Communities in Bloom

Adding Blooms at City Hall 

Today I presented to the Thompson Chamber of Commerce, along with the Communities in Bloom Committee, on our success this summer as first-time participants in the Communities in Bloom Program.

Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement.  The program was first held in 1995 with 29 municipalities and now includes more than 500 communities across Canada.

Provincial Editions have now been established and the City of Thompson participated in the Manitoba Edition.  Two volunteer judges visited Thompson in late July and assessed our community according to eight criteria:

• Tidiness
• Environmental Awareness
• Community Involvement
• Natural and Cultural Heritage Conservation
• Tree/Urban Forest Management
• Floral Displays
• Turf and Groundcover

Here are a few comments that the judges shared after their tour of our community:

"Overall, the City impresses as tidy and clean.  Entrance ways, thoroughfares, roadway ditches, parks and other spaces were nearly litter and graffiti free."

"The judges congratulate the City, the Thompson Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation and the Canadian Mental Health Association on their partnership to provide graffiti removal to business in Thompson beginning in 2008.  Clearly the program is effective."

"Thompson's draft Sustainable Community Plan Strategies and Policies document will be the foundation for moving toward a more sustainable and livable city (a valuable community engagement and planning tool - congratulations on taking this critical action in strategic planning)"

"Thompson is blessed with an abundance of community-minded residents/business people who volunteer with their time and money."

Overall the City of Thompson received a 3 Bloom designation (out of a possible maximum 5 Blooms), which is the Communities in Bloom award scale that corresponds to the points scored during assessment. Our local Communities in Bloom Committee is proud of this achievement, which we consider a very respectable score for a first year participant. 

In addition to our 3 Bloom Provincial designation, the Communities in Bloom Committee decided to hold our own community competition called "City Pride" where residential areas, businesses, institutions and rental properties vied against one another in their own category for the most impressive beautification techniques.  We also held a Council Flower Pot Competition to kick-off the growing season.

All in all, participation in Communities in Bloom Committee produces multiple benefits for Thompson.  It increased civic pride and community involvement, valuable information and feedback is received from the provincial judges, it can lead to decreased vandalism, adds to economic development and increased property values, provides marketing and promotional opportunities and improves the quality of life for residents.

Thompson's Communities in Bloom Committee is set on evaluating the feedback from the judges and discussing the lessons we learned this season.  We have 5 Blooms to aim for next summer!

 

Manitoba Hydro / City of Thompson Executive Breakfast Fundraiser

Manitoba Hydro and the City of Thompson hosted an exceptional Executive Breakfast Fundraiser at the Greenwood Inn in Winnipeg this past Friday, September 24, 2010. 

Your emcee for the event

We were joined at 7:30 in the morning by Executives and CEOs from many notable corporations in our Province, as well as a handful of Thompson Ambassadors, from CEO of the Thompson Airport Authority to the spokesperson for Vale Manitoba Operations.  The agenda was simple: sell Thompson as a great place to live, work and play.  And the objective: Get businesses to invest in Thompson, particularly the Thompson Regional Community Centre.

Based on the premise that the Thompson Regional Community Centre is meeting place for the community; a place for families to play and citizens to achieve personal wellness.  The TRCC will attract visitor and new families to Thompson as well as retain our current population. 

Table conversations proved that Thompson today is not the same as it was 20 years ago. Many of our guests had their curiosity piqued by the question: Have you looked at us lately?

I was especially excited to participate in the Fundraiser because I got to don both my Manitoba Hydro hat and my City of Thompson hat.  As an employee of Manitoba Hydro, and my connection to the City, I was asked to emcee the event!  I never say no to a challenge, so I took it up as a chance to gain more experience.  I have to say, it went pretty darn well for my first time as emcee! 

One of the best presentations of the morning was when Mayor Tim Johnston presented Manitoba Hydro Vice-President Lloyd Kuczek with a hockey jersey for being a "TRCC Team Player".  A similar jersey was presented earlier this month to Steve Wood, Vice-President, Smelting and Refining, Canada-UK Operations for Vale at their announcement of another $1.5 million contribution toward the TRCC final phase in Thompson.

Mayor Johnston presenting Team TRCC hockey jersey to Manitoba Hydro VP

The Thompson Regional Community Centre is another step closer to the goal of raising the remaining $3 million for the $12 million cost of the final phase of construction.  Once complete, the TRCC will include a large indoor multi-sport playing field, arts/cultural programming space, a fitness area, a boardroom, food services and administrative offices.  The project expands Thompson's ability to deliver recreational, cultural and social programs, and contributes to our region's overall economic viability.

The guests at our Executive Breakfast Fundraiser were invited to invest in two different contribution packages, one at $10,000 and the other at $25,000.  I'm looking forward to the positive response this great event is sure to generate for the residents of Thompson.

Women in Politics

Nominations closed yesterday and the line up stands at 14 well-intended residents seeking 8 council seats.  Most surprisingly here is that of these 14 individuals, 5 are women.  I find this striking, especially when my by-election win in December pushed council up to 50% female representation for the first time ever in Thompson!

For the most part, I find these numbers a little sad.  I grew up in the era of third-wave feminism and never had to fight the tough battles for equality or against the rigid public/private sphere dichotomy.  At the same time I believe that the struggle for balance is ongoing and when you look at public office, we are falling incredibly short.

