Exchange Winter 2019

EXCHANGE EXCHANGE is is aa quarterly quarterly magazine magazine published published by by the the Local Local Government Government Management Management Association Association (LGMA) (LGMA) of of British British Columbia.

Columbia. It’s It’s about about sharing sharing information, information, exchanging exchanging ideas ideas on on best best practices, practices, enhancing enhancing professional professional development development and and building building networks. networks. Reach Reach us us at at www.lgma.ca. www.lgma.ca.

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CELEBRATING A CENTURY

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LESSONS LEARNED: CASE STUDIES

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COMMUNICATION TIPS

WINTER 2019

Communication: Inside and Out

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Sharing information and expertise helps build strong, sustainable communities.

Young Anderson is proud to support professional development opportunities for municipalities and regional districts.

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Update In this Issue President’s Report Executive Director’s Report Case of Interest Members Page Our Town

Professional Development 2 3 4 5 23 24

Tips & Tactics: Communications and Engagement

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Programs & Events

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6 Help Celebrate a Century in 2019 How will you help celebrate the LGMA’s 100th anniversary in 2019? Find out about our volunteer challenge, interview series, tree-planting program and more.

Exchange is the magazine for members of the Local Government Management Association of British Columbia.

Exchange is distributed quarterly to over 900 members of the LGMA, as well as Mayors and Regional District Chairs.

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Exchange is printed on Sappi Flo, an FSC® Certified 10% recycled fibre paper at Island Business Print Group.

LGMA Office: Suite 710A 880 Douglas Street Victoria, BC V8W 2B7 Telephone: 250.383.7032 Email: office@lgma.ca Web: www.lgma.ca Contact the Editor: Email: editor@lgma.ca

Cover Illustration: akindo/Getty Images

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Hear from two communication and engagement professionals who help local governments carry out transparent and responsive communication – both within their organization and with the community.

14 Lessons Learned: Three Communications Case Studies Get new perspectives on engagement from the Township of Equimalt and Langley City, and learn about Ontario’s requirement for local government codes of conduct.

Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

24 Our Town: Village of Anmore Where is Anmore, you ask?

Find out more about this hidden gem in Metro Vancouver – the home of popular recreation destination Buntzen Lake, community festivals and semi-rural living.

IN THIS ISSUE

It is quite frankly a relief to see the recognition that communication and engagement benefit tremendously from having a communications professional in a dedicated position to help guide these processes.

aving worked as a communications professional for close to 30 years, and with a focus on local government for 18 years, it probably comes as no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed working on this edition of Exchange.

Communicators have long lobbied for increased transparency, more proactive communication and improved responsiveness to citizens and the media. But with the impacts of social media and the emergence of increased expectations for engagement, it feels like everyone else is joining our team.

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Over the past few years, I’ve found that there is a significant increase in demand for media and social media training. The Information Officer course I teach for the Justice Institute of BC is regularly sold out, with people waiting for the next session to take the training on how to communicate more effectively in a crisis. I’ve also noted that there are more and more communication professionals being hired to lead the communications and engagement for local government. When I first started with the City of Coquitlam back in 2001, there were very few local governments in the Lower Mainland that had a designated communication position – I was one of three or four in total. It is quite frankly a relief to see the recognition that communication and engagement benefit tremendously from having a communications professional in a dedicated position to help guide these processes.

As Coquitlam’s communication manager, I had the amazing opportunity to create the communication program from the ground up, including developing policies and procedures and creating a logo and brand guidelines for the organization. Today, local governments are faced with the same requirement to develop and implement new policies that address social media opportunities and pitfalls, as well as updating codes of conduct to support respectful behaviour and communication on social media platforms, in the community and in the workplace.

In Communication: Inside and Out, we hear from two communication and engagement professionals who are providing advice and assistance to support transparent and responsive standards in their organizations.

This includes how local government managers support and advise their elected officials, as well as how to be more effective when communicating with and engaging the community. They also highlight policies, procedures and best practices that are emerging to support changes in technology and meet community expectations.

In the case studies, the Township of Esquimalt and Langley City provide new perspectives on engagement. They show how sometimes the primary audience needs to be elected officials, and that sometimes having engagement to achieve meaningful outcomes requires consulting with experts. In the Ontario case study, a legal expert and integrity commissioner for local governments in the province outlines how new provincial legislation is requiring local governments to establish codes of conduct to address concerns related to egregious behaviour by elected officials.

As local governments transition from initial orientation for elected officials to ongoing operations, these stories and advice from experienced communicators help to provide perspectives about what it takes to deliver effective and successful communication and engagement in our communities. I encourage local governments to look at what others are doing, learn from their success stories and take note of the challenges and how they are addressed as part of continuous improvement.

Communication is the foundation for how we relate to each other, including working with Council, communication amongst staff and engaging with the community. In today’s world, transparency is becoming paramount and if information is not confidential, the community expects to be informed. And if it is a decision or action that affects them, they expect to be consulted. When a local government is successful in this area, they build trust and instill confidence – inside the organization and out in the community.

Therese Mickelson, ABC Editor

A Quarterly Publication of the LGMA Exchange – Winter 2019

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT

We must fiercely protect the democratic institutions that make our country special. I hope that even in a small way, the LGMA can assist in encouraging good governance and respectful conduct for communities in our province.

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t’s a pleasure for me to provide you with an update on some key activities that the LGMA has been involved in over the past months, which we hope will support you as you begin engaging, onboarding and preparing your elected officials for the next four years of work together. By now I hope all of you have had a chance to review the Elected Officials Orientation Resource Kit, which went to CAOs and Corporate Officers in early August. We encourage you to use the resources in the orientation kit, and the samples of materials both within the kit and online at CivicInfo BC, as well as the candidate resource materials such as videos and election support materials provided by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, UBCM and the LGMA. With the rise of incivility in worldwide political discourse, I often reflect on the importance of our work as local government professionals. You may know that I grew up during the apartheid era in South Africa, seeing firsthand the devastating and unfair impacts that go along with being an un-democratic society. Knowing that, I believe that we must fiercely protect the democratic institutions that make our country special. I hope that even in a small way, the LGMA can assist in encouraging good governance and respectful conduct for communities in our province.

Over the past two years, LGMA staff have committed significant time and energy to support the Working Group on Responsible Conduct and have welcomed the opportunity to join the Ministry and UBCM in this collaborative effort to address issues related to the responsible conduct of elected officials.

Just as we are expecting our elected officials to demonstrate ethical behaviour and respectful conduct, it is important for us as the administrative professionals of our organization to be and be seen to be ethical. As a professional association, the LGMA remains committed to promoting a culture and philosophy of ethics to shape the values and expected behaviour of its members. The Board of the LGMA has announced that it will mark the coming 100th anniversary year with a review of the LGMA’s Code of Ethics and complaint procedures.

We also want to reinforce the efforts of the Working Group on the Responsible Conduct of Elected Officials by mirroring their foundational principles for responsible conduct and ensuring that we can, with confidence, demonstrate the highest standards and guidelines for ethical conduct and integrity in all public, professional and personal relationships in order that each of us merits the trust and respect of our elected officials, fellow administrators, employees, and the public.

