Celebrating 100 Years of Supporting Local Governments by LGMA BC

Summer 2019

Special Centennial Edition

Supporting local government professionals since 1919

CELEBRATING

100 YEARS

OF SUPPORTING LOCAL GOVERNMENT

This special edition of Exchange features stories about the people and events that have shaped the local government profession – and this province – over the past 100 years.

CONTENTS 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. Exchange is printed on Sappi Flo, an FSC® Certified 10% recycled fibre paper by 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

Writer: Jen Groundwater Designer: Karin Mark

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS

EXCELLENCE IN THE PROFESSION

IMPACTFUL EVENTS

PATH TO PROGRAMMING

LGMA MILESTONES

MEMBERS SUPPORTING MEMBERS

PARTNERSHIPS

BEYOND B.C.

THE LGMA IS ITS PEOPLE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank all the individuals who shared their stories for this special publication. We also thank the LGMA100 Committee for its guidance and support. We thank Stephen Russo of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for his support providing historical research for this publication. Our thanks go to summer student Daniel Fowler for producing the 2016 historical report that was essential to the writing of this special edition. Special thanks to all of our LGMA members over the past 100 years who have volunteered their time, ideas and passion in support of pursuing excellence in local government.

Commemorative Centennial Edition

Delegates attending the 1919 Union of BC Municipalities Convention. Photo courtesy of UBCM.

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS It was 1919. The First World War had ended, the Treaty of Versailles had been signed, and the Roaring Twenties had yet to begin. The Spanish Flu had hit British Columbia twice and a third wave was yet to come. The province’s first female MLA had been elected a year before; women had only had the vote since the year before that. The population of B.C. was under half a million people but growing rapidly. On Wednesday October 8, 1919, 13 men from a dozen municipalities gathered at North Vancouver City Hall to form the Municipal Officers’ Association of British Columbia. Founding members included Robert Baird, the Inspector of Municipalities; J.G. Farmer, Clerk of the District of North Vancouver and later Clerk of the District of Surrey; and B.C. Bracewell, Clerk of the City of Penticton and later Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs, an individual who had a tremendous impact on B.C.’s local government system over his long and dedicated career.

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One hundred years later, the Municipal Officers’ Association has grown in both number and diversity to become the Local Government Management Association of BC (LGMA), and now includes more than 1,000 individual members representing 189 local governments. While the LGMA’s mandate has become more sophisticated over the past century, the founding members’ desire to serve their communities is still very much a part of today’s LGMA.

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS continued

The stories that follow show an increasingly comprehensive organization that has grown and evolved to respond to the needs of its members: the local government professionals who help support, steer and build communities that are home to nearly five million British Columbians.

This special edition of Exchange features stories about the people and events that have shaped the local government profession – and this province – over the past 100 years. Enjoy this celebration of the LGMA’s people, partnerships and purpose.

From the beginning, the LGMA has been a volunteerdriven organization; our success depends on the passion and dedication of the people involved. Municipality of Saanich staff, 1934.

Commemorative Centennial Edition

EXCELLENCE IN THE PROFESSION MATI class of 2000

From its very first motion in 1919, the LGMA has been dedicated to pursuing excellence in the profession: “It would be to the advantage of the Province as a whole, if an Association of Municipal Officials of B.C. were formed for the... more efficient performance of their duties.” Then, as now, the LGMA was created and championed by people who volunteered their time and skills toward ensuring that local government professionals have the support they need to serve their communities. For most of its history, the organization was called the Municipal Officers’ Association. In 2000, members voted to change the name to the Local Government Management Association to reflect the changing times and to better fit the organization’s commitment to both education and leadership. Gord McIntosh, who was President at the time, describes the new name as “more holistic.”

The expansion of community services in the past 100 years means LGMA members now come from many fields and backgrounds, from administration, finance and public works, to planning, parks, recreation and more. What hasn’t changed is the importance of these professionals. Whether they work for a municipality, a regional district or a First Nation, they are at the heart of their communities.

Commemorative Centennial Edition

FIRSTS First President, 1919 J.G. FARMER J.G. (John George) Farmer, Clerk of Municipal Council, Collector and Assessor for the District of North Vancouver, led the LGMA even before it became an official association. Farmer headed the 1918 committee that wrote the new organization’s constitution and bylaws. He also did much of the legwork to set up the Association. No wonder the LGMA members elected him as their first president in 1919.

J.G. Farmer, 1926 (seated, far left). Photo courtesy of City of Surrey Archives.

Records show Farmer’s starting wage as Clerk in 1910 was $150 per month (approximately $3,500 in 2018 dollars, adjusted for inflation).

First Annual Meeting, 1920 The first annual meeting, attended by 29 members from 27 municipalities, was held in conjunction with the UBCM convention in Nelson on October 5, 1920. Already focused on promoting excellence in the field of local government, members put forth technical recommendations for improvements to the Elections Act, the Municipal Act, school taxation, superannuation and the Land Registry Act.

First Annual Conference, 1939 The LGMA’s first conference independent from the UBCM convention took place in Victoria in 1939. The LGMA historian notes that there were 48 municipal officers at the meeting – 47 male and one female – and each had paid the $1 registration fee.

Did you know that the first LGMA Annual Conference was sponsored by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs?

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First Female Member, 1930 MARJORIE STUART For the LGMA’s first decade, the membership was entirely male. Then, in 1929, the newly established Village of Hope hired Marjorie Gertrude Kilbee Stuart as its Clerk, Assessor and Collector. She would go on to become the town librarian and dispatcher, and, as a local historian wrote, “as Clerk, she moved in and through every facet of village affairs.” Stuart attended her first LGMA meeting in 1930, where her presence was recorded in the minutes as “an historic occasion, worth noting.”

FIRSTS continued Front, left to right: Mike Phelan, SecretaryTreasurer; Margaret Warwick, Vice President; Bob Wilson, President; Lillian Whittier, Executive Director Middle, left to right: Gerry Henke, Alt. Director; André Carrel, Director; Bill Lindsay, Director; Pam Hilchie, Director; Ted Tisdale, Director; James Tarves, Director Back, left to right: Al Brockley, Director; Al Harrison, Director; Colin Griffith, Director; Brian Ritchie, Past President Missing: Dianne Hunter, Director

First Executive Director, 1988

First Female President, 1995

LILLIAN WHITTIER / CATHERINE WOODWARD

MARGARET WARWICK

Lillian Whittier (now known as Catherine Woodward) became the LGMA’s first Executive Director in 1988. She replaced Administrative/ Educational Officer Sandra Allen, the Association’s first-ever employee, who was hired in 1985 as the LGMA began to place more emphasis on creating educational opportunities and training for its members. In her decade as Executive Director, Woodward was the linchpin for an ever-expanding network of local government professionals scattered throughout the province. She logged thousands of kilometres driving and flying on behalf of the LGMA. Woodward describes the twice-yearly regional Chapter meetings, along with MATI and the annual conference, as the highlights of the job. Through it all, she developed an abiding belief in what she describes as “the absolute importance of local government.” She admits, “It can get a little messy at times, but I have great respect for the people who work as municipal administrators.”

Margaret Warwick broke through a lot of barriers during her career. “In many of my positions, I was the first,” she remarks. Hired in 1979 as the Clerk/Administrator/ Treasurer of the new Village of Belcarra (population 400 at the time), she set up the municipal budget, drafted bylaws, and held her own with representatives from much larger governments within the Greater Vancouver Regional District. In 1991, Warwick became the District of West Vancouver’s first female Clerk, and notes that her colleagues initially were unsure how to treat her, never having had a woman peer before. When discussing her election as the LGMA’s first female president, she says, “I’m really proud of the fact that I broke the barrier and was able to have a number of gals follow me since. To have been a part of the early days of such an amazing organization is really pretty special.”

Commemorative Centennial Edition

AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS The LGMA has a long tradition of recognizing its members. The first life membership acknowledging exemplary service to the Association was awarded in 1939 to R.F.F. Sewell, then the Clerk of Saanich, who had been the LGMA President in 1929-1930. Currently, there are several peer-nominated awards (Distinguished Member, Professional Service and Distinguished Partner) as well as long-service recognition and several special awards.

In the 14 years the LGMA has offered scholarships, more than $170,000 has been awarded.

Several special funds encourage students to pursue post-secondary education in fields related to First Nations and local government, from planning and law to administration and policy studies.

GRANT ANDERSON COMMEMORATIVE SCHOLARSHIP (FIRST GIVEN IN 2005) Grant Anderson was one of the founders of Young Anderson, a firm that has been a huge supporter of the LGMA over the years. He specialized in local government law, with a particular interest in planning and land-use law. Beloved by everyone, Anderson died of cancer in 2003 at the age of 51. His obituary says, “His career brought him in close contact with the people and institutions of British Columbia . . . He derived great fulfillment from serving the place he loved.”

KEN DOBELL PUBLIC SERVICE EDUCATION FUND SCHOLARSHIP (FIRST GIVEN IN 2009) When former Vancouver City Manager Ken Dobell was preparing to retire, a dinner was held to recognize his long career. “Attendees contributed to a scholarship fund established in Dobell’s name to honour his enormous contribution to public service,” says Judy Rogers, his successor as City Manager. “This was instead of giving him a gift, because he would want others to benefit.”

