PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE FOR CAMA EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

REGISTRATION OPENS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 AT 12:00 NOON EST

The new Executive Leadership Program is specifically designed for Chief Administrative Officers and senior managers working in local government in Canada to provide a professional development and networking opportunity for CAMA members across the country to collaborate and learn from experienced CAOs and their peers. 

Chris MacPherson, CAMA Past President and Honourary Member for Life will be leading these sessions along with the following three other experienced local government leaders:

• Sheila Bassi-Kellett, City Manager - City of Yellowknife, NWT/CAMA Board Representative for Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory & Nunavut
• Glen B. Davies, Retired CAO, Life/Executive Coach
• Murray W. Jamer, P.Eng., Retired City Engineer & Deputy CAO

Michael Fenn, a former Ontario Deputy Minister and CAO, will kick off the program providing his insights on the CAO role.

This four day program will have educational sessions with exercises and case studies on six different topics (Leadership, Strategic Planning, Human Resources Management, Governance, Political Acumen, and Resilience) and will be held from January 23-26, 2024 at the Kingbridge Centre in Toronto, ON. All details can be found on the CAMA website.

What do you have to do to register? It's very simple. A maximum of 15 delegates will be accepted for this program on a first come - first reserved basis. Registration will open on Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 12:00 Noon EST. You just have to send an e-mail to admin@camacam.ca confirming your desire to attend and the first 15 will be accepted. A deposit of $500.00 is required to hold your spot and an invoice will be sent upon being accepted for the program.

REMINDER OF DEADLINES OF CAMA PROGRAMS

Don't forget about the following deadlines for other CAMA Programs:

• Registration for CAMA Executive Leadership Program: Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 12:00 Noon EST.
• 2024 CAMA Conference Scholarship Program: Deadline is Wednesday, September 13, 2023
• EA Master Class Series: The program and on-line registration link will be available on Thursday, September 7, 2023
• 2024 CAMA Conference Room Block: Available on Tuesday, September 26, 2023 at 12:00 Noon EST. More details on the room rates, deposits and cancellation policies can be found on the website.
• 2024 CAMA National Conference for Executive Assistants in Local Government (November 3-5, 2024 in Fredericton, NB): Room block will open on November 15, 2023.

TIPS TO BECOMING A HIGH-PERFORMING ORGANIZATION

If you take the time to recognize and care for your employees, then the results are impeccable. A high-performing local government effectively and efficiently delivers services to citizens. The question is, how do you build a culture that leads to high performance? Unfortunately, it cannot be built overnight. Becoming a high-performing organization can take months, and sometimes even years, but it starts with an organization's employees.

Read the Full Article Published by ICMA Here.

ABOUT CAMA'S JOBSCENE CAREER SITE

Our Jobscene service provides exceptional value, and it is simply one of the best ways available to find the right person for your organization. When you post with CAMA your advertisement reaches our members in every Province and Territory.  This is just a reminder that this service is not just for CAO and senior management positions - it is for all municipal jobs so forward this information on to your Human Resources Department. CAMA boasts a unique job market niche for employees seeking high-level candidates and an audience of members seeking these positions.

• Your job is posted on the CAMA Jobscene Career Site.
• Your job is distributed to all CAMA members via our Jobscene e-mail Broadcast.
• Your job is cross-posted immediately on the CivicJobs.ca website.  CivicJobs is Canada's largest and most visited local government job board where 95% of their traffic is from within Canada. They average over 450 page views every hour with over 11,000 postings, 3.3 million page views, and 1.1 million visitor sessions per year.
• Your ad will also appear on other popular job boards including: Indeed.ca, workbc.ca, bcjobs.ca, jobbank.gc.ca 
• Your job will be sent instantly to targeted candidates looking for careers in our specified field and region.
• Your job is seen by job seekers who subscribe to the weekly CivicJobs.ca e-mail bulletin.
• Your job will also be made available through, Twitter (www.twitter.com/civicjobs), RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, and other channels.



The rate for CAMA members is $250.00/job. Your job is posted until the closing date and is reposted for free if you are not able to fill the position.

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

TROY FLEMING, CITY MANAGER

CITY OF FORT SASKATCHEWAN, AB

How long have you been a CAMA member?  I have been a CAMA member since 2011.

What do you like most about being a member?  I enjoy the annual conference. It offers a chance to network with CAOs from a wide variety of backgrounds and locations. The content of the sessions is also interesting, and I appreciate that there are awards for outstanding accomplishments and long service in our profession. As a profession, we need to support each other, and CAMA helps with that.

What career advice do you live by? Who gave it to you? I had a mentor early in my career who always told us that the most important factors for success in municipal government are communication, relationships, and trust. That has stuck with me for over 20 years and I share it with others whenever appropriate. That person is named John Dance and he currently works for the City of Fort Saskatchewan and he will be greatly missed when he retires this fall. 