The ethics review process has started under the guidance of the LGMA Ethics Committee comprised of former Presidents Kelly Ridley, Paul Murray and Patti Bridal. The Ethics Committee has also retained the expertise of Tim McGee, the recently retired CEO of the BC Law Society. They are reviewing leading practices of codes of ethics, complaint procedures and remedies from associations both national and international to assist with answering a range of questions critical to how the Ethics Committee approaches any changes. These include questions around compliance, regulatory approaches, public interest complaints and how standards of behaviour can be measured.

Early in 2019, they will be surveying local government professionals about specific proposed changes to the Code of Ethics. We expect to have draft recommendations from the Ethics Committee by March 2019 for local government professionals to review and comment on.

Changes to the Code of Ethics and complaint procedures will be presented to the membership at the Annual General Meeting on June 12, 2019 for a vote.

I also hope you all know that next year is our 100th anniversary and that you’re following our Facebook page. Please send us any materials from your local government – we love the photos and the memories being shared! We also encourage you to plant a tree to celebrate the work of local governments in our communities. An information kit has been sent to your local government with details on this project.

It is a great honour to lead the LGMA during my term as President, and my hope is that you find the examples and resources highlighted in this edition of Exchange inspiring, so that we may encourage good governance and celebrate the impressive work going on in our industry.

Mark Koch President

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Thank you for continuing to provide your evaluations and feedback on our programs – it’s what helps us improve and prioritize new program offerings.

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his time of the year is always uplifting for the LGMA team as we finish off our training programs, prepare our workplan for the coming year and reflect on all that we’ve contributed to serving our members and local government professionals over the past year. In both thinking about 2018 and gearing up for 2019, it gives us a sense of accomplishment as well as energy and excitement as we get ready for a new year of programs and training opportunities, especially this year given all our planned centennial celebrations!

Aside from our signature training like the CAO Forum, Corporate Officers Forum, Administrative Professionals and Annual Conferences, thinking about what programs to develop is invigorating, particularly when you, the members we serve, have told us what you need and expect from us. So thank you for continuing to provide your evaluations and feedback on our programs – it’s what helps us improve and prioritize new program offerings.

As we prepared for 2019, we used the recent 2018 CAO Survey report from across Canada by StrategyCorp Inc. as an important touchstone for the trends we’ve been tracking here in British Columbia. Of note, our team has had a number of discussions with program advisory committees, faculty and presenters, as well as with local government thought leaders on several of the critical areas highlighted in the CAO survey. Topics included the growing fiscal crunch, the race for talent, the pressures of disruption and populism in local government engagement with communities, and the efforts towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

As we honour the work of the thousands of volunteers over the past 100 years who have built, delivered, and rebuilt our training and professional development programs and have defined the professionalism of the vocation of local government public service, we are also reflecting on the future challenges for the profession. In particular, we’ve noted the human resource pressures many local government managers are facing. The human resource trends highlighted by Morneau Shepell, one of Canada’s leading employee benefits companies for 2019, are telling: employee turnover due to retirements and retrenchments are predicted to be on the rise; supporting the mental health of employees is a top five priority for many employers; and improving employee engagement is the number one focus for a majority of employers to better recruit, retain and motivate their workforce.

These are areas that we have also been focused on as we have refined our training goals and redeveloped the content for many of our programs over the past couple of years, and we are committed to continuing to do so. We are offering more targeted opportunities for a variety of local government leaders for training in human resource topics like employee engagement through CAO and Corporate Officer Forum and Annual Conference sessions, assisting organizations with understanding and developing strategies to address mental health risk among employees through a training partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association, and improving opportunities to ensure our local government leaders have the skills to encourage and demonstrate respectful communication.

As the year winds down, thank you to each and every one of you for the great work you are doing in your communities. We look forward to celebrating 100 years of growing the local government profession with you in 2019, including our commemorative projects like planting a tree in honour of the local government profession in every local community across B.C., celebrating your volunteer contributions to your communities through our 100,000 Hours campaign, and raising $100,000 to support a new First Nations Public Service scholarship in partnership with the First Nations Public Service Secretariat. You can learn more about all these commemorative campaigns in this edition of the Exchange or on our website.

Wishing all of you a wonderful holiday season and a happy, prosperous and peaceful 2019. I look forward to celebrating a century of our work together next year!

Nancy Taylor Executive Director

A Quarterly Publication of the LGMA Exchange – Winter 2019

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By Ryan Bortolin Stewart, McDannold Stuart Barristers & Solicitors

CASE of INTEREST

Councillors Behaving Badly The Potential Consequences of Unlawful and Disrespectful Behaviour

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ddressing disrespectful and unlawful conduct by locally elected officials is not a new topic. However, in the age of social media, it is a larger topic than ever before due to the enhanced scrutiny that both local governments and elected officials face. For some types of misconduct, the consequences are clear. For example, there is a potential for disqualification under the Community Charter for an elected official who participates in a matter in which they have a conflict of interest. But what about behaviour that while still unacceptable, does not reach the level of potential disqualification?

UBCM has identified this an issue, and its Working Group on Responsible Conduct has developed a model code of conduct for Boards and Councils to adopt. However, the Working Group has not recommended a form of sanction for a breach of a code.

This leaves Councils and Boards with only one option when considering how to address misconduct that does not go to the level of disqualification – a motion of censure. A motion of censure is a motion passed by a Council or Board expressing disapproval with the behaviour of one of its members. The parameters of what sanctions can be imposed through a motion of censure are not clear because the ability to pass these motions is not expressly created by a statute and judicial consideration of these motions is sparse.

There are two reported cases involving motions of censure in British Columbia. The first was Barnett v. Cariboo (Regional District), a challenge of a resolution restricting a director from having any contact with staff except through written correspondence due to complaints regarding his interactions with staff. The court found that the Board had the authority to pass the resolution because the powers conferred on the Board under the Local Government Act have to be interpreted to permit the Board to exercise power that is necessarily or fairly implied by statute, including its authority to control its own processes.

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The UBCM’s Working Group on Responsible Conduct has developed a model code of conduct for Boards and Councils to address unacceptable behaviour.

The other case is Skakun v. Prince George (City), 2011 BCSC 1796.

The Councillor in this case disclosed a confidential report on workplace harassment to the media without authorization. As a result, he was convicted under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for disclosing personal information contrary to that act. Council wanted to take an additional step of censuring his conduct. A court application was made to determine whether Council had the authority to do so. The court determined that Council had the authority but warned that Council must be cautious when passing a motion of censure, due to its potential to be used as a political tool. The court also discussed whether Council can impose additional sanctions. It expressed doubt as to whether Council has this authority and advised Council to exercise extreme caution when considering whether to do so.

These cases both make it clear that even when a failure to comply with a legal obligation or to behave in a respectful manner does not reach the level of disqualification, there are repercussions that can follow.

LGMA UPDATES

LOOKING BACK Annual Conference delegates exploring the emerging world of personal computing at the 1991 LGMA Annual Conference Showcase in Whistler. This same year, the World Wide Web was turned on for the first time in Switzerland.

Help Celebrate a Century in 2019 “The strength, effectiveness and growth of the [LGMA] is measured in direct relationship to that of its members.”

Supporting Local Government Professionals for 100 Years To celebrate its 50th conference in 1989, the LGMA, then called the Municipal Officers’ Association of BC, published a history of the Association and stressed that its success is a reflection of the strength of its members. In 2019 as the LGMA celebrates 100 years of supporting local government professionals, we want to celebrate the impact that our members make in communities across the province. Throughout the year we have a number of LGMA100 projects designed to celebrate our members, and we need your help to make 2019 an unforgettable year for the Association.

