e-Brief September 21, 2018
CAMA Holds Quarterly Board Meeting at Deerhurst Resort - Location for the 2020 Conference
 

The Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) held their quarterly meeting at the Deerhurst Resort located in the Muskoka Region on Thursday, September 13th, 2018.  This also provided the Board with the opportunity to have a tour of the facility in order to prepare for the 2020 CAMA Conference being held at this location from June 1-3, 2020.
 
DETAILS OF BOARD MEETING
 
The Board discussed a number of topics, but what follows are the highlights of those discussions:
 
Strategic Plan
Each September the Board conducts a review of the Annual Strategic Pan which is now in its third year (2016-2021).  In the Post-Conference survey you told us that you value professional development and networking opportunities most from your CAMA membership, which is very much in line with our current Strategic Plan.  Discussions occurred regarding the Vision, Mission, Values and Emerging Trends. There are seven strategic themes which were also reviewed and a discussion was held on our successes, areas that need to be improved, and what priorities need to be focused on moving forward:
  • Membership Campaign
  • Innovative Professional Development
  • Success of the Profession
  • Experts in Municipal Administration
  • Networking
  • Municipal Administrator and Council Relationship
  • Strategic Relationships
The Board will review the final summary of the discussions and outcomes at the November 2018 meeting.
 
CAO Performance Evaluation Committee Update
CAMA continues to promote the CAO Performance Evaluation Toolkit across the country to administrators and elected officials.  Our toolkit has a lot of gears and options that might, at first glance, make it appear to be dauntingly complicated.  It’s not! It’s really a simple tool.  CAMA is pleased to provide you with a webinar (approximately 20 minutes in length) that is designed to show you just how easy it is to use and how it can be customized and scaled to your municipality.  We also just recently completed a  Frequently Asked Questions by Chief Administrative Officers document and a Frequently Asked Questions by Elected Officials document  which will help navigate you through the toolkit.  If you have used this toolkit and have any feedback, please let us know ([email protected]).  With a lot of municipal elections taking place this Fall, CAMA will be promoting this document in the first quarter of 2019 to ensure that the newly elected officials are aware of this important process.
 
Political Acumen Toolkit Project
A Request for Proposals was sent out in August 2018 by the Political Acumen Committee to hire a consultant with municipal expertise for the development of the Political Acumen Toolkit for CAOs, Direct Reports/Aspiring CAOs, and Elected Officials to be launched at the 2019 Conference.
 
The Board approved the hiring of Transitional Solutions Inc., a consulting firm located in Edmonton, Alberta who have experience working with urban and rural municipalities of all sizes.  Transitional Solutions will work with the Committee to develop an online toolkit that will also include an interactive website with a mentorship component.  Watch for some outreach over the next few months as we will need your input as we develop this important piece of work for many audiences.   
 
CAO Members in Transition Toolkit
The CAO Members in Transition Toolkit Committee are continuing with their work on this project with interviews of 15 CAMA members now being completed.  We also plan to launch this project at the 2019 CAMA Conference.
 
Update on Communications/Marketing Plan
The “Refer A Member” Campaign launched at the end of June 2018 was a success with a total of 21 new members signing up.  Watch for details on our next campaign in the next month and continue to encourage your colleagues to join our network. This campaign will focus on the fact that CAMA is an Association for urban, rural, large and small municipalities.

The Board has also been working hard on our social media strategy with a focus on LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is beneficial for your career development and networking.  However, even if you are happy in your current role and do not intend to job hunt, an updated profile is still important.  As your municipality works to recruit new talent, those recruits will want to know more about the leadership team.  With 300 million active users around the world, know that people are searching for you and your municipality on the LinkedIn platform.   Don’t forget to join the CAMA Company Page.  In the LinkedIn search bar, type Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators.  This search will bring to you a page of people who follow the CAMA company page where you need to click the “more” dropdown field, click “Companies” and then “Follow”.  We would also love to have you join the CAMA Discussion Group by following these steps:
  • In the LinkedIn search bar, type CAMA Members’ Discussion Group
  • This search will bring to you a page of people who are members of the group where you click “More” and then “Groups”.  Click on the group to open it up.  Once inside the group, you’ll see a button called “Ask to join”.  Click this button and we’ll approve your request! 
  • Once you have joined, please confirm your settings to ensure you will get notifications of discussions.
Don’t forget about the “Making Life Happen” toolkit to attract the next generation of leaders to local government.  The “Making Life Happen” program was created in partnership, with a mandate of raising awareness of local government with a specific focus encouraging younger Canadians to consider a municipal career.
 
The next time you or your staff are asked to speak to local community groups or businesses, explain local government and the role of the CAO, or talk to students about municipal government careers, “Making Life Happen” will give you the building blocks for a memorable presentation.  Tailor a message from your own municipality using the elements and main messages we have created, including a powerpoint presentation with speaking notes and handouts.  We are also pleased to have a bilingual website for this campaign:  http://www.makinglifehappen.ca.   Visit the CAMA website for all of the tools.
 
