e-Brief December 13, 2018

On behalf of President Marc Landry , the CAMA Board of Directors, and the National Office Staff, we would like to wish you the best of the season and a New Year of health, happiness and prosperity.

CAMA Holds Quarterly Board Meeting in Nation's Capital

 

The Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) held their quarterly meeting in Ottawa on November 29-30, 2018.  Click here for the French version.

DETAILS OF BOARD MEETING

The Board discussed a number of important topics, and below are the highlights of those discussions:

Presentation by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
Over the years CAMA has had a positive working relationship with FCM and has been pleased to assist them with program and policy development on several national issues.

Brock Carlton, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, joined the Board and provided an update on FCM’s strategic direction and their strategy and goals for the upcoming 2019 federal election.

FCM’s role is to be the national convenor and voice of local governments, leading the development of a common municipal agenda and also to be the nationally and internationally respected hub for sharing knowledge and best practices in local government.

Over the next five years they plan to continue to empower and enable cities and communities to improve the lives of all Canadians, build municipal capacity, and manage an efficient organization to maximize results.

CAMA will continue to work with FCM in assisting them in these areas of work where possible.

Meeting with Federal Representatives
CAMA was pleased to host a special breakfast meeting with several Federal staff members to discuss a number of topics important to Canadian municipalities.   There was representation from Transport Canada, Infrastructure & Communities, Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada, and Canada Mortgage and Housing. The Federal representatives are looking forward to continued dialogue and collaboration with CAMA moving forward.

Strategic Plan
The Board reviewed the outcomes and discussion of the Annual Strategic Plan review that was held at the September 2018 meeting. The Emerging Trends were updated to reflect the current local government environment.  There are two years remaining in our Strategic Plan and we plan to focus on the following:
  • Outreach to small, large and francophone municipalities to join CAMA and attend the Conference.
  • Increase the outreach to elected officials so that they will see the value when their senior managers would like to join CAMA and/or attend the Conference.
  • The Annual Conference will continue to be the priority for professional development.
  • New innovative tools/white papers will be provided on topics of interest to members.
  • Continue to promote the CAO Performance Evaluation Toolkit to CAOs and elected officials across the country.
  • Launch and promote the Members in Transition Toolkit and the Political Acumen Toolkit which includes a Mentorship Program (at the 2019 Conference).
  • Continue to work with our Provincial/Territorial Association partners, international affiliates, and FCM.
The revised CAMA Strategic Plan will be online early in 2019.

CAO Performance Evaluation Committee Update
We have had great success with the CAO Performance Evaluation Toolkit and with a lot of municipal elections held in 2018 we will be promoting this document in 2019 to ensure that the newly elected officials are aware of this important process. If you have used the toolkit and you and/or your Mayor/Council would like to provide us with a testimonial we would love to hear from you.

Political Acumen Toolkit Project
The Committee continues to work closely with Transitional Solutions Inc. on developing the Political Acumen Toolkit. Thank you to the 80 members that took the time to complete the survey which provided detailed and excellent responses during the research phase.  We will be including some case studies (anonymously or publicly) in the toolkit so if you would like to share a specific incident or situation (positive or negative) where strong political acumen skills benefited you and how you handled the situation please contact Jennifer Goodine ([email protected]).

This online toolkit will provide political acumen advice on the following topics:
  • Administration & Council
  • Residents & Ratepayers
  • Inter-municipal
  • Provincial
  • Federal
  • Media
We are also very excited to launch a Mentorship Program as part of this toolkit that will provide mentorship in different ways and different modes of communication.  Members will be required to register for a mentorship or mentee profile. Each person who registers for the mentorship forum will have a profile showing their current position, years of experience, municipality type and size and areas they would like to receive/provide mentorship in.  The member directory will allow members to find mentors/mentees.  The system will also have a communications portal where members can reach out privately to other members to network, request advice, etc.  As well, there will be a discussion forum where members can post topics for multiple people to comment on/provide advice.

Watch for the launch of this exciting toolkit at the 2019 Annual Conference in Quebec City.

CAO Members in Transition Toolkit
The CAO Members in Transition Toolkit Committee are continuing with their work on this project to also be ready to launch at the 2019 Conference.

CAMA recognizes the landscape of transitioned CAOs throughout Canada continues to grow.  The CAOs that participated in this project have all experienced transition and this toolkit has been developed based on their very personal experiences about their journey.  We recognized, the best way to help our Members in Transition was to identify the needs at the various stages of transition, and then to provide additional resources that you can access and use as you need them (in any Province/Territory), to help you navigate your way through transition.  Our goal with this toolkit is to offer our support and let you know you’re not alone.  

Future Conferences
Join us for the 48th Annual CAMA Conference being held in Québec City from May 27-29, 2019 at the Hilton Québec and Québec Convention Centre. The theme is “Resiliency: Leading in Today’s Complex Environment” with speakers focusing on topics like Positive Psychology, Populism in Canada, Crisis Management, Building and Supporting a More Positive and Respectful Workplace, Creating a Positive Environment for Employees with Mental Health Issues, Political Acuity, Building a Resilient-Ready Organization, and of course the launch of our two toolkits (Political Acumen and Members in Transition).  

