2026 Strategic Plan Implementation and Action Plan - Issue Report

Report To:                         Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board

From:                                     Donna Stewart, CAO

Date:                                       February 19, 2026

Re:                                           2026 Strategic Plan Implementation and Action Plan - Issue Report

Purpose

To provide the Board with a concise summary of the Strategic Plan Implementation & Action Plan Framework and to confirm how it will be used to set and track the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board’s (DSB) 2026 corporate and service-area goals, including expectations for annual reporting and change management.

Background

In October, the Board was presented with the Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB’s Strategic Plan 2025–2030, developed with support from Housing Services Corporation (HSC), as a five-year roadmap to unify and guide direction across all service areas. The Plan is supported by an Implementation Framework and a Change Management Approach.

The Implementation & Action Plan Framework now provides the structured, “working roadmap” to move the Strategic Plan from direction to execution. Specifically, the Implementation Plan is intended to:

  • guide decision-making, planning, and prioritization;
  • enable tracking and reporting on progress;
  • document achievements; and
  • support reporting to the Board, the public, and partners. 

The Implementation Plan is intended to be reviewed annually and updated as needed to reflect progress, emerging priorities, changes in the operating environment, and/or refinements to goals and objectives. 

How the Implementation Plan is organized:

1.    Strategic Goals → Objectives → Actions: Each strategic goal is broken into aligned objectives with specific actions and identified “program-level champions.” 
2.    Implementation Cycle terms: Actions are staged as Short (<1 year; 2025–2026), Medium (1–2 years; 2026–2028), Long (3–5 years; 2026–2030), or Ongoing (2025–2030). 
3.    Change Management flagging: Actions are identified as requiring either:

  • Business Transformation (significant shifts in how services are delivered), or
  • Operational Investments (investments needed to support stability and readiness).

What this means for 2026 goal-setting:

The 2026 goals will be drawn primarily from Short actions (2025–2026) and those Medium actions beginning in 2026, with attention to change management capacity and budget alignment.

Examples of 2026 aligned actions already defined in the Implementation Plan include:

A) Expand Service Integration (Strategic Goal #1)

  • Continue expanding integrated Housing Support / Community Paramedicine approaches, including expansion to Sudbury North and coordinated referral processes. 
  • Improve access for residents in underserved areas through digital accessibility and online service integration, including a more user-friendly service access approach (e.g., website redesign dependent on budget). 

B) Transform the Way We Work (Strategic Goal #2)

  • Implement an Accountability Framework aligned with the Strategic Plan, including a defined Board reporting rhythm: “year in goals” presented in February and outcomes reported in November. 
  • Develop and implement a comprehensive communications strategy to strengthen internal/external communications, branding, and advocacy (leveraging a 2026 communications workplan). 
  • Strengthen staff capacity and culture initiatives, including training such as culturally sensitive care (targeted for delivery by end of Q2 2026, then distributed broadly). 
  • Continue modernization activities (e.g., early integration of Finance/IT into planning; cybersecurity prioritization; and ensuring technology implementations are supported by policy and training). 

C) Grow with Purpose & Resilience (Strategic Goal #3)

  • Implement and execute activities to transition toward an Advanced Care Paramedic Service Model, including recruiting ACPs and progressing service-funded graduates (including an additional cohort anticipated to enter programming in September 2026). 
  • Advance planning and sustainability work for core infrastructure and assets, including a multi-year Housing Capital Plan development.
  • Ensure service planning aligns with Ministry requirements, including annual service plans (e.g., Ontario Works service plan sharing/check-ins and Board reporting, and planning aligned to early years service planning expectations). 

Conclusion

The Implementation & Action Plan Framework operationalizes the Board-approved Strategic Plan by defining actions and change management expectations, and it is intended to be reviewed annually to remain current and responsive. 

Recommended Board direction (implementation governance for 2026):

1.    Receive the Implementation Plan summary as the corporate framework for 2026 goal-setting and prioritization. 
2.    Confirm the intended reporting rhythm embedded in the plan (2026 “year in goals” update in February; outcomes reporting in November) to support oversight and continuous improvement. 
3.    Direct staff to work with the implementation plan as presented while being mindful of:

  • which items require Business Transformation vs. Operational Investments, 
  • resource/budget implications and any items needing Board decisions to proceed.