2018 Conference and Beyond
Jennifer Goodine, CAMA Executive Director presented a report on the very successful 2018 Fredericton Conference which saw a surplus of $85,000.
 
The next Conference will be held in Québec City from May 27-29, 2019 at the Hilton Quebec and the Convention Centre.  The CAMA Conference Program Sub-Committee and the Board are working on a dynamic speaker program along with some great social activities.  This year’s theme will be based on “Resiliency” and you will hear more in the coming months.  The hotel room blocks at the Hilton Quebec and the Delta Quebec are full, however there are lots of other hotel accommodations in the area.  Please visit our website for further Conference details.
 
Looking ahead, our 2020 Conference will be at the Deerhurst Resort in the Muskoka Region. 
 
Treasurers Report
Jack Benzaquen, Treasurer updated the Board on Association’s finances.  CAMA continues to be in a healthy financial position, which provides CAMA the opportunity to undertake priority projects and initiatives for members.
 
2019 Awards of Excellence Program
The Awards Jury, under Louis Coutinho’s chairmanship, will be seeking members soon.  The guidelines and on-line application forms will be available in January 2019.
 
ICMA
Tim Anderson, Third International Vice-President of ICMA provided the Board with a report on their activities.  ICMA continues to conduct research through a team of Local Government Research Fellows which will complement the work of the internal research team.  Also, watch for a new publication entitled “Putting Smart Community Strategies to Work in Small and Mid-Sized Cities and Counties”.  As you are aware, the 2018 ICMA Conference will be held in Baltimore from September 23 to the 26. We are looking forward to hosting the Canadian Dinner on Monday, September 24. Mark Nashville/Davidson County, Tennessee on your calendar for October 20-23, 2019 for the Annual Conference.
 
CAMA Members have a special rate of only $135.00 US to join. Even if you are not able to attend the ICMA Annual Conference, the information and resources available on their website is very valuable. If you would like to join ICMA or need additional details please visit the website.
 
The next meeting of the CAMA Board will be held in Ottawa from November 28-30, 2018. Meetings with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Federal representatives will be coordinated. If you have any thoughts or comments, don’t hesitate to contact the CAMA National Office ([email protected]) or any CAMA Board Member at any time.
  
Marc Landry
CAMA President
Alberta Members: Grants for crime reduction programs available
 Alberta Justice and Solicitor General

Organizations can now apply for Government of Alberta grants that support local crime-prevention initiatives.The Victims Restitution and Compensation Payment Act allows authorities to seize cash and property used in or obtained through criminal activity. This process of civil forfeiture makes crime unprofitable and deprives offenders of the money and tools necessary to commit further illegal acts. The Civil Forfeiture Grant program then redirects the forfeited cash and the proceeds from the sale of forfeited property towards programs that reduce crime and assist victims of crime.  Funding this year will go to proposals with innovative, promising or proven practices, with a focus on:
  • services that directly prevent at-risk youth from becoming involved in criminal activity, and/or
  • crime-prevention planning initiatives, such as coordination plans to deter rural crime
A total of $2.5 million in Civil Forfeiture Grants is available this year. Eligible organizations include non-profit agencies, schools, municipal governments, Metis Settlements and First Nations communities. Grants between $50,000 and $200,000 are available, with projects spanning up to two years.  The list of 2017 grant recipients includes Boyle Street Community Services in Edmonton, the Grande Prairie and Area Big Brothers Big Sisters Association, the Miywasin Friendship Centre in Medicine Hat and Alcove Addiction Recovery for Women in Calgary.  More than $9 million in Civil Forfeiture Grants have been awarded since 2008.

Potential candidates for Civil Forfeiture Grants are encouraged to download the online application form.  The deadline for submissions is noon Oct. 12, 2018.
Alliance for Innovation - info and rates
We are pleased to introduce you to the Alliance for Innovation and we would encourage you to take advantage of the Alliance’s partnership with CAMA.  The Alliance is specifically focused on research around the next Big Ideas and best practices in local government.  In strengthening and supporting the two Associations, the Alliance for Innovation, is offering a special discount to all CAMA members.  Alliance membership complements CAMA membership and offers additional learning resources for your entire organization.  

Depending on your municipality’s needs you may choose from one of these two options:
  • 30% off the first year of membership, or
  • 15 months of membership for the price of the first 12 months.
Membership in the Alliance is beneficial to communities of all sizes.  Alliance membership rates are based on the size of your community, as determined by the 2016 Canadian population census.  Here is a table below of the US rates with approximate Canadian exchange and the 30% discount:
 
 
 
View some of the benefits of Alliance membership.  If you are interested in this opportunity call 1-888-496-0944 or e-mail [email protected] for more information on how to leverage these benefits in your organization. 
 
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