CAMA E-Brief
e-Brief June 8, 2021
Benzaquen Takes Helm of National Municipal Administrators Association
Jack Benzaquen, City Manager for the City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC was elected President of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) during the association’s annual general meeting held virtually on June 1, 2021.
 
He is the CAMA Representative for Québec and most recently served as First Vice-President for the association.  He succeeds outgoing CAMA president Jake Rudolph, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Nanaimo, BC, in leading the 650-member national organization of senior municipal management professionals for the coming year.
 
“I am honoured to become CAMA President during the association’s 50th anniversary year,” said Benzaquen.  “Local government is important.  Working with the Board, we will be developing a new vision to guide CAMA for the next five years.  This will factor in what we have learned during the pandemic and assess what municipal leaders now require from their national association.  I am confident this will set CAMA up for another 50 years of success.”
 
Benzaquen has been employed since 2000 as a City Manager by the City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, a city of 50,000 of the West Island on Montreal, Quebec.
 
Prior to entering the world of municipal administration, Jack worked the first seven years of his career as a project engineer at GoodYear Canada and Johnson & Johnson. In 1991, Benzaquen was hired as Director of Technical Services at the Jewish General Hospital. His achievements were recognized by the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal who named him 'Jeune cadre du Québec' in 1995, and in the following year, the HEC honoured him with an achievement award.
 
He has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the École Polytechnique, an MBA from the HEC Montreal and a university degree in governance from the Collège des administrateurs de sociétés of the Université Laval.
 
Throughout his career, Benzaquen has been active in his profession and his community serving on various boards and committees. He was President of the Association des directeurs généraux des municipalités du Québec (ADGMQ) from 2011 to 2014 and is currently the President of the Centre d’expertise et de recherches en infrastructures urbaines (CERIU), since 2019.
 
Benzaquen joined the CAMA Board in 2014, as a member of the Strategic Planning Implementation Team and a Member of the 2015 Jasper Conference Planning Committee.  In 2015 he was the Chair of the Code of Conduct Committee and a Member of the Strategic Planning Implementation Team.
 
He was chair of the Awards Committee in 2017 and in 2018, he became the association’s Treasurer and served as the Conference Liaison for the 2019 Quebec City Conference. In 2019 he was Second Vice President and also Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee.
 
In 2020, Benzaquen became CAMA First Vice President, was Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, a member of the Professional Development Committee, and chairs the recently formed Human Resources Toolkit Committee.
 
Vincent Lalonde, P.Eng., City Manager for the City of Surrey, BC joined the CAMA Board of Directors at the annual general meeting.  He was acclaimed to the position of the CAMA Representative for British Columbia.  The 2020-2021 CAMA Board of Directors includes:
  • Jack Benzaquen, President, Québec / City Manager, City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC
  • Cory Bellmore, First Vice-President, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut / CAO for the City of Dawson, YT
  • Beverly Hendry, Second Vice-President, Member-At-Large for Municipalities with a Population Under 100,000 / CAO for the Township of West Lincoln, ON
  • Tony Kulbisky, Treasurer/ Representative for Alberta / CAO for the Town of Devon, AB
  • Jake Rudolph, Past President / CAO for the City of Nanaimo, BC
  • Vincent Lalonde, British Columbia, City Manager for the City of Surrey, BC
  • Marc Melanson, New Brunswick / City Manager for the City of Dieppe, NB
  • Dawn Chaplin, Newfoundland and Labrador / CAO/Clerk, Town of Torbay, NL
  • Mike Dolter, Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island / CAO, Town of Truro, NS
  • Jamie Paik, Manitoba & Saskatchewan / CAO, Town of Langham, SK
  • Brenda Orchard, Ontario / CAO, County of Lennox & Addington, ON
  • Gary Kent, Member-At-Large for a Municipality with a Population Over 100,000 / Commissioner of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer, Region of Peel, ON
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Jack Benzaquen prend la tête de l'association nationale des administrateurs municipaux

Jack Benzaquen, directeur général de la Ville de Dollard-des-Ormeaux au Québec, vient d’être élu président de l’Association canadienne des administrateurs municipaux (ACAM) à l’occasion de l’assemblée générale annuelle qui s’est tenue en virtuel le 1er juin 2021.
 
