The CCRC is happy to announce that the pilot phase of the Municipal Sustainability Self-Assessment Tool Kit is drawing to a close. We would like to thank the following towns for participating in the pilot phase: St. Anthony, Change Islands, Come By Chance, Leading Tickles and Flowers Cove. With comments collected from these towns the CCRC will now evaluate the Self-Assessment process and make changes as required before moving toward a province wide roll out. This Self-Assessment process is an excellent first step in developing the Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSP) that municipalities will have to complete by 2010 to have continued access to gas tax funding. The CCRC will remain involved in the development of the ICSP process and continue to keep municipalities up to date on the roll out of the Self-Assessment around the province.
On January 14th the CCRC facilitated a meeting that involved the towns of Musgrave Harbour, Lumsden, New-Wes-Valley, Greenspond and Centervill-Wareham-Trinity on the topic of regional cooperation in the form of a new joint council. Joint councils are becoming a popular form of cooperation around the province as towns discover that a larger regional voice is more effective and that joint councils provide an excellent opportunity to share concerns with limited commitment. These five towns and two Local Service Districts will now have the opportunity to become part of a regional cooperative effort to improve relationships and increase their lobbying efforts to the benefit of residents in the region. The CCRC is proud to continue our commitment to communities involved in cooperative efforts around the province.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Another Successful Meeting
This past Monday evening, January 14th, 25 municipal leaders met to discuss the possibility of froming a new Joint Council. The towns represented at the meeting were Musgrave Harbour, Lumsdon, New Wes Valley, Indian Bay and Centerville Wareham Trinity. Currently there are approximately 14 Joint Councils in most every region of the province. Petty Harbour Maddox Cove Deputy Mayor Sam Stack is the Chair of the North East Avalon Joint Council and he was also in attendance to describe to those present the activities and operations of his Joint Council. Also in attendance was Kelly Vodden who has researched Joint Councils around the Province and is also a resident of the area. Both Sam and Kelly are also members of the CCRC advisory Committee and their involvement and expertise was welcomed by the group.
Joint Councils are becoming very popular around the Province as they provide an excellent opportunity for neighbouring municipalities to communicate and advocate on issues of common concern. Another advantage that some see is that the level of commitment is entirely up the the towns involved as these Joint Councils have no legal standing and operate on a volunteer basis. There are other options available to towns interested in higher levels of cooperation but joint councils can provide considerable gain while still allowing towns to maintain complete control over their own affairs.
These towns now have the information necessary to make an educated decision as to their involvement in a joint council. Check back as the CCRC remains involved in the process and updates will appear here as they happen. For more information on Joint Councils or other forms of municipal cooperation please contact the CCRC.
Joint Councils are becoming very popular around the Province as they provide an excellent opportunity for neighbouring municipalities to communicate and advocate on issues of common concern. Another advantage that some see is that the level of commitment is entirely up the the towns involved as these Joint Councils have no legal standing and operate on a volunteer basis. There are other options available to towns interested in higher levels of cooperation but joint councils can provide considerable gain while still allowing towns to maintain complete control over their own affairs.
These towns now have the information necessary to make an educated decision as to their involvement in a joint council. Check back as the CCRC remains involved in the process and updates will appear here as they happen. For more information on Joint Councils or other forms of municipal cooperation please contact the CCRC.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
2008 The year of Cooperation
Well it is for the CCRC anyway. This year we have many ongoing and planed projects to help municipalities work together to improve their sustainability. One ongoing project is our Municipal Self Assessment and I'm glad to report that another of the pilots has been completed. On January 7th the Town of Come By Chance went through the Self Assessment process and they seemed quite pleased with the process. I'm still trying to arrange the remaining pilot assessments but they have to be completed soon as the CCRC Advisory Committee has to review the entire pilot process before the project can be released across the province. As usual there are many projects the CCRC is involved with and that currently includes the possibility of a new Joint Council and continued work on Fogo Island assisting with their ongoing analysis of their existing municipal structure.
Cheers
Cheers
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Merry Cooperation.......I mean Christmas!
Well Christmas time is upon us but the work of the CCRC continues on into the new year. One of the major projects the CCRC is leading into 2008 is a Municipal Sustainability Self-Assessment Kit (SSAK) that is currently in the pilot stage. The plan is to have 5 or 6 municipalities pilot the facilitated kit at which point the CCRC will evaluate those results and the accompanying feedback to determine if any changes are needed before the process is opened up to all towns around the province. The goal is to have the pilots completed very early in 2008.
