it might reasonably be expected, will be impacted by the new policy.
   4. The policy sponsor developing a policy that has the potential for legal challenges or entanglements or controversy should, with the approval of the responsible executive, seek review of the proposed policy by legal counsel. 
2. A proposed College policy must be considered by relevant (one or more) vice-president advisory committees (e.g. Deans Council, Student Services Committee, and  Corporate Services Management Team) for comment.
3. Explanation of consultations undertaken in the policy development process must accompany the proposed policy at each presentation of the policy.
4. When a draft policy has been sufficiently developed, the policy sponsor, or designate, will present it to the relevant vice-president advisory committee(s) for consideration for recommendation to the College Management Team (CMT) for its consideration.
5. A proposed College policy must be presented to the College Management Team (CMT) by the policy sponsor for its consideration for recommendation for approval to the President.
6. A proposed College policy, recommended for approval by CMT, will be considered by the President for approval. 
7. A proposed College policy will become an official College policy on approval by the President, effective on the date established by the President.
8. The official policy will be published on the College website.

College Policy Review and Revision

1. College policies must be formally reviewed within a period not to exceed five years from the date of first issue or the date of the last review. 
2. It is the responsibility of the Policy Administrator to ensure the currency of the policy by communicating that approaching need for a timely review of the policy. 
3. The review of a policy will be undertaken and directed by the policy sponsor
4. Upon completion of the policy review, the policy sponsor or their designate will present the reviewed policy, along with recommendations for maintenance, revision, or deletion, to the relevant Vice-President Advisory Committee. This/these committee(s) will consider the recommendations and provide any additional input or suggestions. A reviewed College policy must be presented to the CMT by the Policy Sponsor, or designate, for its consideration for recommendation to the President.
5. A reviewed College policy, recommended by the CMT, will be considered by the President for approval.
6. An approved reviewed College policy will replace current College policy or policies or be deleted.
7. The reviewed policy will be published on, or deleted from, the College website. 

Revisions of Policy or Appendices

1. On occasion, a policy may be revised outside of the formal review process.
   1. If the revision(s) is (are) of a minor nature, such that the significant values, expectations, directions, or procedures associated with or arising from the policy are unchanged, then the policy changes may be approved by the relevant vice-president and the revised policy published.
   2. The revision of the policy should be reflected in the "Last Revision" date box at the top of the policy.
   3. The revision of the policy should be added to the next agenda of the CMT meeting for information purposes only.
2. Information within policy appendices may be revised, from time to time, by the policy sponsor, without proceeding through the formal policy revision steps described above.
3. The College community must be provided with appropriate notification of such changes.

Archiving of Policies

1. A policy, or version of a policy, that is removed from publication, i.e. from the College website, because the policy has been deleted, revised or replaced by other policy, must be maintained in a policy archive consistent with the College’s Records Retention policy.

Policy Format

1. A College policy must be published in the template and standard formatting established by the College. 
2. Policies must be written in plain English - free of jargon and legalese - and without unnecessary reference to specific, i.e. proper names of, positions, places, products, etc.
3. A policy may include one or more appendices that provide details or more detailed information, e.g. forms, website URLs, dates, etc. that may require occasional changes or updates.

Department Policy

1. The development of a department (including School) policy is the responsibility of the administrator who is responsible for the operation of the department(s) to/in which the policy applies.
2. The department administrator will initiate and oversee the creation, development, publication and implementation of the department policy.
3. The department administrator is expected to consult with College departments, individuals and groups who, it might reasonably be expected, will be impacted by the policy.
4. The department administrator must seek and receive approval from their supervisor for any new or revised department policy.
5. Department policies must be published and readily accessible to all relevant and potentially interested parties.
6. Department policy must be consistent with College policy, and is always subordinate to College policy.
7. The department administrators are responsible for ensuring the currency and relevancy of department policies for which they are responsible. Part of that responsibility is to ensure the timely review of the policies. 
8. A department policy must be reviewed every five years.

Procedures

1. Procedures consist of detailed instructions, detailed steps, forms, etc. associated with a policy and/or necessary for the operationalization of the policy.
2. Procedures may be attached to a policy as an appendix.

Definitions

Executive

A position equal to or greater than a vice-president

Administrator

An administrative position equal to or greater than a manager