Il représente le Québec au conseil d’administration de l'ACAM; jusqu’à dernièrement, il occupait le poste de premier vice-président. Pour l’année à venir, il succède au président sortant de l'ACAM, Jake Rudolph, directeur général de la Ville de Nanaimo (C.-B.), à la direction de l’organisation nationale qui compte 650 membres.
 
« Je suis honoré d’assumer la présidence de l'ACAM pendant l’année de son 50e anniversaire, déclare M. Benzaquen. La gouvernance locale est importante. En collaboration avec le conseil d'administration, nous allons élaborer une nouvelle vision pour guider l'ACAM au cours des cinq prochaines années. Nous tiendrons compte des leçons apprises pendant la pandémie pour évaluer ce que les dirigeants municipaux attendent maintenant de leur association nationale. Je suis persuadé que cela positionnera l'ACAM pour encore 50 années de succès. »
 
M. Benzaquen assure, depuis 2000, la direction générale de la Ville de Dollard-des-Ormeaux, une localité de 50 000 habitants située dans l’ouest de l’île de Montréal.
 
Avant son entrée dans le monde de l'administration municipale, Jack a passé les sept premières années de sa carrière professionnelle à titre d’ingénieur de projets pour Goodyear Canada, puis pour Johnson & Johnson. En 1991, il est engagé comme directeur des services techniques à l'Hôpital général juif. L’excellence de son travail est d’ailleurs reconnue en 1995 par la Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal, qui le nomme « Jeune cadre du Québec », puis l'année suivante par HEC, qui lui décerne un prix d’excellence.
 
Il est titulaire d'un baccalauréat en génie électrique de l'École Polytechnique, d'une maîtrise en administration des affaires de HEC Montréal et d'un diplôme universitaire en gouvernance du Collège des administrateurs de sociétés de l'Université Laval.
 
Tout au long de sa carrière, Jack a tenu un rôle actif dans sa profession et sa communauté, siégeant à divers comités et conseils. Il a présidé l'Association des directeurs généraux des municipalités du Québec (ADGMQ) de 2011 à 2014 et, depuis 2019, le Centre d'expertise et de recherches en infrastructures urbaines (CERIU).
 
Jack Benzaquen s’est joint au conseil d'administration de l'ACAM en 2014, en tant que membre de l'équipe de planification stratégique et membre du comité de planification de la conférence 2015 de Jasper. En 2015, il a été président du comité du code de conduite et de l'équipe de planification stratégique.
 
Après avoir présidé le comité des récompenses en 2017, il a accédé, en 2018, au poste de trésorier; il a aussi servi d'agent de liaison pour la conférence 2019 de Québec. Par la suite, en 2019, il est devenu deuxième vice-président, assurant aussi la présidence du comité de planification stratégique.
 
En 2020, M. Benzaquen a assumé la première vice-présidence de l'ACAM et un autre mandat à la présidence du comité de planification stratégique, en plus d’être membre du comité de perfectionnement professionnel et de présider le comité de la trousse à outils des ressources humaines, récemment créée.
 
Vincent Lalonde, ing., gestionnaire municipal de la Ville de Surrey, en Colombie-Britannique, s'est joint au conseil d'administration de l'ACAM lors de l'assemblée générale annuelle. Il a été élu par acclamation au poste de représentant de la Colombie-Britannique à l'ACAM. Le conseil d'administration 2020-2021 sera composé des personnes suivantes :
  • Jack Benzaquen, président, Québec / directeur général – Ville de Dollard-des-Ormeaux (Qc)
  • Cory Bellmore, première vice-présidente, Territoires du Nord-Ouest, du Yukon et du Nunavut / directrice générale – Ville de Dawson (Yn)
  • Beverly Hendry, deuxième vice-présidente, membre par mandat à titre particulier – municipalités de moins de 100 000 habitants / directrice générale – Canton de West Lincoln (Ontario)
  • Tony Kulbisky, trésorier, Alberta / directeur général – Ville de Devon (Alb.)
  • Jake Rudolph, président sortant / directeur général – Ville de Nanaimo, (C.-B.)
  • Vincent Lalonde, Colombie-Britannique / gestionnaire municipal – Ville de Surrey (C.-B.)
  • Marc Melanson, Nouveau-Brunswick / gestionnaire municipal – Ville de Dieppe (N.-B.)
  • Dawn Chaplin, Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador / directrice générale et secrétaire municipale – Ville de Torbay (T.-N.-L.)
  • Mike Dolter, Nouvelle-Écosse et Île-du-Prince-Édouard / directeur municipal – Ville de Truro (N.É.)
  • Jamie Paik, Manitoba et Saskatchewan / directrice générale – Ville de Langham (Sask.)
  • Brenda Orchard, Ontario / directrice générale – Comté de Lennox et Addington (Ont.)
  • Gary Kent, membre par mandat à titre particulier – municipalités de plus de 100 000 habitants / commissaire aux services généraux et directeur financier – Région de Peel, (Ont.)
Lalonde Joins Board of Canadian Municipal Administration

