2012 CAMA E-Brief Partner: |
June 12, 2012 |
Shaw Elected President of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators
Ron Shaw, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Stratford, ON was elected president of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) at the association’s annual general meeting held on May 29, 2012 in Saskatoon, SK. Mr. Shaw will lead the 500-member national organization of municipal management professionals until June 2013. He succeeds outgoing CAMA president, Jim Toye, City Manager for North Battleford, SK.
"I am proud and honoured to be elected president of the important and dynamic organization,” said Shaw. “I look forward to continuing the implementation of the Association's strategic plan in our journey to promote excellence in administration in Canadian municipalities."
Mr. Shaw recently celebrated 26 years as a Chief Administrative Officer. He started his career with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario as a research associate. He later worked for the Town of Kincardine, ON for twelve years, first as its Treasurer and then as its Clerk-Administrator. In 1993, Ron commenced employment with the City of Stratford as the Clerk-Administrator and is now the Chief Administrative Officer.
Previous to his municipal career, Mr. Shaw worked as an instructor at Georgian College where he taught both the Municipal Administration Program and the advanced course on Municipal Finance. He is a Past President of the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario and a recipient of their prestige award in 2004.
He is past co-chair of the Municipal Health and Safety Association of Ontario and a past president of the Ontario Municipal Administrators' Association. He is an alumnus of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference of 2000 and is now on the National Executive Committee of the 2012 conference.
Mr. Shaw is a graduate of the University of Toronto where he studied Commerce and Finance and Urban Studies. He also received a Diploma in Municipal Administration from the Institute of Local Government at Queen’s University. Ron is married to Janice Bantle, a lawyer. They reside in Stratford with their daughter, Hannah.
CAMA Holds National Conference in Saskatoon, SK
CAOs Learn More About “Thriving in Turbulent Times”
Over 200 municipal administrators from across Canada learned more about “Thriving in Turbulent Times” at the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrator’s (CAMA) national conference held in Saskatoon, SK from May 28-30, 2012.
The chief administrative officers, city managers, and senior municipal managers in attendance participated in various education sessions and heard from leading experts in the field of municipal management. They attended various study tours and got the opportunity to network with their peers from across the country.
During the conference, CAMA presented its first-ever Long Service Recognition Awards; honoured eight municipalities with awards in the areas of innovation, education and environment; presented two Honourary Member for Life awards; and, elected a new national president and board of directors.
This was CAMA’s 41st annual national conference. It was held at the TCU Place Convention Centre in downtown Saskatoon. The host hotel was the Hilton Garden Inn, which sold out. Other accommodations were offered. A more detailed summary of the conference follows.
May 28 – Day One
The conference started on a wet note. The annual CAMA Golf Tournament, slated for Willows Golf Club, was rained out. The study tour to the Cory Potash Mine, operated by PotashCorp, went ahead as planned. PotashCorp is the world’s largest fertilizer company by capacity.
The day also included an Interprovincial Association Meeting, First-Time Delegates Reception and an Opening Reception in the tradeshow area.
May 29 – Day Two
Day two of the conference started with breakfast in the tradeshow area, followed by the CAMA Annual General Meeting. Business was conducted and a slate of officers was presented for election to the national board. After a nomination from the floor for an additional representative from Alberta and the Northwest Territories, an election was held. After the votes were counted, the following Board of Directors was elected to represent CAMA:
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Ron Shaw, President / CAMA Director-at-Large / Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Stratford, ON
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Jean Savard, First Vice-President / CAMA Representative for Québec / Director of Projects, City Manager’s Office, Québec City, QC
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Robert Hughes, Second Vice-President / CAMA Representative for Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island / Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Stratford, PE
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Kelly Daniels, Treasurer / CAMA Representative British Columbia and Yukon / Chief Administrative Officer, Capital Regional District (Vancouver Island), BC
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Jim Toye, Past President / City Manager, City of North Battleford, SK.
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Don MacLellan / CAMA Representative for New Brunswick / General Manager – Community Safety Services, City of Moncton, NB
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Patrick Moyle / CAMA Representative for Ontario / Chief Administrative Officer, The Regional Municipality of Halton, ON.
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Keith Arns / CAMA Representative Newfoundland and Labrador / Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Conception Bay South, NL
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Marie-Hélène Lajoie / CAMA Director-at-Large / Deputy City Manager, Gatineau, QC
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Marc Landry / CAMA Representative Alberta and Northwest Territories / Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Beaumont, AB
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Glen Davies / CAMA Representative for Manitoba and Saskatchewan / City Manager, City of Regina, SK
The opening keynote for the conference was entitled “Changing People, Changing Places.” The session was presented by Mr. Andrew Ramlo, Demographer, Urbanist and Planning Consultant. The plenary session, entitled “Canada and the New Economy” was presented by Paul Martin.
