Exchange Summer 2016

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

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

WASTE AS A RESOURCE

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OVERSEAS EXCHANGE

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NEW LGMA BOARD

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SUMMER 2016

Sustainable Waste: Not an Oxymoron

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Sharing information and expertise helps build strong, sustainable communities.

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

VANCOUVER OFFICE

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

Professional Development 2 3 4 5 22 24

Tips & Tactics: Sustainable Waste Management Capilano University’s 20th Anniversary Programs & Events

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6 Sustainable Waste: Not an Oxymoron Learn how different areas of the province have developed their own best practices for sustainable waste management to suit their unique challenges and needs.

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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.

Waste Not. Want Not. Generating New Products from Waste

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

LGMA Office: 7th Floor 620 View Street Victoria, BC V8W 1J6 Telephone: 250.383.7032 Fax: 250.383.4879 Email: office@lgma.ca Web: www.lgma.ca Contact the Editor: Email: editor@lgma.ca

Cover Illustration: Larry Limnidis/Getty Images

Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

Local governments across B.C. are taking advantage of new technologies that turn waste into a resource to generate revenue and support their local wastediversion goals.

20 Experiencing New Zealand Linda Berg of the Haisla Nation – the first First Nation government representative selected for the Overseas Exchange program – reports on her experience in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

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22 2016-2017 LGMA Board and 2016 Award Winners Introducing your new LGMA Board and Chapter Directors, and celebrating the award winners at the Annual 2016 LGMA Conference.

IN THIS ISSUE

did not fully appreciate how important garbage and recycling services were until I started working in local government. It came as a bit of a shock when I did a survey of residents to find out what information they most wanted to receive from the City. You guessed it – garbage schedule updates. Since then, I’ve paid a lot more attention to garbage and the increased expectation for recycling. Back in the old days – so let’s say 15 years ago – our family tossed everything into the garbage. I wasn’t aware of recycling programs and wouldn’t know what to do with them even if I knew they existed. Our small family filled two garbage cans up every week and didn’t blink. When I first heard the term “zero waste” I considered it a nice ideal but unlikely in terms of any practical application.

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Jump ahead to today. We recycle everything we can, including dropping off items like electronics and paint cans at depots. We separate our food scraps. We make sure that paper, containers and glass are kept out of the garbage. We sort our refundable bottles and cans. We use one small garbage cart that is collected biweekly. We experience guilt if a recyclable item inadvertently makes its way into the garbage. We are converts to the aspiration for zero waste.

This evolution to conscientious recycling isn’t complete. I know there are holdouts. I suspect there is less personal pressure when you’re an anonymous resident in a multi-family complex with centralized collection. But I believe the pressure and the acceptance of the responsibility to recycle will continue to spread. The trick for local governments is going to be keeping up with demand.

In Sustainable Waste: Not an Oxymoron, it was interesting to see how different areas of the province have developed their own best practices to suit the needs and challenges of their communities. It’s nice to know that one solution doesn’t need to fit everyone, and that a mix of approaches can still support the same outcomes in the long term.

Even more exciting to me is the growth in new industries to turn waste into a resource that can be used and/or sold by local governments.

Instead of looking at this waste as, well, a waste, these organizations are tapping into ways to sell their waste as new products. The communities featured in Waste Not. Want Not. Generating New Products from Waste, are creating new revenue sources for their local governments to help offset their operating costs while also supporting waste-diversion goals and extending the life of their landfills. Whether its high tech or low tech, the outcomes and benefits for taxpayers and the environment are impressive. Plus, the idea of turning garbage into a product that adds value is something everyone can celebrate.

Waste management will continue to be a critical service, and residents will likely continue to list it as one of their top priorities. It’s nice to see the progress in how these services are being delivered, the progress towards waste diversion goals, and the potential for creating something new and valuable from garbage and recycling someone else has tossed out. Kudos go to the local governments embarking on these projects and the organizations that support them.

Therese Mickelson, ABC Editor Upcoming themes for Exchange: Fall 2016 Information Technology: Security and Privacy Winter 2017 Affordable Housing: Challenges and Opportunities

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT

‘Givers’ who contribute value without worrying about what they receive in return, succeed in a way that creates a ripple effect, enhancing the success of people around them.

s LGMA moves towards its 100th year in 2019, I am reminded of our roots, and in particular the foundational spirit of collaborative volunteerism that has guided us so well for many, many years. The longevity of that original spirit continues today in the strength and success of our profession.

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This past year we relied upon the collective efforts of more than 200 volunteers dedicating countless hours to deliver programs, provide professional development, mentor, coach and counsel.

Your LGMA Board, Committees and Chapters continue to grow in strength, together and working with our Executive Director Nancy and her team. We all look forward to a very positive year.

How are we so resilient and successful in the face of such a changing environment? Adam Grant’s Give and Take – Why Helping Others Drives Success provides an interesting take on successful organizations and how those positive approaches lead to lasting success: “According to conventional wisdom, highly successful people have three things in common: motivation, ability, and opportunity. If we want to succeed, we need a combination of hard work, talent, and luck. [But there is] a fourth ingredient, one that’s critical but often neglected: success depends heavily on how we approach our interactions with other people. Every time we interact with another person at work, we have a choice to make: do we try to claim as much value as we can, or contribute value without worrying about what we receive in return?”

Grant suggests that positive contributors, or ‘givers’ who contribute value without worrying about what they receive in return, succeed in a way that creates a ripple effect, enhancing the success of people around them. He notes “You’ll see that the difference lies in how giver success creates value, instead of just claiming it.”

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I am very proud to say that this is highly evident in our British Columbia local government management profession and our very own LGMA. If you’re a giver at work, you simply strive to be generous in sharing your time, energy, knowledge, skills, ideas and connections with other people who can benefit from them. This really is what that spirit of collaborative volunteerism is all about. There’s something distinctive that happens when givers succeed: it spreads and cascades. Leaders who aspire to create meaningful and sustainable changes to their environments can harness this approach to achieve collective positivity in the face of significant change pressures.

These positive approaches at work also translate into happiness at home. People who feel they have contributed to others’ wellbeing at work usually feel pretty good at the end of the day too, especially if they had reflected about their contribution in the hours after work. Bringing your work home with you can be beneficial after all – if you’re thinking about it the right way.

“No gesture is too small when done with gratitude,” wrote Oprah Winfrey. So as we move into a new year and you chart your own course to find creative means to manage change in your own organization, try this simple approach: Pay it forward by taking the five-minute favour challenge (read about it online!) and encourage your colleagues to do the same.

It’s a simple approach that can really help you and your colleagues be successful in today’s rapidly changing environment. Give it a try – it works!

Paul Murray President

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

As an association, we recognize we have an important role in building, supporting and reinforcing an ethical culture through training and professional development.

recently had the privilege of working with a local government association in Peru on a technical exchange mission under a project led by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. I was joined by a colleague from the Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario, and together we shared lessons learned and technical expertise from our respective associations over the course of a very interesting week in Lima. You will be able to learn more about the mission in the fall edition of Exchange, along with the experiences of two LGMA members who provided technical support in mining communities in both Peru and Colombia.

