MWDigest (April 2016) - Municipal World's monthly digital digest by Municipal World

April 2016

BUILDING

SOCIAL

CAPITAL

While academic circles continue to debate the decline of social ties and civic engagement, communities in Hastings County demonstrate that social capital is alive and well

ALSO INSIDE Exclusive excerpt from The Leadership Crisis

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Building Social Capital Social capital – the value that social networks can bring to the community – is of significant importance in municipalities, and seems to be showing signs of decline. Explore the case of Hastings County, where individuals and communities are demonstrating that social capital is still alive and well.

Distilling the Essence of Leadership Great leadership is a complex, multi-faceted idea – regardless of the field. Read more about characteristics of strong leaders in this exclusive excerpt from The Leadership Crisis, the latest book by popular author and speaker Gord Hume.

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Editor’s Flashback This online-only feature column highlights select articles from past issues of Municipal World’s monthly print magazine. In this issue, we share “Volunteers: Not Free Labour” – from the April 2005 issue.

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CONTENTS

MUNICIPAL WORLD – CANADA’S MUNICIPAL MAGAZINE

BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL Despite the trends, communities in Hastings County demonstrate that social capital is still alive and well. 5

DISTILLING THE ESSENCE OF LEADERSHIP An exclusive excerpt from Gord Hume’s latest book, The Leadership Crisis.

NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE The federal environment minister has delayed the decision on a proposed underground nuclear waste repository at the Bruce nuclear site.

PRIVATE SECTOR, PUBLIC SPACES Are cities ready for private dollars in public spaces?

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT Simply having a “plan” is not the same as having a workable methodology for managing an emergency.

MW MAGAZINE

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EVOLVING TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF SOCIAL MEDIA As citizens and businesses grow to expect almost immediate responses, municipal leaders must adapt to their rapidly-shifting demands.

to access great feature articles29 STRATEGIC PLANNING IN Amust-read NEW KEY like these, plus our Developing an inclusive consultation process is regular columns each month! key to informing, forming, and implementing a

strategic plan.

What can a councillor can do to minimize the risk of political doom?

T H E R E GUL A R S

INFORMATION GOVERNANCE IG can streamline departmental information management, while avoiding problems created by short-term or ad hoc approaches.

volume 126, number 4

AVOIDING CONFLICT OF INTEREST

PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING Two participatory budgeting initiatives underway in the City of Hamilton provide an interesting Canadian example of the process at work.

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Coming Events....................................30, 43 Connecting the Dots..................................41 Editor’s Corner............................................3 Environmental Zone...................................39 Governance Zone......................................35 Management Zone....................................37

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Building Social Capital

Despite the trends, communities in Hastings County demonstrate that social capital is still alive and well “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead, anthropologist Jim Pedersen looks with pride toward the greens of a soccer pitch in the Municipality of Tweed – and, for good reason. Pedersen, a father of two children busy with summer competitive soccer, together with Tweed Soccer Association, decided that his municipality needed better soccer facilities and rallied a community effort in building a new playing field. First, council was approached; they agreed to donate an area on the recreation grounds where the addition made a good supplement to existing facilities. But, what happened next is particularly notable. Contacts were made with folks in the community – local tradespeople and suppliers who, seeing the efforts of the volunteers, were encouraged to donate time, materials, and equipment – graders, bulldozers, soils, grass seed – whatever was needed. The community responded, and the result was an excellent playing field completed in remarkably good time. Compared to a tendered contracted project, the cost savings totalled an estimated $80,000.

Building Social Capital Observations of communities exhibiting varying degrees of civic or voluntary activity are not new. Often referred to as “informal organization,”

the concept of social capital has been identified and reported since before the turn of the previous century. However, it has only more recently been studied and recognized as an important community resource (principally, by the researchers Bourdieu,1 Coleman,2 and Putnam3). The main thrust of the social capital concept is that social networks add value. Individual or societal benefits are realized through social networks (family, friends, acquaintances, and community) by way of enhanced information flow, reciprocity, or as a collective basis for accessing resources not otherwise attainable. Individualistic social capital derives personal benefits (job referrals, business management insights, etc.). Social capital is also realized on a collective basis. While some volunteer activities are a gesture of giving (e.g.,

