muniBLOG: Newsletters for Municipalities

Private Security Trends and the Need for more Trained Private Security Resources

The Canadian Occupation Projection System (COPS) predicts that by 2018, there will be a significant shortage of Private Investigation and Private Security professionals for the projected number of job openings in Canada.

 

This is due to a large number of impending retirements and the increasing demand for trained professionals in the Private Investigation and Security field. The current security climate in Canada, the privatization of public security functions and the gaps in accessible knowledge and streamlined training in the private security field, including the gaps between private and public security, are all indications that there is an imminent and urgent need to provide professional and comprehensive private investigative and security services to Canadians. This not only increases individual safety and security within municipalities but also ensure the Canada as a whole maintains its credibility and reputation as one of the safest Countries in the World.

 

In 2002, the Law Reform Commission of Canada opened a dialogue on the trend in the growth of private security in Canada. A continued rise in law enforcement expenditures, combined with economic downturns, have contributed to pressure being placed on police services around the world to become more effective and efficient. This has resulted in a growing trend of privatizing some functions traditionally performed by public policing to the private security industry as well as the growing cooperative efforts between public and private security. Private security plays an increasingly important role in community safety and addressing issues of crime and social disorder.

 

It is often assumed that privatizing and outsourcing traditional law enforcement tasks will result in reductions in the numbers of sworn police officers. This is very far from the truth, on the contrary, public and private security collaboration may in fact result in innovative initiatives that previously did not exist, and with the growing need for security actions in communities, may in fact provide law enforcement with extra resources and partners to undertake more actions without being overworked and understaffed while utilizing various community expertise.

 

There is a growing need for more security trained private resources and more collaboration between all security facets in Canada.  In Ontario, Private Investigators as well as Security Guards are licenced and regulated by the Ministry Of Correctional Services and Community Safety.

 

Anyone that acts in these rolls must have a licence. To obtain a licence, you must meet some requirements, one of them is completion of a Ministry-approved course provided by a registered provider such as Focus Investigations. A minimum 50 hour course for Private Investigator and a 40 hour course for Security Guards is mandatory.

 

These courses can be completed online making it easy for students to complete at the curriculum at their own pace. The process is as follows:

 

1. Complete Ministry training course and receive a “Completion Number”

 

2. Book a written exam at a SERCO Canada location that provides these tests. 

 

3. Upon successful completion of the exam, a candidate may now apply to the Ministry for their license. 

* For Security Guards, Emergency level first aid training is also required.

 

More information can be found on the licensing and industry here:

https://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/PSIS/FAQs/FAQs-Licences/PSIS_faqs_licences.html

 

Additional training that is useful for security professionals as well as anyone working in a security related field such as:

 

Notetaking:

 

Knowing how to take notes is important for the following reasons:

 

  • Notes are referenced for several reasons and potentially by several people.
  • Supervisors might want a rundown of the events you encountered the night before, clients may want to know about incidents that affected their businesses, and law enforcement may need these notes to help with an investigation which could conclude in a court case in which the notes will be used to prove or disprove an allegation.
  • It is vital that security personnel know how to take proper notes so that the facts are covered and there is no confusion that renders the reports useless.

 

Crisis Intervention

 

A crisis occurs when someone loses control over their behaviour. These moments are often preceded by warning signs that tells you someone’s behaviour is starting to escalate.  Security officials and any employee having to interact with the public may be faced with a situation where they are called upon to defuse a situation. By following the tips in a crisis intervention course, they often prevent a situation from becoming critical and dangerous and they are prepared and confident in any crisis they may face.

 

 For more information or to enrol in one of these courses, visit us at http://www.focusinvestigation.net

 

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HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

With witches, monsters and super-heroes descending on neighbourhoods across Ontario, Focus Investigations would like to offer parents and guardians some safety tips to help prepare their children for a safe and enjoyable trick-or-treating experience.  Halloween is a fun holiday and by following the following practices, it makes it safer and more fun.

