Safety and Security of Senior Citizens

The provincial government has announced a new program to help seniors feel safe and secure within their own home called the Seniors Home Security Program. It is designed for low income seniors with a net household income of $35,000 or less.

The program offers:

• deadbolts,
• door viewers,
• smoke alarms,
• smoke alarm batteries,
• and carbon dioxide detectors.

As part of the program installation and a security assessment is provided at no cost for the senior.

If you need more information please check online or email.

Phase 2: Sun West School Division

In our ongoing work to ensure that Phase 2 is successful we are working with potential partners who can contribute to the facilities. Sun West School Division is one such partner. They have written a letter of support for the facility including four opportunities for the school division.

• dual credit educational programming in trades and health sciences;
• sports and fine arts academies;
• location for independent education program;
• Phase 2 would enhance educational program offerings.

We have received a letter of support from Great Plains College and are still awaiting letters from other West Central organizations.

West Central Saskatchewan Regional Waste Management

Kindersley, along with her neighbours in West Central Saskatchewan, have been working together to develop a regional waste management site. The reason for this initiative is that the Ministry of Environment has tightened the regulations surrounding landfills. Representatives from interested communities have been meeting for the past few months and progress has been made.

At the last meeting our representatives incorporated for the purpose of developing a regional waste management site. Councillor Curtis Sackville is one of the vice-presidents and Councillor Lorne Janzen is on the executive as a member at large. The corporation has also agreed to hire Dr. Ian Fleming of the University of Saskatchewan, no relation that we know of to the creator of James Bond, to act as a consultant. The Town has agreed to administer the project on a short term basis. Further, interested communities must contribute $1 per person to the corporation.

The next steps are still being determined but should include:

• determining the best process i.e. P3 or build and manage
• I prefer P3
• select a P3 partner based on an RFP
• lots of work to address a myriad of issues relating to P3 and the rest of our neighbours such as contributions and the like.
• the recruitment of a Project Manager to ensure the project is rolled out as planned and unintended consequences are mitigated.
• pending the process, determine location
• with a P3 process the company will determine the best location based on economics and not politics
• a completion date and my suggestion is within 18 - 24 months.

I have highlighted some of the main tasks needing to be accomplished and there will be more. If you need more specifics please contact Councillor Curtis Sackville.

A Busy Council

Hi Everyone:

Council has been busy and you can expect to see a continued flurry of activity after the snow starts falling in the late fall and early winter. Here are some of the reports and studies we will be receiving in the next months:

·         Official Community Plan (OCP) – outlines land use and community design for a generation, and guides Council as it make long-term plans.

·         Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP) – ensures the ongoing fiscal responsibility and sustainability of Kindersley.

·         Long Term Infrastructure Plan (LTIP) – enables Council in decision-making to have the appropriate infrastructure built at the right time.

·         Asset Management Plan (AMP) – ensures cost effectiveness by identifying the right repairs at the right time.

·         Transportation Study (TS) – informs Council to make sound decisions regarding road safety in Kindersley and effective traffic flow.

·         Strategic Plan – helps Council implement its share of policies required by the OCP, LTFP, LTIP, AMP, & TS over the next four years.

·         Organizational Effectiveness Review – ensures the corporation of the Town of Kindersley is aligned to achieve its goals and is positioned for future growth.

Council is also working on other projects to ensure Kindersley is a positively engaged community building an economically and socially vibrant future. These projects include:

·         Planning for the success of Phase 2 of the Multi-Use Facility.

·         Partnering with our West Central SK neighbours on initiatives such as municipal bundling to reduce costs.

·         Discerning the best tools to ensure commercial and industrial growth in Kindersley.

·         Developing the Town Square as a means to build community spirit and beautify Kindersley.

·         Helping where we can to ensure that Kindersley has sufficient health care for our residents.

·         Supporting the Cemetery Committee in the implementation of a new terms of reference, construction of a new columbarium, and beautification of the grounds.

·         Working with the Museum to ensure its ongoing viability, sustainability, and relevance for the residents of Kindersley and West Central SK.

·         Working with the RM of Kindersley regarding a new Fire Hall that can best serve the needs of the Town and RM.

·         Endorsing the Rec Advisory Committee’s Wall of Champions to recognize athletic excellence and builders who have shaped the athletic experience of Kindersley.

These are just a few of the many projects underway that are keeping Council busy. On a personal note, I am away September 29 through October 5.

