2011 CAMA E-Brief Partner:

September 13, 2011

 CAMA is pleased to announce that it has formed a partnership with LGMA BC (Local Government Management Association of British Columbia) to deliver webinar-based professional development opportunities for local government managers across Canada.  This webinar series will be delivered by Tracey Lorenson, Paragon Strategic Services & Jan Enns Communications.  Web based E-Learning courses provide the ability to participate via either internet and audio, or audio only. The technology allows participants to ask questions or comment via either voice or a “chat” feature.

The webinars are scheduled to run over two consecutive weekdays from:

• 10:00 am - 11:30 am Pacific Time
• 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Mountain Time
• 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Central Time
• 1:00 pm -  2:30 pm Eastern Time
• 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm  Atlantic Time
• 2:30 pm -  4:00 pm Newfoundland

The last half hour of each session will be set aside for discussion of the topics for those that are interested.  If an attendee misses a session, the recording will be available for viewing for seven days after the course is offered.  If an attendee misses a session, the recording will be available for viewing for seven days after the course has been offered. The cost for each session is $150 plus 12% HST per person. All fees must be paid at the time of registration by credit card and are non-refundable.

The Fall 2011 E-Learning Series includes the following topics:

• Having Difficult Conversations, October 4 & 5
• Making the Most of Your Media Relations, October 11 & 12
• Enhancing Leadership Skills, October 18 & 19
• Public Consultation in 10 Easy Steps: Planning for Successful Public Engagement, November 1 & 2
• Strategic Planning for Councils & Staff, November 8 & 9
• Social Media 101: The Basics, November 15 & 16
• Customer Service in the Public Sector, November 22 & 23
• Making the Most of Your Communication with Others, November 29 & 30
• Six Simple Steps to Spread the Word: Communication Planning Made Easy, Effective & Affordable, December 6 & 7

For further program information and to register online please visit:  http://www.camacam.ca/en/programs/Webinars.asp

The Canadian Public Procurement Forum will be held in Quebec City, November 7-9, 2011. The theme of the Forum this year is “The Future is Now: Emerging Trends in Public Procurement”. Join your colleagues from across Canada to network, learn, share trends and leading practices, and broaden the expertise in all of us. Early bird deadline for registration is September 23!

The focus this year is on trends and tools to deal with the emerging trends: tools to increase efficiency in the day-to-day volume of transactions in public procurement and tools for senior management who need to take a higher level view of the procurement trends.  The 3-day conference will include sessions on leading trends in public procurement: due diligence in tendering, contracting for services, supplier management, sustainable procurement and a new municipal tool box.   And when your head hurts because of all the new ideas, come relax at the annual reception and dinner on Tuesday, November 8 at the epic Chateau Frontenac, with the famous Painchaud family, who provide entertainment in the universal language of music.   Take a moment to review the program, visit at www.cppc-ccmp.ca.

Janice Baker, City Manager & Chief Administrative Officer, City of Mississauga and Jacques Des Ormeaux, CAMA Past President

MiWay Mobile Web Site – Anytime, Anywhere Transit Schedules for Mobile Devices

A mobile-device-friendly website means that customers of MiWay – the new Mississauga Transit – can easily access bus schedules anytime and anywhere using their smart phones.

The City of Mississauga launched its innovative MiWay Mobile Site on October 1, 2010.  The Mobile Site enables customers with a smart phone or any other mobile device to conveniently access transit schedules for any bus stop in Mississauga, whether it is the next three departure times or the full schedule for any day of the week.

Features and benefits for the site mean there is no need for printed schedules.  Customers can simply enter any four-digit bus stop number into the Mobile Site to view the next three bus departure times at that bus stop, for a particular bus route.

When a bus route is selected, a customer can view all the bus stops along that route.  Service alerts that may affect a customer’s travel plan, i.e., detours due to road work, are included with a selected bus schedule when the alert affects the schedule.

Enabling transit riders to view bus schedules on their smart phones while they are “on the go” is a key customer service innovation and supports the municipality’s goal to develop a transit-oriented city.  Since its launch the site continues to grow in popularity.  It received a total of 300,868 page views and 58,231 visits from 10,481 unique users in April 2011, up more than 30 per cent since January. 

Congratulations to the City of Mississauga on this outstanding achievement!

If you are attending the upcoming ICMA Conference being held in Milwaukee City from September 17-21, 2011, the Canadian Dinner will be held on Monday, September 19th, 2011 at The Capital Grille located at 310 West Wisconsin Avenue (approximately two blocks from the Frontier Airlines Centre).  Please RSVP to Ms. Jennifer Goodine at [email protected] if you haven't already done so!  We look forward to seeing you there!

Welcome to the following new member:

• Carmen Jean, Administrator, Village of Debden, SK

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