Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 02

12 / Canadian Government Executive // March/April 2018 have the right people at the table. We do a lot of exercises with respect to recogniz- ing the need for a Regional Emergency Operations Centre and initiating it. I must say, we did have a bit of a situation that happened last summer, and I was so im- pressed with how the staff handled it. It was phenomenal. You can see that it’s had an impact on all our staff. I think we have a responsibility to be proactive and not wait for a disaster to happen but instead make sure that staff are well trained. That can take the form of us saying “let’s run these scenarios,” or, if we know something is scheduled for the area or is in the region, let’s make sure we exercise it, so we’re prepared. Q: It strikes me that maintaining public confidence and being trans- parent with the public is critical. How are you using the framework built into the Lessons Learned document to engage the public? We have a whole engagement policy within our communications branch, so we’re constantly communicating with the public. We do it through various means - social media is incredible now. Everybody pays attention. Pretty much everything is out in the open at council meetings, and very little is in camera or in a workshop, so everything we update is communicated to the public. We have new framework in place in terms of how we bring forward our bud- get, for example, which is unprecedented. I think the staff here have done a phenom- enal job and we are always looking for ways we can improve our communication. We think like a taxpayer. That’s a big thing for me. I learned that from one of my mentors. When we put anything out, you’ve got to think like the public would think. Would they understand this? Is this something that they can wrap their minds around and fully understand? And that’s how we communicate now. Q: I want to ask you about the challenges associated with collab- oration amongst different levels of government on a big file like this. Tell me a little bit about your views on the importance of col- laboration between the different levels of government and some of the challenges that go along with that? It’s vitally important and I know that was partly why the City of Penticton hired me. While I didn’t have any municipal expe- rience, I certainly had a lot of experience both provincially and federally. That part- nership is key. It’s being able to pick up the phone to a ministry and say, “Hey, I need some help here.” Or you know, “can we collaborate on this”? That’s absolutely essential, and it’s even more essential when you’re in the middle of a disaster. Both the provincial and the federal gov- ernment have been strong partners in our recovery, without question. We, of course, are always looking for them to pick up more of the cost, which any municipality or city would do, but they’ve been very engaged. We’ve done a pretty good job at cost recovery so our taxpayers should be very happy about that. We continue to look for ways to better communicate and to streamline our processes, particularly considering what happened here. Q: I’m interested in your views on the future of public service overall. In particular, I’d like to hear where you see municipal government going. There’s been a lot of talk at different levels about moving to digital platforms, different models for engagement with citizens, service transforma- tion, public service renewal and so on. You’ve had a long and distin- guished career in public service at the provincial and municipal level and with crown agencies. Where do you see it all going? Well, you know that interests me because it saddens me to say that I’ve had to go into different situations where either a core service has been eliminated, or a review has been done, and I’ve had to do the implementation which is always very difficult. This has been particularly true here in the Wood Buffalo region and coming in during a very difficult time, as there’s a new piece of legislation that’s been im- posed on us which is going to impede our revenues. We’ve had to transform, and it shocks me, at times, that municipalities and cities are not looking at the fiscal re- sponsibility they have to the taxpayer. To me, it’s common sense. We’ve implemented zero-based budget- ing, and we are constantly challenging the needs of our departments. We work as a team, and everybody sees the budget. Working in isolation doesn’t work any- more; it’s just not fiscally responsible. I have a lot of views on it, and I think that there has to be a major transformation re- garding how municipalities and cities run, to be more responsible. What I have found, when I’ve had to go in and do some clean-up, is that instead of going after the shiny things that people want to be built, make sure the business case is solid. Make sure the analysis is done and includes the ongoing operating costs. I have found many cases that are lacking in operating cost considerations. Building new facilities without factor- ing in the ongoing operating costs isn’t fair to the taxpayer. When an administration brings forward these opportunities for Mayor and Council, Cabinet or a Board, the business case should paint a complete picture. It’s important to have executives in place that have some operating background. Often, I see examples of initiatives led by staff who have a policy background and are simply lacking the business and oper- ating experience. Public service can be a great career and a noble one; when you remember who you work for. A balance of operating and policy expertise on your executive team and keeping the taxpayers top of mind to guide your decisions, will contribute to a fulfilling and successful experience. Or, in my case, many wonderful experiences. For more information on what’s happening in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, check out the 2018- 2021 RMWB Strategic Plan which was approved by Council. This document can be found online at rmwb.ca/strategic plan. INTERVIEW