Please write or phone if you would like me to discuss a particular topic. If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at the town office or email me at mayorenns-wind@kindersley.ca. You can also check out my blog at http://mayorjohn.blogspot.ca/. I appreciate your feedback.

Have a good week!

More will be coming

Hi: I have been very busy and will be posting more by midweek.

Council's SPA

Council often meets for SPA. SPA in this case is an acronym for a Council meeting with a: "Special Planning Agenda." A couple of Councillors dislike going on 'retreat.'

SPA is for strategic planning, growth planning, long-term financial planning, long-term infrastructure planning and more. The legislation says that they can only be used for long term planning and all remarks and comments are confidential.

I just hope we haven't put you off your own SPA.

What Makes a Great Town?

Did you know that by 2030 approximately 60% of the world's population will be living in cities? Are you aware that it is cities that are fuelling the historically unprecedented economic growth? And yes I am aware that it is from West Central Saskatchewan that supplies the oil and gas energy and the food for the cities. However, if we are to be a vibrant and sustainable community that flourishes in the future we need to be thoughtful and intentional.

Here are three things that Mayors from around the world agree that when done well enhance the social and economic well-being of a community. My notes below are based on a report from McKinsey & Company "How to Make a City Great"

1. Smart Growth: great communities identify and nurture opportunities for growth, plans to cope with challenges, integrates sustainable thinking, and ensures that all citizens participate in the creation of wealth. One other thing: a great community is conscious of its regional neighbours collaborating with them to ensure healthy growth.
2. Smart Spending: great communities secure all their revenue, seek out mutually beneficial partnerships, and ensure the organization reflects the goals of the community; it is lean with all aspects in alignment with the vision.
3. Accepting Change: some people embrace change and others are reluctant about change creating a tension between the change agents and the change resistors. Change requires confidence and this can be achieved through early wins and a team that is high performing forging a consensus with residents and businesses.

My time as mayor is limited: I will either retire or you will decide someone else will/can do a better job. As a result the provincial government encourages, and I affirm and am working towards, is long term planning to start a virtuous cycle leading to decision making that ensures Kindersley is socially and economically vibrant enabling all residents and businesses to flourish.

Types of Mayors

If you are wondering: the only constant these days is change. It doesn't matter in what walk of life, change is afoot. Similarly the Office of Mayor is changing as well and how individuals approach the Office.

There are many well-known mayors and each seems to have their own vision and values.

The Mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi, is someone I would consider a visionary with strong policy credentials and communication skills. He seems to be very community oriented in the sense of building a community of relationships.

The Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, is different wherein he "sees New York as a corporation, city workers as talent, and the public as customers - and by and large New Yorkers love him for it."

However, back in 1892 the former mayor of Birmingham in England is different again and compared cities to a "joint stock or co-operative enterprise in which every citizen is a shareholder, and of which the dividends are receivable in the improved health and the increase of comfort and happiness of the community."

Here are some things that guide me as mayor from the Policy Manual and as mandated by provincial legislation:

E.O. The community of Kindersley exists so that its citizens enjoy a safe, attractive, vibrant, sustainable and environmentally friendly community for a reasonable investment.

GP.O The purpose of the Council, on behalf of the ratepayers of Kindersley, is to see to it that  the Town of Kindersley (a) achieves appropriate results for appropriate persons at an appropriate costs and (b) avoids unacceptable actions and situations.

GP.4. The Mayor, acts as Chair or Chief Governance Officer of the Council and as such is a specially empowered member of the Council who assures the integrity of the Council's process and, secondarily, represents the Council to outside parties.

Accordingly:

1.       The assigned result of the Mayor’s job is that the Council behaves consistently with its own rules and those legitimately imposed upon it from outside the organization...

2.       The authority of the Mayor consists in making decisions that fall within topics covered by Council policies on Governance Process and Council-Chief Administrative Officer Delegation, with the exception of (a) employment or termination of a Chief Administrative Officer and (b) where the Council specifically delegates portions of this authority to others. The Mayor is authorised to use any reasonable interpretation of the provisions in these policies...

 

3.       The Mayor is responsible for the creation and maintenance of the CAO employee file...

4.       The Deputy Mayor acts in the absence of the Mayor with all the authority accorded under this policy and the Municipalities Act.