1 Pierre Bourdieu, 1986, “The Forms of Capital,” pp. 241-258 in Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education, ed. J.G. Richards, New York: Greenwood Press.

nursing home visits), some advance a mutual benefit (e.g., neighbourhood watch), while other associations formalize its organization and go on to cultivate actions for a lasting, broader good (e.g., Habitat for Humanity). Putnam defined social capital as “... features of social organization, such as trust, norms, and networks, that can improve the efficiency of society by facilitating coordinated actions.”4 The active components of social capital are generally described as bonds (shared values, trust, social norms/ culture), bridges (beyond shared connections, links form connections to outside groups/organizations, often for the purposes of accessing outside resources), and linkages (links to additional persons/groups that allow for the formation of new groups and associations). Through these bonds, bridges, and linkages, individuals and groups are empowered to achieve mutual, col-

PAUL WALSH, RPP, has been a Land Use Planner with Hastings County for over 27 years, involved in both approvals and policy roles. Paul is an enthusiastic supporter of social capital.

2 James Coleman, 1988, “Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital,” American Journal of Sociology 94: pp. S95-S120. 3 Robert Putnam, Robert Leonardi, and Raffaella Nanetti, 1993, Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy, Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press. 4 Ibid. April 2016

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Hastings County appears particularly replete with cases of citizen initiatives that demonstrate an action-oriented brand of social capital that yields some noteworthy results. lective, charitable, or civic benefits. The corollary is that communities experiencing high rates of “density of associational life” also experience high rates of prosperity.5 For example, in his book Bowling Alone6 (where the phrase “social capital” became popularized), Putnam partially attributes the success of Silicon Valley to the informal collaborations among start-up companies.

about the skateboard park as being viewed with general non-support, for a seemingly expensive idea that lurked as a potential “white elephant.” After all, to their view, what’s wrong with the traditional summer game, baseball? But, Donato’s group persisted and council acquiesced, subject to the proviso that the municipality would only provide a site and matching dollars. The skateboard project group would Citizen Initiatives in Hastings have to come up with the remaining financing. Most council members felt Pederson and the Tweed experithat the onerous conditions placed ence may not be atypical of many on a project go-ahead would see the communities; however, Hastings sooner-than-later end of requests for County appears particularly replete a skateboard/BMX facility. Howwith cases of citizen initiatives that demonstrate an action-oriented brand ever, they were pleasantly surprised. Volunteering youth and supporting of social capital that yields some adults followed through with valiant noteworthy results. The importance and persistent fundraising efforts that of bonds, bridges, and linkages in eventually met the financial challenge building social capital are displayed in the outstanding examples of Centre head-on. The end result was a facility outHastings Park, a state-of-the-art skatematching those of many much larger board/BMX facility; Farmtown Park, communities, attracting scores of enan extensive facility of antique farm thusiasts from throughout and beyond equipment and a 1930s main street; the immediate region. Donato notes and O’Hara Mill Homestead, a pioneer farm park and working grist mill. with admiration the early efforts of the volunteers, and the central role Centre Hastings Park that this multi-generational watering Tweed’s neighbour to the west is hole now plays in his community. the Municipality of Centre Hastings. Farmtown Park Here, as in Tweed, youth issues beLying west of Centre Hastings is came a priority. A retired high school the Township of Stirling-Rawdon, teacher, Carm Donato, became conhome to Farmtown Park. Harry Dancerned with the extent that “the devil was making use of idle hands” among ford, president of its board, recollects its early days. Inspired by the Internasome of the teenagers. What he was hearing from his former students was tional Plowing Match held in the township in 1986, the idea for an agriculthat the town needed a skateboard/ tural museum to showcase the area’s BMX facility. He approached his council for some space on municipal- farming heritage took shape among ly-owned land and some financial sup- five farmers. Off to a slow start, similar to the experiences of Centre Hastings port, but initially received council’s Park initiators, a proposed site on mu“less than warm” response. Donato recalls early discussions with council nicipal lands was at first rejected by the 4

