CAMA Holds Quarterly Board Meeting in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba
The Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) held their quarterly meeting in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba on Thursday, September 14th, 2017. A special thanks to Jean-Marc Nadeau (Board representative for Manitoba and Saskatchewan and City Manager for Portage La Prairie), Mayor Irvine Ferris, and the many staff members for being fantastic hosts. Thank you as well to the following representatives of the Manitoba Municipal Administrators Association who joined us for dinner: Heather Ewasiuk (President), Mel Nott (Executive Director), and Adrienne Bestland (Administrative Assistant).
Check out the media coverage by PortageOnline:
 
The Board also had the opportunity to tour the Southport Canadian Flight Training School. President Baker and CAMA Assistant Stacey Murray had the honour of flying with two of their instructors, while the other Board members practiced their pilot skills on the simulators. Before heading home, Jean-Marc Nadeau, Mayor Ferris and Councillor Wayne Wall provided the Board with a tour of their beautiful community.
DETAILS OF BOARD MEETING
The Board discussed a number of topics, and what follows are the highlights of those discussions:
Strategic Plan
The Board’s Strategic Plan is for the 2016-2021 period, however each September they conduct an Annual Plan Review of the goals, action plans, and performance measures to ensure that everything is on track and still relevant. In the most recent survey, you told us that you valued professional development and networking the most from your CAMA membership.
As part of this Strategic Plan review, a gap analysis of the “Lifecycle of the CAO” was considered to ensure that CAMA is supporting members during the entire lifecycle of their careers which include:
- Recruiting the Next Generation of Leaders of Local Government
- Mentoring and Succession of Aspiring CAOs
- Support to the CAO During Their Career
- Retirement of the CAO
It was felt that CAMA is doing a good job at
- Recruiting the Next Generation of Leaders to Local Government with our recent “Making Life Happen” campaign with the Provincial/Territorial Associations which will be launched at the end of 2017;
- Supporting the current membership with tools like the Performance Evaluation Toolkit and the Annual Conference; and
- Supporting the retired members as they end their career.
However, one area that CAMA has not focused much on is the mentorship and succession of aspiring CAOs.
The Board is considering several opportunities to assist our members through the lifecycle of their careers including the possibility of developing a Mentorship Program, updating our current CAO Employment Contract, and looking at ways to strengthen political acumen as a competency. Also, the Board and staff will be discussing the possibility of creating an Associate Member and Student Member non-voting category for those individuals that do not meet our current membership criteria of a CAO or a direct report to a CAO. These individuals are CAMA’s future.
Thanks to those that completed our recent survey and provided samples on CAO Employment contracts. The survey results indicate that 75% of those CAOs that responded do have an employment contract and their contract provides the following:
- 96% have conditions and terms for termination and severance.
- 93% have their salary and the details of their benefits included.
- 70% have a requirement for an annual performance evaluation.
- 67% have membership fees for Associations (CAMA, Provincial Associations) included.
- 60% have terms for annual COLA or economic increases.
- 57% have coverage for their dues to professional associations (CPA, P.Eng. etc).
- 53% have a provision for a vehicle or vehicle allowance.
As well, the Communications Committee will be developing an awareness campaign on the benefits of joining CAMA as an Affiliate member to the First Nations Band Administrators.
2017 Conference and Beyond
Jennifer Goodine, CAMA Executive Director presented a report on the very successful 2017 Gatineau Conference which saw a surplus of $54,000.
The next Conference will be held in Fredericton from May 28-30, 2018. The CAMA Conference Program Sub-Committee chaired by President Baker (and members Cory Bellmore, Marc Landry, Tony Kulbisky, Sallie Ann Burnett, Bernie Morton, Nathan Hyde, Ken Kolb, Jean-Marc Nadeau, and Chris MacPherson) are working on a great speaker program along with some fun social activities. This year’s theme will be “Maximizing Opportunity – Minimizing Risk”. You will hear more in the coming months but I can tell you that the entire Conference will be full of Maritime hospitality with lots of professional development opportunities. The hotel room blocks for the three Conference Hotels (Hilton Garden Inn, Crowne Plaza Hotel, and Delta Fredericton Hotel) will be open at the end of October 2017. Please visit our website for further Conference details.
Looking ahead, our 2019 Conference will be held in Québec City (the Hilton and Convention Centre). The Board also made the decision to hold the 2020 Conference at the Deerhurst Resort in Muskoka, approximately 2.5 hours from Toronto where the FCM Conference will be held. The 2021 Conference will be held in Montreal and Regina will be the host for 2022 (the same locations as FCM).
