ROOM BLOCK FOR 2024 CAMA CONFERENCE IN BANFF SOLD OUT

CAMA NATIONAL OFFICE WORKING ON ALTERNATIVE HOTELS

Due to your overwhelming response, all rooms at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel have been booked within our reserved room block. We understand that the room rate outside of our block may be cost prohibitive and we are working diligently to secure additional rooms at affordable rates in area hotels. Our room block at the Fairmont was larger than the previous one at the Deerhurst Resort in 2023.

There’s a lot of work that takes place behind the scenes in setting up and negotiating these room blocks and they take time, and we are doing our best to finalize other options for you as quickly as possible. 

Watch for announcements on alternative hotels and lodging options. Once new options have been secured, we will coordinate their availability and give you plenty of notice so that all members from all time zones across the country have the same opportunity to book rooms. 

We appreciate your enthusiastic response to CAMA 2024 and are looking forward to your participation. Thanks for your patience as we work towards a solution. 

ONTARIO MUNICIPAL CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER SURVEY 2023

Since 2016, StrategyCorp has conducted a wide-ranging survey of municipal Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) from across Ontario to hear their views on the most pressing issues facing local governments today.

This year, they interviewed 28 CAOs from municipalities big and small, from upper, lower and single tier jurisdictions, and from every corner of the Province. They conducted these interviews in the early summer, at a time when many municipalities were dealing with flooding, or forest fires, or poor air-quality resulting from fires burning hundreds of kilometres away.

Ontario CAOs are grappling with a broad spectrum of issues, from evergreen concerns around financial sustainability and human resources to increasing growth pressures and systemic social challenges including poverty, homelessness, and mental health and addictions.

This year’s CAOs weigh in on it all, giving us insight into what the municipal sector’s leading public servants are thinking at this turning point in Ontario’s history.

CAMA is excited to include a new section in e-Brief highlighting one of our members in each edition. If you would like to be featured, please contact the CAMA National Office at admin@camacam.ca

BRENDA ORCHARD, CAO

LENNOX & ADDINGTON COUNTY, ON

CAMA SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT/BOARD REPRESENTATIVE FOR ONTARIO

How long have you been a CAMA member? I have been a CAMA member for 14 Years.

What do you like most about being a member? I like being part of a network of CAOs who understand our unique challenges and are supportive of each other. When I attend a CAMA Conference I feel like “these are my people”. As CAOs we do everything possible to take care of Council/staff/ratepayer’s needs. This is one environment where we can boost each other up.

What career advice do you live by? Who gave it to you? “Leaders don’t create followers they create leaders”. It is SO important to support the growth and development of your staff so that they can fulfill Council’s priorities and service level expectations. The CAO job is not about the CAO. It is about helping Council and your staff to serve ratepayers. Humility and caring are signs of strength and confidence. I have a practice of organizing in-house leadership training for the entire management team (Directors, Managers, Supervisors etc) two to three times per year.  Over the years, the thoughts and ideas from many great trainers have coalesced into this passion for thoughtful leadership.

What is the favourite place you’ve traveled? A trip to England/Scotland/Ireland with my two sisters that included an ancestry search.

What would be the theme song of your life right now? I Hope You Dance

What advice would you give to someone considering a career as a CAO or senior manager in local government? Don’t underestimate the value of humility. People can tell if you care more about yourself than them.  Leadership is a role of service to others not power over others. 

What experiences and past roles have led you to where you are today? I started in Economic Development which gave me great experience working with Council, staff, businesses and the public. There were often complex and controversial growth issues to be worked through which provided an excellent opportunity to learn how to deal with different interest groups with competing interests. I had/have a strong desire to help others which led me to the CAO role over time.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be? Why?

I would love to collaborate with Brene Brown to develop targeted leadership training for municipal leaders that help CAOs handle the challenges of caring for self so that you can support others (especially during this time of social media and public scrunity of government at all levels).

Describe what a perfect day outside of work would look like for you? A perfect day outside of work would be in my garden growing dahlias and other flowers. At work I am focused on helping people so in my off time I like the peacefulness of the garden.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment/success story that you would like to share?  In September 2020 my Senior Leadership Team surprised me with a stone monument for my garden that included my favourite leadership quote and a very nice sentiment. The timing was not a milestone moment where one feels they need to do or give someone something. It was completely random and 6 months into the pandemic. It means the world to me. It is a reminder that quiet leadership makes a difference and that perhaps I am succeeding in the area I think is most important as a CAO.  

WELCOME TO CAMA'S NEW BUSINESS PARTNER

ThinkDox is a Records Management company that specializes in paperless office technologies for the Canadian public sector. We provide Electronic and Physical Document/Records Management software, eForms, process automations, eSignatures and Certified Records Management consulting. Please reach out to us at 866-692-4448 or for more information and learn more on the CAMA website.