At the noon luncheon, CAMA’s first-ever Long Service Recognition Awards were presented. Distinguished Service Awards, as well as recognition awards for 20, 25, 30 and 35-years of service were handed out. A total of 72 people were on hand for the inaugural presentation.
For more on the program, view the news release and recipient list. In total, 244 municipal administrators from across Canada were recognized through the program for their dedication to public service and municipal management.
In the afternoon, conference delegates attended a variety of breakout sessions. The first was with Ken Forrest, Commissioner of Planning & Development for the City of Saint John, NB and was entitled: “Transforming Saint John’s Urban Heart – How Innovative Community Engagement Inspires a Bold Municipal Plan for a More Sustainable and Compact Saint John.”
The second session was a panel discussion about “Core Services Reviews: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.” It was presented by panellists: Murray Totland, City Manager, City of Saskatoon, SK; Glen Davies, City Manager, City of Regina, SK; and, Joe Pennachetti, City Manager, City of Toronto, ON. The session was moderated by Dr. Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.
After a refreshment break, the afternoon ended with two more breakout sessions. The first was called “Social Media and Your Municipality: Embrace the Possibilities.” The session featured three speakers: Alycia Morehouse, CAMA Social Media Specialist; Philippe Leclerc, City of Regina, SK; and, Dr. Ian Wilson, University of Waterloo Stratford Institute. The session was moderated by Kathleen McNutt, associate professor and graduate chair at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.
Session two was about “Lean Six Sigma” and featured Murray Jamer, Assistant City Administrator/Director of Engineering & Public Works, City of Fredericton. The evening began with CAMA’s first-ever Women’s Social and concluded with a Casual Night Out, which included a reception and dinner at the Western Development Museum, with a performance by the Yevshan Ukrainian Folk Ballet Ensemble.
May 29 – Day Three
Day three, the final day of the conference began with breakfast, followed by a plenary session entitled “High Performance Government: Relationships between Governing Body and Staff” presented by Dr. John Nalbandian, School of Public Affairs and Administration, University of Kansas.
This was followed by a panel discussion called “Blazing the Trail: Canada’s Next Generation of CAO’s.” The panel included Marc Landry, CAO, Town of Beaumont, AB; Erin Beaudin, CAO, Municipality of the District of Chester, NS; and, Eamon O’Flynn, Municipal Intern. The session was moderated by Doug Lagore, CAO, Spruce Grove, AB.
The closing keynote for the conference was presented by Yvonne Camus and was called “Leading a High Performance Life.” The noon luncheon featured the presentation of the CAMA Awards of Excellence. Eight Canadian communities were recognized for municipal excellence in the areas of innovation, education and environment. For the first time ever, each award winning community was introduced by a video summarizing the winning entry. The following municipalities and projects were recognized:
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Town of High River, AB – 2012 CAMA Willis Award for Innovation (Population under 20,000) – Charles Clark Medical Centre Partnership
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City of Saint John, NB – 2012 CAMA Willis Award for Innovation (Population between 20,001 and 100,000) – PlanSJ: A Bold New Plan to Guide Saint John’s Future
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The City of Calgary, AB – 2012 CAMA Willis Award for Innovation (Population over 100,000) – Our City. Our Budget. Our Future. Citizen engagement in a new approach to business planning and budgeting.
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Town of Innisfil, ON – 2012 CAMA Education Award (Population between 20,001 and 100,000) – Future Ready Leadership Program for Emerging Leaders
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City of Saskatoon, SK – 2012 CAMA Education Award (Population over 100,000) – Green Street Program
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Town of Quispamsis, NB – 2012 CAMA Environment Award (Population under 20,000) – qplex
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City of New Westminster, BC – 2012 CAMA Environment Award (Population between 20,001 and 100,000) – Westminster Pier Park – From Brownfield to Greenfield
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City of Edmonton, AB – 2012 CAMA Environment Award (Population over 100,000) – The Way We Green Environmental Strategic Plan
For more on the awards, or to view the videos, visit the CAMA Award web page.
During the afternoon, conference delegates took part in various study tours, offered by the City of Saskatoon. Tours included: Urban Reserves - From Partnerships to Prosperity, Saskatoon’s Housing Plan - Creative initiatives to increase affordable housing availability, and Science City – World Class Science and Innovation in Saskatoon.
