A TRIBUTE TO CYRIL (CY) ARMSTRONG

CAMA HONOURARY LIFE MEMBER AND

PAST PRESIDENT

OCTOBER 31, 1928 - JUNE 24, 2023

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of CAMA Honourary Life Member and Past President, Cyril (Cy) Armstrong on Saturday, June 24, 2023.

In 1952 Cy graduated in Civil engineering from the University of Toronto and went on to work for the subsequent 38+ years in local government, senior management roles for the cities of North Bay, St. Catharines (1960-73 as Engineer then City Manager). He then became CAO of Hamilton-Wentworth (1973-86) before moving west where he served with distinction as City Manager for Edmonton (1986-90), and finally as a consultant and Associate of George B Cuff & Associates Ltd. before retiring. His friend and colleague, George Cuff remembered Cy as "a prince of a man who lived and breathed integrity and epitomized a gentleman’s way of conducting himself throughout his career as a public servant".

Cy was CAMA President from 1980-1981 and was awarded the Honourary Membership for Life in 1984.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Cy's family, friends, and colleagues at this time. The obituary can be found here.

STRONG MAYOR POWERS EXPANDED TO MAYORS IN ONTARIO IN 26 ADDITIONAL MUNICIPALITIES

Strong mayor powers for Toronto and Ottawa took effect in the Fall of 2022 and will be expanded to Mayors in Ontario in 26 additional large and fast-growing municipalities on July 1, 2023. The 26 designated municipalities are single- or lower-tier municipalities with a population over 100,000, or growing to 100,000 by 2031, and have submitted a housing pledge to the province. To read the full article click here.

CAMA believes the Council-Manager model is integral to municipal governance for the reasons that are outlined in our White Paper. However, where municipal legislation prescribes a “Strong Mayor”, CAMA upholds that a “Strong Mayor” still needs a “Strong CAO”. Read our White Paper here.

JUST WHAT IS A MUNICIPAL CAO?

by Susan Shannon, CEO, muniSERV.ca

Whenever I tell someone, I was a municipal CAO earlier in my career, I see their eyes glaze over and they slowly respond, “Ohhh??”, in a questioning tone and with a realization they have absolutely no idea what that is.

Yet, “she or he might be the most important person you’ve never heard of.” [i] . A municipal CAO plays a role – arguably perhaps the most important municipal role, that affects you on a day-to-day basis.

Here’s the Textbook Description:

Your municipal chief administrative officer is the top administrator in a local government and is directly involved with many key decisions that impact your everyday life.

They exercise general control and management of the municipality for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective operation of the municipality. They are also visionaries who continually look for new and innovative ways to enhance and improve services for citizens, all the while balancing public expectations with financial feasibility.

The CAO has a direct influence on everything from planning for the future of the municipality to how your garbage is picked up.

So, why don’t folks know about them?

Well, mostly because they are typically the unsung heroes who work away in the background. The CAO role is not an elected position and they typically do not act as the public voice for the municipality – that’s the role of Mayor or Council.

Candidates for CAO positions are hired – generally after a grueling and lengthy interview process, and then appointed to the position by By-Law. They are highly trained and experienced individuals.

CAOs are not politically motivated, nor are they Chiefs of Staff for a Mayor. They provide recommendations to Council but at the end of the day, Council makes the decisions that govern every aspect of a municipality.

I totally understand why folks do not know what a municipal CAO is. I sure never grew up saying I was going to be municipal CAO! But, from my experience, being a municipal CAO is one of the most interesting and rewarding careers you will ever have.

So, get to know your CAO - and consider a career in municipal government!

[i] San Grewal, Urban Affairs Reporter, Toronto Star - Wed., June 1, 2016

REGISTRATION OPEN - CONTENT CULTIVATED FOR YOU

The ICMA Annual Conference gives you the latest tools and techniques to solve challenges and help your community thrive. We worked with ICMA members, local government professionals, just like you, to identify core areas for effective local government management and used those insights to develop five essential education tracks. Choose from 110+ learning sessions, keynotes, micro-certifications, mobile workshops, product theaters and more.

The education tracks include:

Democracy, Civics, and Civility
Local Government Principles
Local Government Tools and Skills
Service Excellence
Strategic Leadership

To see the Schedule at a Glance click here.

HAVE YOU USED CAMA'S MOST POPULAR TOOLKIT?

THE TOOLKIT FOR EFFECTIVE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICERS: THE RIGHT QUESTIONS TO ASK?

In our most recent CAMA survey, our members told us that they have had the opportunity to use a number of our Toolkits, however the "Toolkit for Effective Chief Administrative Officers: The Right Questions to Ask?" came out on top.

This Toolkit is meant to be a resource to support our members whether they are just starting their job as a CAO (or senior administrator) or have been in the role for some time in a new community or one they’ve been in for many years. It will assist all of our members with building a team with their staff and Council. No one is born a local government administrator. Each of us comes to this role by way of a path of some kind. Being an effective CAO is not about knowing everything; it is about asking the right questions and challenging appropriately. This resource is a guide to support CAOs in their work. One of the most powerful management tools that you can have at your disposal is very basic…the question.

The Toolkit will provide you with sample questions for Council, each Division and Department, and is also a great resource for your Executive Team.

Visit the Member's Section to get your copy today!

WEBINAR: NG9-1-1 - THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ROLE IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Wednesday, July 5th, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. EST

Speakers:

Joann Fox, NG9-1-1 Industry Manager, Esri Canada

Robert Harris, NG9-1-1 Data and Solutions Manager, Esri Canada

Sharon Koch, Business Analyst, Esri Canada

Who Can Attend this Webinar? CAMA Members and Their Employees. Non-Members are also welcome to attend.

Who Will Benefit from this Webinar? CAO’s, Public Safety Employees, Police, Fire, Emergency Operations Centre employees, Corporate Services employees.

Registration Cost: FREE but registration is required using this link.

Click here for more information.

About the Session:

Across Canada, the public safety 9-1-1 community is facing a critical, pivotal moment in its history. The existing 9-1-1 system was designed in an era of landline telephones and assumes the calls are coming from fixed, known addresses. Today, most emergency calls originate from smartphones and IP devices, often while away from home. As a result, these changes are driving this historic evolution to next-generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1). Timely aggregation of authoritative (local government) GIS data for NG9-1-1 is required to provide high accuracy address location verification, call routing, resource allocation and analysis capabilities. Please join us as Esri Canada’s NG9-1-1 subject matter experts provide an overview of the following:

• NG9-1-1 – What it is and why it matters

• NG9-1-1 Stakeholders

• NG9-1-1 Roles & Responsibilities

• The NENA Data Model

• NG9-1-1 Timeline

• Initial Local Government Authority considerations