A Northern Water Smart instructor teaches a Moose Lake, Manitoba youngster basic swimming techniquesas part of the Swim to Survive program (see page 2).

November 2007For and About LocalGovernmentDevelopment

Northern Water SmartThree Years Later

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The CommunityManagement Plan

4

Community ManagementPlan Deadline Nearing

6 Season’s Greetings

8Northern Manitoba CadetProgram Thrives

9Manitoba Hydro Tip:Bundle Up with Insulation

10

Public Works

11

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Manitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairs

A Water Smart Update

This IssueWelcome to the November 2007Community Contact Newsletter.

The theme for the November newsletter isCommunity Management Planning andResource Development. As the deadlinefor the submission of communitymanagement plans (CMP) approaches onJanuary 31, 2008, we feature two articlesto help community councils understandthe planning process. The CMP drivescommunity infrastructure and programdevelopment all the way from the fire andconstable programs to road or facilityconstruction.

This issue features a look back at thesuccess of the Northern Water Smarttraining program since it began in thesummer of 2005. The program isexpanding for 2008 and will offer trainingin swimming, boating safety andEmergency First Aid and CPR to morecommunities. This ANA funded programhas proven to be very beneficial to thecommunities visited. We also take a lookat what is involved for a communityinterested in setting up a cadet programand we recap a recent visit to Winnipeg inOctober by the Cross Lake cadets.

Along with these articles, we provideinformation on preparing communitybuildings for winter, Manitoba Hydroinsulation tips and we introduce threenew employees at our Thompson andDauphin offices.

We thank readers who brought to ourattention an error we made in the printededition of our September 2007 issue ofCommunity Contact newsletter. The thirdbullet of the Important Tax Details articleon page eight should have read: do notsend cash in the mail. We offer a littlepoem by way of apology:

All editors fear, despite what they try,mistakes won’t appeartill the ink is dry.

Enjoy this issue and please be sure tocontact us with your comments, picturesand article suggestions, or to requestadditional copies. All the best to ourreaders over the holiday season and inthe New Year.

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Community Contact newsletter first reported on the NorthernWater Smart program in our September 2005 issue. Since then

we have provided some updates and information on howcommunities can participate. Its third and most busy year nowcomplete, we thought it was time to report on the success thisprogram has had in the communities that have participated.

When the program first started in the summer of 2005, a singleinstructor provided the Swim to Survive, Boating and EmergencyFirst Aid and CPR instruction, visiting six northern communities. In2006 and 2007, the number of instructors doubled along with thenumber of communities visited. Because of the demand andpopularity of this program, some communities are visited morethan once.

Each visit to a community includes in-water instruction for childrenlearning the Swim to Survive techniques during the day andevenings are spent teaching BOAT classes and First Aid/CPRtraining. The program takes place during July and August with themonths of May and June spent planning and organizing the visits.

The Lifesaving Society, Manitoba Branch offers this training inpartnership with the province. Five provincial governmentdepartments sponsor the program. The lead department,Manitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairs is joined by:

• Manitoba Health

• Manitoba Conservation

• Manitoba Education

• Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport

• Sport Manitoba

The federal government also provides support through its ServicesCanada Summer Jobs Career Program.

The program numbers include:

• 29 communities visited in 2005, 2006 and 2007

• 1,271 participants in the Swim to Survive program

• 284 participants in the BOAT program

• 372 participants in the Emergency First Aid and CPR training

NORTH

3

Three Years LaterERN WATER SMART

A Brochet, Manitoba swimclass enjoys playtime in thewater, while developingskills and confidence undersupervision by a NorthernWater Smart instructor.

The Office of the Medical Examiner statistics on accidentaldrowning deaths indicates significant decreases in Manitoba overthe same period. They recorded:

• 26 deaths in 2004

• 22 deaths in 2005

• 17 deaths in 2006

• seven deaths as of October 2007

The plan for 2008 is to have four instructors visit as many as 25rural and northern communities. Community leaders, recreation

directors or council members can contact the Manitoba LifesavingSociety to find out more or to sign your community up for nextyear. It is never too early to start making plans.

For more information contact:

Carl ShierManitoba Lifesaving SocietyPhone: 204-956-2124Fax: 204-944-8546E-mail: cshier@lifesaving.mb.caWebsite: www.lifesaving.mb.ca

Brochet youngstersclown for an

underwater camera.