 

  • The most important Halloween safety tips for parents and guardians to follow is that Children 12 and under should never go trick-or-treating alone, but instead with a group of kids and several responsible adults.
  • For maximum costume safety on Halloween, it is recommended to get attires and accessories that are visible and protect against burns. If you are dressing your little ones in homemade outfits, make sure the bottoms don’t touch the ground while the child is standing and have them wear flat shoes instead of any with height to help ensure safety in costumes.
  • While many character costumes come with masks, it is safer to paint your child’s face with nontoxic face paint. Masks can make it hard for a child to breathe or see, which could lead them to trip or run into things.
  • Carrying a light from house to house is a good idea, but in terms of Halloween fire safety, there shouldn’t be anything with an open flame near children. This fire safety tip also applies to jack-o-lanterns, as candles are not a safe way to light up pumpkin faces since they could be kicked or knocked over and potentially start a fire.
  • To make kids more visible in headlights, put reflective or glow-in-the-dark tape on the back and front of their costumes and all over their candy bags. As an extra way to make them stand out, you can also have kids wear glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces.
  • Multiple professional eye care organizations as well as Health Canada advise consumers against purchasing decorative contact lenses for Halloween because it can lead to serious infections and eye disorders. If you are interested in decorative lenses, consult with your eye care professional to help ensure safe use.
  • Trick-or-treater groups should always walk on sidewalks or paths, but if there are none available, they should walk as far to the left as possible to face oncoming traffic. It is safer to trick-or-treat one side of the road and then the other side rather than zig-zaging across the road.  Remind children to look both ways when crossing the street.
  • Make sure children know they should accept treats at the door only and must not get into cars or enter the homes of strangers.
  • Children shouldn’t eat any homemade treats from strangers and instead should stick to only those that are factory-wrapped. Parents should inspect all treats for tears in the packaging or potential choking hazards before letting children eat them.
  • It is advised that older kids should practice all of these safety measures and parents should make sure they know what route the adolescents will be taking before they set out. It’s also important to set a curfew so you know when to expect them home.
  • Even if you have dressed them up and they have no history of aggression, the Society for Human Society recommends keeping all pets restrained and away from trick-or-treaters. Since kids are often dressed up and may be carrying accessories the pets are not familiar with, it may cause fear or anxiety and the pet could jump on or nip at a child.

 

 

 HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM FOCUS INVESTIGATIONS

www.focusinvestigations.net

 

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ELDER ABUSE, A GROWING ISSUE IN OUR AGING COMMUNITIES

As our population ages, many families find the need to hire caregivers to assist with the care of their loved ones when they become ill, incapacitated or otherwise in need of regular assistance.  Although there are many wonderful caregivers, there are just as many who are not.  Some studies suggest that up to 10 percent of the elderly population that receive caregiving suffer some form of elder abuse. Unfortunately, many instances go unreported, so elder abuse might be even more common.

“Elder abuse” refers to any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult.  Elder abuse might include any or all of the following: 

  • Physical Abuse – Inflicting, or threatening to inflict, physical pain or injury on a vulnerable elder, or depriving them of a basic need.
  • Emotional Abuse – Inflicting mental pain, anguish, or distress on an elder person through verbal or nonverbal acts.
  • Sexual Abuse – Non-consensual sexual contact of any kind.
  • Exploitation – Illegal taking, misuse, or concealment of funds, property, or assets of a vulnerable elder.
  • Neglect – Refusal or failure by those responsible to provide food, shelter, health care or protection for a vulnerable elder.
  • Abandonment – The desertion of a vulnerable elder by anyone who has assumed the responsibility for care or custody of that person.