What is the favourite place you’ve traveled?  My family has a travel history to Maui that goes back before I was born. Love that place!

What would be the theme song of your life right now? Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift. My kids are at a really fun age right now. We enjoy our time together.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career as a CAO or senior manager in local government?  It’s a rewarding career and I would recommend it. It is a unique work environment that involves both the technical aspects of running municipalities, but most importantly, requires you to be great with people. A good leader, a good follower, and a good public servant. The journey to mastering those things starts first with knowing yourself. That includes gaining a deep understanding of your own workstyle, strengths, and weaknesses. If you are ready to take that journey seriously, you can become a great CAO. 

What experiences and past roles have led you to where you are today? I graduated school with a teaching degree and worked part time at the Recreation Department in Strathcona County to help pay off my student loans. I liked working for the municipality so much, I left teaching after the first year and stayed in municipal government for the last 23.5 years. I worked in various roles within the field of recreation, spent some time as a small-town CAO, and then became the General Manager of Infrastructure and Planning with Fort Saskatchewan before becoming the City Manager. 

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be? Why? I have always been intrigued by the British-born American writer Simon Sinek. I appreciate that he gives his reader/listener a new way of looking at both leadership and personal happiness. I think we all need to intentionally focus on positivity in the world of social media and he does that in spades. He is an inspiring and engaging speaker which makes him easy to follow. I would enjoy picking his brain on my own thoughts about corporate culture.

Describe what a perfect day outside of work would look like for you? Waking up in a tropical destination on family vacation. Golf 18 holes in the morning, sit in the sun in the afternoon, go out for supper, and then some kind of family activity to finish the day.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment/success story that you would like to share? There is almost nothing that happens within municipal government that is the result of individual accomplishment. I have been really lucky to be a part of some great teams that navigated through challenging situations. I am most proud of the team that we’ve built up here at the City of Fort Saskatchewan and the organizational culture which underlies our daily activities. We know we aren’t perfect, but we work hard to support each other in the name of providing great service that meets the needs of our stakeholders. I am constantly impressed at how well our different departments collaborate and problem-solve, and am inspired by how much everyone cares about both their work and their coworkers. 

Sandra Ling, Interim Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Vegreville, AB

John MacKinnon, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Cape Breton Regional Municipality, NS

Emilee MacLeod, Manager of Human Resources, City of Charlottetown, PEI

Karen Dunlop, Chief Administrative Officer, Municipality of North Grenville, ON

Lloyd Brierley, City Manager, City of Lethbridge, AB

Julie Mandeville, Director General, Ville de Westmount, QC

2023 CAMA AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE NOMINATIONS

WILLIS AWARD FOR INNOVATION

City of Kelowna, BC

Over 100,000 Population

Kelowna's AI Omni Channel Journey

The pandemic brought an unforeseen force to adopt technology at an accelerated rate. 

The shift for the City of Kelowna was significant; solutions focused on enabling a responsive and mobile workforce in addition to online city services with 24/7 availability online. The City identified Artificial Intelligence as playing the role of staff in informing and supporting residents with their business queries.

City staff identified AI digital assistants for business areas across the organization that could improve accessibility and lessen the burden on staff.

The first digital assistant provided answers to common questions on COVID-19 rules and regulations at the Kelowna International Airport. Its success led to separate digital assistants for Property Taxes and Utilities, the recent Municipal Election, Winter Maintenance, and Waste and Recycling.

The Property Tax and Utilities, Winter Maintenance, and Waste and Recycling digital assistants include voice versions. Residents now have the option to getting information by AI either through a chat window online, calling City Hall, or using Alexa or Google Assistants.

The new bots lookup information across various City systems to provide residents with the most up-to-date information.

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

Region of Peel

Over 100,000 Population

COVID-19 Response: Meeting Resident Needs Through Meaningful Collaboration

Innovative solutions have been needed to support Peel’s diverse residents through the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines.

Over 160 organizations worked together on the COVID-19 vaccination program; collaboration on a scale never before seen in Peel. Focusing on health equity, organizations bring community insights that help overcome barriers faced by residents.

Innovative approaches include:

-A multi-channel communications strategy using trusted spokespeople, influencers, and platforms to spread credible information.

-Partnering with faith-based, community, and cultural hubs to deliver vaccines and education in supportive environments.

-Vaccination at mass clinics, pharmacies, primary care sites, schools, and other sites, providing easy access.

-Specialized approaches for vulnerable residents like seniors, homebound individuals, those in congregate settings, and front-line workers.

-Fun event-style clinics to sustain the vaccination program’s momentum.

As a result, over 3.7 million COVID-19 vaccines have been given, providing layers of protection to over 1.3 million Peel residents. The pandemic showed that organizations in Peel are more effective together, leading to innovative work on other important issues. 

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