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What is a Community The Community M

Community management planning is a requirement that helps make it possible for communities to organize, secure funding and constructinfrastructure projects such as the new community hall in Ilford, Manitoba, a joint venture with the neighbouring War Lake First Nation.

5

Management Plan?anagement Plan

ACommunity Management Plan (CMP) is a key component oflocal governance. The plan becomes the document that outlines

and details how a community intends to achieve its goals andobjectives. The plan sets guiding principles, outlines capital plans,establishes action plans and includes finances and land use planning.It breaks each topic into components and provides detailedinformation about how to deal with each topic and why.

A CMP is owned by the community council and not ManitobaAboriginal and Northern Affairs (ANA). The role of ANA is toprovide support to the CMP process by providing advice, askingquestions to help the council consider the many issues and actingas a resource to the community.

A CMP is a work in progress that the council works on at varioustimes throughout the year, as information becomes available. Itgrows according to the community need to deal with issues andconcerns.

The Components of a Community Management Plan

The CMP can be divided into six parts when developing the plan.They include:

Part 1 – Guiding principals for the community

This includes values, principles and operating behaviors thatgovern the actions important to the community. This part isachieved through accountability to the community, respect for thecommunity residents and honesty in sharing all information on theCMP in a fair manner.

Part 2 – Goals

Goals clarify the long term direction of the council. They should bebroad statements that indicate a direction. They do not need to betime dependent, because timing will be part of expressing theobjectives. Goals do not generally change from year to year unlessthere is a radical change to the CMP.

Part 3 – Objectives for each goal

Objectives are established for each goal. An objective is a moreprecise statement that clearly indicates something that can bemeasured when it has been achieved. You may wish to include atime frame. Objectives are followed by action plans which have veryspecific time frames and performance measurements. Objectives

are reviewed and updated annually in the planning process andform the framework for measuring results. They will list the outputsand outcomes of the CMP.

Part 4 – Action Plans

The action plan gives a detailed road map of the CMP and stateshow the objectives will be accomplished. It lists who on council isresponsible for overseeing the CMP, the time frame, the associatedcosts and a comment indicating progress towards completion.

The Action Plan is based on a yearly time frame. Performance ismeasured in terms of yes or no answers to questions about actionstaken.

Part 5 – Financial Operations

The Operations and Management (O&M) budget is the plan forthe day to day financial operation of the community. It provides theexpenditures for the year, based on CMP activities. The costestimates are taken from the activity costs within the plan. Theactivity costs are grouped according to the current budget process.Expenses and revenues are listed and the estimated and actualbudgets are recorded.

ANA provides certain levels of funding support for the serviceslisted in the plan with an understanding that the communitycouncil will be delivering the services. Council has the opportunity,through the budget, to adjust the delivery of services in accordancewith the council priorities.

Part 6 – Five Year Capital Plan

Communities have already developed five year capital plans. Eachyear, councils are asked to update those plans by recording thechanges in infrastructure that were achieved during the year andidentifying new infrastructure needs. These plans allow councils toidentify capital infrastructure that will contribute to achieving thecommunity vision.

Within the five year capital plan are a number of projects, bothsmall and large. Council will develop each of the project proposalsas much as possible. Council may also decide to raise funds locallyfor a specific project and put those funds into a financial reserveuntil the project goes forward.

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What is a CommunityManagement Plan?(continued)Taking time to prepare project proposalscompletely will enhance the chances ofseeing them approved.

Program areas that should be included in a

CMP are:

• Public works – a good plan helps toensure that all necessary public worksactivities and work get completed.

• Staff training – council should develop astaff training plan that outlines cleartraining objectives, performancemeasures and required standards forstaff to meet.

• Maintenance management – develops amaintenance program to improve andtake care of community infrastructure.Community staff and ANA consultantscan also help council identify whatmaintenance work is required.

• Protective services – this includes fire,emergency planning and, in somecommunities, constable and emergencyambulance services. Council shouldwork with the respective employees orvolunteers in these areas to developaction plans that look at fire prevention,public safety, emergency preparedness,succession planning and programsupport and development.

• Recreation and wellness – councilprovides direction and support to therecreation director, committees andvolunteers through the recreation actionplan and by putting recreation activitiesin place.