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The context for the work we did in Lima was quite a contrast to our experiences here in Canada, especially notable in terms of the differences in the culture of ethics and integrity. Peru has struggled for many decades with corrupt practices, especially among mayors and local government officials. My colleague and I had several conversations with our Peruvian counterparts about ethical standards and practices in the local government sector in Canada. Notwithstanding the conclusions from the Charbonneau Commission’s investigations into collusion and corruption within the Quebec construction industry and the linkages to both local and provincial public institutions and leaders, I believe there is generally a strong culture of ethical behaviour and public accountability in local government in British Columbia.

Public procurement the world over has always been extremely susceptible to mismanagement because of the high value of contracts involved, and so it is not surprising that both capital and operating procurement practices were chosen by the office of the Auditor for Local Government for the first round of performance audits. In the main, the findings from those audits point to the need to maintain and strengthen policies and guidelines in local governments and to continue to ensure ongoing procurement training along with increased access to expertise, especially for smaller local governments.

To this end, the LGMA has partnered with the Government Finance Officers’ Association, with funding from the province and the Municipal Finance Authority, to develop a procurement toolkit and web-based training. We are pleased to be able to offer the toolkit and training this fall. Program staff have also been ensuring that educational sessions, whether through the MATIs, the Annual Conference or other opportunities for professional development, include a focus on ethics in local government public service.

This is emerging as an important topic for new entrants to local government, as a recent study by the Ethics Resource Centre, a U.S. non-profit that focuses on ethical standards and practices for both public and private institutions, has reported on significant differences in generational perceptions and standards about ethical behaviour.

As an association, we recognize we have an important role in building, supporting and reinforcing an ethical culture through training and professional development. Public service integrity focuses on how to manage both real and perceived conflicts of interest. Ensuring local government professionals understand how best to identify and balance their personal interests with the obligations they have to serve their communities and the greater public good is part of the LGMA’s mandate and commitment to professional standards and practices.

Many local governments have re-focused their strategic planning processes with staff and elected officials on values-based outcomes and decision-making to align with community values to increase public trust. Public confidence in local government services and practices increases with the knowledge there are strong, ethicallydefined public processes. The LGMA’s Code of Ethics binds all members to ethical conduct, and we expect all local government professionals, whether or not their own organizations have explicit codes of conduct and ethical policies, to act professionally and responsibly and seek advice whenever it is not clear how to deal with a particular situation, whether it is their own, that of a colleague, or perhaps an elected official. The LGMA remains committed to supporting local government staff should they require advice or assistance in dealing with questionable practices.

As we head into the summer months, I hope you all find time to get away, to enjoy this beautiful province we live in and to relax and enjoy time with friends and family.

Nancy Taylor Executive Director

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By Adrienne Atherton and Emily McClendon Valkyrie Law Group LLP

CASE of INTEREST

Is the EMA thwarting sustainable waste efforts? ocal governments have been making progress towards sustainable solid waste management by closing incinerator sites and reducing the amount of solid waste that goes to landfills. Despite this progress, local governments continue to contend with old and current solid waste sites and their associated liabilities.

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Prior to the mid-1990s, there were no prescribed standards in B.C. for contaminants in land. The provincial government would consider engineering reports and proposals for remediation and provide comfort letters to the property owners confirming that remediation met the Ministry’s requirements. The property owners believed that these comfort letters would protect them from future liability related to the contamination of the lands.

However, starting in the mid-1990s, a new statutory regime for regulating contaminated lands arose in B.C. The current Environmental Management Act (EMA) states that preference is to be given to remediation alternatives that provide permanent solutions. This preference has been interpreted to mean a preference for full remediation involving the removal of all contaminants from the sites and the disposal of such contaminants elsewhere, despite the fact that the EMA does contemplate less than full remediation where full remediation is impractical from a technical or cost-benefit perspective.

Part 4 of the EMA imposes liability to pay for the costs of remediation, which applies retroactively regardless of whether the contamination was authorized or permitted at the time it occurred.

The EMA provides no immunity to local governments who provide waste disposal sites, even where such sites meet Ministry requirements. Under the EMA, a certificate of compliance can be issued if a contaminated site has been remediated in accordance with the regulations, in which case the recipient will not be liable for the cost of further remediation undertaken to change the use of the site.

Recent case law has increased the uncertainty surrounding potential future liability for those that remediate. It is clear that the Courts have endorsed a preference for full remediation in decisions ordering reimbursement for remediation costs to a higher standard than the zoning allowed for the property in question.

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Additionally, in the recent Court of Appeal case of J.I. Properties Inc. v. PPG Architectural Coatings Canada Ltd., 2015 BCCA 472, the Courts have made it clear that comfort letters do not provide property owners protection from liability under the EMA. In this case, ICI remediated the lands in question prior to the enactment of the EMA. The remediation was performed to a standard agreed upon by the Ministry, which reflected the industrial use of the lands, and the Ministry provided ICI with a letter of comfort. JIP purchased the lands with full knowledge of the historical use of the property and the limited remediation undertaken by ICI. After purchase, JIP undertook further remediation of the property to a residential standard and pursued cost recovery against ICI under the EMA. The Court held that ICI’s letter of comfort was not equivalent to the EMA’s certificate of compliance and did not protect ICI from liability for the cost of remediation incurred

by JIP. The Court ordered that ICI pay the full $4.75 million in remediation costs to JIP. What are the implications?

Uncertainty as to costs and future liabilities decreases developer appetite, and the requirement for removal and relocation of contaminated materials to a different site significantly increases remediation costs. This discourages the redevelopment of contaminated sites, particularly in rural areas where there is less demand for high density residential properties that can absorb such high costs. Where redevelopment does occur, the high cost of remediation is passed on to the purchasers of the housing, which contributes to the housing affordability issues in the province.

Where developers cannot justify the costs of remediation of a site, the site will likely be left unremediated and abandoned as an orphan site, which is contrary to the purposes of the EMA. Further, the preference for permanent solutions under the EMA involves removing the contaminated material from the site simply to move it elsewhere, rather than containing it on site through engineering caps or other means. The result is an increased demand for contaminated waste landfills, transferring potential future liability to another property owner. This seems inconsistent with the principles of sustainable waste management, which has the objective of reducing the waste that is to be deposited in landfills.

So despite the good intentions, the real question is: Is the EMA actually thwarting local governments’ efforts for sustainable waste management?

By Therese Mickelson, ABC

Sustainable Waste: Not an Oxymoron Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

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Garbage isn’t straightforward anymore.

elevision commercials mock people who toss out drink containers. Kids lecture adults about keeping recyclables out of the garbage. Tipping fees continue to escalate, and there are growing concerns about limited landfill space and the lack of viable alternatives. Increased awareness about the financial and environmental cost of waste is triggering a corresponding demand for recycling programs across the province. In response, local governments continue to look for ways to expand their recycling programs as a key strategy for achieving more sustainable waste management; however, not every solution fits every community.

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When assessing options for increasing waste diversion, it is often useful to look at models being used successfully by other local governments to consider how these programs can be adapted and applied to meet the needs of individual communities.

In the Metro Vancouver region, some cities have developed comprehensive recycling programs to help achieve an initial goal of 70 per cent waste diversion by 2015, and are now working towards an aspirational goal of 80 per cent diversion by 2020. The City of Richmond hit the first target in 2013 – two years early – when residents with curbside collection successfully reached 71 per cent waste diversion. Richmond took this success in stride and immediately started to push forward with new programs and initiatives to aim for 80 per cent.