The Casual Night Out will feature a Quebec Night at the Érablière du Cap Sugar Shack with a traditional French-Canadian meal and musical entertainment. 

This year on the Wednesday afternoon delegates will have the choice of attending a Knowledge Café on the CAO and Council Interpersonal Working Relationship where an open dialogue will take place. We will also offer a Coaching Session for the Next Generation and a tour of the new Videotron Centre. 

The President’s Dinner will be held at Le Capitole Theatre with entertainment and a dance by the Painchaud Family.

The Full Conference Program and on-line registration will be available at the end of February 2019. If you haven’t already made your hotel reservations, please visit our website.

Looking ahead, our 2020 Conference will be at the Deerhurst Resort in the Muskoka Region.

Image result for Photos of Fairmont TremblantThe 2021 FCM Conference will be held in Montreal. The Board is pleased to announce that the 2021 CAMA Conference will be held at the Fairmont Tremblant. This is a great location and will be a more affordable option for our members.



Member Services/National Office Update:
Jennifer Goodine, Executive Director, updated the Board on various subjects. Of note were the following:
  • The Executive Directors of the Provincial/Territorial Administrator Associations continue to meet quarterly to discuss areas of mutual interest across  the country.
  • Long service award notices will be sent out in the new year.
  • Watch for your membership renewal invoices by e-mail in January 2019 which are due no later than March 31st, 2019.
  • The on-line nomination forms and details for the 2019 CAMA Awards of Excellence Program will be made available in January 2019 with the deadline being February 22nd, 2019.

Update from International City/County Managers Association (ICMA)
ICMA Tim Anderson, Third International Vice-President of ICMA submitted a report on their activities.  ICMA’s 104th Annual Conference held September 23-26, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland attracted 2,668 ICMA members and a total of 3,413 delegates.  

Mark the following dates on your calendar of upcoming ICMA Conferences noting that the 2020 Conference will be held in Canada:
  • Nashville/Davison County, Tennessee: October 20-23, 2019
  • Toronto, Ontario, Canada: September 27-30, 2020
  • Portland/Multnomah County, OR: October 3-6, 2021
  • Columbus, Franklin County, OH: September 18-21, 2022
  • Austin/Travis County, TX: October 1-4, 2023
  • Pittsburgh/Allegheny County, PA: September 22-25, 2024
  • Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County, FL: October 26-29, 2025
ICMA continues to provide members with research and data on current issues in local government to assist with their work. The research snapshots include organizational ethics, alternative service delivery, cybersecurity, and immigrant communities.  The white papers include cannabis, model police officer, and blockchain. 

CAMA Members have a special rate of only $135.00 US to join.   In a recent ICMA survey it was noted that the most valued member benefits were   information resources, professional development resources, advocacy for the profession, ethics advice and support, and career and coaching resources.  If you would like to join ICMA or need additional details please visit the website.

The next meeting of the Board will be held in Vancouver from March 13-15, 2019.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2019!

Marc Landry
CAMA President
 
Are You or Your Council Looking to Fill an Interim or Long Term CAO Vacancy? Find A CAO Or Sign Up in the the CAO Job Seeker Database If You are A Retired or Transitioned Member - New Member

CAMA is  pleased to announce our new partnership with muniSERV.ca.

muniSERV is Canada’s leading online platform to Connect Municipalities and the Businesses that Serve Them.   muniSERV provides a full suite of tools for municipalities – most of which are free.  We have partnered with muniSERV to offer these tools and resources to all CAMA members.  In less than a minute, CAMA members can join muniSERV for free and have access to the tools and to special discounts and savings on other unique services and programs they provide for all sizes of municipalities - all in one convenient location.    

Watch the video or click here to learn more about muniSERV
 
Over the next few editions of e-Brief we will be featuring each service offered.  Today’s featured service is how to find a CAO to fill an interim or long-term vacancy.  Learn how to find a CAO or sign up in the CAO Job Seeker Database if you are a retired or transitioned member.
 
For CAMA Members:  Are you or your Council looking to fill an interim or long-term CAO vacancy?  This database features some experienced individuals that are looking for employment opportunities.  This database is currently a work in progress so spread the word to colleagues to join if they’re looking for CAO work and check back often.
 
For Retired and Transitioned Members:  Share your knowledge and expertise with municipalities and be found for career opportunities in the CAO Job Seeker Database!
Register and set up a profile in the CAO Job Seeker database, to showcase your expertise and interests. 
  • Let municipalities know that youu are available for full time or interim CAO positions
  • Search CAO job postings locally and across Canada.
  • Get email notifications when new CAO positions or interim contracts are posted.
  • Connect with other CAOs and consultants to forge partnerships on projects.
  • Stand out with the CAMA icon - municipalities instantly know you have CAO level experience.
  • Discounts on your CAO profile and savings if you're also a consultant and you want to be seen in both the CAO& Consultants databases.
Testimonial from CAMA Member:  "I registered in both the CAO and Consultant's platforms on muniSERV.ca and shortly afterwards, I was connected with a municipality looking for interim CAO assistance.  If you're looking for work as a CAO, muniSERV is the platform that worked for me.", Roy Hardy, ICMA-CM, October 2018
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