AMANS Board Update
Cathie Osborne, CMM, President, AMANS
National Advanced Certificate in Local Authority Administration (NACLAA)
As most of you know the AMA strongly promotes life-long learning. On-going Education and professional development will assist you in obtaining your career goals. The AMA has a long history of working with Dalhousie University in the development of courses specific to local government administration. The AMA actually was formed by 26 graduates of the four year Certificate Program in Municipal Administration offered by what was then known as the Institute of Public Affairs, Dalhousie University. The program's development was the culmination of many years of effort and commitment by the Nova Scotia Department of Municipal Affairs, the Institute of Public Affairs, Dalhousie University, the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities, and the Provincial Chapter of the Municipal Finance Officers' Association. Years later the program was changed to a two year program called the Certificate in Local Government Administration. In addition to the CLGA, an additional program was developed in 1988 called the Diploma in Public Administration. The administrating body was the Centre for Public Management which in later years became Henson College.
In 2002 the National Advanced Certificate in Local Authority Administration (NACLAA) program replaced both the CLGA and the DPA. Dalhousie's College of Continuing Education and the Government Studies at the University of Alberta Faculty of Extension, jointly developed this new on-line learning experience. The goal of NACLAA was to develop and enhance local government leadership and managerial capabilities to promote enlightened democratic governance. The program was developed to provide nationally relevant but regionally sensitive theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for outstanding performance in local authority administration.
The AMA has adopted the NACLAA II as the standard criteria for its professional designation CMM.
For more information on the NACLAA Program you can contact Dawne Walker, Program Manager. Dawne is replacing Jane Mulatz who is out on maternity leave with her baby daughter.
Dawne is very qualified as a facilitator, trainer and program manager. She is a Certified Master Instructor/Facilitator from Langevin Learning Services and has a Certificate in Adult Education. The deadline for registration is fast approaching so contact Dawne at
Dalhousie University College of Continuing Education
1535 Dresden Row, Suite 201, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Phone: 902-494-8837 Fax: 902-494-3662
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Click here for NACLAA Brochure
Click here for NACLAA 2009- 2010 Registration Form
Women in Local Government Bursary Program
Another deadline fast approaching is the Women in Local Government Bursary Program. This program is designed to assist women employed in municipal government to pursue training, education and development opportunities to enhance their career.
The Women in Local Government Bursary Program provides an educational bursary to assist women in pursuing more advanced career opportunities within the municipal sector. The objective is to encourage women who work for municipal government to further their knowledge and skills and to ultimately provide more career opportunities for them within the municipal sector. Through this program, financial assistance is made available to deserving women to assist them in undertaking studies in public administration, accounting, human resources, urban and rural planning, civil engineering, recreation and other recognized courses or programs of skill upgrading and professional development.
For example a woman wanting to take the NACLAA program could apply to the WILG Bursary Program for assistance with the cost. Deadline for applications is September 9th. More information and an application can be found on Women in Local Government.
Water and Wastewater Operator Training
Background:
Last year, the Nova Scotia Community College was asked by a Regional Development Authority to investigate the need for water and waste water operator training. NSCC contacted AMANS and we agreed to conduct a survey with our membership to investigate the need. The results of the survey showed a demand for training for both pre-employment and post-employment programs. NSCC also held discussions with the NS Department of Environment to ensure any training programs were aligned with their regulations and future plans.
The NSCC then began a search for existing programs in Canada that would be of high quality and would address the specific needs of Nova Scotia. After investigating three different programs, NSCC decided to partner with the New Brunswick Community College. The partnership is scheduled to be solidified by fall of 2009.
The program is a blended-delivery program - the theory component will be a computer-based delivery and the hands-on or lab component will be a face-to-face delivery. Each student will be assigned a faculty advisor who will coach the student throughout the training period. The faculty advisor will also find an appropriate facility for the face-to-face delivery which will occur at either a NSCC site or at a municipal site. Blended programs allow for students to stay in their communities rather than traveling to a site specific location to receive training.
