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CONFERENCE REVIEW
CAMA & FCM Annual Conferences 2017 Ottawa-Gatineau
Conference Highlights Session Summaries Further Learning
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CAMA CONFERENCE The Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators Annual Conference convened in Gatineau from May 29th to May 31st, 2017. In an event that focused on ‘Exploring What’s Ahead for Local Government’, over 300 Chief Administrative Officers, senior municipal managers, and staff members from across Canada gathered to learn and inspire.
GATINEAU BY THE NUMBERS CMA population (2011): 265,350 4th largest city in Québec (after Montréal, Québec City & Laval) Number of bridges: 6 Number of municipalities amalgamated to form Gatineau in 2002: 5 Number of city councillors: 17
For a municipality to innovate, its administration and elected council must work together to engage the community, develop buy-in, and plan for the successful implementation of its proposed innovative solution to a local problem. Each year, the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) meet in the same region of Canada to share best practices, discuss emerging challenges, and learn from successful municipal innovations. Canada’s Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) gather first at the CAMA conference, attending workshops and plenaries designed for the administrative leaders of Canada’s municipalities, both large and small. The CAMA conference is succeeded by the meeting of Canada’s mayors, city councillors and city managers at the FCM Annual Conference, which includes keynotes from federal party leaders and concurrent workshops addressing the most pressing municipal challenges. This year, the administrative and political leaders of Canada’s municipalities gathered in Canada’s Capital Region: Ottawa-Gatineau. Public Sector Digest attended both conferences to gather the strategies, successes, failures, and insights that were shared between CAOs and municipal politicians in Canada’s political capital.
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Understanding and Navigating the Political Waters
Former Mississauga Mayor and lifetime politician Hazel McCallion addressed delegates to speak about her experience in municipal politics and to offer advice to navigate those political waters. McCallion offered that the secret to her success in 36 years of politics – and for any municipality – is to foster a harmonious relationship with city staff, reinforcing the idea that city administrators and their teams are a necessary part of governance. She offered other advice specifically tailored for municipal employees, tapping into her vast experience in working alongside them. McCallion emphasized the importance of not having politicians involved in the hiring process of city staff, of maintaining professionalism and a desire for the job, and for administrators to recognize the importance of their role. Said McCallion: “You are the most important level of government,” and “you must love what you do.” Other notable quotes: “I don’t miss politics but I do miss the staff.” “We at the local level decide the quality of life in every community.” “You have an unlimited opportunity to shape this country.” - Hazel McCallion, former Mayor of Mississauga, addresses CAMA delegates
Winning Against the Odds During his Opening Keynote Presentation, titled Winning Against the Odds, Michael “Pinball” Clemons delivered an impassioned and exhilarating pep talk to attendees celebrating the importance of the work they are doing. Clemons drew upon his career as a Hall of Fame running back and head coach of the Toronto Argonauts, and his lived experience as a husband, father and advocate to share lessons he’s learned about being a leader and overcoming adversity.
Clemons charged attendees with three key duties and responsibilities to their communities. As leaders in public service we are heirs to access, couriers of sustainability, and trustees of excellence. To build on those three pillars he added that being a leader is not just about giving your best, it’s about finding the best in other people. Above all else, Clemons urged attendees to exercise humility. Don’t assume that you are at your best. Rather, be humble enough to recognize that performing to your full potential requires you to work hard. Overcoming adversity is all about momentum, so don’t feel sorry, don’t complain and don’t quit. Instead, embrace the challenge and find your sweet spot.
@duanenicol
“Legendary former Mayor, Hazel McCallion, providing #CAMA2017 w/ insight, folksy wisdom & straight goods on CAO-Council relationship #cdnpoli.”
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Launch of CAMA’s Next Generation Project and Presentation by
FCM Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP) FCM has recently announced a new application process for asset management funding. Municipalities are eligible for up to $50,000 in grant funding to cover up to 80% of asset management capacity building activities, including the completion of an asset management plan, training, and an asset management policy. As national leaders in municipal asset management capacity building, PSD is well-equipped to help local governments target activities to put forth for FCM’s MAMP funding. With an in-house team of experienced research and policy analysts, PSD is also well positioned to assist municipalities with the completion of their MAMP applications.
