2013 CAMA E-Brief Partner: |
October 7, 2013 |
CAMA Holds Quarterly Board Meeting in Yellowknife, NWT
The Board of Directors for the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) held their quarterly meeting in the City of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories from September 11-14, 2013. We would like to acknowledge the wonderful hospitality of our hosts, Mr. Grant Hood (President) and Ms. Regina Pfeifer (Executive Director) of The Local Government Administrators of the Northwest Territories (LGANT), and Deputy Mayor Cory Vanthuyne and Mr. Dennis Kefalas (Chief Administrative Officer) of the City of Yellowknife.
Strategic Plan
The first activity of the meeting was a Strategic Planning Session. Robert Hughes, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee and First Vice-President lead this effort. Strategic objectives from CAMA’s 2011-2016 Strategic Plan were reviewed and the key feedback included:
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CAMA Conference. The Board discussed how to continue to make the CAMA Conference the premiere national professional development opportunity for municipal administrators.
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Best Practices. CAMA members benefit from the sharing of best practices. CAMA will continue to research ways to allow our members more access to best practices.
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Skills and Knowledge. In an effort to increase skills and knowledge for members, CAMA has developed a partnership with LGMA BC to deliver webinars to members. The Board is also revisiting the CAMA Mentorship Program to ensure that it is relevant to members.
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Strategic Alliances & Affiliate Relationships. CAMA continues to develop strategic alliances. For example, our partnership with ICMA and our other affiliate organizations continues to be strong. The possibility of Study Tours with other countries is being explored.
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Advocacy. CAMA continues to develop its advocacy role related to federal programs of value to municipalities. The Board is prepared to respond as deemed necessary to take a position on important issues.
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Financial Stability. CAMA has created a five-year plan that continues to focus on financial stability for the Association. A Finance Sub-Committee and an Innovations Committee has also been formed to conduct an analysis on ways to decrease expenditures and increase revenues.
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Responsive, Transparent & Accountable. CAMA continues to strive to be responsive, transparent and accountable to its membership through member surveys and regular reporting.
The Board will continue to work on these strategic objectives. Watch for more details in future additions of e-Brief.
Communications Plan
The Board considered the Discovery and Analysis and the External Communications Strategy prepared by M5 Communications. M5 is a marketing and communications firm hired to develop a strategy to help promote the profession of municipal administration. Effective and efficient communication is key to fulfilling CAMA’s strategic objectives. We wish to broaden our image, improve our brand recognition and enhance the credibility and influence of our organization in the eyes of our target audiences. M5 Communications will be attending the December 2013 Board meeting to make a detailed presentation on their analysis of our organization. A special thank you to Robert Hughes, CAMA First Vice-President, for Chairing this Sub-Committee along with Board members Marie-Hélène Lajoie, Glen Davies and Keith Arns.
Innovations Committee
The Innovations Committee consisting of Board members Glen Davies, Don MacLellan and Marc Landry are working on non-dues revenue ideas for CAMA. One of those ideas has lead to an agreement with Multiview, an ad agency to secure advertising for CAMA’s website.
2014 CAMA Conference and Beyond
The room block at the Sheraton On The Falls is now open. If you haven’t already made your hotel reservations, please visit our website at http://www.camacam.ca/en/conference/2014AnnualConference.asp. We are expecting record attendance at this event. As well, the hashtag #CAMA2014 has been set up so that Conference attendees, and those not at the Conference can follow the conversations happening in Niagara Falls. The Program Sub-Committee Chaired by Janice Baker (and members Marc Landry, Mark Brown, Don MacLellan and Jean Savard) are working on a great speaker program along with some fun social activities.
Looking ahead, the 2015 Conference will be held at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, the Delta Winnipeg/Convention Centre in 2016, and the City of Gatineau, QC has been chosen as the location for the 2017 Conference.
Gas Tax Meeting with FCM and Infrastructure Canada
CAMA was pleased to participate in a meeting on July 17th, 2013 with FCM and Infrastructure Canada with respect to the Gas Tax Fund. A special thank you to the following individuals for attending this meeting on behalf of CAMA:
• Jeff Renaud, CAO, City of Dawson, YK
• Marc Landry, CAO, Town of Beaumont, AB
• Tina Tapley, Director of Finance/City Treasurer, City of Fredericton, NB
• Andre Morin, Director of Corporate Services, City of Stratford, ON
ICMA 100th Anniversary
The Board are currently reviewing several ways that CAMA can participate in the 100th ICMA Anniversary milestone celebration. This celebration will culminate at ICMA’s Annual Conference being held in Charlotte/Mecklenburg Country, North Carolina from September 14-17, 2014. They will also be celebrating their leadership role in the development of the professional local government management profession. Mr. David Johnstone, ICMA Third Vice-President will be attending the CAMA Board meeting in December 2013 to provide an update on their activities along with the 100th Anniversary.
CAMA enjoys a close working relationship with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). Through our affiliation agreement, CAMA members can join ICMA at a substantially reduced rate of $135 (US dollars) per person, an average savings of $800. To participate in this discounted ICMA membership offer, visit the ICMA website, and go directly to the International Application form to download the application and mail it directly to ICMA. It is important that you note on the ICMA application that you are a CAMA member.
Membership Services / CAMA National Office
The Board considered a status report from Jennifer Goodine, Executive Director with respect to the member services and the activities of the CAMA National Office. CAMA currently has 492 members, 81 Facebook “Likes” and 330 Twitter followers. If you aren’t already following us on Twitter our handle is @camalink. CAMA’s fanpage on Facebook can also be found at http://www.facebook.com/CAMALink.