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April 2016

sitting council. Other site options also proved problematic, until an agreement was reached with the local agricultural society. Several members of the group became personal guarantors of a bank loan and, through additional fundraising efforts, the initial momentum became the foundation of Farmtown Park. It has grown into an extensive complex, featuring over 48,000 square feet of a variety of thematic buildings showcasing antiques, including steam engines, tractors, tillage, and harvesting machinery. The Dairy Building houses some particularly rare butter- and cheese-making equipment. The Heritage Village offers visitors an opportunity to walk among 19 buildings that realistically depict a typical small town streetscape from the 1930s. Hearing the personal stories along the path to success, a listener is amply impressed with the founders’ initial community vision and continued civic drive. The old adage that the path to success is 80 percent hard work mixed with 20 percent good luck certainly rings true. The farming community crystallized around a shared heritage and, with rural industriousness, they built a proud centrepiece of the district.

O’Hara Mill Homestead North of Centre Hastings is the Township of Madoc. As in Farmtown Park, shared values have inspired Madoc citizens to also build a social bridge – the O’Hara Volunteers Association. Consider David Little, a man who has been described by some as a “hero” for his leadership in rescuing and restoring the O’Hara Mill Home-

5 Ibid. 6 Robert Putnam, 2000, Bowling Alone, the Collapse and Revival of American Community, NY: Simon & Schuster.

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stead. This unique “English Frame” sawmill was the original impetus for the conservation authority’s purchase of the 85 acres in the mid-1950s. Over the years, however, the facilities had slipped into a chronic condition of waning maintenance. Visitor attendance had diminished and major budget cutbacks in the late 1990s cast a dark shadow on whether investments into the park were desired, or even feasible. The waning attention to the park did not align with the sentiments of several local residents, who felt that they could bring the park back to life. Understandably, the conservation authority initially viewed the notion of consenting operations to an unproven volunteer group as risky. Besides, budgets at the time were strained, and any surplus assets were being redeployed to other priorities. However, the conservation authority worked hard to ultimately find the means to give the request a chance. Little recalls the early years, “When I arrived there for a visit, the pioneer buildings and dam were in

poor repair, several roofs leaking, grounds neglected. There was no local onsite involvement. Talking to some of the more community-minded residents of the township, I found that this ‘outside’ form of ‘management’ seemed to have alienated local citizens from becoming involved. All monies raised were absorbed in wages for the curator and summer onsite manager. So, local public meetings were held to test the feasibility of volunteer control and management before negotiations began with the conservation authority, which led to the development of a legal and binding agreement, thereby giving birth to O’Hara Volunteers Association. When the local community became aware that they had ‘ownership’ of their heritage site, a magical transformation took place. Volunteers came forth to restore and develop the tourist attraction.” Little quickly credits the efforts of his early companions and the continuously-expanding force of volunteers for what has been accomplished: a pioneer log house was dismantled

and rebuilt on the original home site, complete with a pioneer-period cooking fireplace, a new waterwheel, a sluiceway, and new drive setup – all built by local farmers. There is also a wide array of buildings that have been either built or restored, and dozens of pieces of pioneer mill and farming machinery have been actively demonstrated and displayed. The pinnacle of challenges arrived when the former millpond dam was condemned. Despite the intimidating scale of building a new dam, the volunteer group led the construction of it, complete with a covered bridge, largely supported by extensive donations of volunteer time and equipment/materials from local businesses. Indicative of having achieved a successful turnaround is the recent purchase of a 15acre park expansion to accommodate more parking and future growth plans.

From Small Beginnings The three facilities – Centre Hastings Park, Farmtown Park, and O’Hara Mill Homestead – each found

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its germination in the ideas of only a few individuals. The interpersonal bonds of shared heritage, values, and cultural norms spawned associations that evolved to formal organization. Some of the volunteer groups ultimately received external support from individuals or government early in their inception; but, initial outside resistance was also equally common, and the groups needed to rely on the strength of shared values and vision to continue. The persistence translated to formalized organizational arrangements and, eventually, access to funds from official sources that would otherwise not have been available (bridging social capital). For example, a number of individual benefactors and local foundations have supported the volunteer efforts. Quinte Conservation and the O’Hara Volunteers Association are strong partners in ongoing maintenance and capital efforts. Ontario Trillium Foundation has amply assisted Tweed’s volunteer recreation groups, Centre Hastings, and Farmtown Park in the later stages of operation. Social capital theory suggests the next stage of evolution for the volunteer groups is the development of linkages among similar organizations, forming intermediary levels of organization where the efficiencies of shared resources and mutual supports