Signs of abuse can be hard to spot, but here are a few to look for if you think something is going on:

Signs of Physical Abuse

  • Unexplained signs of injury, such as bruises, welts, or scars, especially if they appear symmetrically on two sides of the body
  • Broken bones, sprains, or dislocations
  • Report of drug overdose or apparent failure to take medication regularly (a prescription has more remaining than it should)
  • Broken eyeglasses
  • Signs of being restrained, such as rope marks on wrists
  • Caregiver’s refusal to allow you to see your loved one alone could signal that the caregiver is trying to keep you from seeing visible marks and bruises.

Signs of Emotional Abuse

  • Threatening, belittling, or controlling caregiver behavior that you witness
  • Behavior from your loved one that is common in abuse victims such as rocking, sucking, or mumbling to oneself

Signs of Sexual Abuse

  • Bruises around breasts or genitals
  • Torn, stained, or bloody clothing

Neglect

  • Unusual weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration
  • Untreated physical problems, such as bed sores
  • Unsanitary living conditions: dirt, bugs, soiled bedding and clothes
  • Being left dirty or unbathed
  • Unsuitable clothing or covering for the weather
  • Unsafe living conditions (no heat or running water; faulty electrical wiring, other fire hazards)
  • Desertion of the elder at a public place

Financial Exploitation

  • Significant withdrawals from your loved one’s accounts

  • Sudden changes in the their financial condition
  • Items or cash missing from the their household
  • Suspicious changes in wills, power of attorney, titles, and policies
  • Addition of names on signature cards
  • Unpaid bills or lack of medical care, although there  is enough money to pay for them
  • Financial activity your loved one couldn’t have done, such as an ATM withdrawal when the account holder can’t go out on his/her own
  • Unnecessary services, goods, or subscriptions

Governments are trying to solve the issue of elder abuse with recommendations of cameras in the elder’s room.  This approach however  robs the person of their privacy which is abuse in and of itself.

Focus Investigations offers services to investigate suspected elder abuse through the use of comprehensive background checks, caregiver “spot checks” and short or long-term surveillance.   If you notice anything suspicious or you have a feeling something is not right with your loved one, contact us and let us help.

www.focusinvestigations.net

 

 

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Managing Gossip in Your Workplace

By: Monika B. Jensen

Gossip is widespread in the workplace. At times, it appears as if employees have nothing better to do than gossip about each other. They chat about their organization, their coworkers, and their bosses. They often take a half truth and flip it into an entire hypothetical reality. Speculating on the team’s future, who will let go, who is seeing who and what employees are doing in their personal lives.
Employees are capable about gossiping about everything, and they do in a workplace that fails to bring about a stop to the chatting employees.

A certain amount of gossip is likely to occur in any place of work; employees are curious to know what is going on and like to chat about work matters. The essential point is to determine when the gossip is inappropriate. In which case, if it is not addressed, it may lead to low employee morale or a toxic work environment.

As a manager, the need to stop the gossiping occurs when it becomes disrupting to the workplace and the business of work, it is hurting employees’ feelings, it is damaging interpersonal relationships, or injuring employee motivation and morale.
Since research shows that gossip is disruptive in the workplace, what can we do to address it? Let us look at a few different approaches as a team and as an individual to addressing gossiping in the workplace.

When you deal with gossip as a team considers putting a ban on gossiping. Some workplaces have adopted an official ban on workplace gossip by having employees sign a pledge. Although extreme it may be effective. To discourage gossiping encourage employees to speak to each other about issues that are causing them problems before they bring it to their supervisors or other parties’ attention.

In the age of social media, it becomes easier to spread rumours and gossip about others. This can cause tremendous harm to the culture of the workplace. Organizations, today need to deal with social media and keep an eye on emails, personal blogs and Facebook discussions among employees. Finally confront rumours promptly. Providing factual information about layoffs, problematic situations or surplus of employees serve them better than to leave them speculating on their own. It is important to discuss the impact that gossip may have in the workplace. Talking openly the differences between active communication and gossip. In today’s workplace, verbal harassment has legal ramifications. Employers have a duty to take action against verbal harassment when they become aware of it.