2014 CAMA Awards of Excellence
Keith Arns (2013 Awards Chair) and Glen Davies (2014 Awards Chair) conducted a detailed analysis of the current CAMA Awards of Excellence Program taking into consideration feedback from the past Awards Juries. It was felt that this program is very well received by the membership however a few tweaks need to be made. The Education Award has been broadened to include training programs for staff and will now be called the Professional Development Award with new updated criteria. All award submissions will only be permitted to have a maximum of 2,000 words. Watch for the Award packages in early January 2014.
Webinars
The webinars that are offered through CAMA’s partnership with LGMA BC are continuing to be very popular and the format has been changed to run on Tuesdays for two hours. Visit the website at http://www.camacam.ca/en/programs/Webinars.asp and take advantage of this innovative way for alternative training approaches which allow you and your staff to receive training without having to leave the office. The Fall series begins on October 15th, 2013 and will end on December 3rd, 2013.
Provincial/Territorial Meeting
The Interprovincial Meeting was held on Monday, May 27th, 2013 at the 2013 CAMA Conference in Victoria and was attended by 15 representatives from CAMA and the Provincial and Territorial Associations. This forum provided an opportunity for the representatives from all provincial associations and CAMA to come together to discuss issues of mutual interest.
ICMA Conference and Canadian Dinner
Over sixty delegates attended the Canadian Dinner held on Monday, September 23rd, 2013 in Boston during the ICMA Conference. Congratulations to Mr. Simon Farbrother, City Manager for the City of Edmonton, AB and a CAMA Past President, on his recent election as ICMA President.
Treasurer’s Report
The Board approved the financial statements for the period of April 1st to July 31st, 2013. CAMA continues to be financially stable.
Future Board Meetings
The next Board meeting will be held in Gatineau, QC from December 4-6, 2013 with the March 2014 meeting being held in Niagara Falls, ON from March 18-21, 2014.
Jean Savard
CAMA President
Congratulations: Simon Farbrother - ICMA President
Simon Farbrother joined by the Edmonton team and his wife, Marjorie (right of Simon)
Congratulations to Simon Farbrother who will begin his term as President of the International City/County Managers Association. Approximately 3,500 members, partners, and exhibitors gathered in Boston, Massachusetts, for ICMA’s 99th Annual Conference, September 22-25, 2013. City of Edmonton, Linda Cochrane, General Manager, Community Services gave a wonderful introduction.
Simon has served as Edmonton’s City Manager since January 2010, leading the civic administration through a time of tremendous growth and transformation in the city. Simon has worked in municipal government since1988. During his term as City Manager of Waterloo, it was named the International Intelligent Community of the Year by the Intelligent Community Forum. Simon is a CAMA Past President and was recently named one of the province’s 50 most influential people by Alberta Venture magazine.
Important Update from FCM on the Building Canada Fund
Last week, the Government of Canada announced an infrastructure investment that would draw on the new Building Canada Fund (BCF). Since that announcement we have been talking to senior government officials and can now clarify what this means for members. The government has confirmed that:
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All new federal infrastructure investments, including this one, will be subject to the rules of the new BCF, which have not yet been established.
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The new BCF will be in place by March 31, 2014.
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The government will consult with FCM on the design of the new BCF program.
This is an aggressive timeline and we anticipate that calls for applications could come quickly and with short turnaround times. Therefore, we urge members to set local priorities and identify potential projects as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, we have communicated FCM’s principles for the new BCF to the government. Our principles will shape our consultations with the government on the new BCF design.
We will continue to update members on the status of the new BCF as we learn of new developments.
Sincerely,
Brock Carlton
Chief Executive Officer, FCM
CAMA/LGMA BC Webinar Series: October Sessions
CAMA is pleased to continue our partnership with LGMA BC (Local Government Management Association of British Columbia) to deliver webinar-based professional development opportunities for local government managers across Canada.
October 15: Planning for Successful Citizen Engagement in 10 “Easy” Steps
Presenter: Jan Enns, Jan Enns Communications
In order to be successful, planning for citizen engagement needs to inform and involve your community from the start. When done right, programs can move forward on time and on schedule. When done wrong, it can mean a drain on resources, project delays, damaged relationships and even damaged reputations. This fast-paced and engaging session will elevate your understanding of public consultation and provide you with a step-by-step guide to apply effective consultation planning in your organization.
BONUS: Attendees will receive a detailed workbook with a 10 step checklist to use for planning future projects.
Register online at: http://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/event/LGMAElearning2013.asp?session=oct15
October 29: Managing Performance and Coaching Skills
Presenter: Tracey Lorenson, Paragon Strategic Services Ltd.
Would you like to have more productive conversations around the performance of your team? Learn how to assess the nature of performance challenges so that you can apply the best resources to address the problem. We will also discuss the distinctions between performance and discipline, and work on
specifically how to have productive performance discussions.
BONUS:
Individuals will have the opportunity to complete an online coaching skills assessment to identify their coaching strengths and potential development opportunities.
Register online at: http://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/event/LGMAElearning2013.asp?session=oct29
The webinars are scheduled to run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and are two hours in length. Registration is $150 per person plus taxes and includes a two-hour facilitated online course and discussion as well as practical assessments and resources to apply the learning immediately.
Please pass this opportunity along to your staff members as all are welcome to attend!
Welcome New Members
Welcome to the following new members:
Larry Plotnikoff, Leisure Services Manager, City of Merritt, BC
William C. Bennett, Senior Administrative Officer, Hamlet of Ulukhaktok, NT
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