Join the LGMA in the 100,000 Hours Volunteer Challenge Launched in November 2018, the 100,000 Hours Volunteer campaign has already seen dozens of local government professionals share hundreds of hours of volunteer impact.

Even when away from the office, local government professionals spend their free time volunteering to support community causes. We want to highlight the impact local government professionals make in their communities. Visit our website (www.lgma.ca/100000hours) and log your volunteer hours today. Together we will reach our 100,000 goal before the end of 2019!

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Plant a Tree to Celebrate the Work of Local Government Professionals

100 Years of Local Government – Growing a Profession Whether helping communities through the Great Depression, earning special commendations for wartime rationing efforts, or helping build a system that supports learning, leadership and growth, LGMA members have made an incredible impact in our province. Check out our video series “100 Years of Local Government: Growing a Profession,” on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LGMABC) and explore the decade-by-decade evolution of the local government profession over the past 100 years.

We are looking for members to interview for this series. If you have a story from your career in local government to share from the 1980s, 1990s, or 2000s, please contact rhunt@lgma.ca.

Celebrating

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During Local Government Awareness Week 2019 (May 26-31) the LGMA is working with local governments across B.C. to plant a tree in recognition of a century of hard work, dedication, and innovation by local government professionals. If you attend a tree planting ceremony in your community, take a picture and share it with us on Twitter (@LGMABC) using the hashtag #LGMA100.

Get Updates and Get Involved To receive the latest LGMA100 announcements, follow our LGMA100 Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LGMABC) or subscribe to our weekly newsletter. If you have a memory, photo, or story you’d like to share, please contact Ryan Hunt, LGMA Communications & Membership Engagement Coordinator (rhunt@lgma.ca).

We hope to celebrate the LGMA’s Centennial with you at our 2019 Annual Conference in Vancouver June 11-13!

years of Service to Local Government

By Therese Mickelson, ABC

COMMUNICATION:

Inside&Out A Quarterly Publication of the LGMA Exchange – Winter 2019

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When done well, communication helps build trust, instill confidence and foster positive relationships internally and with the community.

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ffective engagement demonstrates responsiveness and transparency and shows how the local government is a cohesive unit working to support the community. This involves engaging Council, staff and the community by keeping them informed, inviting input or feedback on local projects, plans and new initiatives, and creating an environment that encourages respectful interactions.

The foundation for successful communication and engagement in local government stems from adhering to open government principles, and creating policies and procedures to guide actions that reflect those values. It is also essential to understand the changes in communication and the corresponding increase in demand for engagement and immediate response to concerns and inquiries.

While the expectations for meaningful communication and engagement continue to impact local governments, it’s important to remember that the responsibility for these tasks doesn’t sit solely on the shoulders of the corporate communications staff.

“The reality is that every time we speak to someone, whether it’s a colleague, elected official, member of the public or media, and regardless of whether it’s a casual, friendly conversation or part of a public presentation, we’re all communicating,” says Ted Townsend, Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing, City Richmond. “We just have to recognize that we need to give some thought and structure to how we communicate so that we can be effective and successful.”

Like many aspects of good governance, communication and engagement benefits from clearly defined principles and the application of consistent policies and protocols.

“First and foremost, the principles that should guide communication are accountability, openness and the importance of keeping the community informed about the actions and decisions taken by the City, and specifically by Council,” says Townsend. “It’s also important to keep the community informed about the role they can play in terms of the decision-making process.”

Townsend also points out the lessons learned as the demand for engagement grows in local government.

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Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

“Too often, local governments go out under the guise of consultation, but really they are just telling the public what they are going to do.

Don’t call it consultation when it’s really just information sharing.”

“We need to be forthright about what is up for discussion, whether they have the opportunity to influence the decision, and what’s not up for discussion,” says Townsend. “Too often, local governments go out under the guise of consultation, but really they are just telling the public what they are going to do. Don’t call it consultation when it’s really just information-sharing.”

When it comes to engagement, there is a recognized spectrum that starts with informing audiences, moves to consultation and involvement, and progresses to collaboration and empowerment to make decisions.

This spectrum was established through the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), and most governments are primarily applying the inform, consult and involve aspects of the spectrum. Very few actions, such as elections and referendum, count as empowerment.

As an international leader in public participation, IAP2 has also developed the “IAP2 Core Values for Public Participation” that establish best practices for the development and implementation of public participation processes. (For core values see Tips and Tactics, page 21.)

Local governments like the Municipality of North Cowichan are integrating these values into the way they implement engagement initiatives in their community.

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Communication: Inside and Out Continued from page 9

“The IAP2 values are about fairness and access, and they are based on the fundamental belief that if you’re impacted by a decision, you have the right to know and the right to have a voice,” says Natasha Horsman, Manager of Communications and Strategic Initiatives, Municipality of North Cowichan. “You may not have direct control over the outcome, but you can still be informed and involved. It’s about accountability and it applies across government.”

Once an organization has defined and incorporated principles and values to guide its communication and engagement, the next step is to establish policies and procedures for key areas such as media relations, social media and community engagement.

Media relations policies and procedures ideally provide some parameters related to approved spokespeople, how subject matter experts at a staff level can support media response, and the approval process for proactive media, such as issuing news releases.

Media policies should also include a disclaimer related to crisis situations involving the activation of an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), noting that EOC protocols supersede the standard policy during these activations.

Most often, the primary spokesperson for the local government is the Mayor or Board Chair. Designated staff such as the Chief Administrative Officer, corporate communications and engagement manager if available, and Incident Commanders at emergency response sites are also usually approved spokespeople. The protocols for who will respond to each media inquiry are often a judgement call based on the specific news story.

Natasha Horsman

“The reason for wanting to have Council take the lead on certain issues is that it comes down to accountability and openness,” says Townsend.

“The public expects to hear from Council in terms of decisions being made.”

In other situations, Townsend notes that staff may take the lead, such as when providing specific expertise in certain subjects or when staff can provide an objective perspective that is outside of political debate. The key is to recognize that media are an opportunity to get messages out to the community.

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“Too many local governments perceive media as ‘the enemy of the people’ as Donald Trump would put it, or at best an annoyance,” says Townsend. “Certainly we need to be cognizant of the risks and challenges posed by the media, but we also need to see it as an opportunity that we build into our project communications, particularly if we’re doing engagement.”

Social media impacts have prompted the development of additional policies that relate specifically to how the organization will use social media, expectations of Council and staff and statements about respectful use of these tools. Most local governments now host their own social media channels, primarily on platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. These new communication tools provide multiple opportunities to reach audiences in new ways and encourage two-way communication. At the same time, there are instances where negative behaviours such as bullying or attacks on decisions are undermining the authority and credibility of the Council or Board. Just as bullying and abuse is not permitted in the work place, it should not be permitted on social media. For these reasons, it is useful to cover professional, respectful use of social media during initial orientation for elected officials, and reinforce these principles with a clearly defined policy and related procedures in place.

While policies are ideally high level without getting too mired in details about various scenarios, key components should include guidelines for supporting open, transparent government and responsible use.

“I think you need to have very sound social media policy and procedures for elected officials and staff,” says Townsend. “But I like to reference back to Microsoft’s social policy which is two words: be smart.”