Vincent Lalonde, P.Eng., City Manager for the City of Surrey, BC, has joined to the Board of Directors for the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA). He was acclaimed as the CAMA representative for British Columbia during the association’s annual general meeting held virtually on June 1, 2021.  “I have always benefited from the outstanding learning opportunities and networking that CAMA provides,” said Lalonde. “I am excited at the prospect of contributing to this great organization and broadening the collaboration between municipal administrators across this great country of ours.”
 
In his role as City Manager for the City of Surrey, Lalonde leads an innovative and dynamic Senior Management Team to help shape and guide the City’s strategic and corporate goals.
Through value-based leadership, a commitment to continuous improvement, and a focus on inspiring and empowering his teams to deliver high quality services to Surrey residents, Lalonde is committed to working with Mayor and Council to deliver a thriving, green, inclusive city. He leads and inspires a staff of over 4,000 employees in a civic government with revenues of $1.2 Billion and ensures financial management of this budget through monitoring and reviewing City’s financial performance throughout the year.
 
The City of Surrey is a fast growing, culturally diverse community of over 540,000 residents and is on pace to become the largest city in the Province. Within the Metro Vancouver area of the Province, Surrey is the largest city in land area comprising urban areas as well as significant agricultural and rural areas. The City is a forward thinking, globally recognized leader in building vibrant, sustainable communities through technology and innovation with a combination of an entrepreneurial approach, with big city resources and remarkable growth.
As Chair of the Metro Vancouver Regional Administrators Advisory Committee (RAAC), Lalonde strives to ensure alignment of Metro Vancouver and member municipality issues and foster collaborations. Additionally, at the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the RAAC COVID-19 was formed, which is also chaired by Lalonde. This committee leads discussion in order to share information and coordinate regionals responses to the Pandemic.
 
Lalonde is a Professional Engineer with his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from McGill University. He also has also received the ICD.D (Institute of Corporate Directors, Director) designation, which is committed to ongoing director education and development. He is bilingual in both French and English, and resides in Surrey with his family.
“I am a firm believer that city government is very responsive to the needs of its citizens,” added Lalonde. “I have always found that cities large and small all have at their core a can-do attitude which drives innovation. In order to be all that we can be, we need to learn from each other in areas of excellence.”
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Vincent Lalonde, ing., gestionnaire municipal de la Ville de Surrey, en Colombie-Britannique, s'est joint au conseil d'administration de l'Association canadienne des administrateurs municipaux (ACAM) à titre de représentant élu de la Colombie-Britannique à l’assemblée générale annuelle qui s’est tenue en virtuel ce 1er juin 2021.

« J'ai toujours profité des possibilités d'apprentissage et de réseautage exceptionnelles qu'offre l'ACAM, affirme M. Lalonde. Je suis très heureux de contribuer à cette formidable organisation et d'élargir la collaboration entre les administrateurs municipaux de notre merveilleux pays. »

Dans son rôle de gestionnaire municipal de Surrey, M. Lalonde dirige une équipe de cadres supérieurs innovatrice et dynamique qui contribue à en façonner et orienter les objectifs généraux et stratégiques.