Richmond’s success didn’t happen overnight. They started their first curbside recycling program in 1990 with the introduction of the Blue Box program for paper, aluminium cans and recyclable plastic containers. Over the next 26 years, the City continued to expand its programs and services, including the addition of a Blue Cart recycling program for multi-family complexes and the opening of the Richmond Recycling Depot in 1993. Curbside collection of yard and garden trimmings was introduced in 1996, and it became the City’s innovative Green Can program in 2010. Since then, the City has introduced a mix of new pilot programs and enhanced services every year to make it easy and convenient for residents, businesses and visitors to recycle more, including food scraps recycling for all Richmond residents through an enhanced Green Cart program, public spaces and event recycling programs, a curbside Large Item Pick Up Program, continued expansion to the items accepted at the Richmond Recycling Depot, and most recently, a biweekly Garbage Cart program to encourage increased recycling and an expanded inhouse staff recycling program at all City facilities.

“People care more about the environment and they are more willing to do their part and take responsibility for recycling.”

Suzanne Bycraft

The City has also established partnerships with the Richmond School District to promote the importance of recycling and keeping the community litter free. Other partnerships include cooperation with product stewardship program participants to promote takeback recycling programs and most recently, consultation with the construction industry to create a new bylaw and incentives to promote recycling of demolition waste from single-family homes.

The sheer volume and intensity of the new program development and implementation has kept staff busy – if not swamped – but the benefits in the community are evident as the waste diversion rate continues to climb toward the 80 per cent goal. In 2015, the City achieved a 74 per cent waste diversion with its curbside programs.

Suzanne Bycraft, Manager of Fleet and Environmental Programs with the City of Richmond, has led the development and implementation of all of the new programs after the initial Blue Box program. When looking at their success rate, she credits a number of factors for their continued progress.

“First of all, there’s been tremendous support from Council,” says Bycraft. “I remember going to them with a graph that showed where we needed to get to and all the things we would be doing so they could see we had a plan, with a big picture for the long term. Council was able to understand our purpose for each new initiative as we brought it forward, and then gave us their support to move ahead.”

Bycraft also credits the change in mindset taking place at the community level.

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Sustainable Waste: Not an Oxymoron Continued from page 7

“People care more about the environment and they are more willing to do their part and take responsibility for recycling,” says Bycraft.

“Back when we started this 25 years ago, the mindset was that waste was the City’s problem, not theirs, but now there is an awareness that you can’t throw garbage in the ocean or pile it into a landfill – you need to deal with it responsibly and everyone needs to do their part.”

“Now there is an awareness that you can’t throw garbage in the ocean or pile it into a landfill – you need to deal with it responsibly and everyone needs to do their part.”

A big part of shifting the mindset has come from communication, outreach and education to increase awareness of the challenges and understanding of how to recycle. The City’s communication tactics are broad based and include direct mail to residents, information kits with delivery of new carts, transit shelter and newspaper advertising for general awareness, bill inserts, information sessions, and displays in shopping malls and at events that include fun activities. The City also develops educational tools like posters, brochures, recycling guides and an annual report that includes a tips and resources section.

The website is a core tool for information and tips on how to recycle with customized URLs for its primary services, and the City recently added a Richmond Collection Schedule and Recycling Wizard app as a new tool. The City is also increasing its use of social media to raise awareness about how to recycle correctly.

The City works with high school students through its Green Ambassadors program to provide education and awareness at community events, and sponsors plays and activities at local schools.

To help address language barriers and encourage recycling, the City has some of its primary materials translated and has updated its signage to use more photos at the Richmond Recycling Depot, in City facilities, at event recycling stations and on outdoor recycling bins.

In 2015, the City’s exceptional communications standards were recognized at an international level when it received a Gold Quill Award of Excellence from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The Gold Quill Award is IABC’s premier awards program, recognizing and fostering excellence in the field of business communication – the only professional communication awards program on a global scale.

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The City also won recognition at a national level with an IABC Silver Leaf Award of Excellence, and provincially with an IABC BC Bronze Quill Award of Excellence.

While common opinion was that a single-stream approach would encourage more recycling, Bycraft notes that recent studies have shown that there is actually more recycling with multi-stream services.

When considering service options and what will work best for residents, Bycraft notes they review technical assessments, such as data on the types of recycling approaches available, service costs and the experiences of other municipalities. They also assess everything with an eye towards delivering high-quality customer service.

As well, the recovery rates (the value of the recycling being sold to processing facilities) are higher with multi-stream because there is less contamination.

“What gives me the greatest sense of accomplishment is being able to deliver programs that are impactful in the community; something that touches all residents and helps them to contribute in a very positive way to being champions for environmental gains,” says Bycraft.

“And I’m proud that we deliver services with such a strong commitment to customer service by ensuring it works for residents.”

Bycraft also applies advice from experts in waste management to help determine the best approach to service delivery. One example is the City’s decision to provide source separation, or multi-stream recycling (separate bins for paper and containers) rather than single-stream (one cart for all recycling other than organic materials).

By applying this combination of technical expertise with customer service priorities, Richmond continues to deliver programs that work effectively for its community. Looking ahead, Bycraft notes that while they have a full suite of recycling services and drop-off programs for household recycling, there is still room for improvement in terms of reducing contamination and increasing recycling at multi-family complexes with centralized collection. Language and cultural barriers continue to be a challenge, and there is considerable opportunity to increase recycling in the industrial and commercial sectors through partnerships and policy changes. The key is to create programs and policies that are tailored to the community.

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WE VALUE OUR CUSTOMERS BC Assessment’s Local Government & First Nations Customer Department is about to launch Community Corner, a web forum dedicated to enhancing the way we share information with our customers. We want to hear from you, so come share your feedback with our team. Watch for the official announcement and more details early this summer.

Contact BC Assessment Local Government & First Nations Department: Local Government 1-866-valueBC or 1-866-825-8322 x 00498 localgovernment@bcassessment.ca First Nations 1-866-valueBC or 1-866-825-8322 x 09455 firstnations@bcassessment.ca bcassessment.ca

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Sustainable Waste: Not an Oxymoron Continued from page 9

Solutions that work with one community may be transferable to another area, but it’s also possible that the approach will need to be adjusted to meet the specific needs of the community, particularly when shifting from a large, high-population city to small, remote communities.

In the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD), there are four municipalities and six electoral areas, which has resulted in a mix of programs and services to provide residential recycling and refuse disposal options. The mix of remote communities and member municipalities, along with the transportation costs to get recycled materials to market, pose a different set of challenges.

“Regional Districts outside of Metro Vancouver struggle to deliver the same level of service as seen in the Lower Mainland,” says Ben Van Nostrand, Team Leader, Environmental Health Services, Operations Management for the CSRD. “Some residents in our communities relocate from areas where they’ve had curbside services, but due to distances in travel times and movement of waste, in our rural areas these types of programs are more challenging to implement.”

The CSRD delivers a regional program that includes the operation of four landfills, eight transfer stations, 18 recycling depots, two composting facilities, a landfill gas recovery system, and education and outreach. The collection system is a mix of curbside programs offered by member municipalities, transfer stations and drop-off collection bins for recycling. To help achieve mandated Ben Van Nostrand goals for waste diversion and offset costs for taxpayers, the CSRD leveraged the benefits of the Multi-Material BC (MMBC) program. MMBC is a non-profit organization that is fully financed by industry to manage residential packaging and printed paper recycling programs in B.C., either directly or by working with local governments, First Nations, private companies, and other non-profit organizations. The CSRD opted to accept the MMBC financial offer for depot recycling services.

