2010 CAMA Conference a Success
CAMA 2010 Conference Seizes Opportunities
The Annual Conference of the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA), held from May 31 to June 2, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario, attracted over 200 delegates, 20 partners, 14 sponsors, and 35 exhibitors. The three-day event, built around the theme “Seizing Opportunities – Action Through Leadership” featured networking events, professional development sessions and national awards recognizing municipal administrative excellence.
The conference got underway on May 31 with 72 golfers participating in the Annual CAMA Golf Tournament at the Royal Woodbine Golf Course. Congratulations to the winning team of Jim Toye, North Battleford, SK; Jim Puffalt, Estevan, SK; Andrew Foster, Insituform Technologies; and, Terry Patterson, Jardine Lloyd Thompson, who won the tournament.
A big thumbs up also goes to Robert Hughes, CAO for the Town of Stratford, PEI and the CAMA Board member for NS and PEI who got a hole in one at the tournament. The cycling tour through Toronto, was also a great success. The day ended with a reception for 55 first-time delegates; an opening reception sponsored by Molson Coors Canada; and, a hospitality suite sponsored by Instituform Technologies.
At the breakfast on June 1, sponsored by CSA Standards, delegates got an overview of the new book “Foundations of Governance: Municipal Government in Canada” presented by Andrew Sancton, co-author of the book with Robert Young, and David Siegel, author of the book’s Ontario chapter. The Association’s Annual General Meeting followed, with the Treasurer reporting a $5,000 surplus for the year. The 2010-11 Board of Directors was elected.
RBC Royal Bank sponsored the Opening Keynote presentation by Jim Carroll entitled “Where Do We Go From Here? Why Innovators Will Rule in the Post-Recession Economy – And How You Can Join Them!” The morning ended with a panel session entitled Action Through Leadership, featuring Joe P. Pennachetti, Toronto’s City Manager and his three Deputy City Managers: Sue Corke, Richard Butts and Cam Weldon, who is also the City’s Chief Financial Officer. The City of Toronto worked closely with CAMA to organize this year’s Annual Conference.
The noon luncheon featured the CAMA Workplace Literacy and Learning Awards. Three Canadian communities were recognized for their employee training efforts, including Richmond, BC, which won two awards, the Regional Municipality of Durham, ON, and the City of Mississauga, ON. This is the last year for these awards. Appreciation was extended to Pat Nutter for her work in this area over the past seventeen years.
The afternoon featured a series of four breakout sessions.
- “Using Research to Set Priorities: A Business Case for Knowing” by Carleen Carroll with Halton Region
- “Performance Measurement Best Practices for Small to Medium Sized Cities” featuring Patricia L. McCarney from the University of Toronto.
- “Social Media and Effective Local Government” presented by Eugene Roman, Chief Technology Officer, Open Text Corporation and Dr. Ken Coates, University of Waterloo.
- “Budgeting for Your Future,” sponsored by SAP Canada, and presented by Arthur Gitajn, Chief Financial Officer for SAP Canada.
Refreshment breaks for both days were sponsored by AON Consulting, and enjoyed and appreciated by all.
The day ended with an evening reception for Ontario conference delegates hosted by the Ontario Municipal Administrators’ Association (OMAA), and then everyone was off to the Hockey Hall of Fame for a Casual Night Out. Everyone got a chance to celebrate Canada’s game and sample food from Toronto’s diverse and unique neighbourhoods. Johnson Inc. sponsored the evening hospitality suite at local establishment, C'est What.
The June 2nd breakfast was sponsored by Odgers Berndtson and featured one of the most accomplished and celebrated players in the CFL, Mr. Damon Allen, sponsored by Jardine Lloyd Thompson. Janette Loveys, Manager of Visitor Services and Community Development with the Capital Region District, Victoria, BC then spoke about how to successfully shift government organizations towards embracing the opportunity of effective public participation.
This was followed by a panel session called “Wise Advice from Former CAOs.” The session featured Bob Linner, retired CAO for the City of Regina, SK; George McLellan, a former CAO for the Regional Municipality of Halifax, NS; and, Mike Garrett, the former CAO of the City of Toronto. Paul Stapleton, current City Administrator for the City of Fredericton, NB, moderated the session.
After a refreshment break sponsored by AON Consulting, delegates enjoyed a humourous Closing Keynote session entitled “Women Are Always Right! Men Are Never Wrong! – Gender Differences in the Workplace.” The husband and wife speaking team of James and Kelly Robbins kept delegates laughing with their insights.
At the CAMA Awards of Excellence luncheon, seven communities from across Canada were recognized for their municipal administrative excellence. Congratulations to the City of Calgary, AB; the Town of Dalhousie, NB; the City of Toronto, ON; the City of Bromont, QC; and the City of London, ON. The City of Grande Prairie, AB and the City of Waterloo, ON were also presented with Certificates of Merit for their award submissions. (Look for more details on the CAMA awards of excellence in this issue of e-Brief.)
CAMA also honoured Bob Linner at the luncheon by presenting him with an Honorary Membership for Life Award, the highest honour presented by the Association. The closing ceremonies and prize draws were then held in the trade show area. CAMA extends its appreciation to all the trade show exhibitors for their participation in this year’s conference.
Delegates spent the afternoon participating in numerous study tours of interest, including The Greening of Toronto City Hall, Toronto’s Waterfront Revitalization, Exhibition Place – A Study on Partnerships and Sustainability, and 311: Toronto at Your Service … Transforming Customer Service One Call at a Time!
The day ended with the CAMA President’s Reception and Dinner, sponsored by SAP Canada Inc. Mark Aboud, President and Managing Director, SAP Canada, announced a three year commitment to the CAMA Conference and the President's Dinner. Outgoing CAMA President, Chris MacPherson played host to delegates and their guests. Everyone enjoyed the humour of the Arrogant Worms, who performed during dinner. Canada Lands Company sponsored the last hospitality suite of the conference.
The Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) has over 440 members. It is the national voice of senior municipal administrators across Canada and strives to nurture and build municipal administrative excellence. The 2011 CAMA National Conference will be held in Halifax, NS from May 30 to June 1st, 2011 at the Delta Halifax Hotel and the World Trade and Convention Centre.