So in dealing with gossip as an individual, always share information.

Be generous with the non-confidential material. This has proven to put a check on the gossip mill. Interestingly closed doors can set off alarms even if the intent is innocent.

Let people know that you may be interrupted at any time unless in a private meeting. Be sensitive about appearances.

Often rumours and gossip form around cliques in the workplace. Try to avoid forming groups and reach out to new people to keep the loop open. If all else fails, walk away. Gossip loses its momentum when there is no audience.

Find a way to tactfully suggest a more efficient channel for complaining or remove yourself from the discussion. If you start to focus on the positive qualities of your colleagues, you will automatically have nice things to say about each other.

Workplaces that have the highest levels of gossip seem to be the ones where employees are not engaging in work duties. Stay busy. If your day is full of tasks which you find thought-provoking and rewarding you will be less likely to get distracted by trivial activities.

We spend long hours at our job, make a point of cultivating relationships and activities outside your workplace. Having strong relationships outside the office provides sources of emotional support and objective advice often.

Unfortunately lurking at the extreme end of the gossip spectrum is workplace bullying. What may seem harmless rumors to some, may amount to intimidation and harassment for the targeted employees. Complications of physical and meth health issues arise and need to be addressed in the proper forum.

Finally become a role model. Do not indulge in any gossip yourself. Become a leader in this area. Do not feel the need to chat to feel connected, liked or to be informed about your team. Taking a stand to prevent random gossiping creates a better workplace for everyone.

Monika B. Jensen

Principal, Aviary Group

905-683-9953

[email protected]

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Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from muniSERV – Municipal Newsletter

This December Newsletter includes lots of free tools for municipalities:

  • Free Webinars from Juice Inc.,
  • Free Public Sector Procurement Assessment Tool from NECI (National Educational Consulting Inc.),
  • Interesting articles and,
  • Introduction to our newest Professional Members

See our December Municipal Newsletter

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What does Bill 132 (Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act) mean to you and your workplace?

One in four women and one in ten men say they have experienced some form of sexual harassment in the workplace. Of the reported cases of workplace sexual harassment, 55% were committed by co-workers; 39% of which involved a supervisor or manager. 8% of those who are sexually harassed at work report the harassment.

Recently there have been some changes made to Bill 168 – Violence in the Workplace, which gives employers’ statutory obligations. Bill 132, Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act, which received royal assent on March 8, 2016, requires all employers to have policies and programs including an investigation procedure. The essential changes brought by Bill 132 include: an employer is required to create a workplace harassment program; the program must include reporting and investigating tools for incidents of workplace harassment and violence; the employers must ensure that all complaints are investigated, and investigations are completed in a timely fashion and a new power to the Ministry of Labour (MOL) to order an independent workplace harassment investigation at the employer’s expense.

September 8, 2016, now looms for companies as the date for compliance with Bill 132. The amendments stand to change dramatically how workplace harassment is addressed in Ontario. The new OHSA obligations and expectations have been set and are accompanied by expanded government oversight. Harassment in the workplace is already a challenging issue that could engage multiple forums, with complaints possibly being advanced through a grievance, civil claim, complaint under the Human Rights Code, and, depending on the severity of the conduct, the criminal justice system.

Also, and particularly, the Bill amends the OHSA to require an employer to conduct an investigation of a workplace harassment complaint that is “appropriate in the circumstances.” The phrase “appropriate in the circumstances” is not defined. Further, the Ministry of Labour has not published any guidance material to communicate what factors will be considered by inspectors when determining whether an investigation meets this standard. Assuming that the inspectors could be evaluating investigations against expected best practices which would include such things as an impartial investigator, a collection of all relevant information, and procedural fairness to the alleged harasser could create challenges for employers as the appropriateness of an investigation may be evaluated in hindsight.