FCM Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP) MCIP is a five-year, $75-million program that helps municipalities prepare for and adapt to climate change, and to reduce
emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Under MCIP, funding is available for municipalities to develop plans and studies
to reduce GHG emissions and help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change, such as extreme temperatures,
flooding and drought. Grants of up to $175,000 are available covering up to 80 percent of eligible costs.
PSD Service Deliverables
Provide full briefing on the requirements of the MAMP and MCIP applications
Review proposed activities for alignment with the requirements and assessment criteria for the application
Provide recommendations to ensure the description/details of the proposed activities meet the requirements of
the application
Assist with the completion of FCM’s Asset Management Readiness Scale as part of the application process
Assist with the final wording of the application
Check for completion of all required components of application
Check for alignment with the assessment criteria of the application
Check for spelling/grammatical errors
PSD’s application completion service does not include completion of technical schedules or financial contributions/budgeting sections for proposed activities. PSD does not guarantee success with the application program.
Contact our team today to discuss your grant application requirements:
Tyler Sutton, MPA
Research Lead, Public Sector Digest Inc.
519.690.2565 ext 2210
Municipal Grant Funding Applications PSD Services
“PSD is in closer contact with
funding agencies to know
what exactly they’re looking
for. We’ve applied several
times for funding for this
project, but with PSD’s help,
this time we were successful.”
- Kevin De Leebeeck, Director
of Operations, Town of
Tillsonburg
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Concurrent Session – Launch of CAMA’s Next Generation Project and Presentation by Insights West With recognition of the demographic shift happening within CAMA’s membership, a research project was commissioned in partnership with provincial and territorial associations to address the challenge Canadian municipalities are facing in filling management positions. Given the impending retirement of a considerable number of municipal administrators, municipalities need to promote the positive rewards of having a career in local government. The project began with an online research survey, designed and conducted by Insights West, to understand the perceptions of young Canadians towards careers in municipal government. There were six key takeaways from the results of the survey: 1. Just under two-thirds of prospective employees would be interested in working for local government 2. Of those who say they are not interested in municipal jobs, most commonly believe that they don’t offer the type of job
that they are looking for, or that the job is boring 3. Compared to federal and provincial governments, municipal jobs are more likely to be seen as providing an opportunity
to make a difference in their community 4. Compared to federal and provincial jobs, municipal jobs are perceived to provide more opportunities to leave your mark 5. Municipal jobs have positive perceptions when it comes to most of the job aspects that a prospective employee sees as
important including wages, benefits and job security 6. Those surveyed responded with low scores in a few key categories including perceptions about interesting work, staff
morale, stress levels and workplace culture in municipal government jobs
The results of the survey are being utilized through the creation of a communications toolkit that can be employed at a local level by participating associations or member municipalities to attract and retain young, talented people. After analyzing the results of the survey, a commissioning statement was developed:
Local Government. Making Life Happen.
Every Day. The toolkit features a PowerPoint presentation and handout for promotional events and career fairs, as well as a website containing more information on the opportunity for challenging and meaningful work at the municipal level. It will be available for use shortly through CAMA’s website.
Concurrent Session – Navigating the Digital Landscape
Social media is perplexing to organizations in any sector, but navigating the rapidly changing digital landscape is proving particularly challenging for government. At the local level, capacity to create, monitor, and utilize social media platforms is especially limited, leaving municipalities with essentially two options: remain in the dark ages and ignore social media, or attempt to engage in the digital landscape with limited time and resources and risk public blunders. Brett Bell, Founder of Grassroots Online Incorporated, provided CAMA delegates with a tangible example of how a digital communications champion can approach a municipal digital strategy in a measured and effective way. Bell’s suggested digital strategy includes the following steps: 1) Get internal buy-in 2) Work directly with the communications team 3) Post valuable content 4) Help create informed decisions 5) Analyze data and iterate
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Understanding the typically risk-averse climate of local government, Bell provided delegates with examples of perceived risks associated with launching a digital comms strategy, along with mitigation strategies for each risk. For example, many organizations are concerned that launching social media accounts will become a slippery slope, with the public coming to expect quicker responses than the municipality is equipped to provide. Some examples of mitigation strategies include assigning roles and resources before you launch your accounts and posting hours of operation on social media channels to clearly communicate that the municipality will not be responding immediately to posts. Using examples from Guelph, Ontario, Bell included in his presentation an overview of corporate social media policies and social media guidelines for elected officials – essential components of any digital communications strategy for local government.