For more information or department

assistance, please contact the ANA

municipal development consultant for your

community. Information is also found

under the title Community Management

Plan Development in the Community

Management Series manual from the ANA

Local Government Development Division.

CommunityManagemen

Has your council started working on its communitymanagement plan for 2008-09?

If not, be sure to set aside enough time to prepare your plan forsubmission to your regional office of Aboriginal and NorthernAffairs (ANA) by the January 31 due date.

For those members of council who may be new and not familiarwith community management plans, information on communitymanagement plan development can be found in the CommunityManagement Series manual from the ANA Local GovernmentDevelopment Division. It is available on the Manitoba governmentwebsite and it should be a fixture in all community offices.

The Community Management Plan Development guide providesdetails on the contents of the plan, the planning process andexamples for reference. Each community has unique priorities andchallenges, and each community will tailor their planningdocument to their individual needs within the general guidelinesprovided by the department. Using a common planning template,allows ANA to support individual community planning effortsbetter.

Deadline

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t Plan

Your community management plan is important for a number ofreasons. The most obvious one is that community operating andmaintenance funding will not be released without submission of aplan. Even more important, developing a plan will help council setpriorities — what do you want or need to accomplish in the nextfiscal year? It helps to establish a timetable — when are things tobe done? Planning also involves thinking about how council willget things done — what activities need to take place, who isresponsible for what actions. In effect, it helps council develop astrategy.

Now, planning is not a silver bullet. You can have a plan that looksgreat and meets all the standards for planning, and you can put alot of work into a plan, but if you never look at it again — if youdon’t use it — you’re less likely to achieve your goals. Just having aplan doesn’t guarantee success. Priorities may change and parts ofyour plan may no longer be relevant based on changingcircumstances.

So why plan? First and foremost, community management plans are acommunication tool. The plan provides council members,employees, residents and government stakeholders with commoninformation on current priorities and strategies. It identifies what

financial and other resources are needed and indicates how theywill be used. It also provides stakeholders with an opportunity toreflect on the plan and raise questions or suggest where there maybe gaps. Finally, at the end of the planning cycle, a plan can helpdetermine if council has been successful by making it easy to

identify what has beenachieved and whatremains to be done.

As you work on yourcommunitymanagement plan thisyear, be sure to includeall aspects of yourcommunity operations— public works,protective services,

financial and capital requirements, a recreation plan and a trainingplan — including council development. Maintenance plans shouldtake into account the results of your infrastructure audit. Be sure toreview your plan regularly around the council table to determinehow things are going, what has changed and what requires that theplan be adjusted.

Nearing Making sure funding is available for use in operating protectiveservices programs is an important part of the community managementplanning process.

First and foremost,

community

management plans are

a communication tool.

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Season’s GreetingsIam delighted to extend greetings and best

wishes for this holiday season to you, to yourfamily and to all the people who hold a specialplace in your life and in your heart.

The holiday season is a time of joy and wonder,a time to promote peace and understanding, atime that brings family and friends together incelebration. It is a time for communities tocome together, to give and to share — a time tobuild the kind of respect for each other thathelps us to be stronger.

On behalf of my fellow members of theLegislative Assembly and all governmentemployees, I wish you a safe and happy holidayseason and a new year filled with peace andhappiness.

Gary Doer

Premier

Oscar Lathlin, Minister

Manitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairs

At this time of year we celebrate the reason for peace and joy withfamily and friends. Communities often times ensure the messages

of peace and hope are expressed at larger functions. Christmas carolsare sung, schools have their Christmas programs and church functionshelp us to remember the purpose of the season.

I remember our family Christmas being filled with wonder andexcitement. Today, I watch my children and grandchildren expressingthe same amazement I had as a child. Christmas is truly a specialseason, a time to reflect on what we have accomplished, what we yetwant to see take place in our lives and, most important, who we wantto spend our time with — namely we remember the importance offamily and love.

May this Christmas find you in good spirits and in good health, andmay the new year offer you the best that is yet to come. May ourCreator bless you and those you love.

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Northern Manitoba Cadet Program Thrives

On October 18,2007, young

men and womenfrom the Cross Lakecadet programgathered at theManitoba LegislativeBuilding and morethan 20 of them wereofficially acknow-ledged for trainingthey received recentlyin Vernon, B.C.

