Honourary Membership for Life Award

The Honorary Member for Life in CAMA is a prestigious honour bestowed at the sole discretion of the Board of Directors upon a member, past or present, who has been nominated by his or her peers.  This award recognizes an individual's commitment to advancing the objectives of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) and the contributions they've made to both the Association and the municipal profession across Canada.  It is intended to reflect honour upon CAMA as well as upon the individual.  It is only awarded in exceptional circumstances and no more than one award will be presented in any one year (unless there is a tie). 

Honourary membership is a lifetime appointment with all benefits of a Regular CAMA Member of the By-law, with the added privilege that their annual dues will be waived and that their Annual Conference registration fee will be reduced.

Previous recipients of the award include:  the late John Robison, the late Cy Armstrong, the late Robert Byron, Wes Lancaster, Murray MacLean, Paul Stapleton, Richard White, Bob Linner, Doug Lagore, Gerard Lewis, the late Cecil Vincent, Jim Toye, Doug Lychak, Ron Shaw, Duncan Campbell, Chris MacPherson, Janice Baker, Roy Brideau, Jake Rudolph, and Barry Carroll.

Evaluation Criteria

Nominees will be considered based on the following criteria:

• Length of time served in local government as a CAO or direct report to a CAO (15 Points): To be eligible for the award the nominee must have a minimum of ten years of service as a CAO or a direct report to a CAO.
• Length of Service (15 Points): To be eligible for the award the nominee must currently be, or have been, a CAMA member in good standing for no less than ten years.
• Contribution to CAMA (50 Points). It would be expected that a nominee will have made a contribution to the Association which goes beyond the normal role of an ordinary member. Areas of contribution might include the following categories with an explanation of the impact on the work that they did:

• Board Work. Played a leadership role in the organization as a Board member or participated on a Sub-Committee to animate CAMA services and offerings, or another activity.
• Membership Drive Work. Activity engaged in outreach and promotion to extend CAMA's reach.
• Professional Development Work. Played a critical role in professional development opportunities, was an active leader/ambassador at the Conference, etc.
• Leadership in Local Government Administration. Has demonstrated leadership and competency and has had an impact in municipal leadership and the local government administrative profession while promoting CAMA.

• Ambassador to CAMA and Local Government (20 Points). The nominee, as an ambassador of the Association must exhibit excellence in both personal and professional reputation: Should display good character, general attitude and behaviour; show dedication to the value of CAMA; have commitment to the principles of CAMA; and display good leadership and role modelling which reflects credit upon CAMA.

A minimum of 75 points must be met to be considered for this award.  Meeting the minimum point threshold does not in itself guarantee selection.  The CAMA Honourary Member for Life Award is a prestigious honour, and the Board of Directors retains the ultimate discretion to determine whether it is bestowed in any given year.  The final decision must be confirmed by a vote of the Board of Directors.  In general, the nominee with the highest score may be selected as the recipient for that particular year, and in the case of a tie, two awards may be presented. 

If a nominee achieves the 75 point threshold but is not selected by the Board of Directors, the nomination will not automatically be carried over to the following year.  Only those nominations that the Board determines are appropriate for future consideration may, with the permission of the nominator, be carried forward.

Nomination Process

The deadline for receipt at the CAMA National Office is January 30, 2026. Please submit the following documents to complete the nomination process:

• Nomination Form. The candidate must be nominated by two members in good standing of the Association (nominator and seconder; names and contact details required) completing the nomination form.
• One-Page Submission. The nomination must consist of a one-page submission (font size 12) outlining the nature of their support for CAMA.
• Letters of Endorsement. A maximum of three letters of endorsement are optional. Each letter should be no longer than one page (12 font). The nominator's letter (in addition to the one-page submission) may be counted in the total number submitted.

Nomination Requirements

• A current serving member of the CAMA Board of Directors may not nominate or second a candidate for this award.
• To be eligible, the nominee must not be serving on the CAMA Board of Directors at the time of nomination and must not have served on the Board within the preceding five (5) years.

The award will be considered by the Board at its February 2026 meeting and announced at the President's Dinner at the Annual Conference. The Award will also be announced in the CAMA e-Brief newsletter, on the Association website and through social media.

There is nothing more meaningful to a professional than to be recognized by one’s peers for a job well done. Over the years there are many individuals who have made a difference within our profession, our organization and in the community.

QUESTIONS?
All questions can be directed to:
Ms. Jennifer Goodine
Executive Director
CAMA National Office
Telephone No.:  1-866-771-2262
E-Mail Address:  admin@camacam.ca