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PRESIDENT’S AWARD (FIRST GIVEN IN 2000) The President’s Award is the highest honour that can be bestowed on an LGMA member, acknowledging a significant contribution to the field of local government and to the Association. “This award recognizes giving back to the Association on a longer-term basis, rather than to one specific project,” explains Gord McIntosh, who was the LGMA President when the award was established. Jerry Berry, then City Manager for Nanaimo, and David Morris, then Executive Director of the LGMA, won the inaugural award (called the President’s Millennium Award that year).

DISTINGUISHED MEMBERS LEGACY FUND (FIRST GIVEN IN 2009) This scholarship was created to encourage local government professionals to continue their postsecondary education and honour those who have made a significant contribution to local government. There are four members on the honour roll, all of whom were mentors, innovators and role models: • Dave Wilson, former Chief Administrative Officer and head of the Municipal Finance Authority and first inductee to the Distinguished Members Legacy Fund’s Honour Roll, who passed away in 2008; • George Paul, 1987-1988 President, who passed away in 2013; • Gerry Kingston, 2001-2002 President, who passed away in 2017; and • Gary Paget, retired in 2018 after 40 years with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

MUNICIPAL FINANCE AUTHORITY, JAMES R. CRAVEN MATI FOUNDATIONS SCHOLARSHIP FUND (FIRST GIVEN IN 2004) To honour James R. Craven, Executive Director of the Municipal Finance Authority 1984-2001, the MFA provides a grant for travel assistance to those attending the Municipal Administration Training Institute (MATI) Foundations Program. Awards are based on financial need and the distance the participant must travel to attend.

1OO Congratulations to the Local Government Management Association for 100 years of â&#x20AC;&#x153;encouraging the interchange of ideas and fostering a greater efficiency of municipal officers in the performance of their dutiesâ&#x20AC;?, consistent with the original 1919 objectJWFT of the Association!

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IMPACTFUL EVENTS During a 1964 tsunami that hit Vancouver Island’s Alberni Valley, a church was deposited in the middle of a tennis court, one block from the river.

In any stretch of 100 years, there’s bound to be a number of remarkable events, and the history of the LGMA is no exception. British Columbia’s local government professionals have guided their communities through a first century filled with opportunities and challenges.

NATURAL DISASTERS Natural disasters rarely strike with any warning, but local government staff must always be ready to provide emergency response and community support when calamities arise.

1964 Tsunami In the spring of 1964, an earthquake occurred 15 miles below Prince William Sound in Alaska. This was the most powerful quake ever recorded in North America, and the resulting tsunami wreaked havoc on Vancouver Island’s Alberni Valley.

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Jim Sawyer, a long-time LGMA member who was then the City of Alberni Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), later recalled watching the Somass River rising until it looked as though it would flow right over the lawn and into City Hall. Throughout the night, members of the fire department, the RCMP, and the Alberni Valley Rescue Squad worked to alert people and help them move to higher ground. Damage to the area, later estimated to be in the millions of dollars, was revealed in the morning, but as Sawyer says, “We’d discovered that no one had been killed, which seemed to be absolutely miraculous!”

NATURAL DISASTERS continued

Oak Bay Municipal Horse Team snow-clearing in 1916 (Courtesy of Oak Bay Archives 1994-001-022).

1996 Blizzard In late December 1996, normally temperate Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland received almost five feet of snow over four days, essentially bringing daily life to a halt. In Oak Bay, there was no blizzard plan. Bill Cochrane, Oak Bay’s CAO at the time, says, “We’d had nothing like that for 80 years.” The storm struck on a Sunday. By Tuesday, the Municipal Hall was open and Cochrane was up on its roof shoveling, while his Municipal Clerk cleared the sidewalks with a front-end loader. The municipal staff had to scramble to get streets cleared and keep residents updated, but on the bright side, “In Oak Bay Village, it was a real community atmosphere, with everybody friendly to everybody else,” says Cochrane. “During adversity, people pull together.”

2017 Fire In the summer of 2017, as wildfires began to rage, Janis Bell, CAO, Cariboo Regional District, (who was only a few months from retirement) suddenly had to deal with a state of emergency that would become one of B.C.’s worst recorded natural disasters, lasting over 70 days and resulting in evacuation orders for more than 60 per cent of the area’s population.

Bell uses the word “surreal” to describe being among the only 40 or so people left from a town of 10,000 (aside from police and wildfire service personnel). One day, she and her coworkers stood together and watched flames burning on the mountains in every direction around them. Evacuating almost everybody was only the start. As the weeks Janis Bell wore on, every day brought new problems to be solved on the fly. “You just figure out what needs to be done and make up a system to do it,” Bell explains. Nobody was forced to stay – staff volunteered to work at the Emergency Operations Centre – and the support of other B.C. local governments helped keep the core group going. “I was amazed by how many people were willing to come in here and help us,” she remarks. “There was no room for ‘who’s the manager, who’s in the union.’ It was just all hands on deck, helping each other. It’s a heck of a teambuilding experience, I can tell you that!”

Commemorative Centennial Edition

LARGE SPORTING / CULTURAL EVENTS As Jim Reed, Executive Vice President of the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, notes, “We have a special talent in Canada in terms of organizing major events.” B.C. in particular has proven itself many times over, starting with Expo 86 in honour of Vancouver’s centennial year. Like Expo, the Canada Games, Commonwealth Games and Olympics took years to plan, involved thousands of volunteers, and indelibly transformed the host community and surrounding areas. Better infrastructure, facilities, special funding, an increased profile, enhanced civic pride and greater community spirit are the legacies of these events. Expo 86 Canada Pavilion flyer

Expo 86, Vancouver, 1986 While Expo 86 was open to visitors from May through mid-October 1986, Ken Dobell became involved many years before that, after the bid had been won. “I was the Deputy City Manager in Vancouver at that time,” he says. “So I had the fun, the pleasure, the joy, the challenge of being a City liaison with Expo.” Dobell worked with the provincial government and Expo President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Pattison on various issues from building codes and transportation to managing visitor flow into and out of the event site. The numerous legacies of Expo include the Skytrain, Canada Place, BC Place and Expo Centre (now Science World), not to mention the global media coverage of the fair that, as Dobell says, “raised the profile of Vancouver to no end.”

Canada Summer Games, Kamloops, 1993 When Randy Diehl became a senior planner with the City of Kamloops towards the end of the 1980s, the town was in a deep depression. Mostly reliant on mining and forestry, the city of about 65,000 had a very difficult time in the recession of the 1980s; thousands of people left because the work had dried up.

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Needing a boost, they began promoting Kamloops as the “Tournament Capital of BC” (now the “Tournament Capital of Canada”). Hosting the Canada Summer Games in 1993 was a key part of the strategy and Kamloops’ centennial would be that same year, so the timing was ideal. People came out in droves to show their support for the bid. Today Kamloops is a revitalized community with an exceptional range of sporting facilities. Diehl says, “Without question, the 1993 Games was the catalyst to giving people a positive perspective of this town and what it could achieve through the sports industry.”

Commonwealth Games, Victoria, 1994 Sixty-three nations and territories took part in the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria. The Games’ Executive Vice President, Jim Reed, notes that it wasn’t Victoria alone, but all 13 municipalities in the Capital Regional District that contributed to the success of the event. “With over 2,500 athletes and 14,000 volunteers, it was critical to have local governments and administration on board,” he says, as well as senior levels of government. Even now, 25 years later, Reed still runs into people who express the joy of having experienced the Games. And for him personally, “It was a life experience – very complex and challenging at times – but one of the most satisfying projects I’ve been involved in.”

LARGE SPORTING/CULTURAL EVENTS continued

OLYMPIC FEVER: Left to right: Norm Letnick, MLA, KelownaLake Country; Sheila Gunn, District of Lake Country; James Baker, Mayor, District of Lake Country; Kate Berniaz, District of Lake Country; Willene Perez, District of Lake Country; Roy Forbes, 1948 Olympic gold medal in hockey; Ron Cannan, MP, Kelowna-Lake Country.

Olympics, Vancouver/Whistler, 2010 The biggest sporting event ever to hit B.C. was, of course, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Aside from being one of Canada’s showcase events, the Olympics demonstrated how local government can work with a wide range of stakeholders to produce something incredible. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Judy Rogers, Vancouver City Olympic and Paralympic Manager in 2010, receiving Winter Games (VANOC) a LGMA Member Award from former President Gord Horth included municipal in 2007. representatives from Vancouver and Whistler as well as from the federal and provincial governments, First Nations, the Canadian Olympic Committee and more. Together they created a multi-party agreement with clearly delineated roles and responsibilities and a shared vision. Judy Rogers, Vancouver City Manager at the time, served on the Board of Directors for both the bid committee and VANOC, the organizing committee. She says one of the keys to Vancouver’s successful bid was the philosophy of inclusion that was adopted early on. For example, the Legacies Now program made money available to communities throughout the province to invest in developing their athletic capacity and facilities so they, too, could host training and events. Rather than only Vancouver getting the benefit, Rogers says, “We worked hard to make it grassroots across B.C.”

In Whistler, one of the important Games outcomes was the Shared Legacies Agreement, which among other things returned a land parcel of 300 acres of Crown land to the neighbouring Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations. Bill Barratt, then Whistler’s CAO, worked closely with representatives from the First Nations on the negotiations, which strengthened the relationship between the resort and its neighbours to the north and helped to boost economic opportunities for First Nations. “It was one of those deals where not everyone got what they wanted, but everyone was happy,” says Barratt.