“As one of 40established units inManitoba, Icommend thecommunity of CrossLake for establishingthis opportunity fortheir young people,”said ManitobaAboriginal andNorthern AffairsMinister OscarLathlin. “All the hardwork and dedication from these youngpeople goes a long way to inspire otheryouth to take part in positive activities.”

“With all the challenges and temptationsfacing our young people today, it isimportant to celebrate and highlight thesetypes of accomplishments in creatingpositive role models for future generationsto come,” said Manitoba Culture, Heritage,Tourism and Sport Minister Eric Robinson,who presented certificates to the cadets onbehalf of Lathlin.

The cadets were also in Winnipeg toparticipate in Fallcon 2007, which ran fromOctober 19 to 21. This is the second year inwhich the Cross Lake cadets haveparticipated in this annual competition.Many cadets from all over Manitobacompete each year in the drill andmarksmanship competitions at Fallcon.

A recent highlight of the Cross Lake cadetprogram was their adoption as an affiliate

cadet unit by a regular Canadian ArmedForces unit, the 17th Field Ambulancebattalion based at the Minto Armoury inWinnipeg. Affiliation with a regular armedforces unit is required for all cadet units.

National Cadets ProgramThe Canadian Cadet Program is acommunity-based youth training activitymanaged by the Canadian Forces inpartnership with the Navy League ofCanada, the Army Cadet League of Canadaand the Air Cadet League of Canada.National Defence Canada providespersonnel and equipment for cadet trainingprograms.

Program aims include inspiring youngpeople to develop good citizenship,leadership skills, physical fitness and aninterest in Canadian Forces land, sea andair activities. Cadets Canada is a federallysponsored program for young Canadiansaged 12 to 18 who are interested in

participating in avariety of challengingand rewardingactivities and learningmore about theCanadian Forces.

The program isdivided into twotraining periods:

• Local training –cadets participatewith their unit intraining for anaverage of onceper week duringthe regular schoolyear (September toJune). Optionalweekend trainingmay also occur.

• Summer training –Canada-wide,approximately21,000 cadetsreceive training

and 2,500 staff cadets are employed eachsummer in one of 28 cadet summertraining centres located across Canada orabroad on cultural and training exchanges.

There are no registration fees, dues orcosts for uniforms, basic cadet programs orattendance at summer training camps.Cadets and parents are encouraged toparticipate in fundraising. Cadets are notpart of the regular armed forces, nor isthere any expectation for them to join theCanadian Forces.

If you are interested in learning more aboutstarting a cadet or ranger program in yourcommunity, you can talk to your localManitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairsofficials or call Captain Nanette Nazar ofthe Department of National Defence at 1-204-833-2500 (ext 5264) or toll free 1-800-862-0032 (option #3).

Cross Lake cadets gather on the steps of the Manitoba Legislative Building during their visitto Winnipeg to participate in the 2007 Fallcon competition drills.

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Bundle Up with InsulationAwell-insulated and sealed building keeps the outside air out

and helps lower your energy bills.

Add insulation to your walls (outside and inside), attic and roof toreduce air leakage and slow the rate of heat transfer in and out ofyour building. The measure of insulation’s resistance to heattransfer is called its RSI-value (metric) or R-value (imperial).Higher values mean more protection and less heat transfer.

Insulation can help reduce your space heating and cooling loads.Upgrading your insulation to Power Smart recommended levelscan also:

• increase your comfort

• control condensation and moisture

• improve indoor air quality

• reduce emissions output

• extend the life of a building

Manitoba Hydro offers financial incentives that may help pay forthe cost of insulation upgrades in commercial buildings andhomes that meet Power Smart standards. All applications must bepre-approved before the project begins.

For more information or to be pre-approved, contact the PowerSmart programs at 1-888-MB-HYDRO (1-888-624-9376 toll free).On the Internet you can also visit www.hydro.mb.ca/hip to learnabout the Power Smart Home Insulation Program orwww.hydro.mb.ca/psfb to find information on Power Smartprograms for commercial buildings.

Community Contact thanks Manitoba Hydro for preparing this article

Proper insulation saves onheating costs (photocourtesy of Manitoba Hydro).

Manitoba Hydro Tip:

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As winter approaches, it is time toprepare for the cold weather. With

regular summer maintenance, there shouldbe little to do for the winter preparation.Cleaning up around your buildings beforethe snow falls is always a good practice.This will avoid damage to items that arestored outside for winter, help you findthem and keep them clear of snow removalequipment.

