The Power of Collaboration highlighted at gathering of Alberta's urban municipalities

The 2018 Alberta Urban Municipalities Association Annual Convention recently took place in Red Deer, Alberta under the theme “The Power of Collaboration.” It represented an important opportunity for municipal leaders from across the province to get together, learn, and connect with their peers, as well as with representatives from the provincial government. It featured a number of great moments that Municipal World staff were proud to share.

Strong Governmental Presence

One of the key features to the conference was a strong presence by Alberta’s provincial government. “Government Day” was kicked off with a speech by Minister of Municipal Affairs Shaye Anderson, who spoke about many of the issues local communities wanted to hear about – infrastructure and cannabis chief among them.

In addition to the opportunity for delegations from various municipalities to meet and discuss important local issues with a number of ministers in attendance, seven ministers took the stage in a rapid fire Q&A, where delegates were able to ask questions in a more open setting. Some of the common questions were about various health- and environment-related topics, Alberta’s pending increase to the minimum wage, and recycling, along with a host of local issues. The Ministers who were part of the Q&A included:

• Brian Mason, Minister of Transportation;
• Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment & Parks;
• Irfan Sabir, Minister of Community and Social Services;
• Shaye Anderson, Minister of Municipal Affairs;
• Joe Ceci, Minister of Finance;
• Kathleen Ganley, Minister of Justice/Attorney General; and
• Sarah Hoffman, Minister of Health.

The session with provincial politicians closed with Premier Rachel Notley, who spoke passionately about the Trans Mountain Pipeline and her commitment to seeing it completed, announced assistance to municipalities for the costs of cannabis legalization, and confirmed the government’s commitment to working with municipalities.

Valuable Learning Opportunities

In addition to connecting with provincial politicians, local government leaders were given the opportunity to attend a number of learning sessions on a host of topics, including economic development, integrated project delivery, cyber security, recreation and parks, and social media.

At the social media session, Mayor Tara Veer from Red Deer partnered with Kathryn Kolaczek of Alchemy Communications to speak about managing conflict that develops through social media. Kolaczek discussed a wide variety of best practices that covered both the organization and individual politics, while Mayor Veer spoke extensively about Red Deer’s experience with social media. (See more at: https://www.municipalworld.com/feature-story/responding-to-online-conflict/.)

At a session on developing a successful relationship between council and the CAO, Tom Goulden from the Town of Stony Plain spoke at length about some of the keys to building a solid foundation between the two groups. Drawing on his own extensive experience from working across multiple municipalities, Goulden highlighted issues such as building a trusting relationship between council and the CAO (and how communication will need to change depending on the situation); developing a shared understanding of priorities – council’s, the CAO’s, the community’s – and checking in regularly (even though people won’t always agree on a priority, it’s important to have people pulling in the same direction); and developing an understanding around process. That process should be clear from moment one, and should cover issues such as evaluation, reporting, employment terms, etc., since it allows everyone to be on equal footing and understand what is expected in different scenarios to avoid confusion.

Dynamic Speakers, Poignant Topics

The conference featured a number of engaging speakers, including two keynotes that deserve greater attention. Melissa Arnot served as the opening keynote speaker – as the first North American to summit Mount Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen, she shared her story of determination and leadership. While not everyone is going to climb mountains, some of the keys she espoused – having everyone pulling in the same direction, the value of perseverance, and the value of leaders learning to see things from behind rather than simply from in front – are all topics that can be applied to the larger world, including local government. With a mix of beautiful photography, fascinating experiences, and a simple, effective message, she brought the crowd to their feet.

Doug Griffiths – author, speaker, and former MLA – spoke to close out day two of the conference, with a message that “Everything is Changing.” With humour and foresight, he covered some of the areas where our society is changing, whether we like it or not; but, his presentation contained an important message: our communities cannot afford to be leapfrogged. Our communities must embrace change, adapt, or they run the risk of dying. It was a message that every municipal leader needs to not only hear, but embrace for the good of their citizens. (See more at: https://www.municipalworld.com/feature-story/everything-is-about-to-change/.)

Recognizing Dedicated Service and Innovation

Early in the first day of the event, AUMA recognized a number of individuals and communities. The awards were as follows:

AUMA Distinguished Service Award – Awarded to elected officials of Alberta’s urban municipalities who have served 20 or more years on municipal council.

• Garry DeVloo, Former Mayor, Town of Castor
• Phil Meagher, Councillor, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
• Barb Sjoquist, Former Mayor, Town of Edgerton
• Bill Skinner, Mayor, Town of Lamont

AUMA Award of Excellence – Awarded for outstanding civic leadership by either present or past municipal elected officials who have held office for at least three years in Alberta.

• H.L. (Bud) James, Town of Killam
• John Walker, Town of Eckville
• Taneen Rudyk, Town of Vegreville

AUMA/SLGM Dedicated Chief Administrative Officer Award – Awarded for long-term excellence and dedication to municipal government and chief administrative management.

• Peter Smyl, Town of Whitecourt

AUMA/SLGM Dedicated Senior Team Award – Awarded for long-term excellence and dedication to municipal government management as a team.

• Town of Devon

AUMA Municipal Sustainability in Action Award – Recognizing achievements in advancing environmental sustainability.

• Town of Devon
• Town of Taber
• City of St. Albert

AUMA Sustainability in Collaboration Award – Awarded to a group of two or more municipalities that have demonstrated excellence in collaboratively implementing sustainability initiatives and achieving measurable outcomes in sustainability. This year’s category is environment.

• Town of Blackfalds, City of Lacombe, Lacombe County, and City of Red Deer for North Red Deer Regional Wastewater Pipeline.

The project was a 28 kilometre wastewater pipeline that connected the four communities to a regional wastewater treatment facility, built to allow for a single facility with a longer lifecycle and improved sustainability, while also improving the sustainability of the local watershed and improving water quality for downstream communities.

 Highlights from the 2018 AUMA Convention