Concurrent Session – Succession Planning for the New Government Workforce Patrick Ibarra of the Mejorando Group – which translates to ‘getting better all the time’ – introduced the very concept of improvement to attendees of this session centered on succession planning. Ibarra asserted to those city managers in attendance that there are numerous ways to improve staffing and plans for staffing within a municipal organization. He specifically focused on three main question streams that municipalities should pay close attention to: how are you building capacity and performance, what is the organization’s and staff potential, and how are you modernizing your organization. From there, Ibarra offered specific examples of how to achieve success in capacity, potential, and modernization for succession planning, which included modernizing job applications, having more substantive conversations with younger staff about future opportunities and challenges, and installing pilot leadership development programs.
“[Ask your younger staff:] ‘What more can we do in this organization to challenge you?”
- Patrick Ibarra
Concurrent Session – Lean Six Sigma Across the Country Lean Six Sigma has been embraced by municipalities across Canada as a tool for improving business efficiency while ensuring that the effectiveness of service delivery is maintained. There are various examples of Lean Six Sigma programs, but all permutations have the key principles of improving process flow and removing process ‘waste’, while retaining a focus on the customer. This CAMA ‘Rapid Fire’ session showcased four case studies in municipal Lean Six Sigma programs from across Canada. First Gatineau’s Director of Public Works, Marco Lalonde, explained how Lean Six Sigma has helped usher in a culture of effective services in his organization. Next, Michele Peach, CAO of Mount Pearl shared some lessons learned through her Lean implementation process, including the realization that the concepts behind Lean are not common sense to most people, requiring more communication and training leading up to implementation. Wes Anderson, Manager of Mississauga’s Lean Program, described his organization’s accomplishments after a year of Lean implementation: 357 small improvements and 23 Lean projects complete, 1800 White Belts trained and 25 Green Belts certified, $1.6 million in cumulative cost savings, and $2.2 million in cost avoidance and redirected capacity. Murray Jamer, Deputy CAO with the City of Fredericton, closed the session with a recap of his community’s Lean journey starting in 2010 and culminating in Fredericton hosting the Canadian Lean Summit in 2017 – now an annual event.
FURTHER LEARNING
Case study: The City of Burlington: Succession Planning for the Future
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Next Big Things 2.0 – A Deeper Look at Four Trends Looking towards the future, it is critical that we understand the trends and forces that will impact local government. Karen Thoreson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Alliance for Innovation, presented an overview of four key trends that will shape the next twenty years of Canadian local government. These trends are: 1. Sharing Economy 2. Climate Change 3. Infrastructure 4. Trust in Government
Seven diverse communities from across Canada were then interviewed to gain greater insight into how well these trends are being acknowledged, and what plans are in place to manage them. While the sharing economy is growing rapidly due the efforts of companies such as Uber and Airbnb, only one of the seven communities (City of Mississauga) had it seriously on their radar. Climate change was cited by over half of respondents as the number one concern for their municipality. Amidst rising sea levels, more rain, increased erosion and severe storms, communities are struggling to address the impacts of climate change and rapidly growing communities are having difficulty shrinking their footprint. In terms of municipal infrastructure, while comprehensive asset management plans are becoming the new norm, older communities are struggling
with outdated above- and below-ground assets. Creating strategies for managing and replacing aging infrastructure is vital to providing access to services required by members of our communities. Finally, citizen trust in government will be important to achieving community buy-in. While most people feel disconnected to the federal government, support is higher at the local level. However, where fraud or collusion have received media attention, the impact extends beyond those implicated to all government employees, as everyone tends to be painted with the same brush.
In Thoreson’s view, Canadian municipalities are well positioned to adapt to these emerging trends. Furthermore, Canada is outpacing the US in all four areas. The key is to keep moving forward by sharing your stories with your neighbours to find commonality, successes, challenges and innovative ideas.