Consequences of flawed investigations would impair or prejudice the employer’s ability to establish just cause for termination or discipline. There would also be an issue of due diligence under the OHSA and Human Rights Code. Consequences would include aggravated, punitive or Code damages; penalties from the Ministry of Labour under the OHSA and reinstatement in unionized workplaces. Some of the critical mistakes some employers are making include: failing to act at all; taking the complaint seriously; failure to train investigators; inability to plan, improper or inadequate files; and retention of evidence.

Many situations happening in the workplace may prompt the necessity for an investigation, such as allegations of discrimination or harassment, workplace bullying, inappropriate use of the internet or social media, policy breaches, or statutory violations. Often, employers attempt to resolve minor issues informally through discussions with the employees involved. When the allegations are more serious, employers may depend on managers to conduct internal investigations. However, in many situations, having an organization deal directly with the problem is not necessarily the best approach – informal discussions may rapidly collapse, and basic investigative steps may be overlooked by inexperienced managers, making matters worse. A vital skill for any employer is identifying when a formal investigation by an external investigator is appropriate.

Note: meeting the requirements of Bill 132 could lead to mistakes that can be costly to your organization.

Be prepared. Be proactive.

Contact Monika Jensen, Principal Aviary Group at [email protected]  or (905) 683-9953 if you need a complaint investigated or mediated.

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Embracing Civility for a More Satisfying WorkPlace

Complaints of harassment, discrimination, bullying and now violence and disrespectful workplaces have become a standard concern for managers and Human Resources specialist. As we cope with the many arising situations, I have found the word incivility is becoming frequently used. So what does incivility mean? To define it, let’s look at how the Institute of Civility describes it. Civility is about more than merely being polite. Civility requires a profound self-awareness being characterized by true respect for others. Civility involves the tremendous hard work of remaining present even with those with whom we have inherent and perhaps fierce differences. It is about continuously being open to hearing, to learning, to teaching and to changing. It pursues mutual ground as a start point for discussions when differences may occur, while at the same time be aware that differences are heartening. It is persistence, grace, and strength of character.

Recently research has expanded our practical understanding of incivility by identifying behaviours which employees have deemed disrespectful. The most frequently occurring forms include: neglecting to turn off cell phones; talking behind someone’s back; doubting someone’s judgement, using demeaning or disparaging language, gestures or behaviours; communicating with the intent to belittle or degrade, eye rolling, giving the silent treatment and using sarcasm; gossip and slander; paying no attention or ignoring someone; taking credit for someone else’s work or ideas; intimidation by intentionally using fear to manipulate others. It may also include yelling, invading personal space, throwing things, slamming things and losing one’s temper; and sabotaging by setting someone up to fail or intentionally creating a situation to make another person look foolish or incompetent. Also may include hate-ism by deliberately pointing at a victim based on age, gender, race or sexual orientation are instances of profiling because of an “ism.”

Many examples include blaming others rather than accepting responsibility; checking email or texting during a meeting; using email to send a difficult message to avoid facing the person, which may be misunderstood and misinterpreted; not saying “please” or “thank you”; not listening and talking over or down to someone.
The cost of incivility is high. It is not only about money! There is research to support impacts on performance through lost time and absenteeism, lack of creativity, less helpfulness and less likely to assist another employee. The impact of teams is on the level of energy, emotional engagement, and performance. The conduct reaches into our physical health; impacts our customers and commitment to the organization and willingness of employees to stay with their companies. All affecting the bottom line of productivity.
So how do we address these issues? I would like to explore some recommendations for your consideration. It starts with us as individuals. Managing ourselves. How? If you throw a ball at the wall…it comes back. It works with people too. If you are, mean…it comes back! People will be mean to you.

How can you be kind and patient all the time when life is so stressful—and just plain hard? You do it by embracing civility! Civility requires self-awareness.