Update on Communications/Marketing Plan
Communications Chair, Louis Coutinho updated the Board on his Committee’s recent activities of the Communications/Marketing Plan. As part of our member retention tactical plan, another membership campaign e-blast will be sent to the non-member CAOs across Canada this Fall along with a “Refer A Member” campaign. We encourage all members to be a cheerleader for CAMA to your colleagues! We currently have 591 members. Watch for details around a special prize for our 600th member!
The Board also adopted a new social media strategy and will be providing more of a presence on LinkedIn which is tool used many of our members.
CAMA also updated our Member’s Section and will continue to work on this area of our website to make it more user friendly.
CAO Performance Evaluation Committee Update
The Marketing Campaign for the CAO Performance Evaluation Toolkit, including a series of presentations to the elected officials, has begun and will continue for the next year across the country. Following the launch of the toolkit publicly at the 2017 Conference, the top hits on the website have been included this document. Your Board member will let you know when it is being presented to your elected officials in your area. We also look forward to receiving your feedback over the next year as you begin to use the toolkit in your own community.
In addition, CAMA is working on a step by step webinar/video of the toolkit to be launched at the end of November 2017. This is a pick and choose tool that is meant to assist communities of all sizes.
Certificates of Membership
If you are a regular member, we hope you received your membership certificate in the mail which includes CAMA’s new Statement of Purpose and Values. We hope that you will display this certificate in a prominent place and be proud of your Association.
A special thanks to Jack Benzaquen for chairing the Code of Conduct Committee, and members Bernie Morton, Gary Dyke, Paul Stapleton and Jake Rudolph, who have now completed their work.
Treasurers Report
Jake Rudolph, Treasurer updated the Board on Association’s finances. CAMA continues to be in a healthy financial position.
FCM Update
The Board received a report from FCM providing an update on the following topics:
- Phase 2 of the Federal Infrastructure Plan and Pre-Budget Advocacy
- Affordable Housing
- Poverty Reduction
- Environment and Climate Change
- Rail Safety and Transportation
- Public Safety
- Trade
- Rural Broadband
ICMA Update
Marc Landry, CAMA First Vice-President, External Relations Chair, and Third International Vice-President of ICMA, provided an update on the activities of ICMA. Marc will end his term with ICMA in October 2017 with his successor being Tim Anderson (CAO Waterloo). Congratulations Tim!
2018 Awards of Excellence Program
The Awards Jury, under Jack Benzaquen’s chairmanship, has been established for the 2018 CAMA Awards of Excellence Program. The guidelines and on-line application forms will be available in January 2018.
Future Board Meetings
- November 29 – December 1, 2017: Ottawa, ON
- March 14-16, 2017: Mississauga, ON
- May 27, 2018: Fredericton, NB
Please don’t hesitate to provide us your feedback on any of the Board’s activities at [email protected]. We would love to hear from you!
A Perfect Pair: The Alliance for Innovation and CAMA
I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the Alliance for Innovation and encourage you to take advantage of the Alliance’s new 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:
| Population |
USD Rate |
Canadian Rate |
Canadian 30%
Discounted Rate |
| 0 – 10,000 |
$1020 |
$1305 |
$914 |
| 10,000 - 25,000 |
$1860 |
$2400 |
$1680 |
| 25,000 -50,000 |
$2550 |
$3263 |
$2284 |
| 50,000 – 75,000 |
$3980 |
$5092 |
$3565 |
| 75,000 – 100,000 |
$5100 |
$6525 |
$4568 |
| 100,000 – 250,000 |
$7650 |
$9788 |
$6852 |
| 250,000 – 750,000 |
$8250 |
$10,555 |
$7389 |
| 750,000+ |
$9000 |
$11,515 |
$8061 |
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.
“Municipal government requires strong teams, vast knowledge & skills and innovative leadership. Alliance for Innovation provides a place to discover, share and grow… Like all good things, innovation takes effort. Innovating together makes us better! I strongly recommend that CAMA members also considering joining the Alliance for Innovation.”
-Garth Sherwin, City Manager, Lethbridge, Alberta, Innovation Academy Class of 2016
Thanks so much for your consideration!
Sincerely,
Janice Baker,
CAMA President
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J’aimerais prendre le temps de vous faire connaître l’Alliance for Innovation (en anglais) et vous encourager à profiter du nouveau partenariat de l’Alliance avec l’ACAM.