Some policies or procedures highlight that while individual elected officials may express their opinions about current items being debated by the Council or Board, once a decision is made the debate should end with it. There’s also a fine line between criticizing a decision and attacking a decision in a way that undermines the authority of the Council or Board. The policy and protocols for social media should also reflect how the organization balances its social media platforms with the fact that many elected officials will have their own.

“We don’t comment or share information from Councillors’ personal accounts, but we encourage them to post and share the corporate posts from our platforms,” says Townsend. “When using social media, it’s important to go into it with your eyes wide open because any comment you make in any domain, whether individually on personal sites or as part of an online conversation or to the media, can be seen around the world. More than ever before, this is a world where there’s certainly a lot of need to think before you speak.”

Local governments also need to address what is acceptable in terms of posts on their hosted platforms, and how they will manage the demand for timely responses.

Most organizations do not have capacity for 24/7 monitoring of their social media, so the challenge is how to manage the demand for immediacy.

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Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

As well, transparency on these open forums is expected, but it needs to be balanced with respectful communication.

“You need to determine in advance how you will deal with behaviours that are criminal, libelous or even just mean-spirited personal attacks,” says Townsend. “Within our policies we try to be as open as possible but if someone is posting personal attacks like these, we remove them.

It’s always a challenge to find the balance, and we often have discussions about what to do about comments, asking ourselves is it fair, is it reasonable, should we leave it up or remove it.”

To help support Council, the City of Richmond now offers training for elected officials to provide guidance on respectful use of social media, what pitfalls to watch for, and expectations for them as representatives of the organization.

“It’s a continually evolving field, and we felt it was important to provide Council with some tips – especially given the climate where in some places it has gotten quite nasty in the social media world and has then crossed over to impacting the actions of Council as a body,” says Townsend.

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Communication: Inside and Out Continued from page 11

Community engagement is another area where there is increasing demand and a corresponding need for clear policies and procedures. This helps clarify when a local government will engage with the community, what type of engagement will take place and how input from the community will be used to support decision-making.

“Our Council wants to build relationships and engage the community, but we need to do it from the right place by having good conversations and gaining an understanding of everyone’s different views,” says Horsman. “If we’re just doing it to tick a box on a project list and not in a meaningful way, we’re doing more harm than good.”

To help support effective and meaningful engagement, Horsman is working on a Council engagement policy that will provide an overarching statement about the importance of communicating with and hearing from citizens for projects with high impacts on the community. The policy will also speak to embedding respectful dialogue, transparency and a commitment to hearing from diverse audiences as well as other IAP2 core values. In practical terms, the policy will highlight the need to budget for engagement on large scale projects.

With the Council policy in place, the next steps are to define more specific guidelines for staff and provide training to increase the capacity and understanding of community engagement fundamentals within the organization.

“The guidelines need to equip staff to carry out Council’s policy, and that includes planning early and establishing procurement requirements both for what engagement is required, and the standards the contractor must meet, such as use of the IAP2 framework,” says Horsman.

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The guidelines will also define expectations around the tools used to consult with the community. As an example, the standard in place is that any information and opportunities for input being shared with the community in person must also be posted using the organization’s online tool, PlaceSpeak.com, which hosts servers in Canada and has extensive measures to protect confidentiality as part of meeting privacy legislation requirements.

The guidelines are also designed to provide staff with a framework to assess what needs to be done to prepare for and implement community engagement. It includes determining whether the engagement is primarily to inform audiences or if there is a consultation aspect and if so, what areas can the community influence and in what way. The guidelines also need to include a checklist of tasks that need to be completed, including assessing budget and capacity requirements and providing early notification to communications about the project. It’s also important to consider what will be done after the consultation process, including how the input will be used and what will be done to report back to the community on what was heard or received.

“We need to take the time and effort to plan and do it right,” says Horsman. “You have to double the amount of planning work compared to the delivery. Right now the culture is that communication comes last, so if we want to be effective, we have to shift that culture to build it into projects from the beginning.”

Training will be an essential part of integrating new standards for engagement into the organization. North Cowichan staff will be receiving training from an IAP2 certified trainer in the spring.

“This training will help them think through what they need to consider for engagement and what questions they need to ask themselves during project planning; whereas right now, that lens doesn’t exist,” adds Horsman.

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Horsman notes that it is also important to provide guidance to Council about their role and what to watch out for.

As an example, Council is encouraged to appear at public meetings, but is there strictly to listen, not debate. If they make it clear they are leaning towards a certain decision, it undermines the consultation process.

It’s also important not to get defensive, which applies to both elected officials and staff.

For the community, the challenge is sometimes managing the expectations of residents in terms of what level of involvement they have and to emphasize that they are being consulted, but they are not empowered to make decisions.

“Many local governments have a very vocal group of residents with an expectation of shared decision-making, and at some point, it may be appropriate to be straightforward with them and say that Council is the decision-maker and if they want that level of responsibility, they need to run for Council,” says Horsman.

Ultimately, meaningful engagement founded in solid policy and best practices will help to build relationships and instill both mutual trust and confidence between the local government and its community.

Because communication and engagement are fundamental to building relationships, it’s extremely important that they are carried out in a way that is respectful. Whether communicating with the community, in discussions with elected officials, or in conversations between staff, there is no room for rudeness, disrespectful comments or bullying, abusive behaviour. Unfortunately, there is a growing trend towards these unacceptable behaviours within local government.

To address this issue, LGMA staff have committed significant time and energy over the last two years to support the Working Group on Responsible Conduct. This includes joining with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and UBCM in a collaborative effort to address issues related to the responsible conduct of elected officials.

Much of the work has focused on building the foundation for codes of conduct. This included articulating four key foundational principles of responsible conduct – integrity, respect, accountability and leadership – which have been built into election education materials provided by the Ministry and LGMA and can be used to assist Councils and Boards to establish a shared understanding of core expectations for conduct.

Through consultation, a model code of conduct and companion guide have been developed that can be used by Councils and Boards to help get started building – or refreshing – their own codes of conduct. It was designed so that it can be customized to fit the unique experiences and shared values of different Councils and Boards. The accompanying companion guide provides discussion questions, things to keep in mind, and other helpful tips and resources to facilitate the conversations that are important in building a code of conduct.

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Ultimately, meaningful engagement founded in solid policy and best practices will help to build relationships and instill both mutual trust and confidence between the local government and its community.

Both of these documents are available on the LGMA website (See Tips & Tactics, page 21).

Together, these policies, procedures and best practices help to create an environment where input is valued, conversations are informative and respectful, and engagement is meaningful. Together, these efforts support an open, responsive and accountable government that has gained the trust and confidence of its citizens, which all support improved governance. ❖

Lessons Learned

THREE COMMUNICATIONS CASE STUDIES

By Therese Mickelson, ABC

ESQUIMALT: INSTILLING BUDGET FUNDAMENTALS Sometimes, informing and engaging elected officials needs to be the priority. This is especially true in Esquimalt when preparing the budget each year.

Budget approval is one of a Council or Board’s core responsibilities, yet gaining a thorough understanding of how it works and being fully conversant on all aspects of the budget is a challenge. In Esquimalt, their communication and engagement on the budget is focused on Council and involves a series of educational sessions that start with explaining budgeting and financial processes and implications, not numbers. By the time the numbers are presented to Councillors, they are familiar with the extent of core services, previous commitments that are underway and the impacts of increasing or decreasing taxes to accommodate new spending.