of increasing specialization can be realized, internal and external to the network. The above examples reflect experiences in small towns and rural communities. Are rural areas and small towns particularly predisposed with healthy levels of social capital in comparison to urban counterparts? Statistics Canada examined the differences between rural and urban areas regarding volunteerism, levels of trust toward neighbours, and general levels of social engagement.7 The research found some interesting observations. While rural and urban areas did not vary in levels of interest in helping a neighbour, some significant differences existed regarding the likelihood of knowing neighbours, levels of trust toward them, and rates of civic volunteering: The greatest differences observed across the rural-to-urban gradient related to 1) the proportion of individuals who knew all or most of their neighbours, 2) the extent to which individuals trusted their neighbours, 3) the incidence of volunteering, 4) participation in a service club or fraternal organization, and 5) the sense of belonging to the local community. For these five items, the differences between the residents of larger CMAs and residents of smaller places were

quite important, and could not be explained by the fact that individuals living in more rural areas had different socio-economic and demographic characteristics than individuals living in more urban areas. In other words, to paraphrase Putnam, residents of rural areas were more engaged “because of where they are, not who they are” (2000:206).8 Among academic circles, the bonds, bridges, and linkages of social capital continue to be debated. Is social capital a trait of an individual or a social network? Can governments encourage the development of high-performance social capital? Can social capital be converted to other forms of capital, such as human or economic capital? Does it materially translate into improved community prosperity and quality of life? The debate will continue. In Hastings County, however, one only needs to ask their trusted neighbours, like Pedersen, Donato, Danford, or Little, and the answers are clear. MW

7 Martin Turcotte, “Social Engagement and Civic Participation: Are Rural and Small Town Populations Really at an Advantage?” Statistics Canada Catalogue, No. 21-006-XIE, June 2005. 8 Ibid, pp. 17-18.

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April 2016

leadership by Gord Hume

Exclusive excerpt from The Leadership Crisis

the From sue of l is d Apri al Worl icip Mun agazine M

Distilling the Essence of Leadership

The Leadership Crisis is an important new book for Canadian officials from all orders of government, as well as people who want to better understand local government; and it’s particularly important for the elected and administrative leaders who run our towns and cities. Gord Hume’s sixth book is an indepth exploration of leadership talent and techniques in today’s fast-paced and complex municipal environment. Hume has developed the “Seven Cs” of leadership, and these are explored in detail as part of the new book. In this exclusive excerpt from the book, Hume interviews Dr. Jeffrey Gandz, who has spent a lifetime studying management and leadership. Gandz has consulted with major corporations around the world, served on corporate boards, and worked for large companies, and is currently Professor Emeritus of Strategic Leadership at Western University’s Ivey Business School. I started our interview with that fascinating, fundamental question: Are leaders born, raised, or trained? “Not surprisingly, it is a function of nature and nurture. Everybody who studies early childhood behaviour will report that there are leaders that emerge in kindergarten. There clearly are those kids who are the first to try things, who don’t necessarily accept convention, and, more importantly, it’s clear there are kids that other kids will follow,” he said. “Some of it is genetic, some is personality driven. It is probably

formed by the time you get to kindergarten. Personality is only one element of leaders, but it is the one that is most genetically driven. But, what’s done with that personality, whether it is accidental or planned, shapes many other important things for our leaders, not the least of which are values (or lack thereof). I think virtues are also learned and honed, reinforced, or expunged, by experience. And then, there are a set of skills that good leaders have that I think are quite learnable, provided there is some aptitude there in the first place. It is the aptitude that is innate. If the aptitude is zero, the [leadership] skills won’t be developed.” There are three key elements of leadership according to Jeffrey Gandz and his academic colleagues: competencies, character, and commitment. I believe that, for an analysis and understanding of political leadership, you need a fourth and a fifth element: charisma and communication. Jeffrey Gandz argues there are two other Cs for business leadership: context and culture.