L’Alliance met un accent particulier sur la recherche axée sur les prochaines grandes idées et les pratiques exemplaires en administration locale. Appuyant et renforçant les deux associations en même temps, l’Alliance for Innovation offre une réduction spéciale de cotisation à tous les membres de l’ACAM. Être membre de l’Alliance complète bien l’appartenance à l’ACAM et offre des ressources d'apprentissage additionnelles à votre organisation dans sa globalité. Selon la taille de votre municipalité, vous pouvez choisir entre ces deux options :
- 30 % de réduction pour la première année d’adhésion,
- Adhésion pour quinze mois au prix des douze premiers mois.
Appartenir à l’Alliance est avantageux pour les communautés de toute taille. En effet, les cotisations de l’Alliance dépendent de la taille de votre communauté, selon les données du recensement 2016. Le tableau suivant donne les tarifs américains, ceux tenant compte du taux de change canadien approximatif et ceux comprenant la réduction de 30 %.
| Population |
Tarif $ US |
Tarif canadien |
Tarif canadien réduit de 30 % |
| 0 – 10 000 |
1020 $ |
1305 $ |
914 $ |
| 10 000 – 25 000 |
1860 $ |
2400 $ |
1680 $ |
| 25 000 – 50 000 |
2550 $ |
3263 $ |
2284 $ |
| 50 000 – 75 000 |
3980 $ |
5092 $ |
3565 $ |
| 75 000 – 100 000 |
5100 $ |
6525 $ |
4568 $ |
| 100 000 – 250 000 |
7650 $ |
9788 $ |
6852 $ |
| 250 000 – 750 000 |
8250 $ |
10 555 $ |
7389 $ |
| 750 000+ |
9000 $ |
11 515 $ |
8061 $ |
Appartenir à l'Alliance donne des avantages. (en anglais) Si cette possibilité vous intéresse, téléphoner au 1-888-496-0944 ou envoyer un courriel à [email protected] pour savoir comment en faire profiter votre organisation.
« L’administration municipale a besoin d’équipes fortes, de vastes connaissances et compétences et d’un leadership novateur. L’Alliance for Innovation permet de découvrir, de partager et de croître… Comme toute chose, l’innovation requiert des efforts. En innovant ensemble, on devient meilleur! Je recommande fortement aux membres de l’ACAM d'envisager de devenir membre de l’Alliance for Innovation. »
— Garth Sherwin, directeur municipal, Lethbridge, Alberta, Académie de l'innovation – cohorte 2016
Vous remerciant de votre attention, je vous prie d’agréer mes salutations distinguées.
Cordialement,
Janice Baker,
Président CAMA
Markham Wins National Municipal Environmental Award
Left to Right: Marie-Hélene Lajoie, CAMA Past President; Claudia Marsales, Senior Manager Waste & Environmental Management; Markham Deputy Mayor Jack Heath; Brenda Librecz, Commissioner of Community & Fire Services; Mayor Frank Scarpitti; Jean-Marc Nadeau, 2017 CAMA Awards Chair/Representative for Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
The City of Markham, ON has received national recognition for its SMART Textile Diversion Strategy from the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA). The Town was presented with the 2017 CAMA Environmental Award, in the over 100,000 population category, during CAMA’s national conference in Gatineau, QC.
While most municipalities are focused on recycling programs for electronics, cans and paper, the carbon footprint from discarded textiles is growing. While donation bins were in place, research indicated residents were uninformed about textile recycling. Markham wanted to raise awareness for the global environmental impact of textiles and encourage Canadian municipalities to divert textile material.
With funding support from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) in 2015, Markham developed a new textile recycling program. This included an innovative bylaw – the toughest in North America – that will take effect in April 2017 and ban the placement of textiles in the garbage. It is expected to increase overall waste diversion by up to an additional 5% and achieve annual savings of over $86,000 in avoided collection and landfill fees.
Partnering with well-established organizations in textile diversion – The Salvation Army and Canadian Diabetes Association – seventy seven Markham branded SMART donation bins will be deployed across the city at various locations, including city facilities, recycling depots, community centres, and multi-residential buildings, making it convenient for residents to drop off reusable clothing and old ragged textiles. State-of-art “volume sensors” have been affixed inside each public container to provide for off-site monitoring by staff and diversion data. The major impacts of this project are in benefits to the community, local employment, and the broader textile and clothing sector.
Congratulations to the City of Markham on this outstanding achievement!
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