2014 CAMA E-Brief Partner:

October 31, 2014

It was my privilege, on your behalf, to attend the ICMA Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina in September and the SOLACE Annual Summit in Liverpool, UK in October.

ICMA
 

I was joined in Charlotte by our Executive Director, Ms. Jennifer Goodine.  Canada was very well represented within ICMA this past year with President Simon Farbrother, International Vice-President David Johnstone, Conference Planning Chair Duncan Campbell and Conference Evaluation Chair Marc Landry.  Thanks to Simon, David, Duncan and Marc for their superb execution of these key roles during ICMA’s 100th anniversary year.   Congratulations also to Marc Landry on his election as an International Vice-President of ICMA at the meeting, a three year appointment. 
 

The ICMA Conference is a very large gathering with several thousand delegates and many, many concurrent sessions on a wide range of topics.  They also have top quality keynote speakers and a very large trade show.  CAMA members can access the Conference, the webinar series, the Knowledge Network and the other resources of ICMA for just $135.00 US per year (compared to the regular price which is 0.8% of your salary for non CAMA members).   

 

There are two International Meetings at the Conference where delegates exchange information on the state of municipal governance in their country.  I was pleased to be able to report about CAMA’s activities and about the state of municipal governance in Canada and to hear about the state of affairs in China, Sweden, Czechlosvakia, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal, Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom.    Reports were also presented with respect to the 2014 ICMA International Meeting held in Yangzhou, China (May 2014) followed by information on a number of ICMA’s programs (i.e. the International Management Exchange Program, HIP Program, Fellows Program, etc.).  As well, plans were announced for the 2015 ICMA International meeting to be held in Sydney, Australia in February 2015. 
 

We hosted a dinner in Charlotte, as we do every year, for the CAMA members and Canadian delegates at Emeril’s Restaurant.  We had a great turnout with 50 people in attendance.  At the dinner, I had the great pleasure of presenting a plaque to Simon Farbrother, on behalf of CAMA, to commemorate  ICMA’s 100th Anniversary and his Presidency of ICMA during this significant milestone.

We also made contact with the Alliance for Innovation who is affiliated with ICMA and the University of Arizona.  We will be exploring an affiliate agreement with them to see if we can bring value to our membership.
 

SOLACE stands for the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives.  The CAMA President attends the UK, Australia or New Zealand Conference on a three year rotation.  The SOLACE Conference is similar in size and scope to CAMA’s Conference and includes a trade show. 

The UK local government system is quite different from Canada in that they do not have provinces and they derive their authority and much of their funding from the national government.  They also typically have responsibility for a wide range of social programs, health and education.   They are going through a period of tremendous change because the national government has slashed their funding and they have had to cut services, outsource, and join together to deliver services and find other ways to cope. 

They have had to innovate and there are even, as a result, a number of Chief Executives who serve more than one Council.  What perhaps surprised me most was the relatively upbeat mood of the Conference in the face of these challenges.  They have accepted that change is going to happen and used it as an opportunity to innovate and there are some great lessons to be learned by local governments who are facing similar challenges. 

 

There is every indication that the cuts and challenges will continue.  I was most impressed by their strong sense of commitment to preserving the quality of life of their constituents, even if it means re-inventing themselves and their organizations, in the face of these challenges. 

Another positive aspect of local governance that I witnessed was their strong relationship with academia, non-profits and private consultants, to share knowledge and learning with their membership.  I hope to be able to apply some of what I learned to help CAMA to continue to improve services to our members and, ultimately, to improve the quality of life of our constituents. 
 

ICMA is a subcontractor to FHI360 on the USAID Local Enterprise Support (LENS) project in Jordan, which focuses on developing local economies by building partnerships among local government, the business community and NGOs.  As many of you know, Jordan is facing many challenges with nearly a million Syrian refugees who have fled to safety there and high unemployment – especially youth.

USAID LENS aims to help governorates and municipalities to create a better enabling environment in which businesses can expand and where investments can be made, resulting in job growth and lower unemployment.  ICMA will be creating up to four city-to-city cluster partnerships during the five year project. We are looking for ICMA members who are willing to serve as pro bonos to share their expertise and time and work with their Jordanian counterparts to identify and implement economic development solutions.  We plan on conducting two-way exchanges between US and Jordan municipal staff beginning in February 2015. USAID LENS will improve municipal capacity through business support centers or business improvement districts broadly, with a focus on the following sectors: tourism, transportation/logistics, food processing, ICT, and green technology.

Sample economic development initiatives supported by the project include:
• Establishing a seasonal marketplace for locally produced goods
• Developing cooperatives for farmers, food producers, etc.
• Encouraging local entrepreneurship
• Developing business support centers
• Developing a multi-use commercial complex
• Upgrading technical workspace to support vocational training development
• Establishing and utilizing Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) as a catalyst for economic development

Interested ICMA members should contact Laura Hagg, Director, Middle East and Africa Programs at [email protected]; Colin McCabe, LENS Program Manager, [email protected]; or Aileen Andres, LENS Assistant Program Manager, [email protected].

Please note that a mandatory daily service charge of $12.00/per person is included in the above rates.   This charge is to cover porterage, housekeeping and conference services, therefore, no further out-of-pocket tipping is required when on property.  Each extra person sharing a room will be charged an additional $30.00 per night.
 