“I feel like we’re ahead of the game because we opted in and it works well for our region,” says Van Nostrand. “It’s one of the biggest shifts we’ve seen in 30 years of solid waste management to get packaging and printed paper (PPP) under a stewardship program, and we wanted to be in on that change.”

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Under the MMBC program, the 18 depots that were already in place are still being used; however, unlike in the past where everything was single-stream (into the same bin), recycling is now separated into separate bins, the depots have set hours of operation and are staffed.

They have expanded the materials collected to include Styrofoam, and the cost for servicing and processing are now paid through MMBC. As a regional district, the CSRD also needs a customized approach to funding for its diversion programs to ensure that budgets are allocated fairly and to provide for a consistent level of service across the region.

“We use a hybrid model of user-pay and taxes,” says Van Nostrand.

“Tipping fees collected at the landfills and transfer stations fund the operations of the refuse disposal and taxes fund the waste diversion and education/outreach programs, which keeps the cost management of the two areas separate. Tipping fees are structured to try and encourage recycling rather than landfilling.”

Residents in electoral areas pay a user fee to use the local transfer stations for garbage, and can drop off recycling at no charge at the recycling depots in their area. Three of the four member municipalities offer curbside collection, charging local taxes to their residents for this service, and pay tipping fees at the region’s landfills.

MMBC is now either providing funding for the curbside collection of PPP or, in the case of the City of Revelstoke, administering the recycling program.

When looking ahead at expanding recycling services, Van Nostrand notes that they are hampered by the ideal of providing a level of service that meets customers’ expectations while having to overcome the challenge of delivering those services in remote and rural areas.

“We are constantly, as a group of local government practitioners, putting pressure on the provincial government and stewardship groups to provide a similar level of service in our areas and to try and ensure rural areas have access to take-back programs,” says Van Nostrand. “Residents who can buy a television or paint or other take-back program items should have reasonable access to drop those same items off via a stewardship funded drop-off location.”

When looking for new ideas, Van Nostrand says that the CSRD’s Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP), created through public input and monitored by an advisory committee, provides direction.

This process is often influenced by what the public is hearing about in the larger centres such at Metro Vancouver. Staff are then left with the challenge of adapting similar “big city” programs to fit the CSRD. “One area we’re looking at is getting food waste out of the garbage as it was a key element of the 2014 SWMP review process and we know it represents about 30 per cent of the waste going to our landfill” says Van Nostrand. “The CSRD Board endorsed a five-year plan to guide strategies for how to get food waste out of the garbage and we’re moving forward. The challenges are many but that’s what makes the job fun!”

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Practical advice, creative options and value for local government Planning, Development & Environmental Law

Carvello Law Corporation

Lui Carvello, MCIP Lawyer & Planner 203-1005 Broad Street Victoria, BC V8W 2A1 250-686-9918 lui@carvellolaw.ca

www.carvellolaw.ca

Sustainable Waste: Not an Oxymoron Continued from page 11

The CSRD hopes to repurpose the creative content developed by other regional districts, such as the food scraps campaign developed

by Metro Vancouver. They have started a food waste recycling trial for curbside collection in partnership with the City of Salmon Arm and are trialing a food waste collection program for the rural areas of the CSRD. “Food waste is also an opportunity for industry,” says Van Nostrand.

“We have a composting firm in our region that has been wanting the CSRD to ban food waste, but we need to create the programs, get people on board and provide a service first. It’s not as easy as just saying no more food waste. It’s a road we’re now travelling down, but when we look at Golden and Revelstoke, there’s no processing facility in place yet, so we’ll need to assess whether we should look to the private sector or do the food waste composting ourselves.”

Other regional districts in the province have looked at the same challenges and are developing their own solutions to match their resources and recycling needs.

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Fall 2016 Courses Starting in September – register today! Ω PADM 200 Local Government Administration in BC – North Vancouver Ω PADM 201 Local Government Services in BC – Parksville and North Vancouver Ω PADM 203 Municipal Law in BC – Kelowna Ω PADM 305 Problem Solving & Policy Writing Skills for Local Government Professionals – Langley * New Location * Ω PADM 307 Ethics & the Responsible Local Government Professional – Kelowna Ω PADM 208 MATI Community Planning for Local Government Professionals – West Kelowna

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In the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB), they started with a small-scale Green Bin pilot project to trial food scraps recycling and the use of exposed windrows to process these organic recyclables into compost. The Green Bin program quickly evolved into a full community curbside collection program.

Alan Stanley, General Manager of Environmental Services, RDKB, notes that their approach to services is based on a matter of scale, and they leveraged the MMBC program to help finance the expansion into an expanded organics diversion program. The region has 30,000 people, with less than 10,000 in the area where the pilot project started. As a result, they applied windrows as an established technique that can be done efficiently and economically on a small scale.

“When the stewardship program that became MMBC was first announced, we looked at what would give our tiny district the best advantage and we moved ahead with a mixed approach,” says Stanley.

“We accepted incentives for some areas where we had existing services but transferred some services to MMBC by ensuring the contract would expire right when MMBC was ready to take over, and as it turned out, they used the same contractor we had in place so the transition was seamless for residents.”

The partnership with MMBC resulted in cost savings for existing programs, which staff presented to the Board as an opportunity for increased waste diversion by targeting organics.

“Without increasing taxes, we were able to start a pilot project in a neighbourhood of Grand Forks, which worked well and created demand, which paved the way to expanding the program for the entire city of Grand Forks as well as our Electoral Areas C & D,” adds Stanley. “I’m really lucky as I have a very engaged Board, and they understand the issues around waste management, which helped make this possible.”

The collection program does not include yard and garden waste, as these materials were already being diverted through a drop-off program.

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Instead, the program focuses on organic waste that is still in the waste stream, and it includes a very broad range of biodegradable materials.

The list of accepted items is more extensive than many organics recycling programs, including materials like disposable diapers, dog waste and kitty litter, as well as more traditional organics like food scraps and food-soiled paper.

The landfill operation in Grand Forks is managed by the region. They already had an open windrow operation in place for yard and garden waste. The expanded organics are simply added in along with waste from the RDKB waste wood grinding operation to balance out the carbon and nitrogen generated.

Through the program, residential areas with the program have cut garbage by 50 per cent, and the compost generated at the facility is used as the final top cover at the region’s closed landfills.

“We have many hectares of closed landfill and, if we didn’t produce this compost, we would need to buy the topsoil required to revegetate these areas,” says Stanley. “Although we haven’t run an analysis to calculate the savings, we know we are saving money, and we’re creating some really nice green spaces on our old landfills.”

YOU CAN REPLACE THE CONE. NOT THE WORKER.

The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) is also exploring options to divert organic waste from landfills. The unique challenges of remote, rural communities are again defining how the program will evolve.

“When we analyzed our waste stream, we found that as much as 30 per cent is organic waste, but when we looked at our colleagues in the Lower Mainland with Kevin Paterson similar programs, we knew that we would not have enough product for their high-tech facilities,” says Kevin Paterson, Environmental Services Manager for the RDEK. “So our challenge was to come up with a mechanism that would enable us to get organics out of the waste stream at a reasonable cost.”