During the President’s Dinner Reception, two municipal administrators, with long service to municipal government and professional municipal associations from different regions of Canada, were recognized with an Honorary Membership for Life Award. Congratulations to Doug Lagore, City Manager for Spruce Grove, AB and Gerard Lewis, retired City Manager for Mount Pearl, NL. To learn more about each gentleman, visit CAMAs Honorary Membership for Life web page.
The conference concluded with the President’s Dinner featuring entertainment by hypnotist and peak perfomance expert, Wayne Lee.
The platinum sponsor for the conference was the Saskatchewan Ministry of Municipal Affairs. The department fosters a strong system of municipal government. Key partners of the ministry include municipal associations, municipal councils and administrators, community planners and property assessment appraisers.
Gold sponsors for the conference included: IBM Canada, Ltd., one of Canada's leading providers of advanced information technology, products, services and business consulting expertise, and Jardine Lloyd Thompson Canada (JLT), one of Canada’s leading risk management, insurance, and employee benefits specialty brokerage firms.
The silver sponsor for the conference was Insituform. Bronze sponsors included: AON Hewitt, Canada Lands Company, Northland Power, Odgers Berndtson, Johnson, SaskPower, RBC Royal Bank, AMSC, and Ray Rajchyba, ScotiaMcLeod Financial Services, Inc.
The 2013 CAMA national conference will be held in Victoria, BC at the Fairmont Empress and the Victoria Convention Centre from May 27-29, 2013. Watch for more details in the future!
Landry Attends the 2012 Governor General's Canadian Study Tour
 
Marc Landry, Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of Beaumont, AB and the CAMA representative for Alberta and the Northwest Territories has been selected as a participant on the Governor General's Canadian Study Tour for 2012. Two hundred and thirty individuals considered as future leaders in this country convened for opening sessions in Halifax from June 1 to 3, 2012 and split into sixteen different study groups touring different parts of Canada. Marc is in the group travelling in Southwestern Ontario with the closing session taking place in Ottawa from June 12 to 15, 2012.
CAMA President Ron Shaw is an alumnus of this conference (2000) and currently serves on the National Executive for the 2012 conference. Pictured above is President Shaw and Mr. Landry in front of Stratford City Hall where a reception was hosted for participants of this Study Tour. Also noted is Mr. Frank McKenna (with Marc looking on) as one of the speakers at the opening sessions.
On behalf of your colleagues, congratulations Marc! For further information on this program please visit www.leadershipcanada.ca.
ICMA: Recruitment of Local Government Professionals
ICMA is looking for technical specialists (long-term team leaders and short-term experts) in local governance and decentralization for a five-year USAID-funded local governance program in Haiti, LOKAL PLUS. The program will help to improve public services in targeted communes through the following five project results:
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Strengthening the capability of communal governments to provide services.
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Generating a sustainable increase in local revenues to pay for local services.
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Leveraging greater access to central government funding and services.
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Improving national-level policy and legislation in support of decentralization and deconcentrated services.
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Increasing transparency, oversight and accountability of local governments and deconcentrated service providers.
Specific technical areas include:
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Public service delivery
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Financial management (budgeting and accounting, local government tax assessments and collection systems, and fiscal decentralization)
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Revenue generation/tax collection
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Procurement
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Participatory planning processes and citizen outreach
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Public-private partnerships
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Inter-governmental collaboration
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Association development
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Decentralization and deconcentration of services
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Land use planning, including zoning, permiting, etc.
Required Qualifications:
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Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a relevant field.
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Seven years of professional local governance experience
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Seven years experience in international development work, with USAID experience preferable.
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Experience supervising and managing staff.
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Ability to identify and implement creative and practical approaches to overcome governance challenges in Haiti.
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Strong interpersonal and written communication skills.
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Prior experience in Haiti or Francophone Africa preferred.
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Fluency in English and French required; knowledge of Creole highly desirable.
Cover letters and resumes must be submitted by June 18 to [email protected] with the title “Local Governance Specialists - Haiti.” For further information on this opportunity please contact Isabelle Bully-Omictin, Senior Governance Advisor of ICMA International at 408-542-9020 or via e-mail at [email protected]
Welcome New Members
Welcome to the following new members:
Don MacLeod, Chief Administrative Officer, Township of Zorra, ON
Patrick Draper, City Manager, City of St. Albert, AB
Michael Richardson, Senior Administrative Officer, Town of Hay River, NT
Jeff Holmes, Director of Legislative Community & Agricultural Services, Mountain View County, AB
Debbie Carter, General Manager - Corporate Services, City of Leduc, AB
Laurie Taylor, Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Keremeos, BC
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