After 10 months I have to say I have enjoyed being Mayor more than I thought I would. I am still learning and with Council, I believe we are headed down the right road. As for my style: it is a work in progress. I want Kindersley to have the four pillars of a community flourish. Those pillars include: culture, economics, education, and recreation. My hope is that Kindersley will "R.E.E.C. with Opportunities" resulting in a community whose residents and businesses flourish.

·         Recreation Opportunities

·         Economic Opportunities

·         Education Opportunities

·         Cultural Opportunities

 

Kindersley is not about shareholders and customers, I think Kindersley is about people working and playing together so all can flourish.

Governance Update

One of the commitments made by Council, and mandated by the Policy Manual, is to regularly review the policy manual. We have learning about municipal governance and reviewing our policy manual on a regular basis with a governance coach. The discussions have been interesting and sometimes are very precise about language.

Here are some of the changes we have been making.

·         Policy AL.2. Chief Administrative Officer Limitations, Treatment of Staff

Further, without limiting the scope of the foregoing by this enumeration, the Chief Administrative Officer shall not:

5. Prevent staff from appealing to the Council in writing when: (a) internal grievance procedures have been exhausted, and (b) the employee alleges either that Council policy has been violated to the employee's detriment. or that Council policy does not adequately protect the employee's legislated human rights.

·         The change was made to ensure that the relevant legislation is the first standard to be met.

Further, without limiting the scope of the foregoing by this enumeration, the Chief Administrative Officer shall not:

7. Fail to develop and foster means to recognize employee achievements.

·         This addition was made to ensure that excellence is recognized.

·         Policy AL.3. Chief Administrative Officer Limitations, Financial Condition and Activities

Further, without limiting the scope of the foregoing by this enumeration, the Chief Administrative Officer shall not:

5.  Make a single non-budgeted purchase over $10,000, with 1% of operating budget.

·         This was clarified to ensure that proper fiscal controls are in place and that both Council and the CAO are comfortable with this amount.

This review is ongoing and I will provide updates as we move along. The process is slow these changes are the result of an hour and half of discussions.

Great, and Reasonable, Expectations

When someone calls 911, there are expectations: One, that their plea for help will be responded to quickly and without delay; two, that the responders are professionals, fully trained in dealing with their emergency; and three, that once help arrives, prompt and reliable action will be taken.

One of the Fire Department's Command Vehicles

Saturday morning, August 31, 2013, at about 4:00 am, the Fire Department responded to an alarm at Kindersley Composite School (KCS). After phoning everyone on their list so they could gain access without success, they called me - my wife teaches at the school and has keys. Fortunately, it was only a malfunctioning alarm but, nonetheless, I learned a lot in my 2.5 hours with the crew at KCS, on top of what I have learned so far.

Our firefighters are professionals. They undertake a lot of training on an ongoing basis. Twice a month, they meet to train and review. The certifications our guys achieve are no different from the career firefighters in Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton and other larger centres. What differentiates our firefighters from those larger centres? Commitment. Our guys, I believe, are more committed than the full time crews in larger centres. Why do I say this? Here are some reasons:

·         Who else leaves their job without permission of their boss to save a life or property?

·         Who else gives up time with their families and careers to train for emergency situations?

·         Who else gives up time with families and careers to respond to emergency situations?

·         Who else works all night responding to an emergency and then goes to their day job?

I firmly believe our guys are the best pros in the province, providing the best service they can with the resources they have. There are challenges:

·         There are employers who are understaffed and can't afford for their firefighter on staff to leave for an indeterminate period of time.

·         Employers have their own deadlines set by clients and need their staff to meet the deadlines.

·         Employers need staff whom are rested and can work all day without making mistakes due to fatigue.
 

Here is the tension our community is facing: Our businesses are facing deadlines, human resource shortages, and inconsistent attendance. It is understandable that they are reluctant to let their 'firefighting' staff go. However, if the Fire Department doesn't respond to emergencies, who does? Our Fire Department walks a fine line between responding to emergencies and supporting their families with their jobs and careers. So, what do we do? How do we ensure the safety of our residents, businesses, industries, and visitors while enabling our businesses and industries to operate as effectively and efficiently as possible?

Please write or phone if you would like me to discuss a particular topic. If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at the town office or email me at mayorenns-wind@kindersley.ca. You can also check out my blog at http://mayorjohn.blogspot.ca/. I appreciate your feedback.

Have a good week!