Building a Culture of Engagement In an engaging and spirited discussion, speaker Dave Meslin spoke about the dissonance between municipal government and the public, and how to better those relations through meaningful engagement. In a series of humorous examples, Meslin demonstrated how difficult it is for everyday citizens to interact with city governments: the language and style used in public notices is hard to decipher, and the lack of signage on government buildings makes otherwise important institutions disappear into the everyday skyline. As a remedy, Meslin offered simple, memorable strategies to help build rapport between citizens and municipal governments. These included: running government more like a business in terms of advertising and posting notices, to mimic the nimble solutions of smaller municipalities, and even to allow citizens to bring in food into city hall to make local government appear more accessible. In turn, attendees left this discussion with a greater awareness of the difficulty for everyday citizens to engage with local government, but more importantly, with simple solutions to address this gap.
“We’ve gone out of our way to make information hard to understand.”
- Dave Meslin
FURTHER LEARNING
Download the full-report, including all 44 identified trends in local government: The
Next Big Things – The Next 20 Years in Local
Government
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P S D - C A M A P A P E R W R I T I N G C O M P E T I T I O N
I N M U N I C I P A L M A N A G E M E N T
O O P U B L IC P O L IC
he rate of retirement among senior staff in the municipal sector,
combined with the fierce competition for talent across sectors, has
made it imperative to nurture interest in careers in municipal
government among up and coming generations of Canadians. The
PSD-CAMA Paper Writing Competition in Municipal
Management was launched in 2017 to provide graduate students
across Canada with the opportunity to explore complex issues in municipal
administration.
The Public Sector Digest (PSD) and the Canadian Association of Municipal
Administrators (CAMA) have partnered on this initiative in order to introduce
Canada’s future leaders to the dynamic world of municipal governance. Our
hope is that new solutions to entrenched municipal challenges may emerge
from this competition, with a new generation of talented Canadians exploring
issues in municipal administration.
PSD and CAMA were pleased to announce the winner of the inaugural
competition: Catalina Blumenberg. Born in Chile and raised in Canada,
Catalina is a graduate student in Western University’s Masters in Public
Administration Local Government Program. Catalina presented her winning
paper to Canada’s municipal administrators at CAMA’s annual conference in
Gatineau. Catalina’s paper Diversifying Municipal Revenue in Canada via a
Federal Marijuana Tax Fund can be found here and the full video of her
presentation can be found here. We encourage students to submit their papers
in 2018 for the second annual writing competition!
T
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Performance Evaluation Toolkit will benefit Canadian Municipalities
Elected officials and Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) for municipalities across Canada now have a free resource designed specifically to benefit local government. Developed and piloted over a two-year period, the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) has introduced a three-step CAO Performance Evaluation Toolkit designed to enhance the CAO / Council relationship and help Councils achieve their strategic goals and objectives. It is available for free to member and non-member municipalities. “An effective working relationship between local elected officials and their Chief Administrative Officer can be one of the most critical prerequisites for municipal government success,” said Janice Baker, President of CAMA, Chair of the CAO Performance Evaluation Task Force, and CAO/City Manager for the City of Mississauga, ON. “We are excited to give back to our profession by making this toolkit available to Canadian municipalities.” Mayors and councillors rely on their CAO to be the connecting link between elected officials and municipal operations; to implement the municipality’s policies and programs; and, to help them achieve their strategic goals and objectives. For some time now, however, CAMA has been aware from their members that meaningful performance evaluations didn’t seem to be taking place. With that in mind, CAMA conducted a survey on the subject in 2014, first with member CAOs and then with elected officials. While a majority of elected officials and CAOs indicated they participated in a performance evaluation process (89% and 79% respectively), far less reported they felt prepared for the process or that the outcomes were tied to actual results. Just over two-thirds (67%) of elected officials reported they used a formal evaluation process, but less than half that number completely followed the process. A total of 69% of elected officials said they used the process to establish goals and objectives, with only 44% saying they had a template they found useful and 43% indicating they felt well prepared for the evaluation. A large number of CAOs reported performance evaluations were used to identify areas for improvement (95%) and obtain positive feedback (87%), with 69% saying the process was used to establish goals and objectives – the same percentage as elected officials. Only 30% of CAOs thought they were rated on actual performances. Overwhelmingly, both parties identified the need to establish a performance evaluation system benefiting each. As a