The 7 Cs By combining the best leadership attributes from studies in the academic, business, and political worlds, the 7 Cs of great leadership are: 1. Competencies, including people, organizational, business, and strategic competencies. 2. Character, including its traits,

values, and virtues, also understood as integrity. 3. Commitment, including aspiration, engagement, perseverance, and sacrifice. 4. Charisma, that unquantifiable attribute that political leaders either have or don’t have. 5. Communication, through effective messaging that inspires, informs, and influences. 6. Context, an understanding of what’s going on around them. 7. Culture, understanding it and knowing how to develop, create, change, and advance it. There is no attempt to rank these seven elements. All contribute to the emergence, development, and performance of a leader. Not every leader will have equal strength in all of these elements. The particularly smart leaders understand their own strengths and weaknesses and have the ability to gather skilled and smart colleagues around them to provide

GORD HUME is one of Canada’s leading voices on municipal issues and opportunities. He has written six books on local government, and is a highly soughtafter speaker at events across Canada and around the world. His latest book, The Leadership Crisis (Municipal World, 2016), offers a provocative look at the leadership skills needed by the women and men serving in public office today. Gord can be reached for comments, interviews, and speaking engagements at <gord@gordhume.com>.

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support for their own lesser attributes. A summary of each of these seven key elements provides a solid foundation for understanding leadership today in our cities and towns, in our legislatures and parliament.

1. Competencies There are four leadership competencies, according to Jeffrey Gandz:

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People skills – This involves learning how to read people, how to understand what makes them tick, how to press their buttons, how to get people to follow, how to get people to commit. Organizational skills – This includes knowing how to design an organization so that it functions well; knowing how to change things in organizations (i.e., understanding how an organization works and then

April 2016

how to work the organization); and knowing how to achieve alignment between systems, structures, people, processes, and resources. Business/function-related skills – Here, it’s about knowledge of a particular business (e.g., roads and sewers for engineering). For politicians, you’re often trying to equip leaders with the ability to move beyond their own particular experiences. For example, the best salesperson doesn’t necessarily make the best sales manager. When it comes to leadership, you have to be able to evaluate potential, not just performance. Strategic skills – This is the ability to understand your environment and the possible changes that will require you to change what you do in your organization. It is seeing beyond the horizon, to see what’s developing. What we often find in municipal organizations is a real dearth of strategic thinking. One way to measure a leader is to look at their followers. “In practical terms, the difference between a visionary and a leader is that a visionary can see the way, but the leader has the skills and other characteristics that people will follow to actually get there,” says Jeffrey Gandz. The implications for political leaders like a mayor or councillor, or senior administrators, are apparent. Many locally-elected officials falter in the early stages of their political careers because they simply don’t comprehend the intricacies of leadership competencies. Every elected official is automatically a community leader who assumes a leadership position. Many councillors never figure that out. They don’t understand the “business” side of what they’re doing: how they have to operate efficiently, organize their office and time, or understand the often intricate interconnections inside a city hall. Most of all, many elected officials never comprehend the strategic planning and thinking that is needed to drive their issues forward. Many of them are particularly weak in strategic skills – big think-

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ing. Councils often get caught up in some convoluted and complex “strategic planning process,” ending up with a compromised mishmash that nobody understands – especially the community. The result is often a confused or irrelevant document that is either a lengthy and unachievable wish list of projects, or something so bland that it provides no leadership for the community or direction inside city hall. Effective strategic plans are focused on actions and implementation. Jeffrey Gandz worked closely for 20 years with Jack Welch, the highlyrespected former CEO of General Electric, noting, “He actually only did five things. Five very big, very important things that he visualized and drove through to completion. Driving something through to completion is incredibly rare. Most people get bored, and leaders bore very easily. To stay with something for the five, six, seven years it takes to drive it through is really very unusual.”