Canada Winter Games, Prince George 2015 Jim Martin, CAO of the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, believed hosting the 2015 Canada Winter Games would be a good way to boost Prince George’s civic pride. “I thought it would elevate the community,” says Martin. He was proved right when the committee to award the Games came to check out the city, and people stood shoulder to shoulder downtown to show their enthusiasm. In a great demonstration of northern cooperation, the City of Fort St. John offered its world-class indoor speed skating oval as a backup venue in case of unfavourable weather at Prince George’s outdoor facility. The athletes ended up travelling the five hours north so they could compete indoors, and Fort St. John got to share in the Games. “I have an even greater appreciation for the importance of our communities, where we have local governments, we have non-profit groups, we have different government agencies at the federal and provincial level,” says Martin. “And when you can pull them all together, you can do some really amazing things.” Commemorative Centennial Edition

Members of the Dewdney Alouette Regional District Board, November 1967.

UNIQUELY B.C. Two of the most interesting and impactful pieces of legislation surrounding local government came into being in 1965: the Instant Towns Act and the amendment to the Municipal Act that established regional districts. Both of these made-in-B.C. local government models have had their share of challenges but have also yielded many longlasting benefits.

Creation of Regional Districts Until 1965, most rural areas of British Columbia had no local government. The provincial government provided local services (including policing, water and sewer, landuse planning, street lighting, fire protection and more) to rural areas. With B.C.’s population growing rapidly, the government sought ways to alleviate strain on its resources and increase the ability of unincorporated areas to provide services, manage growth and plan for the future. A solution was devised by then Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Campbell and Deputy Minister Everett Brown in consultation with others: a new form of local government called a regional district. “The regional district is a federation of municipalities and rural territory,” says Gary Paget, former planner and advisor in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

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There are now 27 regional districts covering the entire province, including its major cities. Beyond mandating cooperation between neighbouring municipal and unincorporated rural areas, the legislation that created regional districts contained little direction as to what each one should do. The intention was for the regions to fill their own service needs through municipal-rural (or inter-municipal) collaboration and consensus.

Dan Campbell was Minister of Municipal Affairs when regional districts were introduced in B.C.

Stewart Fleming, hired in 1967 as the Fraser-Fort George Regional District’s first CAO, noted that the biggest challenge was the newness of the whole thing. “The rules were not restrictive – you just used your imagination,” says Fleming. A regional district can provide services as big as a water and sewage treatment facility or as small as a dog park in a rural village. No other province has anything like this “doit-yourself ” system of government that delivers immense flexibility and adaptability.

UNIQUELY B.C. continued

Creation of Instant Towns

Port Alice, shown below in 2008, began as a village created in 1917 to serve a pulp mill.

Company towns were common throughout Canada in the 19th and 20th centuries. These towns are centred around one resource or product (often a mining or timber concern) and are mostly owned by one company, which is also the primary employer – and which can shut the operation down when it’s no longer profitable, leaving a ghost town behind. British Columbia created the idea of “instant towns” in response to this phenomenon. Instead of being essentially a private enterprise, instant towns are designed to attract a more stable workforce by having a municipal government to provide services and a degree of civic planning. While 11 instant towns were created in the 1960s and 1970s, a second wave began in the 1980s with Tumbler Ridge, which was established in 1981 for coal mining. After joining the Ministry of Municipal Affairs as a planner in 1977, Paget got involved very early on with Tumbler Ridge. Everything in the community was planned from scratch: neighbourhoods, roads, schools, pathways, recreation facilities, shopping, a medical centre, a community/recreation centre and a town hall. “We tried to build it so that, from a social side, people would be committed to the community, so that when the down-cycle came along they didn’t just pack up and leave” says Paget.

PORT ALICE: B.C.’S FIRST INSTANT TOWN Gail Lind, a long-time resident and former CAO of Port Alice, recounts that that this village on western Vancouver Island was created in 1917 by two brothers who purchased a pulp mill and set about building a community around it. In the early days, it wasn’t reachable by road; all supplies and travellers arrived by tugboat, barge or floatplane. Eventually there were plenty of amenities including a movie theatre, tennis court, wading pool, school, library, community hall, hotel, Legion and even a bowling alley. The company decommissioned much of the old townsite in the 1960s and partnered with the provincial government to build a new village about five kilometres from the mill. This is how, in 1965, Port Alice became B.C.’s first instant town.

NISGA’A TREATY In 1998, British Columbia’s first modern-day treaty was signed by the Nisga’a First Nation, the Government of Canada and the Province of B.C. Although their traditional territory in the northwestern Nass River valley had been declared Crown land when Darlene Morgan B.C. joined Canada in 1871, the Nisga’a had never ceded their title. received the Distinguished The Nisga’a Final Agreement, Member Award in which came into effect in 2000, 2017. provided financial reparations and recognized the Nation’s right to communal ownership and self-governance of their lands and the resources contained within them.

Darlene Morgan, Chief Administrative Officer of the Nisga’a Village of Gitlaxt’aamiks since 2004, says, “It’s amazing what we can do because we’re in treaty.” Taxation was phased in as part of the treaty, with a social services tax established in 2008, personal income tax in 2013 and property tax in 2015. This helps with capacity building, which is desperately needed and has been Morgan’s focus throughout her 40-year career in First Nations governance. Although it took time for Morgan’s staff to throw off the shackles of the Indian Act and begin a new way of doing business through municipal-governance training, the treaty is the instrument by which the Nisga’a can finally take charge of their future.

Commemorative Centennial Edition

WEATHERING FINANCIAL DOWNTURNS B.C. has weathered its share of economic hard times over the past century. During the Great Depression, municipalities, not the federal government, were expected to support the unemployed. This was difficult to do when the main source of revenue was property taxes and people were defaulting on their payments. Under this heavy burden, five B.C. municipalities declared bankruptcy: Prince Rupert, Burnaby, Merritt, and both the City and the District of North Vancouver. In response to these events, the Department of Municipal Affairs was established in 1934. Through numerous name changes over the years, the Department of Municipal Affairs has been a crucial supporter of the LGMA’s mission to train and support the local government profession. In mid-2008, B.C.’s economy once again experienced turmoil driven by the collapse of the real-estate market in the United States and a global financial crisis.

During the Great Depression, municipalities, not the federal government, were expected to support the unemployed.

Demonstrators in the Lower Mainland during the Great Depression, 1938.

The impact on individual communities varied, but thanks to the Municipal Finance Authority (MFA), local governments were still able to borrow money. In B.C.’s unique collaborative borrowing model, all local governments are jointly and severally responsible for any debt undertaken by any one municipality. “The MFA is a prime example of cooperation among local governments, how by all working together and collectively being very fiscally responsible works for the benefit of all,” says Shelley Hahn, Director of Business Services for the MFA. It has resulted in the province (via the MFA) having the highest credit rating and the lowest interest rates of all Canadian provinces.

TUMBLER RIDGE: A RECOVERY STORY

This coal-mining community received a shock in 2000, when the District’s Quintette mine announced it was closing, throwing many residents out of work and instantly reducing the District’s tax base by over 50 per cent.

The Mayor, Council and District administration went into damage-control mode. The Peace River Regional District and neighbouring municipalities reached out to help, and the Tumbler Ridge Revitalization Task Force was up and running within weeks.

Fred Banham, then CAO for the District of Tumbler Ridge, recalls, “At the time, it was like the whole world was crumbling down around us.”

Amazingly, within months, thanks to the efforts of this brain trust, the District had settled its housing problems, set up a transition plan, paid off its debt and begun creating new economic opportunities.

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Our Objective is Simple: Exceed your Expectations.

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Commemorative Centennial Edition

PATH TO PROGRAMMING 1961 Annual Conference

Training, skill development, certification, professionalization and education have been on every LGMA meeting agenda since its founding in 1919. Each decade has seen an improvement and expansion of the Association’s offerings, from partnerships with educational institutions in the early days through to today’s sophisticated suite of training options.

The LGMA’s educational model relies on experienced practitioners to deliver training on highly technical subjects – like freedom of information, drafting bylaws, reviewing subdivision applications, etc. – and on developing leadership skills, both of which help people do their jobs better. LGMA members help design and teach courses in response to the changing needs of their colleagues.

CONFERENCES Since the LGMA’s inception, the annual conference has always been a key opportunity for local government professionals to build strong working relationships, gain new skills and knowledge, and share information with each other. LGMA annual meetings were held during Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conventions for the Association’s first 20 years.

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Then, in 1939, 48 members gathered in Victoria for the LGMA’s first stand-alone conference, which was sponsored by the Department of Municipal Affairs. For the next three decades, even during the Second World War, yearly conferences took place in Victoria. (The only cancellation was in 1948 when there was severe flooding in the Fraser River Valley.)