The solution was to design a pilot project based on their existing, and successful, Yellow Bin program. The RDEK has placed 470 Yellow Bins in central locations throughout the region to collect recycling in single-stream, mini-depots.

“We created the Yellow Bin system to provide a recycling service to residents in areas that are sparsely populated. It is a simple, low-tech solution that works well,” says Paterson.

Continued on page 14

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Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

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Sustainable Waste: Not an Oxymoron Continued from page 13

“Based on the same concept, we are exploring a composting pilot, and we’re going low-tech again using open windrows because we don’t have large volumes to justify the investment in a compost facility. Instead, we’re testing a sub-regional composting solution.”

Paterson notes that the pilot program being developed will initially focus on commercial operations such as grocers and restaurants to tap into a reliable source of organics to test drive the composting process before opening it up to the broader population. Additionally, they anticipate providing drop-off locations at staffed transfer stations if the public wants to voluntarily participate in the pilot project.

The RDEK already collects yard and garden trimmings through its transfer stations, and plans to combine the grocer materials to create compost using windrows at three of those locations. The pilot is aimed at assessing costs for both processing and operational logistics at the three sub-regional facilities in order to begin developing the backbone of a program that serves the region and could be scaled up as they begin to receive larger volumes.

“Our venture is to compost organics to help with waste diversion, not as a means to generate revenue,” adds Paterson.

“The impetus for the project is based on feedback from the general public saying they want to participate in some sort of composting program.”

The pilot project has been identified as a Board priority for 2016/2017, and the cost is estimated at $150,000 for start-up, including the purchase of windrow turner that can be mounted on a Bobcat, as well as thermometer probes to ensure the right temperatures are reached.

Like their neighbours in the RDKB, they plan to use the compost materials on site for progressive landfill closure activities. They also see potential for calculating the reduced methane generation from the landfill thanks to the removal of organics and use this reduction towards its goals to become carbon neutral.

“I think it’s progressive thinking and visionary for our Board to invest in projects like this, plus it’s the right thing to do,” says Paterson.

“We currently have a 100-year lifespan on our landfill, but with waste diversion programs like this, maybe we’ll double the lifespan and have it for another 100 years beyond that.” ❖

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WASTE NOT. WANT NOT. Generating new products from waste

By Therese Mickelson, ABC When Marty watched Doc use a banana peel, beer and a crushed beer can to fuel the engine in his DeLorean time machine in Back to the Future Part II in 1989, the idea of garbage as fuel seemed almost as farfetched as time travel itself. But today, while technology has not yet advanced to a Mr. Fusion to power vehicles, solid waste can be used to create products for resale, generate electricity and produce gas for heat.

For local governments, the opportunity to leverage waste generated in their communities to use as an energy source or sell as a product offers multiple benefits, including reduced operating costs for waste management, new revenue sources, economic stimulus in the community and carbon credits.

“People look at a giant pile of wood chips or other waste and in the past they would say ‘I have to pay to have someone take this away.’ whereas now they are starting to say ‘Maybe someone will pay me to take this away,’” says Darren Frew, Director of Planning and Communication, BC Bioenergy Network. “If you’re in any area with a steady waste stream – such as a municipality, agricultural sector or other industry – why not make use of it? It’s sustainable and renewable.”

Frew notes that if communities are looking at how to reduce reliance on landfills and the need for building new ones, bioenergy plants for organics may be a good option. But it’s essential to have a plan in place for how organics will be collected and where they can be recycled, and the plan needs to align with the needs and resources for each community.

“Some communities, like Richmond, have a good solution for a city their size. They have curbside collection of organics, and they send it to Harvest Power for processing,” says Frew.

Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

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“If you’re in any area with a steady waste stream, why not make use of it? It’s sustainable and renewable.”

Darren Frew

“We invested in Harvest Power, where they are using the gas from their composting process to generate electricity to sell to BC Hydro, and we believe this approach can be replicated in other areas. There are also opportunities to take this gas and sell it to FortisBC.” FortisBC is pursuing projects that provide this source of gas as it supports the company’s renewable natural gas initiative where they capture and purify gas generated from the breakdown of organic materials at sources such as landfill sites as well as from agriculture waste and wastewater from treatment facilities. The biogas being produced provides a renewable natural gas that is locally produced and is a carbon-neutral energy source.

In Kelowna, instead of selling their organics to an outside contractor, the City has developed two composting facilities, one operated by the City individually and the other in partnership with the City of Vernon.

The partnership with Vernon involved the construction of a new processing facility, and it’s used to create OgoGrow, a soil conditioner created from hog fuel (forestry waste from the outer edge of a tree before it’s milled) and biosolids (properly treated and processed sewage) from the wastewater treatment plant.

Continued on page 16

Waste not. Want not. Generating Products from Waste Continued from page 15

The City sells 50 per cent of its OgoGrow product to one customer that uses it as an ingredient in multiple products such as soil blends and mulches. The rest is sold to nurseries, landscapers and the public.

“It’s not designed to be a profit-generating facility, but the sale of the product does help offset our operating costs and the economic spinoff is tremendous as we create jobs at the facility, and the customers we sell to resell it as a retail product or use it to support their own business operations,” says Gord Light, Biosolids Supervisor, City of Kelowna.

Kelowna operates a separate facility to process yard waste into a compost product called GlenGrow. The composting is done on a site at the landfill using turned windrows, where a machine flips the compost to add the air needed for the composting process. Unlike the OgoGrow process, which uses aeration technology to make compost in 75 to 85 days, the low-tech solution for GlenGrow takes 10 to 14 months to create compost, but it’s also much less expensive to operate.

“We don’t generate as much compost with this facility, so unlike OgoGrow, GlenGrow is not sold by other businesses as a retail product yet. For now, we sell it wholesale to landscapers and nurseries and have a retail product for sale at the landfill,” says Light.

“We actually get a good revenue offset with GlenGrow, which helps keep taxes down.

Plus, if we didn’t divert this waste, we’d be using the landfill space, so it is a source of revenue while helping to conserve limited resources at the landfill.”

Kelowna is not looking at adding food scraps into the composting process at this time but is looking ahead to future opportunities for their Gord Light products and has hired a sales associate to help promote a professional sales approach for compost sales.

“It’s so cool to turn a waste material into a resource,” says Light. “It’s very satisfying, and all the jobs and positive impacts in our community that have come out of the projects are also great to see.”

Composting and generating energy from organics processing are two examples of creating new products and resources from waste.

Another is through the collection and resale of gas in landfills.

“There’s been an evolution where people look at how they can maximize the value of their waste,” says Frew.

Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

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“The product opportunities are broader than just basic energy. In fact, energy can be the low-value product in some cases, compared with higher value products like hydrogen.”

Hydrogen is just one of the high-value products being collected at the Vancouver Landfill in Delta, B.C. – a project supported by the BC Bioenergy Network. The project to collect higher-value products from landfill gas was initiated by Quadrogen Power Systems Inc., a developer of high-performance biogas clean-up technologies.

Quadrogen partnered with FuelCell Energy Inc. to collect and clean the gas being generated at the Vancouver Landfill. This quadgeneration process cleanly and efficiently generates and sells four value streams: electricity and heating for homes, renewable hydrogen for use in fuel cells for buses and cars or for selling commercially for industrial applications, and food-grade carbon dioxide for use in greenhouses.