Elected officials need to recognize the importance of improving their competencies to better perform their duties and provide the leadership for which they were elected. “Performance is a function of ability, motivation, resources, and direction,” he says. Too often, elected officials don’t understand this critical point. They get elected on their beliefs – then they need to learn and develop new leadership skills. Another key element that eludes many locally-elected officials, CAOs, and city managers is the structure of their organization. Many municipal councillors have limited or no experience in business or running any organization, and don’t comprehend the importance of a smoothly-functioning administrative structure. “You look at organizations and their structures that just tear people apart because there are no clear lines of accountability,” says Jeffrey Gan-

dz. “People don’t know what they are supposed to be doing to make a difference. I find this very common in municipal governments. In part, this is because they don’t provide an appropriate buffer between the political and the administrative. The elected people are either trying to run the municipality, or the senior management don’t understand how to shield their organization from the political pressures.” “One theory of leadership and organization says that the challenge of any bureaucracy is to insulate the core from the turbulence in its environment, so that the core can do its business properly. It’s easy to espouse that theory. What is required in practice to do that is an incredible set of skills, some of which are derived from the good side and some of which are Machiavellian.” ***** This book excerpt is shared exclusively in Municipal World. MW

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This online-only feature highlights select articles from past issues of Municipal World’s monthly print magazine. In this issue, we share an article that originally appeared in our April 2005 issue. People who realize that there is no such thing as a free lunch, also recognize that there is no free work force. Many individuals and community groups in our municipalities are ready, willing and even eager to volunteer to improve their community. Unless forethought is directed to maximizing opportunity and minimizing risk, municipal officials risk being seen as uncooperative or unprepared when approached by these volunteers. While it is true that the volunteer management process can burden already-stretched municipal resources, to truly benefit from volunteer opportunities available to the community you must manage the volunteer process by devoting sufficient time, skills and effort.

Not Free Labour projects. For an example, interpersonal conflicts may arise between staff and volunteers, as-built facilities may fail to meet the corporation’s usual standards, or municipal employees may perceive that their rights as unionized employees are being affected. Regardless of the roles volunteers fill in developing and expanding your community services, a few basic steps can prepare you to solicit or accept volunteer help. These steps require corporate resources to develop. However, you will find the time spent a worthwhile investment, as it reduces the amount of resources you will need to devote to subsequent projects.

Volunteer Management Plan

A well-designed volunteer management plan will help to encourage consistent volunteer management throughout the organization, and eliminate the need to reinvent the wheel every time a new project is proposed. Identify expectations – The very Pitfalls to Avoid first thing you should do is identify your Volunteered services or gifts-in-kind expectations. What is it you are willmay sometimes be rejected because mu- ing to allow volunteers to do for you? nicipal procedures or practices haven’t Do you want to establish limitations on been appropriately developed to ease both labour and gifts-in-kind? In some acceptance. This can occur when emorganizations, you may be prohibited ployees believe that they haven’t enough from allowing volunteers to perform time to mentor a project through to a certain kinds of work due to language satisfactory completion, or due to earlier in collective agreements with unions. projects that resulted in problems. Are you willing to accept donations of When proposals are inadequately playground equipment, trees, library planned, it can create serious issues books, etc.? If you are, then what minileading to reluctance to enter future mum standards have you set? Perhaps

you have identified certain species of trees that are long-lived and are relatively easy to maintain. Employees who may be approached by volunteer groups should have this information available to promptly and clearly inform individuals and citizen groups of the standards and the rationale behind them. If they don’t, how can this be done effectively and economically? Basic role descriptions – Once you know what labour and materials you can readily accept from the community, you need to develop some basic role descriptions. For example, if your municipality has a special anniversary to celebrate, or other special event – what can community members do to help? Do you need volunteer office staff, parking lot attendants for the event, on-site emergency first aid, park cleaning and green workers, etc.? Drafting simple half-page to full-page descriptions of the work required, who each position reports to and how (i.e. by telephone, e-mail, etc.), where work stations will be, and the minimum required time commitment can go a long way towards avoiding misunderstandings and related problems. If there is something you specifically don’t want them to do (eg. wearing blue JOY JACKSON, Cunnart Associates, is a professional risk manager based in London, Ontario. She specializes in the design and delivery of risk management training and solutions.