Here are a few things to look for whenpreparing your building for winter.

Clean eavestroughs

• This clears the path for melting snowand ice to flow from the roof edges.

• If you have downspouts and splash padsthis will force the moisture further awayfrom the building to minimize asaturated base around the building andminimize frost heaving.

• Fill in sunken areas along buildingfoundations. Moisture should flow awayfrom your building.

Caulk and insulate aroundwindows and doors

• On older buildings, you may want toremove the interior trim to insulate orcaulk the space between the frame andthe wall.

• Rigid insulating foam placed on theinside of sealed windows and doors notused for emergency exits can keep someof the cold weather out.

Fill in foundation cracks and holes

• Ventilation holes for crawl spaces can besealed for the winter.

• Fill cracks and holes to stop the coldwinds, pests and rodents.

Plumbing precautions

• Shut off and drain all exterior watersupplies.

• Drain unused plumbing pipes.

• Pour antifreeze into toilet bowls thattend to freeze. Replace antifreeze aftereach flush (just a splash).

• Insulate water pipes in crawl spaces.

• Use heat wrap tape on pipes in cold orhard to insulate places.

• Locate all water shut-off valves in case ofpipe breaks.

• Keep the local plumber’s number closeto the phone.

Heating

• Change furnace filters.

• Blow out baseboard heaters. The dustcan build up and ignite.

• Vacuum floor registers to minimize dustin the air.

• Test all heaters and cords before youneed them.

• Inspect your dryer lint trap and venthose, and clean out if required.

PublicWorksBuildings for Winter

Preparing Your

Cleaning up around buildings before the snow falls is always a good practice.

Damage repairs help to extendbuilding life and keep pests fromentering during winter.

Paul Doolan, Editor1680 Ellice Avenue, Bay 8Winnipeg, MB R3H 0Z2Ph: 204-945-2161Toll free: 1-800-282-8069Fax: 204-948-2389E-mail: paul.doolan@gov.mb.caWeb: manitoba.ca/ana

Community council members, community residents and departmental staff are stronglyencouraged to submit feedback, comments, questions, suggestions and ideas to the editor.

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Marlene Davis – LocalGovernmentDevelopment, NorthCentral Region

Marlene is the newadministrative assistant for theNorth Central Region based inthe ANA Dauphin Office.

Marlene grew up in the Metissettlement at Bacon Ridge,Manitoba and was educated onthe Ebb and Flow First Nationbefore attending AssiniboineCommunity College where sheobtained her general businessdiploma. Since 2001, and priorto coming to ANA, Marleneworked as a program co-ordinator with the BrandonFriendship Centre. Additionally,for the past 10 years Marlenehas worked as an administratorfor Davis Taxi Ltd, a familyowned business.

Murray Jackson – LocalGovernmentDevelopment, NorthCentral Region

Murray has assumed duties asprotective services consultantformerly carried out by HesselDethmers, who retired recently.Based in the ANA Dauphinoffice, Murray will beresponsible for the ANAcommunities in the NorthCentral Region.

Murray grew up in Hodgson,Manitoba and completed highschool in Fisher Branch. Hegraduated with a pre-mastersteaching degree in mathematicsand science. He taught for theFrontier School Division in bothDauphin River and Gypsumville.Murray served as fire chief inGypsumville from 1983 until2003. From July 2003 until theend of September 2007, Murraywas employed as an emergencyservices officer with the Officeof the Fire Commissioner basedin Thompson.

Howard Wilson – LocalGovernmentDevelopment, NorthernRegion

Howard is also taking on therole of protective servicesconsultant, replacing retireeGarry Nabess, who retires inJanuary 2008. Howard will beresponsible for the ANAcommunities in the NorthernRegion.

Howard comes from theNorway House Cree Nationwith 20 years of experience inthe emergency services field.Howard served there as the firechief from November 1986 untilSeptember 2007. Howardhelped start the first nation’sfire department and a fullyprovincial licensed EMSambulance service which wasthe first on a Manitoba reserve.

Howard received his educationfrom the Manitoba Fire Collegein 1985-86, now the ManitobaEmergency Services College.Howard enjoys the outdoors;especially fishing and huntingwith his family.

Marlene Davis

Howard Wilson

Murray Jackson

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