In Kelowna, another proactive project to create an opportunity for revenue from their waste is being implemented. They are completing the final stages of a new partnership with FortisBC to sell the gas from the City landfill instead of the previous process to use a flare, where the gas is burned off. About 50 to 55 per cent of gas generated from the landfill is methane. As part of this project, the gas will be directed to a new biogas plant, where it is cleaned to remove contaminants so that just the methane can be injected into the FortisBC natural gas network.

Kelowna is on track to begin selling the gas by the end of the summer. As part of the partnership, FortisBC invested in the development of the biogas processing plant. The City’s investment was significantly smaller and involved installing landfill gas recovery systems.

“We upgraded our systems to accommodate the transfer of the gas to FortisBC, but our portion was negligible and the revenue generation from the sale of the gas will cover the cost of the upgrades to our systems,” says Darren Enevoldson, Environmental Technician, City of Kelowna who is the lead for the Landfill Gas Project. “There’s no added cost to the taxpayers, and the benefits to the community are that we can reduce our Darren Enevoldson carbon footprint and generate revenues we estimate will be between $3.1 and $4.8 million over 15 years.”

The solutions local governments can apply for gas resale from landfills will depend on the gas content and quality; however, there are lots of opportunities out there. Gas can be used to generate electricity or for running and heating boilers.

“The options are out there, you just need to assess the viability and business case for the utilization to determine what will work best for your community,” says Enevoldson.

Continued on page 18 Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

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Waste not. Want not. Generating Products from Waste Continued from page 17

While the opportunities and benefits of bioenergy projects and other processing facilities sound promising, Frew notes that any community considering this type of project needs to look at the economic feasibility first.

“You need to go in with eyes wide open because on the surface it may look wonderful – you’re saving the planet and using waste to do it – but if the project can’t stand on its own and be successful without ongoing subsidies, it doesn’t make sense,” says Frew. “It has to have an economic payback in terms of a return on the investment.”

Some of the key considerations for initiating bioenergy facilities or other projects to generate products from waste include assessing the reliability and proximity of the supply. For bioenergy facilities, there needs to be enough organic matter to guarantee continued operations, and distance is a factor as transport distance impacts operational costs.

Simply having a local source for supply, such as a local saw mill, is not enough. The source supplier needs to commit to providing this waste and not selling it to a higher bidder.

It’s also essential to have cooperation from elected officials and the community.

“A stumbling block we sometimes see is people will resist change because they’ve always managed the waste a certain way, and even with compelling information about the benefits, they may still resist the idea,” says Frew. “You need to get people on board and gain support for the change.”

To help ensure a reliable supply of organic matter and share the costs related to managing an operation, some local governments are developing partnerships. Frew points to a few important factors to consider when creating a partnership agreement. It’s essential that all partners know their responsibilities and that these details are clearly spelled out in the agreement. The agreement should outline the benefits to the partners and the community and should provide for regular updates to address changes in technology and market demand.

The costs also need to be clearly defined, including initial investment and ongoing budget requirements. Frew also recommends that the agreement include contingency plans that address options and actions required if things go wrong.

Communities interested in starting a project can also benefit from the resources available through organizations like the BC Bioenergy Network and the Community Energy Association.

Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

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Both organizations work extensively with local governments to support projects through training, networking and other resources.

The BC Bioenergy Network has funded projects in the past and helps organizations bring in funding from other sources. It supports communities through capacity-building, such as assisting with feasibility studies for new biogas projects, and connects local governments to resources and partners for their projects.

The Community Energy Association (CEA) advises local governments on climate and energy projects, with a focus on education and outreach. CEA also partners with the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) to deliver the Certificate in Energy Management course to provide professional development for local government managers interested in developing energy projects at a local level.

“We provide a huge number of free resources, including doing the research for local governments so that we can give them a starting point for a lot of these projects,” says Dale Littlejohn, Executive Director and Chief Administrative Officer, CEA. “When you look at communities and the spending on energy and waste management services, projects like organics diversion that take waste and convert it to energy are good for the local economy, Dale Littlejohn offer emission savings, making them good for the environment, and help extend the life of a landfill. That can be huge in terms of capital dollars, and we can help local governments who want to pursue these projects.” ❖

tips & tactics Sustainable Waste Management Expanding recycling and waste diversion: • Reach out to the community at events and with fun activities to spread the word about how to recycle and increase awareness about the importance of waste diversion. A hosted information booth at a local meeting place engages the community and can increase awareness significantly at a low cost.

• Leverage partnerships with schools, community groups, stewardship groups and neighbouring local governments to expand programs and share information and resources.

• Use pilot programs to test service options and gain input from the community to determine how the service works from the customer’s perspective prior to implementing a new program.

• Ensure elected officials are fully informed about the longterm plans and purpose of the various waste diversion programs being proposed.

• Don’t impose bans or limits on garbage until recycling programs are in place.

• Involve youth in your community. They gain an understanding of the programs, and they share their knowledge with friends and family, creating a new generation of recycling champions.

• Implement policies and guidelines that support recycling, such as commercial building design standards that provide for sufficient recycling and garbage centralized collection.

Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

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• Don’t underestimate the importance of having the right site for organics recycling, regardless of the type, as there are odours and other factors that impact area residents and businesses.

• Work with the local community, particularly people who are already interested in recycling, to generate demand for new services.

Resources: • Recycling Council of BC – including the RCBC Recyclepedia to search for recycling locations, program and policy resource materials, and conferences (rcbc.ca) • Metro Vancouver Regional District – marketing campaigns and resources (metrovancouverrecycles.org) • Solid Waste Association of North America – including workshops, training and conferences (swana.org) • Multi-Material BC (www.multimaterialbc.ca and www.recyclinginbc.ca) • Community Energy Association - Small Scale Biomass Heating Guide, Certificate in Community Energy Management at BCIT, planning tips, webinars and other resources (communityenergy.bc.ca) • BC Bioenergy Network – capacity building, education, advocacy and multiple resources (bcbioenergy.ca) • Landfill Gas Management Facilities Design Guidelines, BC Ministry of Environment (Prepared by: Conestoga-Rovers & Associates)

Experiencing New Zealand CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS GONZALOBAEZA

Exploring New Plymouth, New Zealand through the LGMA’s Overseas Exchange Program

By Linda Berg, Haisla Nation Kia ora! Kia ora is a Mäori language greeting that literally means “be well/healthy” and is translated as an informal “hi” in New Zealand.

This was just one of the things I learned when I had the honour of visiting New Zealand as the LGMA representative for the British Columbia-New Zealand Overseas Exchange Program for 2015-16.

This was the first time that a First Nations government was selected for the overseas exchange.

In November 2015, I travelled to New Zealand to spend two weeks with three New Zealand District Councils, which is the same as a municipal government in B.C. I spent my first week with the staff of the New Plymouth District Council. New Plymouth is located on the north island of New Zealand and right on the Tasmanian Sea, on the west side of the north island. The second week, we all travelled to Palmerston North for the New Zealand Society of Local Government Managers (SOLGM) annual conference. The conference was attended by 250 representatives from all over New Zealand, and 16 were from the New Plymouth District Council.

The conference was also attended by other exchange managers, as SOLGM also offers exchanges with the United States, Queensland and New South Wales.