With self-awareness you can:
 Control your attitude
 Manage your moods
 Choose behaviours that do not negatively impact your life or disrupt those around you

Can you…
 Feel and express annoyance, irritation or frustration without hurting others— and then let it go?
 Accept and even appreciate that other people have needs and opinions which are different from your own?
 Encourage and enjoy the successes of others?
 Recognize when someone else feels irritated, upset or frustrated and keep yourself from reacting impulsively in response?

As leaders, we need to model. The Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy wrote: “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves.” Employees look to leaders for guidance and someone to aspire too. What are they seeing? Watch your language and put away your smartphones when engaging with your staff. Be mindful of the perils of emails and other electronic communication. Pick up the phone or set up a face to face meeting instead. Take immediate and corrective action when warranted. Rude and disrespectful behaviours emerge quickly and sometimes without warning. As the leader, you need to respond at the moment. By delaying a reaction or action, it sends out mixed messages to the offender as well as the entire team. Take all complaints seriously, realizing that coming forward by the individual is difficult, and they need to know they are supported.

We attend seminars and workshop on harassment prevention, Creating Respectful Workplace and Violence in the Workplace. I have put together a workshop on “How Embracing Civility can Create More Satisfying Work Environments”. The agenda is:
• Why Civility Matters
• It Starts with You!
• Do What You Say and Say What You Mean
• Good Fences Make Great Neighbours
• Working in the Salad Bowl
• Eliminate Gossip and Bullying
• You Can’t Always Get What You Want
• Taking It to the Extreme
• Paving the Path to Civility

Contact Monika Jensen, Principal, Aviary Group, at [email protected]  if you are interested.

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Announcing muniSERV’s New Look – Great News for Both our Municipal & Professional Members!

Announcing the Launch of our Newly Redesigned muniSERV.ca

MORE PARTNERSHIPS!

New “Find a CAO” database in Partnership with OMAA – connects municipalities looking for CAOs to the CAOs looking for interim or long-term CAO work

New RFP, Bids and Tenders Partnership with “bids&tenders” – provides our members with access to hundreds of opportunities daily

 

MORE FEATURES FOR MUNICIPALITIES!

Free suite of tools to quickly & easily find the consultants, CAOs and services you need in one convenient location.

Municipalities JOIN FOR FREE and in less than a minute have access to the full suite of tools.
Find & Sell Surplus Equipment
Post RFPs & CAO Job Ads
muniBLOG
Events Calendar
Municipal Innovations
And More!

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Boost your visibility – Search Engine Optimized (SEO) profile for online visibility Access to exclusive new marketing opportunities Extend your reach nationally – muniSERV is a 100% Canadian owned & operated company Access to hundreds of RFPs daily Special benefits & discounts to OMAA Sponsors/Associate Business Partners 

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See our full muniSERV newsletter 

 

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Municipality Newsletter – June 2015

 
June 10, 2015 – In This Issue:

FORGET ABOUT THE JARGON – SAY IT IN PLAIN LANGUAGE

Dr. Sandra Folk is founder of the Language Lab, an organization that teaches executives and their employees how to write and present targeted, efficient communications.  She can be reached at [email protected].

Have you ever had a conversation with a person who made a comment that made perfect sense to him, yet mystified you. I recently experienced this kind of confusion during a conversation I had with a business colleague, who talked about his “financial footprint.” ……

FREE WEBCAST – LEADING A PEAK PERFORMANCE CULTURE

 

With Jim Clemmer – The Clemmer Group

When – June 17 – 1:00 to 2:00pm EDT

 

Who should attend?       

  • CEOs, CAOs, General Managers, and Divisional VPs
  • Senior HR executives
  • HR leaders
  • Members of the senior executive team
  • Anyone leading and driving leadership and organizational culture transformation

Register Now!

Bring your entire team – seats are limited, so register now. Don’t miss this exclusive online event.

Is Your Culture Boosting or Blocking Performance?

Jim Clemmer will deliver a fast paced and information-packed 60 minute webcast, outlining the major learning he and his colleagues gained through thirty years of working with hundreds of organizations and the latest research on culture change.

