History

The formation of the Board commenced in the Spring of 1998 following the enactment of the District Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB) Act.

A committee was formed by Kenora District municipal and unincorporated area leaders whose mandate was to prepare a proposal for a DSSAB that would provide the services mandated under the DSSAB Act.  The proposal required the committee to include a recommendation on the structure of the Board including representation, voting rights and other governance issues.  One-time funding for the development of this proposal was received from the Ministry of Community and Social Services (now known as the Ministry of Community, Family and Children's Services).  The proposal was forwarded to the Province in March 1998 for approval.

The proposal with modifications was approved in early June 1998 by the Ministers of Community & Social Services and Northern Development & Mines and work commenced in August 1998 to develop the Implementation Plan consisting of service models for Ontario Works and Child Care and for the eventual transfer of these services from the Province.  A consultant was hired to develop the service models and the Kenora District Services Board received Ministerial designation under the DSSAB Act  and the Ontario Works Act on April 1, 1999.

The Board became responsible for the financial services of Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program, Child Care and Social Housing at the time of Ministerial designation as well as becoming responsible for the delivery of the Ontario Works program.

Responsibility for delivery and finance of the Land Ambulance service commenced on January 1, 2001 along with the responsibility of delivering the public housing portfolio of the Social Housing program.  Responsibility for administering the non-profit housing portfolio commenced on January 1, 2002.

The service area of the Kenora District Services Board covers a territory of some 207,000 square miles and is the largest geographic area in the Province in which to provide District services to a sparse population. [In fact the area covered by the Board is the size of France].  The original boundaries which extended from the Ontario-Manitoba border in the West to the District of Thunder Bay boundary in the East and from the District of Rainy River boundary in the South to the 11^th baseline in the North were changed on January 1, 2001 to include newly annexed areas in the Rainy River District by the new municipality of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls which came into existence by a Commissioners Order.

The original Board consisted of fifteen (15) members, one (1) for each incorporated municipality and four (4) for the unincorporated territories.  Due to amalgamation of some municipalities the Board now consists of thirteen (13) members, nine (9) representing incorporated municipalities and four (4) representing unincorporated territories.