Grâce à un leadership fondé sur de réelles valeurs, à un engagement envers l'amélioration continue et à la volonté d'inspirer et d'habiliter son équipe à assurer des services de haute qualité aux résidents de Surrey, M. Lalonde est engagé à travailler avec le maire et les conseillers municipaux pour créer une ville prospère, écologique et inclusive. Il dirige et inspire des effectifs totalisant plus de 4000 personnes dans une administration municipale dont les revenus sont de l’ordre de 1,2 milliard de dollars. Il assure la gestion financière de ce budget en surveillant tout au long de l'année les résultats financiers de la municipalité.

Communauté à la croissance rapide et diversifiée sur le plan culturel, Surrey, dont la population actuelle dépasse les 540 000 résidents, est bien placée pour devenir la ville la plus populeuse de la province. Dans la région métropolitaine de Vancouver, la superficie de Surrey en fait la plus grande ville, un territoire largement urbain environné d'importantes zones agricoles et rurales. Cette municipalité avant-gardiste est mondialement reconnue comme un chef de file pour ce qui est de bâtir des communautés dynamiques et durables misant sur la technologie et l'innovation et de combiner une approche entrepreneuriale avec des ressources de grande ville lui valant une croissance remarquable.

En tant que président du comité consultatif des administrateurs régionaux (RAAC) du Grand Vancouver, Vincent Lalonde veille à l'harmonisation des questions de la métropole et des municipalités membres dans un esprit axé sur la collaboration. De plus, au début de la pandémie de COVID-19, un RAAC COVID-19 a été formé et il en est également le président. Après discussion, ce comité fait partager des informations et coordonne les réponses régionales à la pandémie.

Ingénieur de formation, Vincent Lalonde a obtenu un baccalauréat et une maîtrise en sciences de l'Université McGill. Il a aussi obtenu la désignation ICD.D (Institute of Corporate Directors, Director), qui veille à la formation et au perfectionnement continus des directeurs et administrateurs. Vincent maîtrise le français et l’anglais et habite à Surrey avec sa famille.

« Je crois fermement que nos administrateurs municipaux sont très sensibles aux besoins de leurs citoyens et citoyennes, ajoute-t-il. J'ai toujours trouvé que les villes, grandes et petites, sont animées d’une attitude positive fondée sur la détermination qui favorise l'innovation. Pour accomplir tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir, nous devons apprendre les uns des autres dans les domaines d'excellence. »
CAMA'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES - FREE WEBINARS

As part of our ongoing commitment to our members we are pleased to present the CAMA 50th Anniversary Professional Development Series for 2021. This program is comprised of various webinars that are coordinated FREE of charge for the CAO/City Manager, senior managers and employees.  Along with our own webinar series, CAMA Partner companies will be providing educational and informative learning opportunities that showcase innovative services and products relevant to municipal management.  Have any topics you would like to see presented in the series?  Contact the CAMA National Office at 1-866-771-2262 and please also forward all opportunities to your staff members.
 
June 8: Options and Opportunities for Deploying Municipal Broadband Networks Hosted by: Calix
Calix cloud and software platforms enable service providers of all types and sizes to innovate and transform. Our customers utilize the real-time data and insights from Calix platforms to simplify their businesses and deliver experiences that excite their subscribers. The resulting growth in subscriber acquisition, loyalty and revenue creates more value for their businesses and communities. This is the Calix mission; to enable communications service providers of all sizes to simplify, excite and grow.?

So, you’re faced with addressing the needs of your community to provide high speed Internet connectivity, but you aren’t quite sure how to kick it off.  Calix has the experience and know-how to help you get started.   During this session, we will review the business models and deployment options, and provide examples of Canadian success stories from other municipalities.  Learn from our experience of helping over 200 Greenfield organizations launch successful broadband Internet networks.
Join us: Tuesday, June 8th, 2021 / 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST for a webinar entitled "Options and Opportunities for Deploying Municipal Broadband Networks."
Speaker: Jason Presement, Regional Vice-President, Sales Canada, Calix
Who Can Attend this Webinar?: CAMA Members and Their Employees. Non-Members are also welcome to attend.
Who Will Benefit from this Webinar: Staff from IT, Engineering, Economic Development, Network Operations, CAOs and Mayors
Registration Cost:  FREE but registration is required at this link.  
June 22: Connect and Communicate Webinar. Hosted by DataVisual