CONFERENCES continued

In 1969, the delegates gathered in Penticton after a decision was made to move the event around the province from year to year. This was done to make it easier, at least some of the time, for attendees from more remote areas to reach the conference. The change doubtless increased collegiality and intramunicipal knowledge by allowing local government officials to visit other municipalities and learn more about their situations. The conference has expanded greatly over the years, with the gradual addition of keynote speakers, specialized pre-conference sessions on a variety of topics, and a jampacked schedule of educational sessions and forums. Topics addressed at the conferences have often been ahead of their time, like a panel on electronic data processing in 1968, a presentation on metric conversion in 1974, a session on stress and relaxation in 1978, a word-processing seminar in 1979, and “E-commerce: the Coming Wave” in 2000. Conferences are where some of the Association’s most interesting ideas come from. For example, Stephen Lewis’s passionate keynote speech in Kelowna in 2006 inspired the LGMA to help build local government capacity overseas. This led to the LGMA’s involvement in Tanzania and other countries. The scope of the LGMA’s annual conference has changed enormously since that first meeting in 1919.

Computers being used to register LGMA Annual Conference delegates in the 1970s.

The 13 people who founded the Association would certainly admire the interchange of ideas that happens at every LGMA gathering, and the way the group still strives toward “the more efficient performance of their duties.”

Annual Conferences introduce members to the latest innovations in local government. Above, an excerpt from a 1979 word-processing seminar.

Commemorative Centennial Edition

Bob Graham presenting at an LGMA training session, 1975.

TRAINING Commitment to training has been a hallmark of the LGMA. In 2008, then-President Elsie Lemke wrote, “We continue to strengthen our partnerships with communities and educational institutions by collaborative planning and hosting of training and educational opportunities whenever possible.” As early as 1943, the Board made a resolution requesting “the Executive to consider the question of arranging an educational course for men desirous of entering the Municipal field.” With the input of the LGMA and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, the University of British Columbia began to offer two- and four-year correspondence courses in municipal administration that continued for over a dozen years. Over the next several decades, various programs, courses, certificates and degrees in local government were delivered by the University of BC as well as the University of Victoria, Camosun College, Capilano College, the BC Institute of Technology (BCIT) and Malaspina College (now Vancouver Island University), all of which were watched over with interest – and varying degrees of hands-on involvement – by the LGMA. In the 1970s, the LGMA received a $100,000 grant to further the efforts for education for local government professionals. The Association partnered with UBCM and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to support the BC Municipal Education Council in 1975 to develop recommendations for new training options.

Exchange – Summer 2019

After taking an in-depth look at the state of municipal government staffing, the Council reported with alarm in 1976:

It is not an exaggeration to state that a crisis situation now exists in the lack of suitably qualified management and supervisory staff in the municipalities of the province. Therefore, any solutions to be proposed, either for education or recruitment, must be capable of almost immediate implementation and require as little lead time as possible. Action was needed – and action was taken. The BC Municipal Education Council recommended an orientation course (which would later become MATI Foundations), a vocational study course, a mainstream formal program and short-term intensive workshops to support continuing education. By the early 1980s, courses were being offered at BCIT, Camosun College and Malaspina College, and individual Chapters were putting on seminars and workshops on issues of interest to their members, based on demand from local membership and funded by the LGMA.

TRAINING continued

The Association focused intently on education in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, which led to the hiring of employees to support the considerable volunteer efforts by members. At the same time, B.C.’s educational institutions began to develop their own courses in leadership and public administration, and today there are many options for people wishing to build a career in local government. LGMA volunteers, including former President Ron Poole, were heavily involved in bringing public administration core courses to Northwest Community College (now Coast Mountain College) in Terrace in 2008. “The program has a very clear First Nations component,” says Poole. Students can apply this training right away or use it as a basis for an advanced degree. Darlene Morgan, Chief Administrative Officer of the Nisga’a Village of Gitlaxt’aamiks appreciates that northern residents can now access training closer to home. “I now have 29 from this office that have gone to MATI or the PADM course,” says Morgan. “That’s one of the best things we could have done for this organization. The change that has happened is unbelievable.”

First MATI Community Planning for Non Planners, 2008.

Certification and the Board of Examiners In 1948, the provincial government set up a Board of Examiners (BOE) consisting of one member each from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) and the LGMA to provide academic accreditation and certificates in local government. This was a key milestone in the recognition of local government as a profession. Former LGMA President Ron Poole, who has been the LGMA representative on the BOE for several years, explains: “Our main role is to provide certification to local government professionals around the province, as well as scholarship funding that assists people to obtain training at B.C. institutions, with preference given to those pursuing certification.” The LGMA also grants its own scholarships separately from the BOE.

The four modern BOE certificates are Local Government Service Delivery, Local Government Administration, Local Government Statutory Administration and Local Government Executive Management. Corporate Officers also have the option to obtain a Certified Municipal Clerk or Master Municipal Clerk designation through the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). For decades, B.C. professionals who wished to obtain either of these designations had to go to Washington state for recognized training. In 2002, LGMA courses, including MATI, received IIMC status, so people no longer had to leave the province to obtain this official designation.

Commemorative Centennial Edition

First MATI cohort, 1983 in Victoria.

MATI – MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION TRAINING INSTITUTE In August 1983, the Municipal Administration Training Institute (MATI) – the first in-person education program designed and created by the LGMA – was held in Victoria. The roster of instructors changes every year, but as it has from the beginning, the foundational course always provides an extensive overview of virtually every facet of local government administration. That first five-day residential program, now known as MATI Foundations, ushered in a whole new era of training for B.C.’s local government professionals. After the first MATI success, the LGMA Board immediately began talking about developing a second MATI course. A steering committee of volunteers was set up and work began. MATI has now become the LGMA’s flagship educational offering; seven courses focusing on various specific aspects of the profession have now been developed. MATI gained an invaluable ally in the early 1990s when Linn Teetzel, Program Coordinator at Capilano College (now Capilano University), was tasked with creating a public administration course.

“Everything I heard, everything I learned, even what I didn’t necessarily agree with, was relevant to what I do and/or what I care about.” MATI participant

Exchange – Summer 2019

She was invited to work with the LGMA’s MATI 2 steering committee to develop the program, and fondly recalls brainstorming ideas with committee members in Vancouver City Manager Judy Rogers’ office. “I really like developing stuff – that was the most fun for me, so I just kept working on new ones,” says Teetzel. She partnered with LGMA volunteers, and later on LGMA Executive Director Tom MacDonald, to build and deliver several more MATI programs. In June 1997, in partnership with Capilano College, the first MATI 2 (today known as MATI Leadership in Local Government Organizations) was held on Bowen Island. It was aimed at people already working in B.C. local government who wanted to improve and practise their skills as leaders. Like its predecessor, this week-long course provided valuable tools and inspiration. One participant said, “Everything I heard, everything I learned, even what I didn’t necessarily agree with, was relevant to what I do and/or what I care about.” Then came more partnerships with Capilano College: MATI 3 Advanced Communications in 2002; MATI 4 Managing People in Local Government Organizations in 2006; MATI 5 Community Planning for Non-Planners in 2008; and MATI The Successful CAO, first held in 2015. The LGMA also developed and launched the MATI School for Statutory Approving Officers in 2010. The success of the MATI model depends on the input of experienced people working in the field, both to design the programs and to teach the courses.

CAO & Other Forums Former LGMA President Gord McIntosh was on the LGMA Board for seven years while he was Executive Director of the Islands Trust, and during that time he saw a need for a colloquium just for CAOs. He envisioned a small, intimate event which he describes as having “no talking heads, no speakers, just CAOs coming together to identify issues they wanted to talk about.” First MATI Approving Officers cohort, 2010.

MATI continued

Collaborative volunteerism is key. “I had a lot of degrees,” says Teetzel. “But I’d never actually worked in local government, so the only way I could do it was to coordinate it and to bring in the best people that I could find.” The program’s collegial atmosphere permits everyone to connect and share learning. Former LGMA President Ron Poole recalls attending an early MATI program. “I was nervous because I was a young CAO coming from a smaller community, and I felt very intimidated,” says Poole. “But I quickly found out how closely-knit local government is. People were there to help you, not trip you, and what I got out of it in terms of those connections – invaluable.”

E-Learning The LGMA’s distance-learning offerings have greatly improved since the various mid-20th-century correspondence courses offered by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, University of BC and University of Victoria. In 2012, President Alberto De Feo noted that “the LGMA provides a very successful series of webinars twice a year on a variety of strategic topics,” and webinars today continue to be well received. As well, students keep in touch between courses via email and other online tools.

The first CAO Forum was held in Whistler in 1998. It opened with a group session where people could bring up situations they were facing, then they broke into smaller groups to share and brainstorm strategies around those topics. “It was very much a dialogue,” says McIntosh. This open-discussion “Nuts and Bolts” session is still one of the highlights of every CAO Forum. This format has since expanded to include forums for other local government professional groups including Corporate Officers and administrative staff. When Greg Betts was a CAO he was faced with multiple challenges but at the Nuts and Bolts session during his first CAO Forum, he learned he wasn’t alone. “Nothing I learned in university or sitting in on administrative meetings prepared me for being a CAO,” says Betts. He describes sitting in a big circle with 30 or 40 CAOs. There was no agenda, and anyone who wanted to throw out a topic to get some sage advice was free to do so. Another CAO opened up about his own challenges, which were very similar to those experienced by Betts. “It was a cathartic experience,” he recalls. “The empathy that poured out, and the support and strategies – it was just an amazing collegial atmosphere that only someone who’s been a CAO and been in that position could fully understand.”

