Draft Approval

Step 5. Once Concept Approval is received, the policy sponsor, where appropriate, names a delegate to conduct the necessary research and drafting of the policy text, using the Policy Statement Template. The delegate may be an individual or a working / drafting group. The delegate(s) should have expertise in the policy development process.

Step 6. Once a policy draft is sufficiently researched and drafted, it is made available for consultation, with the sponsor collecting and recording evidence of the consultation. No changes are made to the draft documents during the consultation period, which is a minimum of four weeks. Consultation may occur in a number of ways. During the consultation period, the Office of the Board of Regents consults with the Employment Equity office regarding the policy's applicability to employment equity principles and requirements.

Step 7. After the close of the consultation period, all feedback which was received is considered and appropriate refinements are made to the draft documents. While the consultation must consider and integrate the needs of users, the policy statement must not overlap or contradict existing policy and collective agreements and it must be legislation compliant. As well, the policy must remain consistent with the University’s mission and values.

Step 8. Once the policy statement is written, the Sponsor (or delegate) writes the implementation plan, writes the communications plan, and completes the Policy Development Report.

Step 9. The Sponsor submits the completed Policy Development Report and the Policy Statement to Vice-Presidents Council for endorsement, who then forwards it, with any comments, to the President. A suggested Vice-President Council submission document is available here.

Step 10. The President forwards the submission to the Board, through its applicable Committee, for final approval.

Step 11. If approved by the Board, this information is communicated as described in the Publication phase. As well, the Sponsor (or delegate) ensures execution of the implementation plan including training, systems development, development and introduction of new procedures, programs, staff, equipment, forms, etc.