ICMA'S COACHING PROGRAM PRESENTING FREE WEBINARS

ICMA is presenting free webinars as part of their ICMA Coaching Program.

All webinars begin at 1:30 p.m. EST

• Thursday, October 19: Career Pathways to Move Up the Local Government Ladder
• Thursday, November 16: What to do When Everything is Falling Apart: How to Reset

Even though the webinars are free, you will still need to register. If you can’t attend the live webinar, you should still register to receive access to the recording.

You will need an ICMA online account to register. You do not need to be a member. If you are a member or you have attended ICMA events, you likely already have an ICMA online account. You can login with your ICMA account, reset your password, or create a new account on the ICMA website. Click here for a step by step on how to register and create an account.

Shannon Harrower, Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Marwayne, AB

Brooke Lambert, Chief Administrative Officer,Township of Wellington North, ON

Laurie Spence Bannerman, Chief Administrative Officer, Municipality of Bluewater, ON

Cathy Case, Chief Administrative Officer, Haldimand County, ON

Lean d'Eon, Director of Finance, Municipality of the District of Barrington, NS

Sandra Zwiers, Chief Administrative Officer, The Corporation of the County of Essex, ON

Mary-Anne Dempster, Chief Administrative Officer, Municipality of Clarington, ON

Brian Woodward, Chief Administrative Officer, District of Tumbler Ridge, BC

Grant Munday, Director of Planning and Development Services, Corporation of the City of Welland, ON

Virginia Cullen, Chief Administrative Officer, Resort Municipality of Whistler, BC

Still Time Left to Register

CAMA Webinar hosted by Health Canada’s National Radon Program

Wednesday, October 4, 2023, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. EST



Health Canada’s National Radon Program has developed a Radon Action Guide for Municipalities to help local governments develop programs and policies to address radon. It considers individual interventions across the built environment such as:

•       community testing and mapping

•       radon in standards of maintenance and business bylaws

•       testing and mitigation in public buildings

Radon action is a proven and cost-effective way to save lives and is a natural extension of existing policy and planning frameworks that support action on health and environment.

Register for Health Canada’s webinar on October 4, 2023, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST, to learn how municipalities can develop programs and policies to address radon.

Register Today

Finding Common Ground: Great Minds Think… Differently

Local government women leaders share perspectives on their unique journeys and lessons learned to drive positive change.

By Laura Savage, Senior Program Manager, ICMA

Read the Full Article Here.

2023 CAMA AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE NOMINATIONS

WILLIS AWARD FOR INNOVATION

City of Greater Sudbury, ON

Over 100,000 Population

COMPASS Time and Activity Reporting Project

The City of Greater Sudbury has implemented time and activity reporting through the Comprehensive Organizational Management, Productivity, Activity and Service System, or COMPASS. It was an 18-month, organization-wide project aimed at developing technology and processes that provide new data and insights for the corporation.

In late 2022, traditional timesheets were replaced with the new COMPASS employee self-service portal which introduced a standard activity reporting process, with staff assigning their worked hours back to the projects or services that benefited from the work. This allows the City to collect data on the entire chain of activities required to deliver each of its 140+ sub-services, as well as a flexible tool to quickly begin collecting new data when needed.

The insights obtained from COMPASS allow the City to match service expectations with the resources required to produce them, while enabling data-driven decision-making to increase operational efficiency and improve service delivery. The data also enables staff to produce annual budgets more efficiently, identify costs more accurately, measure results in real-time and ensure the corporation’s highest priorities are given appropriate attention. 

To view the entire awards submission visit the CAMA Member's Section/Awards of Excellence Best Practices (Search for "COMPASS Time").

City of Richmond

Over 100,000 Population

MyBusiness

The City of Richmond has launched a new online business licencing portal, providing new and existing business owners the ability to conveniently apply for, update, and renew their licences. MyBusiness is part of the City’s MyRichmond portal and will make the business licensing process easier by using an online self-service option that avoids the need to come to City Hall.

“The City is always looking for new ways to support the business community and streamline how businesses connect with City Hall,” said Mayor Malcolm Brodie. “The MyBusiness platform makes City licensing services available 24/7 and reflects our commitment to using digital tools to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of City services and better serve residents of Richmond.”

Beginning Monday, July 11, 2022, business owners can access MyBusiness by logging on to MyRichmond (richmond.ca/myrichmond) and identifying their license need. MyRichmond is the City’s portal for accessing an array of City services in one place, with one password. The addition of MyBusiness to the MyRichmond portal is part of the City’s Digital Strategy, which aims to make numerous City functions available online through a single, seamless point of entry.

To view the entire awards submission visit the CAMA Member's Section/Awards of Excellence Best Practices (Search for "MyBusiness").