Recognizing the importance of developing and managing the workforce for municipal administrators, the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) has launched a Human Resources Toolkit which is now available to members by visiting the Member’s Section (Toolkit Section) of the CAMA website.
The toolkit was released during a virtual launch on May 12, 2022 that provided an overview of this document.
“This toolkit is meant to be a resource to support Chief Administrative Officers, direct reports and managers working in local government for all size populations and municipalities with or without a Human Resources Department.” said Jack Benzaquen, CAMA President/Chair of the Human Resources Toolkit Committee and City Manager for the City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC. “This document is designed to provide information regarding several different human resource topics with support through samples and links across the country. CAMA hopes that this toolkit will become a valuable resource to support CAO’s and their senior management teams.”
In addition to President Benzaquen, the Human Resources Toolkit Committee included the following CAMA members:
- Beverly Hendry - CAO, Town of West Lincoln, ON/CAMA Second Vice-President & Member-At-Large for Municipalities with a Population Under 100,000.
- Marc Melanson - City Manager, City of Dieppe, NB and CAMA Representative for New Brunswick
- Brenda Orchard – CAO, Lennox & Addington County, ON and CAMA Representative for Ontario
- Caroline Blair Smith – Deputy CAO, Corporate Services, Halifax Regional Municipality and CAMA Member
- Gordon Howie, Retired CAMA Member, BC
- Lori Kelly, Director of Human Resources, City of Mississauga, ON
- John Thomas, CAO, District of Clearwater, BC and CAMA Member
The Committee worked in collaboration with consultant Transitional Solutions Inc.(TSI) to develop the Toolkit. TSI is a municipal consulting firm headquartered in Edmonton, AB that provides services across Canada.
The Toolkit offers information on leadership and building a successful team, recruitment and hiring practices, employee and labour relations, compensation and benefits, correction and discipline, development and training, promotion, health and wellness, performance management, human resource information systems, policies and metrics, and equity, diversity and inclusion - just to name a few. It also has over 200 best practices, policies and templates for your easy reference.
While the information in this toolkit has been researched across Canada, it is important to check the information with your Provincial or Territorial legislation to ensure alignment. It is meant to be a guide, not specific advice due to the complexity and uniqueness of many human resource situations, therefore this is not meant to be a replacement for sound legal advice.
Got questions? Want more information? Contact Jennifer Goodine, Executive Director, CAMA National Office, 1-866-771-2262, admin@camacam.ca.