“Although we live in an information technology age, we often find ourselves
in failure to communicate situations.”  Johnny Tan

Connect and Communicate Webinar  
There is no doubt successful communication is imperative for those who are in management and administration roles in municipal government. The communication challenge may be to make a meeting of council members more effective and efficient when you have some joining remotely. The challenge may be to stream a council meeting to the public to add transparency and encourage engagement from constituents. In this third webinar from DataVisual we look at tools that can help municipal administrators achieve these goals. We will hear Epiphan detail the keys to a successful live streaming program of your council meeting. Council Live Stream And Televic will introduce a new communication platform built specifically for the municipal market and the need for a Hybrid Remote meeting solution Cnfero Meet.  Please join us on June 22nd at 1PM EST to hear these valuable presentations on tools to assist you to Connect and Communicate and join in on the Q&A that follows these presentations.  Free registration 
June 22: SaskTrade Showcase II - Construction and Public Works Day
 
Looking for innovative solutions for your city, town or municipality?  Register now for the Virtual SaskTrade Showcase Construction and Public Works Day and virtually connect with world class industry suppliers. Virtual exhibitors include ambulances, road construction & maintenance equipment, generators, municipal and infrastructure management software, grounds maintenance equipment, environmental services, construction heating, water & wastewater treatment, playground surfacing, construction risk management technology, virtual reality construction safety solutions and many more!  Your registration also includes access to informative webinars on the latest trends and technologies.  Complimentary registration is available at https://sasktradeshowcase.com
July 8: Doing More with Less: Building Intelligent Cities of All Sizes Webinar: Hosted by eleven-x
Communities of all sizes are looking for long-term, sustainable ways to deliver programs in a cost-effective manner. Any city can be a smart city regardless of size, what matters most is the scalability of the solutions that are chosen and agility of deployment. This session will look at how cities can use proven technologies to power a wide range of solutions under a single, multi-use network and will explore field-proven use cases. Join us on July 8, 2021 at 1:00 PM.  Here is the link to register.  
 
As President and CEO of eleven-x, Dan is leading one of North America’s leading full-service low power IoT solution providers and operator of Canada’s first and only coast-to-coast public low power network optimized for the Internet of Things. eleven-x offers complete IoT solutions that facilitate faster, evidence-driven decisions through wireless connectivity and real-time data collection for smart cities, campuses, buildings and industry.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
  • Lynne Livingstone, City Manager, City of London, ON
  • Patrick Kelly, Director of Corporate Services/Treasurer, Township of Wilmot, ON
  • Lesley McFarlane, Assistant Deputy Minister, Municipal Assessment and Advisory Services, Manitoba Government
  • Rob Nolan, Director of Economic and Development Services, City of Brockville, ON
  • Ross Blackwell, Deputy CAO, District of Port Hardy, BC
  • Maury O'Neill, CAO-Treasurer, Municipality of Wawa, ON
  • Michelle Mantifel, Clerk-Treasurer, The Corporation of North Algona Wilberforce Township, ON
  • Wanda Kabel, CAO, Township of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls, ON
  • Gail Jaremy, CAO/Clerk, Township of Hornepayne, ON
  • Doug Robertson, CAO/Clerk/Director, Economic Development, Village of Merrickville-Wolford, ON
  • Darlene Plumley, CAO/Clerk/Treasurer, Township of Frontenac Islands, ON
  • Christine Beveridge, CAO, Town of Edson, AB
  • Shawn Everitt, CAO, Town of The Blue Mountains, ON
  • Allison Holtzhauer, CAO/Clerk-Deputy Treasurer, Township of Greater Madawaska, ON
  • Ron Bowles, City Manager, City of Brandon, MB
  • Andrew Sprunt, CAO, The Corporation of North Algona Wilberforce Township, ON
  • Sue Ketler, Senior Manager of Community Services, District of West Vancouver, BC
Do you have a story for our next issue?
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CAMA e-Brief is published every two weeks. Watch for the next issue on: The week of June 21, 2021
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CAMA is a non-profit association open to all senior managers dedicated to improving municipalities in Canada.
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Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators
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