result, CAMA spent two years developing a three-step CAO Performance Evaluation Toolkit. It was prepared using surveys and best practice research, with input and support from CAMA members, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), public sector / human resource experts, and the International City/County Managers Association (ICMA). It was piloted in almost 15 communities and further tested by a number of other municipalities in 2016. The result is a three-step performance evaluation system that uses a “pick and choose” format that can be adapted to support existing evaluation processes (see figure below). It builds on foundational steps and core competencies to help set clear goals for the success of the municipality, to guide and support the evaluation process, and to foster open conversations between Council and the CAO. The first step sees the CAO create a Handbook for Performance Evaluations. The handbook pulls from existing governance requirements, hiring documents, core competencies & performance metrics, and related data. The CAO also conducts a self-assessment. The handbook is then provided to elected officials for their input and the creation of a Final Performance Evaluation Report. As part of this step, Council will review the CAO’s information package, organize their own review, complete a template for
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performance evaluations, discuss their review of the CAO’s self-assessment, and prepare for a discussion with the CAO by providing him/her with their evaluation report. In the third step, elected officials and the CAO will sit down to discuss the performance evaluation report. This will establish proposed new goals for the CAO to meet, which both parties will then sign off on as the final CAO Performance Evaluation report for the year. The toolkit is available by visiting the CAMA website at www.camacam.ca/CAOevaluation or by contacting the CAMA National Office at 1-866-771-2262 or [email protected].
The Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) is a national, non-profit association open to all Chief Administrative Officers / City Managers and any person employed in a senior management position that reports directly to the CAO. With a membership of approximately 575 senior municipal employees, from all parts of Canada, CAMA collectively represents more than 70% of the nation’s population. “As a national association focused on administrative excellence in local government, this toolkit is all about building better municipalities together,” concluded Baker. “I encourage elected officials and CAOs to take advantage of the toolkit.”
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JOIN CAMA: A PROFESSIONAL NETWORK OF SENIOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT MANAGERS
CAMA is a national, non-profit association of Chief Administrative Officers, City/Town Managers and Senior Local Government Managers from all parts of Canada, with a goal to support you in your drive to excel as a leader in the ever-changing environment of a Canadian community. Our members come from large and small and rural and urban municipalities. Please visit the CAMA website which includes a testimonial video, and the testimonials from several of your fellow colleagues across the country. As a special offer, new members will receive 50% off our already great value membership fees for the first year. Our membership fees are based on the population for the Primary Members and are currently just $135.00 for any additional members in your municipality. If you are already a CAMA member, consider who in your organization is ready for leadership development, as well as neighbouring local government leaders who would benefit from access to CAMA’s resources. If you would like to ask specific questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the CAMA National Office at 1-866-771-2262 or [email protected] Also, mark your calendars for the 2018 Conference being held in Fredericton, New Brunswick – the home of the CAMA National Office!
55PUBLIC SECTOR DIGEST SUMMER 2017
PSD’s Asset Management Roadmap is an organization-wide process that consists of a multi-year phased approach delivered through consecutive workshops. Our consultants work alongside staff and department heads in finance, public works and other members of the senior management team to develop a holistic asset management program. There are several steps involved in this process, which can be customized to each organization’s specific needs. PSD can also help a community link its climate change strategy with its asset management program for improved sustainability planning.
8 CORE ROADMAP DELIVERABLES:
AssetManagement
Roadmap
Contact our asset management team to learn more
519.690.2565 [email protected]
INTELLIGENCE FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR.®
Risk & Criticality Models 4
Level of Service Framework 7
Asset Management Plan8
Lifecycle Activity Models 5
Asset Management Policy2
Condition Assessment Protocols& Data Capture Tools3
State of Maturity Report1
Financial Strategies 6
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FCM CONFERENCE The Federation of Canadian Municipalities 2017 Annual Conference showcased and emphasized the important role of Canada’s cities and communities in shaping Canada’s future. It featured four days of plenaries, workshops, industry-led seminars and networking opportunities. As Canada celebrates 150 years of confederation, there was a captivating energy in the air as over 2,000 delegates gathered to discuss and learn about the role of Canadian municipalities in tackling today’s great social, political and economic challenges.