The first fully online training program was launched in 2018, functioning like a virtual classroom with faculty, cohort peers and reviewed assignments. One participant in this course remarked, “This was my first online course. It was very easy to access the material and, given the scope of how many people from different locations were able to participate, it ran very smoothly.”

CAO Forum in 2017.

Commemorative Centennial Edition

COMMUNICATIONS | TRAINING | CONSULTING

Congratulations LGMA on your 100th Anniversary!

'ŝǀĞ ǇŽƵƌ ŽƵŶĐŝů͕ ŽĂƌĚ ĂŶĚ ƐƚĂī ƚŚĞ ĞĚŐĞ ƚŚĞǇ ŶĞĞĚ ƚŽ ďŽŽƐƚ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚǇ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ĂŶĚ ďƵŝůĚ Ă ďĞƩĞƌ ƌĞƉƵƚĂƟŽŶ͘ ŽŽŬ :ĂŶ͛Ɛ ƉŽƉƵůĂƌ ŵĞĚŝĂ͕ ŵĞƐƐĂŐŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ƐŽĐŝĂů ŵĞĚŝĂ ƚƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ Žƌ ĞŶŐĂŐĞ ŚĞƌ ĐƌĞĂƟǀĞ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟŽŶƐ ĐŽŶƐƵůƟŶŐ ƚĞĂŵ ƚŽĚĂǇ͊ CONTACT JAN ͗ ũĂŶΛũĂŶĞŶŶƐ͘ĐŽŵ T: 250-769-3627 t͗ ũĂŶĞŶŶƐ͘ĐŽŵ

The MFA has been providing wnancial solutions for BC’s Local Governments since 1970 and has supported the LGMA and its chapters since it was established. Infrastructure Financing ³ Short-term Loans ³ Equipment Financing ³ Pooled Investment Funds ³ Pooled High Interest Savings Accounts ³

Our Bonds Build BC

A Toast to LGMA GovLaw celebrates you at QWT PGY -GNQYPC 1ǥEG

Phone:

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(250) 590-1840 | Email: RIÀFH#JRYODZ FD

Congratulations to the Local Government Management Association of BC for Celebrating 100 Years! Prince George looks forward to welcoming LGMA delegates in October 2019 and June 2021. See you soon!

Proud partner of the LGMA for the past 32 years. Congratulations on your 100 year milestone!

Commemorative Centennial Edition

LGMA MILESTONES Board of Examiners established with one member each from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, UBCM and the LGMA to provide accreditation and certificates in local government

1948 LGMA develops first training courses outside of its annual conferences

1943 Two-year course in Municipal Administration offered

First LGMA Annual Conference (independent of UBCM) held in Parliament Building in Victoria

1939 Local Government Management Association of BC, then called the Municipal Officersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association of BC, was founded at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Convention in North Vancouver.

OCT 8 1919

Exchange â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Summer 2019

LGMA publishes the first edition of Bulletin, a quarterly news publication

First job posting circular

1965

1972

1920 First LGMA Annual Meeting held in Nelson alongside UBCM

1951

1975 New educational courses offered at BCIT and Malaspina College (now Vancouver Island University)

LGMA, its members, and local government partners celebrate 100 years of professional development support and educational training Municipal Officers’ Association of BC changes its name to the Local Government Management Association of BC and unveils a new logo

2019

2008 2000

The First LGMA website is launched on Civicnet

Current logo and branding for LGMA is launched

1994 First manual developed – the Records Management Manual

1991 Incorporates as a not-for-profit association, creates its first official logo, and adopts its first Code of Ethics

First Municipal Administration Training Institute (MATI) is held in Victoria

1985

First full-time employee hired – Administrative Education Officer

1980 1983

Commemorative Centennial Edition

MEMBERS SUPPORTING MEMBERS LGMA members are quick to volunteer and offer assistance.

LGMA members are always coming up with great ideas and then bringing them to fruition, but they are prone to saying things like: I worked with so-and-so on this project . . . I couldn’t have done it on my own . . . I don’t want to be given all the credit . . . I was just bringing up an idea from the members . . .

I had an awesome board . . . It was a group effort . . . No idea is ever just one person’s . . . We all agreed . . .

Collaboration is the secret to the LGMA’s success and longevity over the past 100 years – a powerful combination of volunteerism, networking and mentorship. It’s this foundation that continues to sustain the strength of the organization even today. As Tom MacDonald, LGMA Executive Director from 2003 to 2013 put it, “It is most rewarding to periodically put out a call for volunteers and then be inundated with responses from members who want nothing more than to contribute to the learning of their peers just because they feel it’s the right thing to do.” Active LGMA members in 1981.

Exchange – Summer 2019

VOLUNTEERISM Volunteers have always been the lifeblood of the LGMA. In 1989, LGMA historian Roger Chester extolled the group’s “hard-working, dedicated committee members who met regularly to address many issues of importance to the professional development of the membership.” Former LGMA President Paul Murray explains that in the early days of the LGMA, everything was done by volunteers, but over time “the Association has evolved in a way that allows folks to participate and help in different ways; the commitment doesn’t have to be all-consuming and forever.” He notes that the gradual addition of staff since Sandra Allen, the first Educational/Administrative Officer, was hired in 1985 made it easier and much more professional, but that the structure still allows volunteerism to continue. The LGMA’s structure relies on volunteers at every level. Regional LGMA Chapters were established (beginning in 1964 with the North Central Chapter) to provide more opportunities for local government professionals to connect with colleagues in their region and gain new skills and knowledge through workshops and seminars.

Former LGMA historian Roger Chester, pictured above (far right) at the 1961 Annual Conference, extolled the hard-working, dedicated committee members.

Getting involved in the regional Chapter executive has been a launching point for many of the LGMA’s most active and effective members over the years. “It’s a great way of serving the profession and the Association because it helps you gain a knowledge and understanding of issues around the province,” says Alberto de Feo, former LGMA President. In 2008, de Feo became an LGMA Director at Large, then moved through the Second Vice-President, First Vice-President, President and Past-President roles. “Being President is not a one-person effort, but rather a way of showing that you’ve spent a few years helping your peers to do certain things and further the good work of the Association,” says de Feo. Like most LGMA volunteers, he notes that he has gotten a lot out of volunteering. “It’s not [just] what you bring to the table but also what you gain from the table,” adds de Feo. MATI instructors have primarily been volunteers. “The thing that really surprised me was how open people within the local government community were to coming and teaching,” says Linn Teetzel, former Capilano College Program Coordinator. “I think in all the hundreds and hundreds of people that I invited, only two said they couldn’t come.”

Former LGMA President Alberto de Feo presenting Habraham Shamumoyo with a President’s Award in 2013.

Elsie Lemke, former LGMA President and MATI Chair for The Successful CAO, sums it up like this: “When we live in it every day and love it, like you know so many of us do, there’s nothing better than to be able to give back to the ones who are still on that path.”

Commemorative Centennial Edition

MENTORSHIP AND NETWORKING In an organization this collegial, it’s impossible to disentangle volunteerism, mentorship and networking – and all three are also interwoven with the LGMA’s training model. Many people in local government mention that they can just pick up the phone and connect with a counterpart somewhere else when they need advice or perspective. Sharing information and hard-won knowledge is a key to the Association’s success. “Every day I learn more and more that there is nothing I’m dealing with that somebody else hasn’t thought about, touched, felt, discussed, or maybe done a portion of,” notes Duncan Redfearn, CAO of Dawson Creek. In response to perceived need and member interest, the Association has experimented with structured mentoring programs over the years, including the Mentor Access Program launched in 1993 and the Peer Support Group of the early 2000s. While these programs no longer exist, countless successful informal mentoring relationships are alive and well within the Association.

These often begin – and are reinforced – at LGMA Chapter meetings, conferences, MATI programs and forums. One formal networking/mentoring program that has persisted is TeamWorks, which was launched in the early 2000s with significant start-up support from the City of Richmond. Today, TeamWorks uses the LGMA network on a project-by-project basis to pair local governments in need of specific expertise with other local governments who are willing to share that knowledge.

Mentor Musings In 2014, former LGMA President Tim Wood and former Executive Director Tom MacDonald prepared a MATI-program mentor manual that defines mentors as “experienced, trusted advisors or counselors who have successful careers and proven track records.” Currently, MATI mentors are the LGMA’s only official mentors. These experienced professionals – all volunteers, one per MATI session – play a key role in assisting students to get the most out of their time in the immersive residential program.

EXTREME MENTORING Williams Lake CAO Milo Macdonald and his Cariboo Regional District counterpart, Janis Bell, had to work very closely together during the extended emergency created by the 2017 fires in their region. Fairly new to being a CAO, Macdonald was thankful to be able to lean on Bell’s expertise. “It was a really cooperative process because although we shared the same interests on most things, there were still some things we needed to compromise on or find solutions

Exchange – Summer 2019

that worked for both communities, and she is really, really good at that,” says Macdonald. He adds, “It was only natural that we would work hard to stay on the same page. And that was harder than it sounds! There were days when we were on the phone probably 30 times, and I bet that’s not even an exaggeration, to the extent that once it was over, it felt weird not to talk to her every single day.”