“Our process builds trust and respect because we create a relationship with Council by having them gain a thorough understanding of the budget,” says Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer, Township of Esquimalt. “Our Councillors are not in the dark about any aspect of our financial situation because of our communication. They get all these calls when taxes come out, and every one of them is comfortable talking about how the tax decisions came about.”

The Township’s first step is an annual strategic planning process to clearly define Council’s priorities. From there, staff deliver a phasedin educational program that begins with what they call Municipal Finance 101 to take Council through financial management processes as well as how the budget is developed.

This includes how fund accounting works, where revenues come from, what expenditures are and other aspects of finances.

They highlight budget challenges, including items that are not discretionary and need to be factored in when considering tax increases, and how the mill rate is developed in the context of revenue increases.

Laurie Hurst

“Everyone talks about tax increases – what many see as the mill rate – but we explain to our Council how it’s really the revenue increase that results in the mill rate change,” says Ian Irvine, Director of Financial Services, Township of Esquimalt. “When it came to last year’s tax rate, we saw a huge increase in assessment values, so we had a 2.5 per cent revenue increase needed but ended up with a 14 per cent mill rate reduction. Council understood why it worked that way due to the level of education we had provided to them.”

The next step is to cover core services. Department managers outline their area’s responsibilities, challenges, objectives and achievements and how these relate to costs. These department presentations are determined and approved by senior management as a team to ensure they reflect shared management decisions.

“It’s important that Councillors understand the services we’re providing, and the level that is provided to the community, before we get into the numbers,” says Hurst. “We start the budgeting process in early fall, but Council doesn’t see numbers until March.”

Staff also provide a briefing on the policies and objectives that have been approved by Council, and the related commitments coming forward in the budget that relate to those areas. When Council has all of the background information, they see the numbers for a variety of tax increase scenarios and make a decision on the budget.

The approval of the budget in May is a milestone each year, but it’s not the end of the discussion. Instead, the Township continues engaging Council on the budget and financial management of the organization through quarterly reports. The first is held at the end of June, and then every three months after that. Like the budget development process, these reports are about more than numbers.

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“Ian summarizes and translates the numbers for Council to highlight any areas with larger discrepancies,” says Hurst. “So it’s about communicating – not presenting – the report to them by explaining the numbers in language they will understand better.”

“It’s important not to get into the weeds,” says Irvine. “They can see the snapshot, but they don’t really understand what the analysis means, so we help with that by explaining variances, why they exist and what we’re doing about it.”

For staff, the budget process has become a routine that involves a shared commitment to balance needs and collaborate to put together budget options for Council to review. The senior management team considers Council’s strategic priorities and recommends different scenarios based on Council’s desired range of tax revenue increases.

“The senior team dukes it out to decide as a group what we’ll ask Council to fund at each level of increase. We respect each other, but we call each other out on things too, like if someone asks for too much for capital projects when they don’t have the staff to handle it,” says Hurst.

“After all our deliberations, we leave the room in full agreement so there’s lots of collaboration and give and take that goes on behind the

scenes. When we go to Council, everyone on senior management is in agreement with what we put forward.”

When Council reviews the proposed options at each tax level, they are briefed on what staff recommend be kept in or out to meet each revenue level.

“Council can either agree with our Ian Irvine recommendations or choose something else, but they know what their staff – paid professionals – would recommend to get the tax increase that is comfortable for them,” says Irvine.

“I can probably list on one hand the number of times Council has added something to the list that we didn’t include, and usually something like road maintenance or a sidewalk.”

After the budget is approved, there is still another step in communication and engagement – this time focused on the community.

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KAMLOOPS OFFICE

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VANCOUVER OFFICE

Lessons Learned: Three Communications Case Studies Continued from page 15

While they have found that residents are not interested in getting involved in the budget process, they do want to have a say in how projects are implemented. In response, the Township doesn’t move forward with significant budget items until a more robust community engagement process is completed.

“We have the money, but before Council will spend it, we ask the community how the money should be spent,” says Hurst. “As an example, we have $17 million in amenity funds for hosting a regional waste water treatment plant, and we are doing an 18-month public engagement process. We find engaging residents on specific projects that matter to them works best.”

Irvine notes that this year the community will also be invited to attend information sessions that will cover the basics about finances.

Again, these sessions are less about the numbers and more about how budgets and finances are managed, including assessments, taxation and all the factors that affect budgeting.

“Before this process was in place, we’d hear some criticism that we overcomplicated things. Now I’ve only ever heard positive feedback.”

Together, the work to engage Council as a first priority, with staff collaboration and targeted engagement on projects affecting the community, have become a formula for success in Esquimalt.

“I’ve been told that our Councillors really appreciate the amount of knowledge they gain, and they hear from their colleagues that they get a more robust understanding of the budget than others,” says Hurst.

“Before this process was in place, we’d hear some criticism that we over-complicated things. Now, I’ve only ever heard positive feedback.”

LANGLEY CITY: VISION AND STRATEGY Sometimes success stems from more than just communicating and engaging people, it’s about who you invite to join the conversation.

For Langley City, inviting the right mix of experts, thought leaders and people with local knowledge formed the foundation of a working group to create an aspirational vision and strategy for the community as it prepares for the arrival of rapid transit within the next decade. The result is a bold new vision and strategy, Langley City: Nexus of Community, and a corresponding recommendations and implementation plan to guide growth and development over the next 25-plus years.

The project was initiated by Francis Cheung, the City’s Chief Administrative Officer, who wanted to ensure that Langley City had its own plan for the residential growth and economic opportunities stemming from rapid transit.

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“It dawned on me that we have to be ready for when rapid transit comes,” says Cheung.

“We don’t want the train to dictate how we transform over the next 30 or 40 years. We want to lead the process and to think bigger because we have this one chance to become something we hadn’t even dreamed about.”

To achieve this vision, the City contracted Lucent Quay Consulting Inc. who Francis Cheung developed an approach that started with a review of existing community surveys and discussions with the development industry. This led to a better understanding of the needs, priorities, and gaps to be addressed. The next step is what differentiated Langley’s approach from what is done traditionally in local government. Instead of only engaging residents who have limited understanding of municipal operations and sustainable planning, they brought thought leaders and experts who represented all the areas necessary for a holistic, sustainable community. They used these creative, forward-thinking ideas to help craft a vision and strategy for the City.

“We wanted the plan to address every facet of our City – wellness, lifestyle, recreation, housing, transportation and more – because that’s what creates a community,” says Cheung.

203-1005 Broad Street Victoria, BC V8W 2A1 250-686-9918 lui@carvellolaw.ca

www.carvellolaw.ca

Continued on page 17

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“We involved a mix of people who are experts to give us advice from a vast array of different viewpoints to move the community forward.”

Participants came with a breadth of experience and represented a balance in gender, age, ethnicity, lifestyle and geographic base (local, national and international). Experience ranged from community development and sustainable city planning to business and cultural development, to lifestyle and recreation. Care was taken to include representatives who could share insights on community safety, social issues, indigenization and working with youth.

“Participants received a ‘foreword’ document to help them prepare for the session. Our approach was ‘here’s where we are at’ and then let’s talk about where we could be,” says Pam Ryan, President, Lucent Quay.

“This format works because it combines what an organization already knows about itself with the creativity and collective brilliance of lateral thinkers who push the envelope and the status quo.”