The three-day SOLGM conference featured several breakout sessions on excellent topics including: Ethical Conduct in Local Government, Creating a Performance Culture and Smart Asset Management.

One of my exchange goals was to learn more about aboriginal relations in New Zealand. The Mäori are the indigenous people of New Zealand, immigrating to New Zealand from Polynesia on canoes many years ago. They have their own language, traditions, regalia, and customs. An ‘Iwi’ is a tribe or a nation. The New Plymouth District Council acknowledges the six Iwi that are in the New Plymouth area.

GEORGE B.CUFF

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I took away a number of valuable lessons from the New Zealand experience based on how they work with and recognize the Mäori: • The Mäori hold a designated seat on District Councils.

• The Taranaki Council provided opportunities to Mäori to be involved in the development of Council policy, the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan, and other policies and reports.

• The New Plymouth Council engages with Mäori throughout all of its day-to-day operations but also has a number of commitments at a strategic level to support the development of Mäori capacity to participate more fully and effectively in the decision-making processes of the Council.

• The Taranaki Regional Council had statements in Mäori developed for reports including the Land Management Plan and Coastal plan, to name a couple.

• The Mäori language is more visibly prevalent in New Zealand than First Nations languages in B.C. As an example, their language is on almost every sign in a district building.

I also noted some ideas for the LGMA Annual Conference. One of the LGMA’s 2014-19 Strategic Plan goals is to begin more intensive engagement with First Nations across the province. I would recommend that as part of the LGMA annual conference agenda, a cultural component be added. This could include: • A keynote speaker from a First Nations community, speaking about working with municipalities and regional districts, followed by a question and answer session.

• A regular session on the conference agenda regarding culture or doing business with First Nations, presented by a First Nation community.

• A dinner one evening featuring traditional First Nations foods.

• Dancers from a First Nations community, sharing a cultural dance and song, including explaining their meaning and significance, and having conference participants participate in the dance.

• A cultural information session, including how local First Nations currently fish, hunt, make drums, and do other traditional practices.

A question and answer session could be included.

I would like to thank all the wonderful people of New Zealand who were so kind to me. They welcomed me and shared so much information. Most of all, my thanks go to my exchange host, Sue Davidson, who helped give me this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

george@georgecuff.com tel: 780-960-3637 fax: 780-962-5899

Canada’s Leading Municipal Governance Consultant

Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Congratulations, Cap U! Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence in Local Government Programs As Capilano University celebrates this 20-year milestone, hundreds of local government administration program graduates around the province are reminded of their own accomplishments and the contribution of Cap’s programs to their personal growth and professional career. Graduates are always quick to say that not only have Cap’s Local Government Programs helped them improve their skills and knowledge so they can do their current job better, they have also helped them achieve their career goals.

Since 1996, Capilano University has specialized in the development and delivery of practical, up-to-date programs for people working in the field of local government in British Columbia. The Local Government Administration Certificate, Advanced Certificate and Diploma programs are all tailored to the specific demands faced by local government employees at all levels. Students build their professional expertise by expanding their knowledge of local government finance, services, law and administration and improving their communication, problem solving and other management skills.

The result is local government staff who are better prepared for the challenges and opportunities their communities face.

Capilano University graduates are employed in a wide range positions and departments in municipalities and regional districts across B.C., as well as local government related organizations and First Nation governments.

Capilano University’s long partnership with the LGMA is the backbone of the five Municipal Administration Training Institute (MATI) Programs. Chief Administrative Officers around the province have frequently noted that these programs help them meet their organization’s needs in relation to employee recruitment, retention and succession planning.

Capilano’s local government programs continue to stay current and responsive to sector needs. Last October Capilano launched the new MATI Successful CAO course for new and aspiring CAOs with overwhelmingly positive responses. In January, Capilano offered a new local government administration course which introduces millennials (undergraduate degree students) to the world of local government administration and community involvement.

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Capilano University local government grads celebrate their achievement.

GET LINKED TO GRADUATES Graduates celebrating Capilano University’s Local Government Programs’ 20th anniversary – and future graduates considering the local government programs available – are invited to connect with faculty, current students and friends of the program at a new Linked In group at www.linkedin.com/groups/8513860. Classmates – old, new and future – are encouraged to share their memories and experiences, and to let others know where you are now. Help us connect and celebrate 20 years of local government professional education and graduates at Cap!

FUTURE GRADUATES… Check out the many programs and opportunities for professional development and expanded horizons as part of Capilano University’s Local Government Programs, online at www.capilanou.ca/local-govt

MEMBERS PAGE

Our Members in the Spotlight

Introducing...

The 2016-2017 LGMA Board The new Board of Directors was introduced at the 2016 Annual General Meeting held in conjunction with the LGMA Conference June 21-23 in Nanaimo. Please welcome:

Board of Directors: President Vice President Treasurer Director at Large Director at Large Director at Large

Paul Murray Patti Bridal Ron Bowles Mark Koch Bill Flitton Heather Nelson-Smith

Chapter Directors:

Kevin Ramsay City Manager, City of Port Moody ➤ Dedicated and passionate champion of local government over a 35-year career ➤ Change leader in both large and smaller local governments ➤ Not afraid to exasperate his opponents in the interests of doing the right thing and well-respected for a long track record of building positive and productive relationships ➤ Tireless volunteer and very active LGMA member who has contributed enormously as a mentor, educator, and coach ➤ Champion for and active Board member of the BC Water and Waste Association ➤ Member of the MATI faculty since 1998 ➤ Chair, course mentor and faculty for 20 years for MATI Leadership and the personality behind Matt Savior on simulation day ➤ Engaged presenter for MATI Managing People, MATI Advanced Communications, MATI Successful CAO ➤ Frequent speaker and contributor at CAO Forum, Annual Conferences and other LGMA events, always known to have an opinion he could support with reasonably coherent evidence ➤ Well-known for his unchecked enthusiasm and full-contact playing style in all sports, but feared on the hockey rink and golf course alike ➤ Proud father of three and husband to Erin, whom he loves spending time with at their family retreat on Galliano Island

Vancouver Island Rocky Mountain Lower Mainland North Central Thompson Okanagan West Kootenay Boundary

Don Schaffer Curtis Helgesen Wallace Mah Karla Jensen Election to be held in September Theresa Lenardon

Celebrating Excellence: 2016 LGMA Awards We congratulate this year’s deserving award winners, who were announced at the LGMA Conference:

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AWARD – LEADERSHIP • Ron Neufeld, General Manager of Operations, City of Campbell River

DISTINGUISHED PARTNER AWARD • Tim Pley, Fire Chiefs’ Association of British Columbia • Gord Anderson, Fire Commissioner of British Columbia • Janine North, Northern Development Initiative Trust and Dr. Gary Wilson, University of Northern British Columbia

DISTINGUISHED MEMBER AWARD • • • •

Lee-Ann Crane, CAO (retired) Regional District of East Kootenay Kevin Cormack, City Manager, City of Nelson Ron Mattiussi, City Manager, City of Kelowna Kevin Ramsay, City Manager, City of Port Moody

PRESIDENT’S AWARD • Paul Gipps, CAO, Fraser Valley Regional District Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