To make a room reservation, please utilize the following link: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/cama2015. Reservations can also be made by contacting the Reservations Department at 780-852-3301 or the Global Reservations Centre at 1-800-441-1414. To ensure the special rate quoted above, please identify yourself as attending the CAMA Conference.  The room block will be open until April 29, 2015. 

 
TRANSPORTATION
 

Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver all have international airports that are serviced by major national and international carriers.  Delegates can get to Jasper by vehicle, rail or by bus.  Further details on transportation can be found at the following link:  http://www.jasper.travel/discover-jasper/getting-to-jasper-alberta
 
Please note that Sundog Tours operate a daily shuttle from the Edmonton Airport:  http://sundogtours.com/airport-shuttle/.  There are departures from the Airport at 3:15 p.m. arriving in Jasper at approximately 8:00 p.m. and departures from Jasper at 7:15 a.m. and arriving at the Airport at 12:30 p.m.  Please note that this is not a direct route and there are stops at the West Edmonton Mall, Edson and Hinton.  Round trip fares are approximately $99.00 per person.
 

CAMA will also be arranging three additional private shuttle buses departing the Edmonton Airport (at different times) on Sunday, May 31st, 2015 and the Jasper Park Lodge on Thursday, June 4th, 2015.  The registraton for this service can be completed when registering for the Conference at the end of February 2015.  More details will be posted soon.

Each year CAMA recognizes the value of excellence and professionalism in municipal administration through the Annual Awards Program in three areas of Program Excellence.  Awards are presented to local governments and their Chief Administrators in recognition of their creative and successful programs, projects or services.

The Annual Awards Program has been designed to encourage excellence in the art of professional municipal administration.  All award submissions are available in the Best Practices Library located in the Member’s Section on the CAMA website and we would like to take this opportunity to feature these great initiatives in the next few editions of e-Brief:

Building an Environmentally Resilient Community Through Corporate and Community Action 
Contributor:  City of Fredericton 
CAMA Category:  2014 Environmenta Award (Population between 20,001 and 100,000)

For decades, the City of Fredericton has been making environmentally sustainable decisions thanks to the efforts and commitments of past and present City Councils, municipal employees and members of the community. This work continues today in earnest and encompasses climate change mitigation with green house gas emission reduction efforts, adaptation preparedness through risk assessment; enhancing an overall ethic toward environmental stewardship.
 

Building an Environmental Management Framework
Contributor:  District of Maple Ridge  
CAMA Category:  2014 Environment Award (Population between 20,001 and 100,000)

 
Maple Ridge is a fast growing community located in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. The population is close to 80,000 and this is expected to grow to over 120,000 over the next twenty years.  Management of this growth along with other factors such as global climate change impacts, impacts associated with development, and the increasing expectations of citizens for the municipality to manage growth in a sustainable manner has created some complex environmental challenges. 

Maple Ridge has an abundance of ‘natural capital’ within its boundaries in terms of natural assets and services that are provided by the natural environment which the District of Maple Ridge has incorporated into its development strategies.

 

Over the past decade, under the direction of municipal Council, the District has invested in and worked with the natural environment recognizing the numerous benefits and costs savings provided to the community. Development and implementation of environmental management strategies to offset and mitigate negative impacts has resulted in award winning developments. The District has also focused on strategies to build resiliency against impacts from climate change, urban sprawl, and cumulative impacts associated with growth. These efforts have helped to create a safe, affordable, and attractive place for our citizens to live, work and play.

Decision makers and citizens recognize that Maple Ridge’s natural environment provides our community with a wide range of economic, social and ecological benefits. The District has made significant efforts to incorporate these benefits into its planning and development practices to help guide and promote more sustainable development.


Memorial Park Salmon Rearing Pond Project
Contributor:  District of West Vancouver  
CAMA Category:  2014 Environmental Award (Population between 20,001 and 100,000)

The Memorial Park Salmon Rearing Pond for Coho salmon and cutthroat trout was constructed as a gift to the community in celebration of the District’s Centennial Celebration in 2013; the District of West Vancouver (the District) and the West Vancouver Streamkeeper Society (Streamkeepers) partnered together on this project. This project, approved by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, received strong support from the District and from the community, and was supported in part by generous community donations.

The project was completed in three phases over the space of fourteen months, and has provided substantial environmental, educational, and health benefits to the community. The project increased accessibility to and throughout the park, created an educational space within the park, and provided a natural, ideal habitat for juvenile Coho salmon and cutthroat trout, and the aquatic insects on which they feed. With consistent flow, deeper water, and trees to shade the pond, as well as the installation of stumps, logs, and native vegetation, aquatic life in this riparian area will be sustained through winter storms and summer droughts, and flourish in a creek that had, up until the building of this rearing pond, lost its fish stocks.

The collaborative efforts of the District and the Streamkeepers demonstrate what can be accomplished by working together for the benefit of the community. What started as an idea proposed by a community stewardship group has since established a precedent for District by empowering the community to successfully initiate changes to improve the environment in which they live.
 

The full submissions of the above noted projects are posted in the Members Section in the Best Practices Library  http://www.camacam.ca/en/MembersArea.asp
 

Welcome New Members
 

Welcome to the following new members:

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CAMA e-Brief is published every two weeks. Watch for the next issue on: The week of November 10th, 2014  To view the last CAMA e-Brief, visit: http://www.camacam.ca/en/ebrief.asp	Job Scene is distributed every week. The Next issue will appear on: Monday, November 3rd, 2014 To view the latest Jobs go to: http://www.camacam.ca/en/jobpostings.asp
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