“We know our country is only as strong as the towns and cities we’re made of. We’re only as strong as our rec centres and social housing, our wastewater systems and public transit. And we heard you when you said you need a strong partner in Ottawa.”
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
President’s Forum: The Future is Now for Municipal Leadership FCM President Clark Somerville sat down with The Hon. Amarjeet Sohi, Minister, Infrastructure and Communities, for a casual conversation about the role of municipalities in nation-building and the importance of strong partnerships between federal and municipal governments. The focus of the conversation was on the growing role of municipal leadership in tackling national and international challenges such as public infrastructure, climate change and housing. Minister Sohi emphasized the importance of social infrastructure in enabling Canadians to become part of the middle class and urged municipalities to take the lead on providing the services needed to achieve this aim. In an effort to address issues in finance and capacity, he stressed that the federal government is here to support municipalities, stating, “My goal is to give you long-term sustainable, predictable funding for the next 10 years”. In addition, he called upon provincial governments to continue to support the needs of municipalities and work together to achieve shared outcomes across all levels of government.
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Minister Sohi then took some time to talk about what municipalities need to know about the proposed Canada Infrastructure Bank. He emphasized that the Infrastructure Bank will be one of many tools available to municipalities. However, 90% of funds available for municipal infrastructure will still be provided through grant funding opportunities. As such, the Infrastructure Bank will be completely optional, and is meant to provide funding for projects that otherwise would not be able to be built.
“Canada’s economic future depends on healthy and thriving rural communities.” - FCM President, Clark Somerville
Save Money: Build for Low Carbon and Climate Resilience
Municipal Asset Management: How and Why to Make it a Priority Addressing the municipal infrastructure deficit is one of the key concerns of Canadian local government. This workshop provided insights from two mayors on their asset management journeys, a 30-minute peer exchange with session attendees, and additional information about the funding for asset management made available through FCM. Fredericton Mayor Mike O’Brien talked about his city’s asset management journey beginning thirty years ago when they realized their infrastructure was failing. After cataloguing their inventory of assets, the city has placed a renewed emphasis on asset renewal and maintenance, and has continued to place asset management at the forefront of their annual priorities.
FURTHER LEARNING
Research Article: What We Know (And
Don’t Know) About the Canadian Infrastructure Bank
FURTHER LEARNING
Case study: Delta’s Agricultural Climate
Change Adaptation Plan
In recent years the federal government has committed to providing funds for municipalities to transition to a low-carbon, resilient future. This session presented expert advice and academic research to assist attendees in optimizing full lifecycle economic, environmental and social benefits from infrastructure decisions. Sarah Petrevan, Senior Policy Advisor for Clean Energy Canada, outlined best practices in low carbon procurement. Governments are major actors in their economies. Considering that public procurement accounts for 13% of GDP in OECD countries, the procurement processes of governmental organizations present a unique opportunity to account for the environmental impact of their actions. The potential benefits of low carbon procurement include the reduction of greenhouse gases, the creation of new technologies and jobs, and avoided future costs. Heidi Nesbitt, Associate Architect with Local Practice + Design, presented a case study on the design of the Lionsgate Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant in Metro Vancouver. She discussed the challenges of constructing a wastewater treatment plant near residential space, and emphasized the paramount role of resiliency and adaptability in the design process. Nesbitt also discussed the selection of a building project rating system, while going into detail about Envision, the rating system that they ultimately chose. Finally, Raha Wafa, M.A. Sc. Candidate, University of Waterloo presented a more technical discussion on integrating lifecycle cost analysis with pavement design. With reference to her work in partnership with the City of Hamilton, Wafa outlined the key indicators of pavement performance (environment, structure, construction, traffic and maintenance), in addition to the benefits of a lifecycle cost analysis process.