Municipal politicians in Canada are about 22% women. The United Nations defines 30 per cent female representation as the minimum required in a government body before policy begins to adequately reflect women's concerns.  Not only that, but women also tend to take a different approach to the process and content of policy.  Think more deliberation and consensus-building and less adversarial.  Honestly, based on my experience growing up in Thompson, the women here are our community leaders already.  My own mother led multiple organizations when I was young, from Can Skate to the Women's Hospital Auxillary.  There's just something about being in the fish bowl of public office that makes us shy away! 

I attended a workshop that focused on encouraging more women to run for municipal politics and providing them the tools to do so.  It was a very valuable experience that highlighted many important considerations for running a successful campaign.  Perhaps the tools need to reach further.  Perhaps we need different tools.  Plan Canada's Because I Am a Girl Campaign targets investment in girls as the key to eliminating poverty and creating a better world, simply by giving girls the tools to succeed in an increasingly globalized world.  Interesting...  Perhaps the key to bringing balance to the democratic deficit or combating voter apathy is to get more women involved in politics.

Of course, the residents of Thompson may already know that and the 5 women on the ballot could make a majority on council.  Not that I think gender is the only valid qualification when voters are sizing up the candidate list.  I just hope that achieving balance is considered and that Thompson City Council will remain one of the most progressive and forward-looking municipalities in Canada.


To view my interview with CTV News Winnipeg go to this link:
http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip349640#clip349640


To view Plan Canada's Because I Am a Girl Summary, go to this link:
http://plancanada.ca/Document.Doc?id=122

My First FCM Board Meeting

Our seat at the table

I attended my very first Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board meeting this past week in Iqaluit, Nunavut.  It was a fantastic and eye-opening experience and I am 100% affirmed in my position that the City of Thompson needs to be sitting at this table.

My appointment to the Board of Directors at the AGM this past May was both an amazing opportunity, and an incredible challenge.  City Council supported me in my bid for one of five Manitoba positions, and – no surprise here – I was the youngest councillor from Manitoba seeking a spot.  The City of Thompson has not been on the FCM Board since Mayor Bill Comaskey sat in the chair and I realized quickly that I would need to roll up my sleeves and get to work if I was going to get our community back into the game.

Now, my attendance at the first board meeting of the year in Iqaluit churned up quite the public debate.  I will concede, the dollars and cents of this journey were higher than anticipated.  It’s not very often that our local public officials are required to zip off to the Canadian arctic (although the Provincial and Federal folks seem to be making a habit of it lately).  Nonetheless, I believe it was worth every penny.

FCM has been the national voice of municipal government since 1901.  Since then, municipal governments have maintained a strong advocacy role in persuading the federal government to include municipal concerns in policy development and national decision-making.  Recent successes include the biggest ever federal investment in municipal priorities, $10 billion through the Economic Action Plan, making the Federal Gas Tax Fund permanent, which will deliver $40 billion over the next 20 years, and the protection of the Gas Tax Fund in the 2010 Federal Budget.

The National Board of Directors, in turn, is one of FCM’s greatest assets.  The Board is FCM’s governing body and sets its orientations and adopts its policies and its priorities.  To do this, board members meet three times a year and the FCM staff (a force of about 140 strong) work throughout the year to advance the positions established.

At the September meeting, the Board of Directors set the advocacy priorities for the year.  At the November meeting, the Board meets in Ottawa to lobby federal decision-makers, and at the third meeting in March, the Board  evaluates their efforts and monitors the organization's finances.  The AGM in the spring is when the Board presents their progress to all FCM members.

The September Board Meeting outlines FCM's priorities for the year

This September in Iqaluit, we set our priorities to focus on protecting gains and fighting off-loading, to make sure that federal decision-makers don’t negatively impact the pocketbook of local taxpayers, especially when considering the new federal wastewater regulations and the Federal Government's tough-on-crime agenda.  FCM also seeks to reinforce the value in partnership, making sure that working together equals efficiency and effectiveness for municipal government programming and services.

The City of Thompson has a vested interest in participating in these discussions.  Not only are we able to shed light on challenges facing municipalities across Canada, like affordable housing shortfalls and RCMP contract service, we gain access to a wide arena of potential partnerships and networks seeking to provide solutions.

For example, the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Committee that I sit on has requested the City of Thompson to participate in the Joint Committee on Community Corrections, which is a partnership between FCM, Correctional Service Canada, National Parole Board and Public Safety Canada.  This Joint Committee seeks to provide opportunities for shared knowledge and best practices in addressing crime prevention and community safety.  The collaborative learning opportunities are endless, and the fact that I sit on six Board Committees and two sub-committees means that the City of Thompson is represented in these areas and more doors are about to be opened.

Thompsonite meets the true north, sans trees

In Iqaluit I realized that the FCM Board does not discriminate against me for being a young first-time Board member.  We are all there representing communities across Canada, pushing for our collective interest.  I was received with overwhelming warmth and encouragement by scores of people that are committed to being the positive change they want to see in the world.  The energy and enthusiasm was infectious and did not sway – even after my fourth 3-hour meeting of the day!

I am proud to represent the City of Thompson on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board of Directors.  We have a great community and not only will we benefit from this important partnership, FCM will benefit immensely from the contributions made by our community.