One of the experts involved in the process was Mike Harcourt, former Premier of British Columbia and Mayor of Vancouver who now provides advice as a consultant in the area of building sustainable cities.

“I thought it was a good process and the mix of people was impressive,” says Harcourt. “A lot of really great ideas came out of the discussion, including ideas for re-doing the downtown and linking complete community ideas in, such as people living close to where they shop, pedestrian friendly streets, and integrating the transportation extension to rapid transit.”

Harcourt also emphasized the importance of having a plan to guide decisions.

“Cities are all about choices, and you have to make the right choices or you can have long-term negative consequences,” says Harcourt. “I think it’s good that Langley has the foresight and vision to look out to a long-term strategy, with a vision based on sustainable principles rather than the disastrous sprawl with dead downtowns that we see in places like Detroit.”

The next step involved engaging Council members in the process by first briefing them on what had been shared by the experts and then replicating the exercises with Council.

Continued on page 18

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Lessons Learned: Three Communications Case Studies Continued from page 17

“We were able to learn where Council was aligned with thought leaders, and where they diverged a bit,� says Ryan. “It reinforced for Council that they were on track, and also confirmed the benefit of moving into new directions. From both of these events, Lucent Quay penned the final vision and strategy, which Council unanimously endorsed.�

With Council endorsement, the City has begun the next phase of engagement: sharing the vision with the community, informing and training staff on how to embed the vision and strategy into plans and operations, and creating processes to ensure that the vision and strategy stay front and centre with Council, staff and the community. “I didn’t want this to be on the shelf collecting dust, so I made it clear that we need to be action focused,� says Cheung. “We’re going to be implementing recommendations from the vision document and holding ourselves accountable with a yearly report card for the community, and we’re already well on our way to do that.�

The communication roll-out initially focuses on sharing the vision of Langley as a nexus – a community connecting the Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver and the surrounding communities.

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The information materials outline how the vision is an instrument of change to shape the community based on four cornerstones: community, connection, integration and experiences.

The City is using a wide variety of tactics that started with a news release, followed by an online video and a presentation deck when meeting with local organizations and neighbourhood groups.

Pam Ryan

Pop-up banners for use at events and at City Hall highlight the four cornerstones, and the City’s website will feature regular updates.

With the vision as a foundation for discussion, the City will be consulting with the community on a number of major planning initiatives in 2019, including updates to the Official Community Plan and zoning bylaw, development of a Nicomekl River District Neighbourhood Plan, a Transit Hub Design and a feasibility study for a potential performing arts centre.

It has also been important to bring staff on board to help them understand the vision and how it relates to their work. This includes both how to integrate the vision with their planning and services, as well as how it will be reported back to Council. Staff engagement started with the early foreword document and continued throughout the development of the vision, including a training session as part of staff launch. “I let them know that what they may hear about the vision may challenge them and our policies, but we need to think outside the box,� says Cheung. “I asked staff to first listen, recognizing that they may not all embrace the vision at this point. The reality is that we still need to build business cases and policy changes for individual projects as part of the implementation plan. Consultation for these will help confirm whether the community supports all of the ideas. We want to be aspirational but we also may need to step back sometimes. The key now is let’s not constrain ourselves at this point.�

As part of continuing to roll out the vision and keep it top of mind for Council, staff and the community, Cheung is instituting a number of regular processes that will include periodic briefings to Council at open meetings and an annual report to the community on the implementation status. Staff will be part of semi-annual presentations on the roll-out, and he will include updates in the Friday brief that is sent to Council and staff each week.

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Continued on page 19 Share the knowledge!

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“It’s one of the major duties and responsibilities of City managers and staff to become knowledgeable about how to create a community you can become proud of, and it should be one of the first tasks for a new Council to look out 30 years and see how to become a sustainable community.”

“I think if people can see how the capital decisions, re-zonings and other projects that show where their tax dollars are going beyond basic services fit together, they feel more positive about the future prospects of the community,” says Harcourt.

“I also think it’s one of the major duties and responsibilities of local government managers and staff to become knowledgeable about how to create a community you can be proud of, and it should be one of the first tasks for a new Council to look out 30 years and see how to become a sustainable community.”

ONTARIO: SUPPORTING AN ETHICAL, RESPECTFUL WORKPLACE Ontario is setting a new standard for ethical, respectful conduct in local governments through amendments to the Municipal Act, 2001, City of Toronto Act, 2006 and Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. The new changes result in mandatory codes of conduct for all members of municipal council and certain local boards to guide ethical behaviour along with the required appointment of an integrity commissioner and a wider range of penalties for contraventions of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. The amendments are designed to address growing concerns and were passed through Bill 68, which received Royal Assent on May 30, 2017. While some changes are already in force, several of the updates that directly affect conduct by elected officials will become effective on March 1, 2019.

“There were a number of egregiously bad behaviours by council members across the province,” says John Mascarin, a lawyer with Aird & Berlis LLP in Toronto, Ontario and certified specialist in municipal law, as well as an integrity commissioner for multiple local governments in Ontario. “The provincial government wanted to hold local representatives more accountable, but the challenge of having oversight at a provincial level would be rolling back the clock on municipal independence, which had long been fought for.”

To help maintain this municipal independence, the provincial government put the onus on municipalities by making it mandatory for them to develop and police their own codes of conduct. This includes requirements related to ethical and respectful behaviour, and they must appoint their own integrity commissioners to handle reports of misconduct and make recommendations as to sanctions.

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“We have 444 municipalities in Ontario and a lot didn’t have a code of conduct or if they did, it was pretty rudimentary,” says Mascarin. “The province didn’t trust municipalities to cover off everything, so the new legislation mandates four subject matters that must be included, which I think is an effort to provide for credible codes of conduct instead of codes that don’t say very much.”

The four areas a code of conduct must address relate to gifts, benefits and hospitality; respectful conduct, including conduct toward officers and employees of the municipality or the local board; confidential information; and the use of property of the municipality or local board. Other than these subjects, the local municipality can tailor its code of conduct to suit its circumstances.

Continued on page 20 C O N S U L T I N G

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T R A I N I N G

Help your new Council or Board get on the same page with customized workshops: • Master Your Media & Social Media Message • Set Your Communications Priorities Learn more at www.janenns.com Email: jan@janenns.com

Lessons Learned: Three Communications Case Studies Continued from page 19

“The code of conduct should provide general principles and prohibited actions, as well as be specific enough to provide clear terms for addressing standards of behaviour.”

Mascarin notes that while this new requirement for a more defined code of conduct is a good step, enforcement may be a challenge.

“The problem with the Ontario model is that it doesn’t really have any teeth in terms of enforcement,” says Mascarin. “If a member contravenes the code of conduct, there are only two penalties that can be John Mascarin imposed. One is a reprimand, without a lot of clarity on what that involves, and the other is a suspension of pay for up to 90 days, but given that some members are paid on a per meeting basis, that’s not much impact.”

Another key change is that municipalities must appoint an integrity commissioner to enforce the code of conduct. This is a mandatory position, and the role includes investigations into complaints related to the code of conduct, as well as a new responsibility to review complaints or concerns related to a member’s compliance with the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. In the past, the only way to enforce an alleged contravention was for an elector to bring a court application. Now, someone can simply ask the integrity commissioner to look into the situation and if there appears to be some veracity to the complaint, the integrity commissioner can bring forward the application to the court. On the other hand, the integrity commissioner can also provide individual advice to an elected official on a conflict of interest matter.