April 2016

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jeans while at a special event, smoking in public while on duty, etc.) be sure to reference it. Orientation and training – Projects often begin with a few individuals working during the planning and start-up phase, culminating with many people working together for only a few days. Every volunteer (and employee) needs some basic instruction by way of an orientation and training process. In the beginning, you often can explain oneon-one as each person commences work. By the time the project hits full swing, however, the only efficient means to communicate may be to provide group orientation sessions. Give volunteers handouts to take home, as these are essential reminders of approved practices and other vital information. Handouts should at least include a copy of their role description, name and contact information for their immediate supervisor, and a brief description of your expectations. For example, if a day of

tree-planting or park cleanup is planned, everyone should be advised who is in charge of the site and what minimum safety equipment is necessary in order to be allowed to work on the site. Other “housekeeping” items may include the wearing of identification tags or special t-shirts, transportation to and from the site and lunch breaks. Supervision – You will require municipal employees to be on-site either full-time or periodically, to confirm that safety standards are being met and that the project is proceeding as planned. The safety of volunteer participants, employees and the public is foremost. Your employee supervisors are also responsible for managing the project to established standards from beginning to completion. Ensure your supervisors know that they have sufficient authority to manage the site, just as they would with contractors or other employees. Post mortem – This process is invaluable in assessing volunteer work

performance. Appraise all projects promptly upon completion to identify difficulties and corresponding solutions. For long-term or recurring projects, routine meetings of municipal employees – with or without volunteer presence – should occur. This encourages full communication between various departments and activities to ensure that all who benefit from the volunteers’ efforts are satisfied with progress and/or the results. Where issues are identified (eg. the playground equipment looks great, but is a maintenance problem), you can develop remedies to avoid similar problems on future projects. Don’t take volunteers for granted. They can greatly enhance your municipality’s potential for developing and sustaining a vibrant, healthy community. To maximize this potential, you need to commit sufficient resources to manage the overall volunteer program. You will be well-rewarded for this investment. MW

MUNICIPAL FACILITATION GUIDE BETTER DECISIONS, TOGETHER Facilitation can be a powerful tool to help build community and address pressing and relevant issues. Public processes, by their nature, will often involve diverse perspectives that can make it very difficult to unite the group. Still, through a guided process of dialogue, sharing information, and making a decision, a common purpose can usually be found. Better Decisions, Together is practical facilitation guide, examining the need for citizen engagement and explaining how conflict may be harnessed as a positive force for change. The authors share facilitation strategies that have been proven to work well at the community level, along with practical suggestions for constructively engaging the community. Communities are an interconnected web of relationships between individuals, businesses, and different groups of people, as well as between the public and government officials – including both staff and politicians. Facilitation can help to bring these various stakeholders together, foster dialogue, and encourage understanding. When facilitators “get it right,” the process can also contribute to more informed and democratic decision making in the community. Order this book in hard copy or epub format from MW’s online bookstore.

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April 2016

$29.95

Plus applicable taxes, shipping and handling

April 3-5 – 2016 OMTRA Spring Training Seminar Niagara-on-the-Lake ON. www.omtra. ca/events April 5-7 – North Central Local Government Management Association AGM and Conference Prince George BC. www.civicinfo. bc.ca April 5-8 – Parks and Recreation Ontario Educational Forum and Trade Show Blue Mountains ON. www.prontario.org April 6-8 – Economic Developers Alberta annual general meeting and conference Kananaskis AB. www.edaalberta.ca April 10-13 – Ontario Business Improvement Area Association conference London ON. www.obiaaconference.com April 12-14 – Adaptation Canada National Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation Ottawa ON. http://adaptationcanada2016.ca April 13-15 – Ontario Municipal Human Resources Association spring workshop Niagara Falls ON. www.omhra.ca/en/events April 17-19 – Canadian Public Sector Lean Summit Fredericton NB. www.cdnleansummit.ca April 19-20 – Ontario Bike Summit Annual Conference Toronto ON. www.sharetheroad. ca/ontario-bike-summit April 24-27 – National Groundwater Association Groundwater Summit Denver CO. www.GroundwaterSummit.org April 27-29 – Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association annual general meeting Thunder Bay ON. www.noma.on.ca May 1-3 – BC Water & Wastewater Association Annual Conference Whistler BC. http:// bcwwa.org/events/annual-conference.html May 1-4 – Ontario’s Water Conference and Trade Show Windsor ON. www.owwa.ca/ conference May 3-4 – The Canadian Institute Inaugural Conference Edmonton AB. www.canadianinstitute.com/IAM May 4-6 – Ontario Small Urban Municipalities conference and trade show Goderich ON. www.osum.ca/Events May 5-7 – Municipalities of Newfoundland & Labrador Municipal Symposium 2016 Gander NL. www.municipalnl.ca May 9-11 – Town and Gown Association of Ontario symposium Guelph ON. www.tgao. ca May 11-13 – Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities Annual Conference and General Meeting Timmins ON. www.fonom.org/ annual-conference May 12-14 – 2016 Ontario Heritage Conference Stratford ON. www.ontarioheritageconference.ca

