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2013 CAMA E-Brief Partner: April 4, 2013            

CAMA Holds Quarterly Board Meeting in Bromont, QC
The Board of Directors for the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) held their quarterly Board meeting in the City of Bromont, Québec from March 20-22, 2013 at which time a number of business items were considered.

Strategic Plan
The Board continues to implement the many items that are in the current Strategic Plan.   We are continuing to develop strategic partnerships with FCM and our other affiliate organizations.
We were pleased to sponsor a session at the recent Aboriginal Finance Officers Association’s (AFOA) Conference held in Toronto in February 2013.  That session highlighted a very successful partnership between The District of Lake Country and the Okanagan Indian Band.  A special thanks to Mr. Mark Koch, Director of Planning and Development for the District of Lake Country, and Mr. Robert Corman, Director of Economic Development of the Okanagan Indian Band, for being in attendance to tell their story.   

The Board will continue to work on their many strategic objectives some of which are outlined below.

Communications Plan
M5 Communications, a marketing communications firm, has been hired to develop an External Communications Strategy for CAMA.  The objective of this strategy is to help promote the profession of municipal administration amongst the public.  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 also be CAMA’s Record of Agency that we can call on when required.  A special thank you to Robert Hughes, CAMA Second Vice-President, for Chairing this Sub-Committee along with Board members Marie-Hélène Lajoie, Jim Toye, Glen Davies and Keith Arns.

Elections at the Annual General Meeting
The Board has endorsed a new electronic voting process for elections to the CAMA Board.   A Position Paper was completed on the pros and cons of voting nationally versus regionally for each vacancy on the Board of Directors.    I wish to thank those CAMA members that responded to this document.  Based on your feedback, the Board of Directors will recommend that the entire membership should continue to vote for any vacancies nationally and that there be two nominators (from across the country) to support each nomination for any vacancies on the Board.  In order to implement the electronic voting process for the 2014-2015 year, amendments to the CAMA Constitution and Bylaws will be considered at the upcoming Annual General Meeting being held in Victoria.  Information will be included on these changes in the Annual General Meeting package which will be sent out to you by April 28th, 2013.

2013 CAMA Conference and Beyond
The room block at the Fairmont Empress Hotel is almost full, however the Marriott Hotel (directly across from the Victoria Conference Centre also has a reserved room block for CAMA delegates).  If you haven’t already made your hotel reservations, please visit our website at http://www.camacam.ca/en/conference/2013AnnualConference.asp.   We are expecting record attendance at this event.  All Diamond Jubilee recipients are also encouraged to wear their medals to the President’s Dinner being held at the Conference.  As well, the hashtag #CAMA 2013 has been set up so that Conference attendees, and those not at the Conference can follow the conversations happening in Victoria.

Looking ahead, our 2014 Conference will be held at the Sheraton on the Falls in Niagara Falls, the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge in 2015, and the Delta Winnipeg/Convention Centre in 2016.  The City of Gatineau, QC has been chosen as the location for the 2017 Conference which will coincide with the 150th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation.  The Board has chosen to add an additional half day of professional development to the Conference on the Thursday morning beginning in 2015.

Formation of an Innovations Committee
The Board has struck an Innovations Committee consisting of Board members Glen Davies, Don MacLellan and Marc Landry to brainstorm on non-dues revenue ideas for CAMA.  This Committee will assess CAMA’s existing programs and initiatives and explore other opportunities for future ventures.   We want to know what your needs are.   Watch for a short survey in the future!

Membership Services / CAMA National Office
The Board considered a status report from Ms. Jennifer Goodine, Executive Director with respect to the member services and the activities of the CAMA National Office.  CAMA currently has 486 members, 62 Facebook “Likes” and 232 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.
We are once again offering any LGMA BC members a trial membership wherein they receive 50% off the rate for the first year due to the Conference being held in Victoria. 

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.

Long Service Awards Program
This year marks the second year of the Long Service Awards Program wherein there are 69 recipients that will be receiving their recognition pins.  Ten and fifteen year recipients will be receiving their pins in mid-April and those with twenty years and more will be presented with them at the Long Services Awards Luncheon at the Victoria Conference.  

2013 CAMA Awards of Excellence
Fifty-two award nominations were received for the 2013 CAMA Awards of Excellence – the most in the history of this program.  The winners will be announced at the Awards of Excellence Luncheon held on May 29th, 2013 in Victoria.   We are pleased to have The Ravenhill Group Inc. as this year’s gold partner for this program.

ICMA Initiatives
The Board is pleased to offer a $500.00 scholarship to CAMA members who are applying for the ICMA Leadership Program for 2013.  Watch for further details in the future on how to apply for this opportunity.

Interprovincial Meeting
The Interprovincial Meeting will be held on Monday, May 27th, 2013 at the 2013 CAMA Conference in Victoria.  This meeting provides an opportunity for the representatives from all provincial associations and CAMA to come together to discuss issues of mutual interest.  If you have any items for the Agenda, please forward them to Ms. Goodine at [email protected].

Treasurer’s Report
The Board approved the financial statements for the period of April 1st to February 28th, 2013 along with the budget for the April 1st, 2013 to March 31st, 2014 fiscal year.  CAMA continues to be financially stable.   It will also be recommended to the membership at the 2013 Annual General Meeting that the annual membership fees for CAMA be increased by the Consumer Price Index (and rounded to the nearest five dollars) on an annual basis beginning in 2014-2015 fiscal year.

Future Board Meetings
The next Board meeting will be held in Victoria on May 26th, 2013 with the Fall meeting being held in Yellowknife from September 11-13, 2013.

We look forward to seeing you in beautiful Victoria for the 2013 Conference!


Ron Shaw
CAMA President


Seeking International Speakers for 2013 ICMA Annual Conference
Dear ICMA International Members, Affiliates, and Friends:

I am writing to request your help in broadening the international content of ICMA’s 2013 Annual Conference, which will be held September 22-25 in Boston, Massachusetts. In particular, we need your assistance in identifying potential panelists for the conference's educational program.

If you are aware of individuals from outside the United States who plan to attend the conference and would be interested and able to contribute to the content of the sessions generated by the 2013 Conference Planning Committee, please encourage them to respond to the Call for Speakers, which can be accessed from the conference website or  http://icma.org/en/icma/events/conference/call_for_speakers.

Please note that we are not able to consider additional session topics at this time. Note, too, that ICMA conference attendees value informal, interactive sessions as opposed to more academic presentations of papers.

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. Thank you very much for your help.

Best regards,
Ross Hoff
Conference Director
Director, International Member Programs
Email:  [email protected]






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