MENTORSHIP AND NETWORKING continued

The MATI mentor, who attends for the entire six days, participates in the sessions and advises the students on any issues or challenges they may be having, whether with the course material or in their careers. Ron Mattiussi, long-time LGMA member, has developed content for MATIs and mentored at many sessions. “The mentor’s main role is to be there through the week, as an experienced practitioner so people become familiar with you and might feel comfortable sharing their concerns,” says Mattiussi. “Informal discussions with a few colleagues and the MATI mentor, which spring up organically outside of the official sessions, are a combination of mentoring and building the students’ peer network.” Here, some LGMA members share their mentorship experiences. ******* Former LGMA President Alberto de Feo has mentored a number of local government colleagues over the years. In fact, the 2018-2019 President is one of de Feo’s staff members at the District of Lake Country: Mark Koch, Director of Community Services. With de Feo’s encouragement, Koch became a member of the LGMA Board several years ago. “I think it’s kind of cool to have two people from the same organization be President at two crucial points in LGMA history: one to choose the new Executive Director [Nancy Taylor was hired while de Feo was President], and the other to lead the 100th anniversary,” says de Feo. *******

Members sharing their knowledge with each other at MATI in 1998.

Former LGMA President Ron Poole sees himself as a young CAO reflected in the new faces of every MATI class he teaches. He attended MATI as a learner in 1995 and says that’s why he continues to this day to mentor. “What did I want to know back then?” he says. “That’s usually what drives what I teach.” He also makes a point of introducing his students with similar jobs or from the same regions to each other, knowing that they may be feeling nervous and that making even one connection can help. “If you can put them at ease right away, they can start to get some really valuable information.” Poole also hosts a quarterly early-morning conference call that’s open to the 80 or so CAOs who’ve taken MATI The Successful CAO program to date. Usually some other seasoned CAOs are there with Poole to offer advice on specific topics, and there’s also a period for open questions and input. ******* When Duncan Redfearn first entered local government in Dawson Creek, he had two valuable mentors: thenCAO Jim Chute and his own dad, Mike Redfearn, who at the time was the CAO of Chetwynd. At the 2009 LGMA annual conference, the younger Redfearn got to see his father in action and was struck by the amount of respect shown to key leaders, including his dad and others from northern communities. “You could almost call them entrepreneurs, within the CAO ranks,” says Redfearn.

LGMA 2018-2019 President Mark Koch with Ron Mattiussi, recipient of the 2018 President’s Award.

Now that Duncan Redfearn is CAO of the City of Dawson Creek, he encourages his staff to participate in the opportunities provided by the LGMA. He’s excited by the future of local government, citing innovative, entrepreneurial CAOs who are “paving new ground and forming new paths of what a municipality can do and what a CAO can do within that municipality in working with Council.”

Commemorative Centennial Edition

NETWORKING The LGMA supports a number of formal networking resources, many of which evolved out of members’ suggestions.

Approving Officers Network Each municipality in B.C. must appoint a Statutory Approving Officer. This position, independent from municipal administration and Council, was established in the 1920s. The person in this officially mandated role approves or denies the subdivision of land parcels. A large number of factors must be considered, ranging from provincial regulations and local bylaws to whether the land is subject to undermining or some other dangerous condition, yet in smaller communities this position was often filled by someone with limited experience. Bill Lindsay became the Approving Officer for the District of Invermere in the mid-1980s, at a time he says there was little in the way of advice for approving officers – they were on their own. Even though Lindsay had planning experience, he still felt the weight of responsibility for making the right decisions. He explains, “If parcels are not developed properly, they’re going to come back and cause the municipality headaches. Once I sign them, the municipality is on the hook if something comes to light that I didn’t pick up on.”

Thanks to dedicated committee members and the LGMA’s support, Approving Officers in B.C. are no longer on their own – they have tools, training and a network of peers.

LGMA programming for Approving Officers has also been taken up by provincial approving officers responsible for subdivision approvals in rural areas and by staff responsible for managing subdivision in Treaty First Nations, providing an opportunity for sharing of ideas across jurisdictions. Thanks to Lindsay and other dedicated committee members, and the LGMA’s support, Approving Officers are no longer on their own – they have tools, training and a network of peers.

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Networks

Lindsay thought it would be a good idea for Approving Officers to meet and talk so they could share information and support. In 1992, the Approving Officers Manual Steering Committee was launched, with Lindsay chairing a group of planners, professional engineers and lawyers from various locations in the province. The next year was the first Approving Officers Seminar – a one-day workshop in advance of the LGMA’s annual conference that attracted 100 Approving Officers. In 1994, the first Guide for Approving Officers was launched.

Being a CAO can be a tough job. With around a 30 per cent turnover in local government administrators in the province after elections, one CAO describes the position as having “all of the job security of an NHL coach.” Another says simply, “Life expectancy in the position is not very high.”

The guide is on its fifth edition, the one-day seminar is still a well-attended event, and in 2010, training for Approving Officers expanded into a week-long residential training program: the MATI School for Statutory Approving Officers.

The Group of Seven was an informal group-within-agroup formed somewhere in the 1990s. As former LGMA President Ron Born recalls, seven CAOs from similarsized communities (Kelowna, Kamloops, Prince George, Victoria, Richmond, and others) all decided it would be good to share information and talk about common issues.

Exchange – Summer 2019

For this reason, several CAO-focused initiatives have sprung up within the LGMA in addition to the CAO Forum.

Women in Leadership Forums were held from 2004 to 2015. MENTORSHIP AND NETWORKING continued

The group eventually grew to include about 10 members, but it gradually disbanded as people began to retire. Until then, though, they were always available to each other by phone or email for advice, and once a year they would meet in one of their cities and spend a full day together sharing ideas and issues. Born notes that he once sent the group an urgent question during a Council meeting and was able to share the correct answer with his Council in no more than 30 seconds. Born recommends the practice to current LGMA members. “It doesn’t matter what size community you’re in or even what position you’re in,” says Born. “Just get hold of other people in similar-sized communities at your level and communicate. It definitely worked for us, and I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work for other people, too.”

CAO Breakfast Former LGMA President Mark Brown recalls that after the CAO Forum had become an annual event, there seemed to be a need for more than one meeting in a year with the CAOs, in addition to the one in February. They decided that since most CAOs attended the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention in the fall, they should get together then, and the CAO Breakfast was born. “We limited it to 30 CAOs at first to create an atmosphere more conducive to discussion,” says Brown. “But after a couple of years the cap was lifted and there was no turning back.” The event has run every year since 2001 and always sells out quickly.

Women in Leadership In her early years as an LGMA Board member, Elsie Lemke (who would become the 2007-2008 LGMA President) spoke on behalf of many of the LGMA’s female membership when she suggested developing more networking and leadership training opportunities for women in the profession.

Elsie Lemke

She brought the idea up at her very first Board meeting after being elected as a Director at Large, created an action plan with some other Board members and LGMA staff, and in October 2004, the first Women in Leadership Forum was held at Harrison Hot Springs. Probably because there were far fewer women in senior leadership positions at the time, Lemke notes that there was a ton of interest from the women in the profession. “We brought in women from other organizations, other walks of life, to talk about their journey in leadership and what that looked like, and we heard such amazing, inspiring stories,” adds Lemke. Lemke reflects on the changing role of women in the LGMA: “The very first woman president, Margaret Warwick, was in 1995-1996.” There were two more female presidents before Lemke, and since her term there have been as many women LGMA presidents as men. The forum has not been held since 2015 because by then members felt it had fulfilled its purpose. “I can guarantee every one of the women who subsequently became president came to those forums, maybe not every year, but they all attended them,” Lemke says. “I would really like to think that how the LGMA embraced the importance of women in these roles did play a role in women stepping forward.”

Commemorative Centennial Edition

WE VALUE OUR PARTNERS

LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS Congratulations LGMA on your 100 years! Join the hundreds of local government employees around the province who have taken our public administration courses.

Fall 2019 Courses (starting in September):

Ω PADM 200 Local Government Administration in BC – North Vancouver & Kelowna

Ω PADM 202 Local Government Finance in BC – North Vancouver

CONGRATULATIONS LGMA ON YOUR CENTENNIAL

Ω PADM 203 Municipal Law in BC – Parksville Ω PADM 305 Problem Solving & Policy Writing Skills for Local Government Professionals – Kelowna

Ω PADM 307 Ethics & the Responsible Local Government Professional – North Vancouver

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First Nations 1-866-valueBC or 1-866-825-8322 x 09455 ﬁrstnations@bcassessment.ca

MATI PADM 308 MATI The Successful CAO – Advanced Course Management – November 3-8, West Kelowna

FOR COURSE DATES AND DETAILS SEE: www.capilanou.ca/local-govt

Browse our services and products for government at bcassessment.ca

Anna Delaney at adelaney@capilanou.ca

Practical Advice, Creative Options & Value for Local Government Planning, Development & Environmental Law

Happy 100th LGMA

Keep on grow ing and educatin g. Our future needs you.

Carvello Law Corporation

Civic Legal

Congratulates LGMA on its

100 th Anniversary!

Lui Carvello, RPP, MCIP Lawyer & Registered Professional Planner

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

www.carvellolaw.ca 34

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www.civiclegal.ca

PARTNERSHIPS

ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORTING VIBRANT COMMUNITIES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

Every day local governments and the work of local government professionals impact our lives. From maintaining roads, to ensuring that we have clean, safe drinking water, to supporting decisions that shape the future of our communities, local governments are an essential part of a well-functioning society.