May 12-15 – Association of Yukon Communities Annual General Meeting Watson Lake YK. www.ayc-yk.ca May 14-18 – Canadian Urban Transit Association Annual Conference Halifax NS. www. cutaactu.ca/en/eventsandawards/conferences. asp May 17-20 – Municipal Administration Leadership Workshop Kananaskis Village AB. http://clgm.net May 22-25 – American Public Works Association North American Snow Conference Hartford CT. www.apwa.net/Snow May 29-June 1 – OMSSA’s 2016 Leadership Symposium and annual general meeting Hamilton ON. www.omssa.com May 30-June 1 – Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators Annual Conference Winnipeg MB. www.camacam.ca/en/ conference June 3-5 – Federation of Canadian Municipalities 2016 Annual Conference and Trade Show Winnipeg MB. www.fcm.ca/home/events/ annual-conference-and-trade-show.htm June 7-8 – World Conference on Disaster Management (WCDM) 2016 Mississauga ON. www.wcdm.org June 7-9 – Saskatchewan Economic Development Association conference Swift Current SK. www.seda.sk.ca/html/seda-events June 8-10 – Association of Municipal Administrators of New Brunswick annual Conference and AGM Shippagan NB. http:// amanb-aamnb.ca June 8-11 – Canadian Ground Water Conference & Expo Niagara Falls ON. www. ogwa.ca/cdngroundwaterexpo June 12-15 – Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario annual general meeting and conference Niagara Falls ON. www.amcto.com June 21-23 – 2016 LGMA Conference and AGM Nanaimo BC. www.lgma.ca August 21-24 – National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) forum National Harbor MD. www.nigp.org August 28-31 – American Public Works Association International Public Works Congress and Exposition Minneapolis MN. www. apwa.net/PWX September 11-14 – 2016 OMTRA Annual Conference Minett ON. September 14-16 – Ontario East Municipal Conference Kingston ON. www.oemc.ca September 14-16 – Ontario Municipal Human Resources Association Fall conference Alliston ON. www.omhra.ca/en/events September 25-28 – Transportation Association of Canada conference and exhibition Toronto ON. www.tac-atc.ca

September 26-30 – Union of British Columbia Municipalities Convention Vancouver BC. www.ubcm.ca October 5-7 – Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) convention & AMSC trade show Edmonton AB. www.auma.ca October 20-22 – National Trust for Canada conference Hamilton ON. www.nationaltrustcanada.ca October 27-29 – Communities in Bloom National Symposium on Parks & Grounds and National and International Awards Ceremonies, in conjunction with the 2016 Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association Conference, Regina SK. www.communitiesinbloom.ca www.spra.sk.ca November 9-10 – Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities Midterm Convention Saskatoon SK. http://sarm.ca November 14-17 – AAMDC 2016 Fall Convention Edmonton AB. www.edaalberta.ca November 21-23 – Association of Manitoba Municipalities 18th Annual Convention Winnipeg MB. www.amm.mb.ca/events December 6-8 – National Groundwater Association Groundwater Week and Expo Las Vegas NV. www.GroundwaterWeek.com 2017 February 5-8 – Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association’s 112th Annual Convention Saskatoon SK. www.suma.org May 2-5 – Ontario Small Urban Municipalities Conference and Trade Show Blue Mountains ON. www.osum.ca/Events

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Municipal/Education Development Charge Policy and Cost Sharing Water/Sewer Rate Setting/Water Financial Plans Building Permit/Planning and Development Fees Long Range Financial Planning for School Boards and Municipalities Asset Management / PSAB Compliance Fiscal and Economic Impact, Service Feasibility and Needs Assessment Growth Management Strategies/Employment Strategies Land Needs Studies, Demographics and Fiscal/ Economic Impact Analysis Tel: (905) 272-3600 e-mail: info@watson-econ.ca website: www.watson-econ.ca

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