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Mayor O’Brien provided five key outcomes of strategic asset management: clarity for council, better infrastructure, reduced risk, reduced costs, and greater public satisfaction. Mayor Caryl Green, Municipality of Chelsea, described a far different series of events that led to her city taking asset management more seriously. In June of 2011 Chelsea experienced torrential rain leading to severe landslides. This led to over 100 claims from citizens against their municipal insurance. It was determined that much of the destruction was due to mismanaged municipal assets. For example, many of the city’s culverts were either too small or completely blocked. It was critical to develop an asset management plan to gain a better understanding of the state of their municipal assets and whether or not they would be able to prevent the same outcome in the future. These presentations were then followed by a 30-minute peer exchange where workshop attendees discussed barriers that they faced to pursuing asset management in their communities. These barriers included: 1. Lack of information on asset management and how it can benefit the community 2. The upfront human resources and financial investment involved 3. The “reset” that happens with election turnover every 2-4 years 4. Competing priorities at the municipal level 5. Lack of recognition for individuals or municipalities for actions taken on asset management
Municipal Leadership on Anti-Poverty Strategies
Cynthia Olsen, Coordinator, Thunder Bay Drug Strategy highlighted the intersectionality of community initiatives. In Thunder Bay their poverty reduction strategies rely on the intersection of four key areas: Poverty Reduction Strategy, Crime Prevention, Drug Strategy, and Aboriginal Liaison Strategy. Any attempt at addressing poverty requires a holistic approach to addressing the root causes of poverty and working with stakeholders across all social groups in society to find a solution.
@Urban_Adam
“#cdnmuni tackling poverty tgthr! #FCM2017AC calling on GoC to ensure their poverty reduction plan works in & with our communities! #ldnont”
@NSantos007
“Stick to the plan, says Fredericton Mayor O’Brien as social, economic & environmental benefits under successful asset management #FCM2017AC”
Creating anti-poverty strategies is an important priority for municipalities across Canada. This workshop involved municipal representatives sharing how they are working to reduce and prevent poverty in their communities. Kate Gunn, Director, Community Initiatives and EndPoverty Edmonton, spoke about the development of a five-year road map titled End Poverty in a Generation. After talking about the history of the project and the actors involved, Gunn provided some key takeaways for workshop attendees to take back to their communities. She found it critical to involve everyone in the community in any work towards an anti-poverty strategy, especially youth and aboriginal groups. Additionally, he found it useful to conceptualize poverty as something more than simply access to money, but also access to services, family and community. Finally, she emphasized the importance of making sure that people with lived experience in poverty be at the centre of the project. Denise Andrea Campbell, Director, Social Policy, Analysis and Research with the City of Toronto highlighted that traditional paths to prosperity are broken. Citing, for example, the reality that a good education no longer necessarily leads to a good job. As part of Toronto’s poverty reduction strategy, T.O. Prosperity, six key areas of focus were identified: 1. Housing Stability 2. Service Access 3. Transit Equity 4. Food Access 5. Quality Jobs & Living Incomes 6. Systemic Change
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Canada’s Urban Forests: Cultivating Our National Asset The role of urban forests is often misunderstood and understated. In Toronto alone trees provide $16.9 million worth of pollution filtration and $10.2 million in energy savings per year. With an increasing push for land redevelopment it is important that municipalities create strategies and bylaws that protect urban forests. This session combined the expertise of academics, foresters, and city councillors to provide a detailed look at the role and importance of urban forest management. Philip van Wassenaer, Consultant, Urban Forest Innovations, discussed an eight-stage process for urban forest management planning: 1. Identification of urban forest attributes 2. Assessment of relevant resource data 3. Creation of a vision reflecting community values 4. Determination of the current status of various components 5. Identifying gaps between vision and current status 6. Creation of strategic plan to close the gaps 7. Formulation of operational plan incorporating vision and goals 8. Implementation and monitoring of the plan
The attendees then heard from City of Edmonton Councillor Ben Henderson who detailed the challenges of regulating urban forests in Alberta due to a restriction on the introduction of tree planting bylaws. In order to accommodate this challenge, the City of Edmonton has had to be creative. One way that they have addressed this is by creating and enforcing development charges when trees are removed as part of new developments or the redevelopment of land. These fees can reach up to $80,000 per tree for particularly large and old trees. Astrid Nielsen, Dendron Forestry, discussed the role of public engagement in urban forest management. The challenges included citizens not seeing immediate benefits and the length of time it takes to see a return on investment. However, the benefits include strong community partnerships, healthier urban forests and the more efficient use of staff resources. Finally, Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada, provided a couple key actions that municipalities can take. First and foremost, municipalities should work to foster a “tree-friendly” culture. Once community buy-in has been achieved it is helpful to pass and enforce urban forest bylaws and provide financial incentives to encourage the planting of additional trees.