Mascarin notes that this is a significant change for a few reasons. One is that in the past, very few municipalities would pay for councillors to get legal advice related to conflict of interest, which meant that the members would either get bad advice or no advice at all. While it will now be easier to bring a code of conduct complaint forward, the members can also get advice upfront before they act. This is important because one of the penalties for contravening the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act is removal from office.

“What’s key is that they are putting the integrity commissioner in charge for the first time, and I think we’re going to see a lot more complaints in this area when it comes into place in March,” says Mascarin. “Staff or community members may not bother with a code of conduct complaint if they think it will only result in a slap on the wrist, but if they can get the integrity commissioner to investigate a conflict of interest situation, it could involve court time and potential removal of the member from council.”

There is a corresponding risk to this new structure as at this time, integrity commissioners do not need to be lawyers. This means they are essentially providing legal advice without the education or expertise, so may not be qualified to provide advice on whether a council member has breached the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. “The question is going to come out sooner or later about whether an integrity commissioner needs to be a licensed lawyer to give that kind of advice,” says Mascarin.

As well, if there is only one integrity commissioner appointed (which is the standard model), that person may be providing advice and then also investigating a complaint against the same member. Mascarin has heard that some municipalities believe they will need to have two integrity commissioners – one to give advice and one to handle complaints.

As the new legislation comes into force in March, it will be interesting to see whether there is an improvement in conduct by elected officials.

For local governments in B.C., Mascarin has advice for organizations who are considering a code of conduct to address ethical behaviour in the workplace. The code of conduct should provide general principles and prohibited actions, as well as be specific enough to provide clear terms for addressing standards of behaviour to make it easier to enforce, but it’s not a detailed list of every possible infraction.

“Hire someone who knows how these types of codes of conduct operate and what’s viable in terms of enforcement, and work with staff who can inform the person about some of the problems or issues experienced in the past,” says Mascarin. “Then engage with the public and council. The public process doesn’t need to be protracted but it should reflect the level of interest of the citizens in that community.

When the council knows that a code of conduct wasn’t just dreamed up, and it was in fact drafted with help from an expert and then endorsed by the community, there will be a better buy-in from council.”

The other key step is to apply training and education to ensure council is aware of what the code of conduct includes and how it applies to them. Together, it is hoped that these measures will help to guide improved behaviour and communication within the workplace and community. ❖

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tips & tactics Communications and Engagement IAP2 Core Values Core values noted on the IAP2 website: • Public participation is based on the belief that those who are affected by a decision have a right to be involved in the decision-making process.

• Public participation includes the promise that the public’s contribution will influence the decision.

• Public participation promotes sustainable decisions by recognizing and communicating the needs and interests of all participants, including decision makers.

• Public participation seeks out and facilitates the involvement of those potentially affected by or interested in a decision.

• Public participation seeks input from participants in designing how they participate.

• Public participation provides participants with the information they need to participate in a meaningful way.

• Public participation communicates to participants how their input affected the decision.

Resources to Support Communication and Engagement • PlaceSpeak.com: Online community consultation tool with servers hosted in Canada and the capacity to target specific neighbourhoods.

• IAP2 BC Chapter (www.iap2bc.ca): Provides training, events and resources to support and improve the practice of public participation • Citizen Budget Online Simulator (www.citizenbudget.com): Citizen Budget is an interactive platform that shows the financial impacts of participants’ choices in real time, educating them about the trade-offs and constraints faced by their municipality.

Are you taking advantage of everything your LGMA membership has to offer?

Learn more: www.lgma.ca or 250-383-7032

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• MATI Advanced Communication Skills for Local Government Professional: Provided by Capilano University and the LGMA, participants work in small groups side-by-side with senior local government leaders, to learn the skills necessary to resolving unique communication challenges as well as sharing strategies for improved communications skills.

• Local Government Leadership Academy (www.lgla.ca): Supports and promotes education and training for local government and First Nations elected officials and senior administrators throughout the Province of British Columbia.

Resources to Support a Respectful Workplace • Model Code of Conduct and Companion Guide: www.ubcm.ca/EN/main/resolutions/policy-areas/governance/ working-group-on-responsible-conduct.html • LGMA Working Group on Responsible Conduct: www.lgma.ca/EN/main/resources/responsible-conduct-oflocal-government-elected-officials.html • Municipal Ethics Regimes, book by Gregory Levine: www.municipalworld.com/product/municipal-ethics-regimes-2ndedition/ • Ontario Government Guide to Public Service Ethics and Conduct: www.parks.on.ca/default/assets/File/Guide%20to%20 Public%20Service%20Ethics%20and%20Conduct.pdf • City of Toronto Office of the Integrity Commissioner and Code of Conduct: www.toronto.ca/city-government/ accountability-operations-customer-service/accountability-officers/ integrity-commissioner/codes-of-conduct-and-resources/

LGMA UPDATES

IN MEMORIAM In Memory of Sandra Carter A great supporter and sponsor of the Local Government Management Association has passed away. Many members will remember Sandra Carter’s creative, entertaining and informative presentations at LGMA conferences. And who can forget the Valkyrie Law Martini Receptions? Sandra was a frequent speaker at many local governmentfocused seminars and conferences, including the LGMA, UBCM, chapter conferences, Canadian Legal Education and Pacific Business & Law Institute conferences.

Since her call to the Bar in 1994, Sandra developed over 24 years of municipal law experience, advising on many new local government initiatives. She articled with Bull Housser & Tupper from 1994 to 1995 and was hired back into that local government practice where she soon became a partner. Sandra stayed at BHT until 2009 when she left to form her own boutique local government practice under the banner of Valkyrie Law. An innovative thinker, her firm adopted the approach of being entirely virtual – in her words: “Versatile and mobile, the knowledge-based business of law needs no bricks and mortar!” The unique firm model is advantageous to clients in the ability to minimize the transfer of overhead costs to clients. That’s value.

Anyone who knew Sandra appreciated her adventurous spirit. She learned to fly a plane, ride a motorcycle and she loved to take her car out on the speedway. She travelled extensively around the world. She loved a good debate and was profoundly devoted to her clients. She leaves a big gap in the local government community.

In Memory of Rae Sawyer Long-time LGMA member and active Chapter supporter Rae Sawyer passed away comfortably in Kaslo on November 2, 2018. The retired CAO for the Village of Kaslo, Rae was hired as Secretary for the Village in May 1975 and became the Village Clerk/Tax Collector and Treasurer in May 1986.

Rae earned her degree from University of Victoria in Public Sector Management in 1987. In 2012 she was recognized by the LGMA with a Long Time Service Award, celebrating her contributions to local government.

Rae was involved with Emergency Management and held several certificates through the Justice Institute of BC. After her retirement from Kaslo in 2014, she carried on with Emergency Social Services as a volunteer.

Rae was one of the most dedicated public servants, serving Kaslo for over 40 years.

She was a professional and class act – she stayed calm through every situation.

The Village of Kaslo will be installing a memorial bench in Legacy Park beside the historical City Hall to honour her dedication and service to the community.