In British Columbia, there is a network of organizations that supports the entire local government sector by working collaboratively to foster excellence in local government. B.C.’s local government system is unique, not only among Canada’s provinces, but in the world. Former Executive Director of the Municipal Finance Authority and former LGMA member, James R. Craven, captured the spirit of this system when he said, “It’s remarkable to me that a place as diverse as British Columbia... is the most comprehensive of the whole country in terms of getting together and being cooperative.”

This collaborative system has evolved over the past century and has adapted to grow alongside the communities it serves. The establishment of the LGMA in 1919 was critical to the development of the concept of a local government profession – the idea that one could make a professional career of devoting oneself to the service of a local community. In an ever-changing world, the LGMA exists to foster innovative professional development and training that ensures local government professionals are well equipped to serve the needs of their communities.

Commemorative Centennial Edition

Union of BC Municipalities Founded in 1905, the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) was the first member of B.C.’s local government system, and its creation was a critical step in developing a means to represent the common interests of B.C.’s local governments. The early communities that first arose with the colonization of B.C. were largely independent and self-governing. UBCM became a common, coordinated voice for B.C. local governments.

With time, UBCM has grown to be an essential point of contact for the provincial government in its consultations with local government. UBCM’s membership includes all local governments in B.C. and eight First Nations. Since 1905, members have gathered at an annual convention to discuss and identify matters of common interest.

DID YOU KNOW? UBCM was instrumental in the conservation of Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park on Vancouver Island. In 1942 UBCM passed a motion to call on the provincial government to acquire this 157-hectare stand of old-growth forest in order that “citizens [who] are overseas fighting . . . would not regret the despoliation of these locations of natural beauty during their absence.” Today more than one million people each year visit Cathedral Grove.

Exchange – Summer 2019

PARTNERSHIPS continued

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is a core component of B.C.’s local government system. The Ministry’s role includes: • Sustaining and enhancing the core legislative framework (e.g. Community Charter); • Providing advice, managing issues and building capacity; • Providing grants and administering programs; • Exercising targeted oversight; • Building relationships and creating partnerships; and • Exercising influence to further provincial interests in an effective local government system. The provincial government established a Ministry of Municipal Affairs in the early 1930s, when the Great Depression forced five B.C. municipalities into bankruptcy. Its founding legislation made clear that the Ministry was responsible for fostering mutual understanding between the Province of B.C. and local governments by serving as a medium of communication between them. During the Depression, the Ministry focused on providing tools and advisory support to local governments as they navigated out of financial uncertainty. Support for local financial stability continued to be a key focus after the 1930s and remains a critical function today. After the Second World War, the Ministry supported B.C.’s local governments as they evolved in response to changing circumstances. It has been integral to the evolution of B.C.’s local government system beginning with: • Working with local government and system partners to create a new version of the Municipal Act in 1957; • Implementing regional districts in the 1960s (an innovative form of regional government); • Enhancing local fiscal autonomy in the 1990s; • Giving effect to the Community Charter in 2004; and • In recent years, supporting fairness in local elections with campaign contribution limits. The Ministry has undergone several variations of the name and is currently the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MAH).

From the 1930s’ Ministry of Municipal Affairs to today’s MAH, its role in the local government system has consistently demonstrated several key features, including: • Recognition of local autonomy; • Support for a shared understanding of provincial interests and local concerns; • Systematized analysis of local problems; and • A collaborative approach to problem-solving. Collaboration with the LGMA has also been a core value at MAH. In 1939, the Ministry sponsored the first stand-alone province-wide meeting of local government administrators. This was the first LGMA Annual Conference, an annual professional development and networking event that supports collaboration and continues to this day.

DID YOU KNOW? Robert Baird, former Inspector of Municipalities and a founding member of the LGMA, was named the first Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs in 1934.

Commemorative Centennial Edition

Municipal Finance Authority of BC The Municipal Finance Authority of BC (MFA) was founded in 1970 during a period of prosperity and expansion for communities across the province. Collaboration is a foundational principle for the MFA as the organization unites the collective borrowing power of nearly every local government in B.C. to ensure that all local governments in the province have access to low-cost, flexible financial services regardless of their size or location. The MFA is unique in Canada. While municipal borrowing entities exist in some other provinces, these organizations are controlled by their provincial governments. “The stuff we were doing in B.C. was ahead of its time and was quite noticed by the rest of Canada,” says James R. Craven, who was Executive Director of the MFA from 1984 to 2001. The MFA is governed by 39 members who represent all regional districts in the province. The sharing of financial risk provides a safety net for all local governments, providing confidence that if any one community stumbles, every other community in the province will be there to help pick it back up.

DID YOU KNOW? Even the smallest villages in B.C. like Zeballos (population 107) or Warfield (population 1,729) have higher credit ratings than the City of Toronto, the largest city in Canada? That’s thanks to the collaborative effort and sound financial management of the MFA.

Municipal Insurance Association of BC Founded in 1987, the Municipal Insurance Association of BC (MIABC) provides local governments with dependable property insurance, risk management support programs and expert advice. MIABC was created during the recession of the 1980s, a time when interest rates soared, reaching heights of 21 per cent, and insurance premiums and deductibles became increasingly unaffordable for many local governments. MIABC is another organization that demonstrates the collaborative effectiveness that the B.C. local government system is renowned for. Unlike commercial insurance providers, MIABC does not make a profit on insurance premiums. MIABC is a reciprocal risk pool that uses premiums to cover the cost of claims. Any surplus income from premiums is used to create investment income that is used to further reduce costs for members and to create member services and support.

Exchange – Summer 2019

DID YOU KNOW? One of MIABC’s four guiding principles is “from partnership comes power.”

PARTNERSHIPS continued

BC Assessment BC Assessment was founded in 1974 as a non-partisan, province-wide assessment authority with the goal of providing fair, standardized property assessments across the entire province. Before its establishment, each local government in B.C. was responsible for its own property assessments, which meant more than 140 different systems. “In that period of time there was tremendous growth in the province. It was a boom time in the 1970s, and there were a lot of challenges for local governments,” says Doug Rundell, former Chief Executive Officer of BC Assessment. “BC Assessment was recognized as a world leader in the development of assessment systems in the 1970s, 1980s and beyond.” Today BC Assessment provides the base for generating nearly $8 billion each year to fund the critical work that local governments perform in their communities.

DID YOU KNOW? In 1975, BC Assessment reviewed 879,000 folios? By 2010, the number of folios had grown to more than 1.5 million.

Government Finance Officers Association of BC DID YOU KNOW? In 2003 the LGMA and GFOABC were co-located and even shared the same Executive Director.

The addition of the Government Finance Officers Association of BC (GFOABC) to the B.C. local government system in 1989 represented a new step in the growth of the local government profession. Before the establishment of the GFOABC, local government Finance Officers were under the LGMA’s membership umbrella. By the 1980s, the role of a local government Finance Officer had become so complex and needed such specific professional training that the GFOABC was created to offer education and support tailored to their professional needs. Through values like professionalism, leadership and collaboration, GFOABC stands as a leading association for local government financial management in Canada. Its five-day Boot Camp program, which was launched in 2007 to help train emerging local government Finance Officers, has trained more than 300 people, contributing to the overall financial strength of B.C.’s local governments.

Commemorative Centennial Edition

CivicInfo BC The CivicInfo BC information hub was founded in 2000 to help the B.C. local government system embrace new technology and information sharing. Described as a “specialized online library and information resource,” CivicInfo gives B.C. local governments a central repository for news, information and resources for the local government sector. “It’s always been our task to stay on top of what’s current,” says Todd Pugh, Executive Director of CivicInfo BC. From helping local governments track elections data to maintaining a database of grants and functioning as a news hub, CivicInfo BC offers a variety of tools and resources for the entire local government sector. Since 2001, CivicInfo BC and the LGMA have also partnered on the BC Local Government Job Board. The Job Board helps B.C. local governments advertise jobs and find talented professionals with an interest in helping their communities. More than 40,000 career opportunities have been posted to the Job Board, making this service integral to the growth and development of the local government profession.

In addition to helping B.C. local governments attract and connect with talent, the Job Board generates revenues that are used by the LGMA and CivicInfo BC to support education, professional development and information management in the B.C. local government sector. CivicInfo is a uniquely made-in-B.C. solution to the challenges posed by the Information Age. Pugh remarks that when he travels to other provinces and discusses how B.C.’s local government system works together, “it certainly attracts attention, because not every place is like this.”

DID YOU KNOW? CivicInfo BC’s website receives more than seven million page views each year.

Local Government Leadership Academy

DID YOU KNOW? In 2006 the provincial government – in partnership with UBCM, BC Assessment, the MFA, the LGMA, MIABC, and a number of individual local governments – created an endowment to ensure that the LGLA would be able to provide ongoing yearly training opportunities for local elected officials from across the province.

Exchange – Summer 2019

The newest member of the B.C. local government system is the Local Government Leadership Academy (LGLA), founded in 2010. The LGLA supports the local government system by facilitating learning opportunities for local government and First Nations elected officials. As B.C.’s local government sector grew more complex over the past decades, elected officials were in need of new forms of support to cultivate 21st-century leadership skills. With eight core competencies (Leadership, Understanding, Accountability, Facilitation, Prioritization, Big-Picture Vision, Stewardship and Public Engagement), the LGLA offers training, education and resources designed to support excellence in local government, equipping local government leaders with the modern-day skills they need to adapt and thrive.

