From: Sanish Samuel, Controller & Director Financial Services
Date: August 15, 2024
Re: Notice of New Guidelines for Payments to Indigenous Payees
I am pleased to share the availability of a new resource, Payments to Indigenous Payees Guidelines. These guidelines were crafted with the intention of reducing barriers to payment processes for non-employee Indigenous partners who work with the University of Toronto. They are now incorporated into the Guide to Financial Management.
Financial Services began work on these guidelines in late 2023. Numerous units and teams across the university were consulted, to whom we are grateful: the Office of Indigenous Initiatives; the Indigenous Payees Honoraria Working Group; Benefits, Pension & Payroll; University of Toronto Scarborough Financial Services; Procurement Services; the Financial Advisory Services and Training team; the Strategic Initiatives team in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer; and the Business Officers Influence Council.
About the Guidelines
These guidelines are intended as a resource for common scenarios encountered by University of Toronto staff, faculty, librarians, and student groups seeking to make payments to Indigenous community members who are not employees of the University of Toronto. They will be periodically updated, as necessary. The guidelines contain an FAQ for more common scenarios, a decision tree, a payment guidelines table, and two new forms that can be used for cash payment tracking.
Training Sessions
The FAST team will hold two training sessions for anyone wishing to learn more about the new guidelines. Sign up is available using the links below:
Questions & Support
Questions about the guidelines and their applicability to payment scenarios not explicitly addressed in the document should be sent to the Financial Advisory Services and Training (FAST) Team at fast.help@utoronto.ca, who will consult with the relevant offices and provide additional guidance as appropriate.