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MEMBERS PAGE MEMBER MOVEMENT Darrell Garceau, Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Silverton, (formerly CAO, City of Williams Lake) Sasha Bird, Director of Engineering & Development, City of Merritt (formerly Manager of Development & Engineering, City of Grand Forks) Mark Brennan, Corporate Officer, Village of Valemount (formerly Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Acme, Alberta) Ron Campbell, Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Port Alice (formerly CAO, Cultus Lake Park Board) Lambert Chu, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Burnaby (formerly Deputy CAO, City of Burnaby) Guillermo Ferrero, City Manager, Town of Ladysmith (formerly Director, Information Technology and Legislative Services, City of Nanaimo) Daniel Horan, Director of Engineering Services, District of Oak Bay (formerly Operations Manager, Royal Canadian Navy) Chris Jackson, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, City of Powell River (formerly Manager Legislative Services, City of Nanaimo) Warren Jones, Director of Corporate Services, District of Oak Bay (formerly Chief Administrative Officer, Cowichan Valley Regional District)

Melisa Miles, Director of Corporate Services, City of Merritt (formerly Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Silverton)

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

Michael Roy, Chief Administrative Officer/Chief Financial Officer, District of Lillooet (formerly Chief Financial Officer, City of Fort St. John)

The following local government employee has been recognized for his education and work experience while working in the local government field in B.C., and is being awarded a Certificate by the Board of Examiners:

Suzanne Samborski, Director of Parks & Recreation District of Saanich (formerly Director of Strategic Relations, Culture & Heritage, City of Nanaimo) Bryan Teasdale, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Rossland (formerly CAO, Village of Montrose) Shawn Tomlin, Chief Administrative Officer, Regional District East Kootenay, (formerly Chief Financial Officer, Regional District East Kootenay)

RETIREMENTS Robert Carnegie, Director of Corporate Services, City of Chilliwack Lee-Ann Crane, Chief Administrative Officer, Regional District East Kootenay Wayne Staudt, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Cranbrook Ruth Malli, City Manager, Town of Ladysmith Bob Moncur, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Burnaby

David Kim, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Cranbrook (formerly Vice President, RJ Burnside & Associates Ltd.)

Promoting Professional Management & Leadership Excellence in Local Government

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Board of Examiners

Certificate in Local Government Executive Management • Mark Fercho, Chief Administrative Officer, Municipality of Jasper

2016 LGMA PROGRAMS & EVENTS August 7-12 MATI Foundations UBC-Okanagan, Kelowna, B.C. September 14-16 Thompson Okanagan LGMA Chapter Annual Conference Silver Star Resort near Vernon, B.C. September 29 CAO Breakfast Hotel Grand Pacific, Victoria, B.C.

October 26-28 Clerks and Corporate Officers Forum Tigh-Na-Mara, Parksville, B.C.

2016 RELATED ORGANIZATIONS PROGRAMS & EVENTS September 7-9 Alberta Rural Municipal Administrators’ Association (ARMAA) Annual Conference Grand Prairie, A.B.

October 2-7 MATI - Community Planning in Local Government Organizations Lake Okanagan Resort, Kelowna B.C.

September 25-28, 2016 International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Annual Conference Kansas City, Missouri

October 16-21 MATI School for Statutory Approving Officers South Thompson Inn, Kamloops B.C.

September 26-30, 2016 Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Annual Convention Victoria, B.C.

MEMBERS PAGE OUR TOWN: VILLAGE OF KASLO Kaslo is a raucous Kootenay blend of late 19th century architecture and early 21st century residents, ranging from older stalwart families to newer arrivals from all over the world. The Village offers a rural lifestyle and aesthetic charm that is exceptional even for British Columbia. With just over 1,000 residents, a forest on one side and Kootenay Lake on the other, it is sometimes referred to as “Little Switzerland.”

Neil Smith

A founding member of UBCM, Kaslo was originally incorporated on August 14, 1893, the oldest in the Kootenays, at a time when silver mining, Canadian Pacific Railway shipping and cherry farming were the primary economic drivers. The Kaslo City Hall building, constructed in 1898, was recognized as a National Historic Site in 1984 as the oldest remaining town hall on the B.C. mainland, and remains a major heritage landmark. The SS Moyie, which operated on Kootenay Lake from 1889 until 1957, is located in the downtown as a major tourist attraction and visitor centre. Lower Kaslo, with its eclectic mix of charming homes, parks, older commercial buildings and boutique shops, always makes a visit to the town worthwhile.

Kaslo has a pretty decent calendar of events for a community of its size.

The Kaslo May Days long weekend is a treasure trove of vendors, artisans, musicians and a logger sports competition. The Kaslo Jazz Festival in late July/ early August draws so many visitors that booking early is an imperative as the accommodation sector and campgrounds are typically bursting at the seams.

There is also a healthy sprinkling of sporting and other festivities throughout the year. For residents and visitors alike, Kaslo is an amazing base of operations for mountain biking, hiking, golf, paddling, windsurfing, fishing and the full range of winter sports. The stretch of highway between Kaslo and New Denver is frequently held out as one of the premier motorcycling experiences in North America.

Food services are impressive in Kaslo, particularly at peak season. It is home to one of the best butchers and delicatessens in the region. If eating out, choose from Mexican, pub food, pizzas, ice creams or homestyle fare. You can also enjoy some of this fine cuisine on a boulevard patio in the sun. Food security is a popular topic, with some in the area hoping to recapture the days when food production was a significant part of the local economy. No visitor to Kaslo should leave without purchasing a bag of Kaslo Sourdough Bread and Pasta or Kaslo’s Bean Roasting coffee, the latter produced by the Reverend Glen Stewart in his backyard roasting shed.

Like a number of interior municipalities, tourism and retirement have progressively become the dominant factors of Kaslo’s economy. Forestry still plays an important supporting role in terms of harvesting, but local processing opportunities remain thin on the ground. The local Community Forest Society was one of the first created in B.C. and continues to support local employment in the sector today.

Above, the popular annual Kazlo Jazz Festival on Kootenay Lake. Below, some of the village’s late 19th century architecture.

Kaslo is currently the only small rural municipality participating in the Columbia Basin Broadband Initiative at the fibre conduit deployment level. Kaslo Infonet Society is working with the Village and Columbia Basin Broadband Corporation to bring high speed fibre to the streets of Kaslo, enabling the community to offer the same or better levels of connectivity as experienced in larger centres.

The municipality is able to maintain a very lean staffing complement by virtue of an astonishingly active non-profit sector that allows the community to affordably punch above its weight in terms of amenities and other services. The Village has a very attractive waterfront and river trail system, with two pedestrian bridges, largely built and maintained by volunteers. The Unity Bridge, opened in 2015, was the recipient of a Wood WORKS! Award last year. Similarly, the Village’s arena, curling rink, golf course and children’s centre are all run by non-profit societies on municipal property.

Volunteers are critical to the success of Kaslo.

For those of us lucky enough to work in Kaslo and call it home, the principal institution to which most of us owe this great fortune is the J.V. Humphries Elementary/Secondary School. It is important to underline the simple fact that a K-12 school makes the recruitment and retention of employees and entrepreneurs in the community possible. As long as the heart of the school continues to beat and housing remains within reach of working families as well as the retirees and second home owners, the community retains the potential to seize economic opportunities that come along with both hands for the entire North Kootenay Lake area.

– Neil Smith, Chief Administrative Officer, Village of Kaslo

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