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www.lgma.ca or 250-383-7032 Commemorative Centennial Edition

BEYOND B.C.

LGMA staff members Ana Fuller, Tom MacDonald and Elizabeth Brennan with local government representatives from Tanzania, 2011.

ACROSS THE WORLD LGMA members have participated internationally in many Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) initiatives to strengthen community development and local governance abroad. Typically, the FCM will subsidize travel costs, and a volunteer’s home organization will grant paid time off from work, but this kind of international travel is no holiday. There are long journeys that can involve terrible roads, unfamiliar places and foods, and frequently a lack of infrastructure. Those who have participated as volunteers light up with gratitude and appreciation when talking about their experiences overseas. For all of them, it seems, the benefits of these trips outweigh the downsides.

Exchange – Summer 2019

Janette Loveys, former Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Sunshine Coast Regional District has been on multiple international capacity-building missions and says each one gives her “more opportunities to practice and build my skill set,” adding, “I always come home feeling like I made a difference, and I have more energy to carry on doing the work here back home.” Loveys has supported several staff to go overseas as well, resulting in various employees volunteering in Belize, Kiev and Nicaragua. “I truly am a champion of the opportunities for Canadians to work internationally and test their skills and build their knowledge,” adds Loveys.

ACROSS THE WORLD continued

Tanzania The LGMA’s involvement in Tanzania began with a keynote speech given by Stephen Lewis, a former Canadian politician and diplomat, at the Association’s 2006 annual general meeting. Lewis spoke about the devastating effects of the AIDS crisis in Africa and made an impassioned plea for the LGMA and its members to contribute their professional expertise and experience to help in Africa, where many municipal professionals had died, leaving communities struggling with governance. “Everybody was very moved by the keynote and wanted to do something,” says Ana Fuller, LGMA Program Manager. In December 2007, a call for volunteers who were prepared to give four to six weeks went out. A 2008 LGMA newsletter articled noted that members “lined up in droves” to volunteer. In February 2008, then LGMA President Isabell Hadford, LGMA Executive Director Tom MacDonald, LGMA member David Stuart from the District of North Vancouver, and Don Lidstone, local government lawyer, travelled with a small FCM group to Tanzania. The idea of individual members volunteering in specific municipalities in Tanzania evolved into a new initiative when the LGMA was invited to work with an organization similar to itself: the Association of Local Authorities of Tanzania (ALAT). In November 2011, MacDonald, Fuller and LGMA Program Manager Elizabeth Brennan travelled to Tanzania.

“That first mission was about figuring out the lay of the land—what was missing, what would be helpful— and then seeing if there was an appetite for it,” says Brennan. She adds that the team found that their ALAT counterparts “were getting some training from the central government but they weren’t getting the kind of training that we offer, which was hands-on, practical, technical, learn-it-and-go-out-and-do-it kind of stuff.” Fuller adds, “Our idea, which was novel to them, was ‘We put on programs, but we actually charge people to come.’ Attaching even a nominal fee shows there’s some value to it, and it’s also a way for them to make money by having volunteers come and put on courses.” The LGMA staffers suggested that ALAT start by offering a pre-conference workshop and charging people to attend. Brennan attended both this workshop and the conference to offer her assistance when needed, and in the end, ALAT put on five regional workshops very successfully with some revenue to be able to develop their next set of training programs. Until the program wrapped up in 2015, there was frequent communication between ALAT and their LGMA mentors, and Tanzanian officials attended Canadian workshops and conferences. Brennan calls it a privilege to have been involved. “All of us who had the opportunity to participate in that work – in every case, I think we took away a tremendous amount of our own learning,” adds Brennan.

Association of Local Authorities of Tanzania representatives meeting with LGMA members in Victoria in 2013.

Commemorative Centennial Edition

ACROSS THE WORLD continued

South America SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES IN LATIN AMERICA (CISAL) Between them, Fort St. John City Manager Dianne Hunter and Mayor Lori Ackerman have participated in a total of seven missions to Peru. Hunter explains that the FCM project they were involved in initially was about building capacity in local government in regions that are impacted by extractive industries, particularly mining.

There are four local governments in the area, and Hunter counselled their representatives on the importance of speaking together with a single voice when negotiating with large corporations: “Don’t settle for less,” she says. “What does the community really need? What would move the social dial?”

Having been involved in negotiations around the Site C dam near Fort St. John, Hunter and Ackerman had plenty of experience to share with municipal officials in Cusco, a predominantly Quechua-speaking region considered one of Peru’s poorest. It’s also home to a major international mining industry.

The FCM project also focused on women in leadership. Hunter feels it was inspiring for the Peruvian women to see a female Mayor and a female City Manager. “It helped them realize that maybe they could be the Mayor someday. We helped them see that there really isn’t any role that should be closed to them.”

Elkford’s CAO, Curtis Helgesen, became involved with FCM when it launched a nationwide search for Canadian mining communities to partner with mining communities in Peru and Colombia. Helgesen, a longstanding LGMA volunteer, explains that while many of the FCM international programs seek out larger municipal partners, “This one was neat because there was an opportunity for a small town to participate . . . the Council signed up” says Helgesen.

Helgesen made two visits to the Cerrejón mine in Colombia and has also gone to Peru. “We’re there to share the knowledge that we have and hopefully it will benefit them,” he says, and feels that the program “probably strengthened our relationships with the mining community in our own town” as well as raising Elkford’s profile in terms of marketing. “It’s so humbling to know that what we take for granted is valued around the world,” he adds.

Elkford CAO Curtis Helgesen (back, wearing hat) and Mayor Dean McKerracher (centre) with the staff of Manaure, Colombia.

Exchange – Summer 2019

ACROSS THE WORLD continued

Jordan

New Zealand

The LGMA’s most recent international foray has been into Jordan, where the FCM has launched the Jordan Municipal Support Project, a five-year project to improve capacity in municipal leadership and encourage increased citizen participation in community life.

In 2007, the Society of Local Government Managers of New Zealand (SOLGM) invited the LGMA to become part of its Overseas Exchange Program, and the first annual exchange took place with Ruth Malli, CAO for the Town of Ladysmith as the first LGMA participant.

Two visits by LGMA representatives in 2018 helped set up the framework for a Municipal Training Institute in Jordan based on LGMA’s principles of peer training and collaborative volunteerism.

All the participants found many similarities between New Zealand and B.C. at the governance level, as well as in terms of local government challenges and a comparable standard of living. And everyone has returned saying the experience was career-changing because of the skills and knowledge they gained through the professional exchange. Current LGMA President Mark Koch, from the District of Lake Country, went to New Zealand in 2014 with the City of Kelowna’s Ryan Smith. “Being selected to participate in the 2014 Local Government Exchange will no doubt be a career highlight for both us,” they wrote in their exchange report. “It really helped me grow as a professional, and I feel like I got so much from it,” adds Koch.

As in Tanzania, the LGMA shared its experiences and training model. “We’re not here to tell you ‘This is the way to do things.’ We have an experience and we’re happy to tell you about it,” says Brennan. “And if you think there’s value and it can be adapted and it works in your environment, wonderful.”

ACROSS CANADA The LGMA works closely with organizations across Canada. Its various committees and executive members collaborate with their counterparts in other provinces on many initiatives and projects. “As an Association, we’ve always been willing to look outward to learn and share best practices,” says Nancy Taylor, LGMA Executive Director. To this day, the LGMA maintains close relationships with associations across Canada like the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA), Local Government Administration Association of Alberta (LGAAA) and the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO). An early example of the LGMA looking beyond B.C. to other provinces was a 1940 report by LGMA Secretary Leslie Brice titled “Legislation in Other Provinces Affecting Municipal Officers.” To create the report, Brice corresponded with local governments in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba to learn how different provinces created legislation governing the appointment of municipal officials.

Recently, the LGMA partnered with CAMA and other provincial Associations to produce the “Making Life Happen” campaign, which aims to put local government on the radar of young people making career choices. “What we’re trying to do is recruit the next generation into being interested in local government or even knowing anything about local government,” says Jennifer Goodine, CAMA’s Executive Director. “We all know that students don’t become CAOs tomorrow, but we want to get them in there, even as students, working for a municipality, and then they’ll move up through the ranks.”

Commemorative Centennial Edition

LGMA IS ITS PEOPLE For more than 100 years, the LGMA, its members and its partners have worked to create a collaborative a system that supports excellence in local government. This system has found creative ways to thrive in periods of adversity and has helped to ensure that communities across the province remain strong and vibrant.

While “from partnership comes power” is a guiding principle of the Municipal Insurance Association of BC, this principle applies to the entire B.C. local government system, where success is founded upon the idea that working together benefits everyone. As the LGMA celebrates its 100th anniversary, the Board, staff and members now look forward to the next century of working with colleagues and partners, present and future, to support excellence in local government for the advantage of every citizen in this great province. In closing, the words of our members sum up the successes of the past century:

“Some of the people I’m closest to today are people I met in the original MATI program.” “It’s such an amazing network of people.” “Being part of the LGMA makes you feel like you’re not alone.”

Exchange – Summer 2019

“One of the great career experiences was being part of the LGMA.”