 Join this webcast to learn…
  • How “Soft” Leadership and Culture Produce Hard Results: What’s your team or organization culture?
  • Bolt-on Programs versus Built-in Processes: Which best describes your culture change activities?
  • The Peak Performance Balance: Managing Things and Leading People: How’s your team or organization’s balance?
  • Six Core Components for a Peak Performance Culture: Are you using a programs-and-pieces or an integrated approach?
  • The Five Stage Commitment Continuum: Do your leaders role model your culture change?
  • Bringing Alive Vision, Core Values, and Purpose/Mission: How alive is yours?
  • Leadership is an Action, Not a Position: How energized and engaged is everyone throughout your team or organization in the culture change effort?
  • Getting (Re) Started: How do you sustain peak performance?

 

Jim Clemmer Wrote the Books on Leadership and Culture Development

Jim and The CLEMMER Group associates have strengthened thousands of managers in hundreds of organizations in boosting leadership skills and culture development for peak performance. Highly customized services include assessments, training design and delivery (or training internal trainers), culture/skill development for higher health and safety, defining/revitalizing vision and values, executive coaching, service/quality improvement, employee engagement, career and succession planning, strategy development and execution.

 

FEATURED CONSULTANTS
muniSERV provides a searchable database of Canadian consultants and professionals that assist municipalities. Here’s some of our reputable consultants.
 
 
   
SEARCH FOR A CONSULTANT NOW! 

OSUM, FONOM, OMAA & AORS
 

As some of you know, over the past 3 months we have been out at three municipal conferences – Ontario Small Urban Municipalities, Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities, the Ontario Municipal Administrators’ Association – and the Association of Ontario Road Superintendents’ Tradeshow.

It has been busy times, but we enjoyed meeting and chatting with you – plus you gave us some great ideas for features you would like to see on muniSERV that would assist you in your day-to-day work. We truly value your opinions and we’re already busy investigating how we can make some of them happen.

Acquiring these suggestions was very timely because we are working on a refresh of the muniSERV website throughout this year, which will include the development of a separate new landing page for municipalities. This will provide us with more space for more of the features you’ve asked for.

Even if you didn’t get talking to us at any of these conferences or the tradeshow, we would still like your opinion on any features you might like to have incorporated into this new “municipal page”. So please feel free to send us your comments and suggestions for this new page directly to me [email protected]

 
ACER TABLET CONTEST CLOSES JUNE 30TH
Just a reminder – There’s still time for you to register your municipality to be eligible to win the ACER Tablet.  If your municipality is already registered, get one of your municipal friends to register and we’ll enter your municipality in the draw too!  It takes less than 5 minutes to Register your municipality and start uploading your RFPs, Bids & Tenders for FREE!
 
HAVE A SAFE AND WONDERFUL SUMMER!
 

 STAY INFORMED:

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and join the discussion on our muniSERV LinkedIn Group. 

 Susan Shannon

muniserv.ca
 1-855-477-5095

We’re always working to improve muniSERV.ca. Please share with us any comments you may have. 

 

Since muniSERV is made to assist any department in your municipality, please share this newsletter with the other members of your staff.  
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Municipality Newsletter – April 2015

 
April 13, 2015 – In This Issue:

WORKING SMART – THE ART OF DELEGATION
We all tend to take on too much ourselves – we’re human. But sometimes the best way to work smart is to determine the things we’re good at and delegate those we’re not so good at. See the 5 phases of delegation that will get you working smart!   
 

SPECIAL OFFERS ON TRAINING & EDUCATION FOR PUBLIC SECTOR FROM muniSERV’S PROFESSIONAL MEMBERS

 

#1 – 18th Annual Customer Service Conference – 40% SAVINGS FOR PUBLIC SECTOR & NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
 
Each year, Customer Service Professional’s Network (www.myCSPN.com) hosts a conference for customer service professionals.  Conference delegates include leaders from municipalities, various levels of government and corporations. 
 