2018 CAMA & FCM CONFERENCES HEAD TO FREDERICTON AND HALIFAX
70PUBLIC SECTOR DIGEST SUMMER 2016
Public sector digestI N T E L L I G E N C E F O R T H E P U B L I C S E C T O R .
SPRING 2014
POLICYWHY CANADIAN CITIES NEED MORE FISCAL AUTONOMY
THE POLITICS OF DEPUTY MINISTER COMPENSATION
DEFINING SUSTAINABLE ENERGY POLICY IN THE CANADIAN CONTEXT
MAKING THE BEST CASE FOR ASSET LIFE EXTENSION
URBAN PLACES AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN DETROIT
MUNICIPAL P3S: EXPLORING THE SUCCESS FACTORS
Public Sector Digest is a specialized, monthly research publication written to advance the knowledge and managerial capacity of the public sector. Our areas of research include Economics & Finance; Infrastructure & Asset Management; Organizational Performance; and Leadership & Management . Organizations that contribute to the publication and collaborate with us on research include global consulting and advisory firms, think tanks, leading academic institutions, and practitioners in the public sector. Our target readership comprises the senior executive in all levels of government, as well as general staff and elected officials. We vet ideas, debate policy, and examine theory.
519.690.2565 To become a member, call us at or visit our website at www.publicsectordigest.com/membership .
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PUBLIC SECTOR DIGESTI N T E L L I G E N C E F O R T H E P U B L I C S E C T O R .
Public sector digestI N T E L L I G E N C E F O R T H E P U B L I C S E C T O R .
SPRING 2014
POLICYWHY CANADIAN CITIES NEED MORE FISCAL AUTONOMY
THE POLITICS OF DEPUTY MINISTER COMPENSATION
DEFINING SUSTAINABLE ENERGY POLICY IN THE CANADIAN CONTEXT
MAKING THE BEST CASE FOR ASSET LIFE EXTENSION
URBAN PLACES AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN DETROIT
MUNICIPAL P3S: EXPLORING THE SUCCESS FACTORS
Public Sector Digest is a specialized, monthly research publication written to advance the knowledge and managerial capacity of the public sector. Our areas of research include Economics & Finance; Infrastructure & Asset Management; Organizational Performance; and Leadership & Management . Organizations that contribute to the publication and collaborate with us on research include global consulting and advisory firms, think tanks, leading academic institutions, and practitioners in the public sector. Our target readership comprises the senior executive in all levels of government, as well as general staff and elected officials. We vet ideas, debate policy, and examine theory.
519.690.2565 To become a member, call us at or visit our website at www.publicsectordigest.com/membership .
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PUBLIC SECTOR DIGESTI N T E L L I G E N C E F O R T H E P U B L I C S E C T O R .
SUMMER 2016
OPEN GOVERNMENTDEVELOPING A MUNICIPAL OPEN DATA PROGRAM
THE PUBLIC CONNECTION: USING ENGAGEMENT TO CREATE MORE EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT
LESSONS FROM CHICAGO’S NEW OPENGRID INITIATIVE
SOCIAL MEDIA: A TOOL FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT
HOW OPEN INFORMATION IS ENHANCING CUSTOMER SERVICE AT THE CITY OF BURLINGTON
[+] SELF-HEALING INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR ASSET MANAGEMENT
[+] FIRE DEATHS: THE SILENT THREAT OF AN AGING POPULATION
PUBLIC SECTOR DIGESTI N T E L L I G E N C E F O R T H E P U B L I C S E C T O R .
PUBLIC SECTOR DIGEST
PUBLIC SECTOR DIGESTI N T E L L I G E N C E F O R T H E P U B L I C S E C T O R .
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