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MEMBERS PAGE MEMBER MOVEMENT Russell Brewer, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Powell River (Formerly City Councillor, City of Powell River) Kristen Danczak, Communications Coordinator, Peace River Regional District (Formerly Program and Events Coordinator, District of Taylor) Dave Douglas, Director of Finance, Town of Gibsons (Formerly Manager of Finance, District of Ucluelet) Myriah Foort, Chief Financial Officer, Strathcona Regional District (Formerly Financial Manager, City of Campbell River) Donna, Forseille, Corporate Officer, District of Wells, (Formerly Deputy Clerk, District of Wells) Lina Gasser, Corporate Officer, District of Fort St. James (Formerly Deputy Corporate Officer, District of Fort St. James) Hirod Gill, Manager of Engineering Services, City of Langley (Formerly Manager of Engineering Planning & Design, District of Mission) Connie Larson, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Alert Bay (Formerly Administrative Coordinator / Shipping Assistant, Millar Western Forest Products, Alberta) Leanne McCarthy, Chief Administrative Officer, City of North Vancouver (Formerly Deputy City Manager, Urban Form and Corporate Strategic Development, City of Edmonton) Lyle McNish, Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Alert Bay (Formerly Controller, City West Cable & Telephone Co. Ltd. owned by City of Prince Rupert) Zabrina Pendon, Director of Operations, City of Fernie (Formerly Manager, East Kootenay ISL Engineering and Land Services)

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Dana Schmidt, Deputy City Clerk, City of Delta (Formerly Corporate Officer, City of Penticton) Meredith Starkey, Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Zeballos (Formerly Administrative Assistant, Village of Zeballos) Tim Tanton, Chief Administrative Officer, District of North Saanich (Formerly Director of Development Services, Engineering, Parks and Public Works, Town of Sidney) Kelley Williams, Chief Administrative Officer, District of Fort St. James (Formerly Economic Development Officer, District of Fort St. James) Selina Williams, Director of Corporate Services, City of Colwood (Formerly Corporate Officer, Town of Gibsons) Andrew Young, Administrator, District of Taylor (Formerly Chief Administrative Officer, District of Wells)

RETIREMENTS Rob Buchan, Chief Administrative Officer, District of North Saanich Malcolm “Mac� Fraser, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Powell River Eileen Lovestrom, Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Zeballos Sandra MacFarlane, Deputy Municipal Clerk, City of Delta Terry Melcer, Chief Administrative Officer, District of Sparwood Mark Ruttan, Director of Corporate Services & Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, District of North Cowichan Ken Tollstram, Chief Administrative Officer, City of North Vancouver Bruce Woodbury, Chief Administrative Officer, Village of New Denver

Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

2019 LGMA PROGRAMS & EVENTS February 5-7 CAO Forum Coast Capri Hotel, Kelowna March 8-10 Effective Fire Service Administration Program Heritage Inn Hotel and Conference Centre, Cranbrook April 10-12 Administrative Professionals Conference Vancouver Island Conference Centre, Nanaimo April 10-12 Rocky Mountain and West Kootenay Boundary Joint Spring Chapter Meeting Rossland April 17 Lower Mainland Chapter Meeting New Westminster April 28-May 3 MATI Advanced Communication Skills (CAPU/LGMA) Bowen Island May 26-31 MATI Managing People in Local Government Organizations Bowen Island

October 20-25 MATI Statutory School for Approving Officers South Thompson Inn, Kamloops November 3-5 MATI Successful CAO The Cove Lakeside Resort, West Kelowna

2019 RELATED PARTNER PROGRAMS & EVENTS April 3-5 Local Government Administration Association Annual Conference & Tradeshow (Alberta) Red Deer, AB May 19-22 Government Finance Officers Association Annual Conference Los Angeles, California May 19-22 International Institute of Municipal Clerks Annual Conference Birmingham, Alabama May 27-29 Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators Annual Conference & Tradeshow Quebec City, QC

June 11-13 LGMA 100th Anniversary, Annual Conference and Showcase Westin Bayshore, Vancouver

May 29-31 Government Finance Officers Association of BC Annual Conference Victoria, BC

June 16-21 MATI Leadership in Local Government Organizations Bowen Island

May 30-June 2 Federation of Canadian Municipalities Annual Conference Quebec City, QC

July 28-31 Corporate Officers Bootcamp University of Victoria, Victoria

June 9-12 Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario Annual Conference Huntsville, ON

August 11-16 MATI Foundations UBC-Okanagan, Kelowna October 2-4 Corporate Officers Forum Prince George

MEMBERS PAGE OUR TOWN: VILLAGE OF ANMORE Wintertime view of Buntzen Lake, a popular recreation destination in Anmore.

When I tell people that I work for the Village of Anmore, many respond with a quizzical look and the question “Where is Anmore?” So, for those of you with the same quizzical look on your faces right now, the Village of Anmore is located in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, north of the City of Port Moody. We are bordered by Port Moody, the City of Coquitlam, Indian Arm Marine Provincial Park and the Village of Belcarra. Given our relatively small size in a large metropolitan area, it is a surprise to some that we are our own local government. Incorporated in 1987 and the third smallest community in Metro Vancouver (behind Belcarra and the Village of Lion’s Bay), the Village of Anmore boasts the ability for our 2,200 residents to live at home in nature while being only steps away from the modern conveniences our neighbouring big cities can offer.

The Village has an abundance of natural forests, trails and a true gem for recreation seekers throughout the Lower Mainland – Buntzen Lake. Buntzen Lake is a reservoir that provided the first hydroelectric power to Vancouver in 1904. Today, Anmore works closely with BC Hydro, which is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the wildly popular day-use beach, hiking trails and non-motorized watersports lake.

Our “semi-rural” community is formed mostly by large lots that are at least an acre in size, plus many that are larger, and we offer only one commercial operation – our quaint corner store. With our current (and temporary) Village Hall having restricted capacity for large gatherings and a lack of commercial stores, annual events have become a focus for the Village in order to ensure we continue to build and maintain our sense of community here. Four events are held each year in our biggest amenity – Spirit Park. Located in the centre of Anmore and at the same site as our Village Hall, Spirit Park has been expanded in recent years to allow for the larger community gatherings we’ve experienced.

Our four major events feature an Easter Egg Hunt, setting off the biggest and best fireworks display on Halloween, kicking off the holiday season in December with Light Up Spirit Park (with the help of Santa) and celebrating our heritage on Ma Murray Day each year.

The lawn mower race is one of the highlights of Ma Murray Day, Anmore’s largest community event.

Ma Murray Day is our largest community event, occurring on the second Sunday in September. As the event has grown over the years, we’ve added to our local marketplace, car show, talent competition and children’s activities. We now invite food trucks, conduct a lawn mower race and hold a cake eating contest for the young (and young at heart). We work in partnership with our Sasamat Volunteer Fire Department, which generously donates time to serve smokies and hot corn on the cob. Our events Juli Halliwell have evolved over the years to be bigger and more important to our residents – new and established alike.

Come visit us in Anmore! All are welcome at our community events and no matter what type of outdoor recreation you take part in, there’s something here for you. And best of all, you’ll be able to tell people with confidence exactly where Anmore is when they ask.

– Juli Halliwell, Chief Administrative Officer

A Quarterly Publication of the LGMA Exchange – Winter 2019

24

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Land Infrastucture

Roads Expropriation Contaminated Sites

Community Forests Building Land Use Building Code Density

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Subdivision

Construction

Affordable Housing

Land Acquisition

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Partnering

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