This year we have 24 dynamic speakers, including David Forget, Manager of Quality Service and Special Projects at the Town of Ajax, and Jacqueline Spencer, Director of Retail Customer Care of the Central Region at ServiceOntario. 
 
 
 
#2 – There’s still time to register for this free webinar:
Leading Local Government Teams for High Performance

 

In the dynamic environment of local government, leaders need broad perspectives, expansive vision, and acute awareness of the trends and developments shaping their organizations. As a leader in local government, you must have the skills to guide, coach, and inspire your staff – sometimes simultaneously – while encouraging others to communicate, accept responsibility, and problem solve.

 

Are you clear about the results you are looking for and the desired behaviours essential for the success of your city? Based on of a recent workshop at the Local Government Managers Association of British Columbia CAO Forum, this webinar aims to help you reflect on your leadership and increase the overall performance, motivation, and effectiveness of those you work with.

You will learn:

  • How to more effectively communicate your expectations to staff to ensure you get what you want

  • How organizational culture impacts performance and what you can to do shift it

  • What you need to do to create an inspiring workplace and motivated people

This webinar is suited for anyone in a local government leadership role, from middle or senior level. Please share this with others who would find it valuable.

The webinar is on Thursday, April 23 at 11:00am (PST)/ 2:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Savings Time). You can register here.

Presenters:

Rob Cooke (@robcooke2) is an executive coach and leadership advisor. He brings over 30 years’ experience helping leaders and their teams accelerate performance and his clients emphasize that he brings an exceptional depth of business and leadership wisdom. Most often Rob is supporting leaders to enhance the performance of their direct reports, establish clarity of direction, build collaboration across business units, shift culture, enhance the effectiveness of communication and deal with personal workload stress.

Peter Weeber is the highly regarded CAO for the District of Mackenzie. He brings great insight into many of the challenges facing today’s local government leaders. He has been working in local government and as a private sector manager for 17 years. Prior to becoming a CAO, Peter worked as Fire Chief and Emergency Program Manager for the City of Terrace. Peter is one of the very few Fire Chiefs that have made the transition into the CAO realm and offers a unique perspective of challenges of providing community services with limited resources.  

 

 

 

FEATURED CONSULTANTS
muniSERV provides a searchable database of Canadian consultants and professionals that assist municipalities. Here’s some of our reputable consultants.
 
 
                       

 

SEARCH FOR A CONSULTANT NOW! 

WE’RE HEADING TO MUNICIPAL CONFERENCES – COME SEE US
We always have fun activities and great prizes for you just for stopping by the booth at one of the two conferences we’re attending. Bring one of your municipal friends with you and when they register their municipality, you’ll get an extra entry ticket for our main prize – an ACER tablet! 
 
We’ll be at the OSUM (Ontario Small Urban Municipalities) conference April 29th – May 1st, in Belleville.  Drop by and see us at Booth 43.
 
We’ll also be at the FONOM (Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities) conference May 6th – 8th, in Sudbury. Hope to see you there!
 
 LOADING YOUR BID DOCUMENTS IS QUICK, EASY & FREE!
Haven’t uploaded a bid document yet because you’re not sure how?

 

It’s easy. Here’s how:

Step 1. Go to Homepage www.muniSERV.ca

Step 2. From the Municipalities dropdown menu, select Post RFP, Bid or Tender.

 

 

 

Step 3. Select your province and your municipality.

Step 4. The site will then open to your page where you can fill in the details, upload the document, select the closing date, etc.

AND YOU’RE DONE!  We will then review it and approve it – usually right away. 

 

  

STAY INFORMED:

 

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and join the discussion on our muniSERV LinkedIn Group. 

 
 Susan Shannon
1-855-477-5095

We’re always working to improve muniSERV.ca. Please share with us any comments you may have. 

 

Since muniSERV is made to assist any department in your municipality, please share this newsletter with the other members of your staff.  
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