The duration of the full program is approximately 32 days; however, if the student chooses just one stream of training, it could take as little as 13 days. This introductory training will prepare students to write the Level 1 or Level 2 Department of Environment exams.
Future:
The NSCC is considering extending the partnership with the NBCC to include advanced programming for Levels 3 and 4 Water and Waste Water Operators. They are also considering offering the Continuing Education Units, required by the Department of Environment, to enable current licensed operators to maintain their licenses through computer-based delivery.
Job Postings
The AMA is entering into an agreement with CivicJobs.ca which is a national not-for-profit local government information service. The site which was originally a co-operative venture between BC's local governments and Association provides a wide range of services to its members including promoting local government as a career choice. Last year the site went national and is currently experiencing about 24,000 unique visits and 135,000 page views per month, and traffic is climbing at such a rate that they expect these numbers to more than double in the year ahead. They have been laying the foundation to grow CivicJobs.ca into Canada's single-source destination for local government jobs. The rates are very reasonable and the AMA will be offering a combined rate for civicjobs.ca, posting on the AMA Website and AMA list serve.
2009 Spring Workshop
The AMA Spring Workshop which was held in Dundee this year was sponsored by the municipal units on Cape Breton Island. The Region did an excellent job in making delegates feel welcome and providing a perfect balance of information and social activity. They even ordered beautiful weather which was much appreciated. Over 70 delegates participated in the event and I would like to thank Rick Fraser, CBRM and his committee for making it an event to remember.
AMA By-laws
Last year when the AMA revised its membership and governance structure, it was realized that the By-laws of the Association needed to be completely reviewed and rewritten. The By-laws have been amended 16 times in the last 37 years and some amendments were significant. These amendments have left the By-laws seem fragmented and pieced together with some sections contradicting other amended sections. The amendments made in 2008 were made to accommodate the changes in governance and membership structure, but there was a strong commitment at the Board level to conduct a comprehensive review and revision the AMA by-laws.
The process involved a collection and review of by-laws of other similar associations across the country, namely: Local Government Managers Association of BC , Association of Managers Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario, Manitoba Municipal Administrators' Association. In addition, the document - Understanding Bylaws: A Guide for Directors of Not-For-Profit Organizations - published by the Canadian Society of Association Executives was used.
The intent of the revisions was to restrict where necessary but more importantly enable, empower and help increase the level of awareness of the AMA's mandate and activities.
It was felt that the By-laws should be flexible enough to permit the Board of Directors to make policy in the best interests of the organization.
The Board will be reviewing a final draft on August 25th following which the Draft By-laws will be forwarded to the membership and will be voted on at the Annual General Meeting on October 1, 2009.
AMA Municipal Website Venture Continues to Grow
The AMA Municipal Website Venture (MWV) continues to get bigger and better as it moves into its third year.
The Municipal Website Venture offers a cost effective product and service that goes well beyond website design. It is a unique, progressive program which has put Nova Scotia at the forefront. There are no other partner-programs like the MWV in North America and there has been a great deal of interest in the program from other jurisdictions. The MWV Board believes that the program is advancing inter-municipal cooperation and peer-to-peer professional development. It is, in fact, “municipal people working for municipal people”.
In a recent survey of municipalities who have had their sites developed through the MWV, overall satisfaction was rated at 4.5/5. Municipal respondents liked the appearance, functionality and usability of their new sites. All surveyed said that they would recommend the Municipal Website Venture to others.
Congratulations to . . .
Jeff Aitkens, CAO, Town of Mulgrave. Jeff has been accepted into Law School. Jeff will be leaving the Town of Mulgrave at the end of August to pursue his studies full-time.
Mark Peck for completing his Masters in Public Administration at Dalhousie University.
Barry Carrol, on his appointment as Chief Administrative Officer, Municipality of the District of Guysborough
Dwight Bennett on his retirement as Chief Administrative Officer of the District of West Hants.
Cheryl Chislet who has been appointed as Chief Administrative Officer to the District of West Hants
Scott Fraser who has been appointed as CAO for the Town of Westville
Brenda Orchard, Chief Administrative Officer, County of Annapolis
and last but not least Jane Mulatz on the birth of her daughter.