The SSAK is designed to be the first step toward the Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSP) that municipalities will have to complete before the end of 2009 to have continued access to their Gas Tax allocation. The SSAK will help communities identify the areas that need attention for long term sustainability for any given municipality. The ICSP process will include addressing these ongoing issues in an attempt to plan for optimal sustainability while developing a plan that integrates other local and regional planning processes such and RED Board planning. With the ongoing struggle for rural towns to remain viable it is imperative that we work together to ensure the survival of rural Newfoundland and Labrador.
Merry Christmas from the CCRC
The SSAK is designed to be the first step toward the Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSP) that municipalities will have to complete before the end of 2009 to have continued access to their Gas Tax allocation. The SSAK will help communities identify the areas that need attention for long term sustainability for any given municipality. The ICSP process will include addressing these ongoing issues in an attempt to plan for optimal sustainability while developing a plan that integrates other local and regional planning processes such and RED Board planning. With the ongoing struggle for rural towns to remain viable it is imperative that we work together to ensure the survival of rural Newfoundland and Labrador.
Merry Christmas from the CCRC
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Regional Cooperation on the move
Municipalities from around the province are becomming more aware of the various possibilities of regional cooperation and service sharing. This is great news for CCRC as it provides great support for the work that we do. In the recent weeks I have visited two areas exploring very different levels of cooperation. The first meeting of note was in the New-Wes-Valley area where towns are interested in exploring different ways of working together for the benifit of the entire region. Nearby on Fogo Island the existing Towns and the Regional Council have created a new committee to explore the possibilities of cooperative future governance on the Island. Through the CCRC the group has released the following update:
"Fogo Island Cooperation Initiative
The Newly formed Fogo Island Cooperation Initiative met for the first time on December 10th, 2007. The group is composed of 11 representatives drawn from each of the Town Councils and the Regional Council to ensure representation from all communities on the Island. The mandate of this group is to explore the possibilities of the future municipal governance for the whole of Fogo Island through a detailed needs assessment and resident consultations. The Fogo Island Cooperation Initiative is determined to move forward with the involvement of the people of Fogo Island toward a more sustainable future based around increased cooperation. They have chosen Gerald Mckenna from the Regional Council as Chair and Ed Walbourne from the Town Council of Fogo as the Vice Chair to ensure the group operates in an efficient and effective manner. The group has identified the need to create sub-committees to investigate major issues including Finance, Administration, Governance, Infrastructure, Recreation, Communication and Economic development. The process must be fluid and adaptable as the needs of the whole Island are assessed. There is a considerable amount of study and consultation required before any course of action can be recommended and this new Initiative will be busy in the new year examining the current status of the existing municipal structure and exploring the future needs of all the residents of Fogo Island. Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador is providing assistance through the Community Cooperation Resource Center and the Department of Municipal Affairs will also be involved in the process."
Great work by the communities of Fogo Island!
Beyond these two areas the CCRC, through Kelly Vodden also recently visitied the Eastport area to take part in a meeting geared toward increased regional cooperation. Check back to follow the regional cooperation projects ongoing around newfoundland and Labrador.
Cheers,
Ryan Lane
CCRC Program Officer
"Fogo Island Cooperation Initiative
The Newly formed Fogo Island Cooperation Initiative met for the first time on December 10th, 2007. The group is composed of 11 representatives drawn from each of the Town Councils and the Regional Council to ensure representation from all communities on the Island. The mandate of this group is to explore the possibilities of the future municipal governance for the whole of Fogo Island through a detailed needs assessment and resident consultations. The Fogo Island Cooperation Initiative is determined to move forward with the involvement of the people of Fogo Island toward a more sustainable future based around increased cooperation. They have chosen Gerald Mckenna from the Regional Council as Chair and Ed Walbourne from the Town Council of Fogo as the Vice Chair to ensure the group operates in an efficient and effective manner. The group has identified the need to create sub-committees to investigate major issues including Finance, Administration, Governance, Infrastructure, Recreation, Communication and Economic development. The process must be fluid and adaptable as the needs of the whole Island are assessed. There is a considerable amount of study and consultation required before any course of action can be recommended and this new Initiative will be busy in the new year examining the current status of the existing municipal structure and exploring the future needs of all the residents of Fogo Island. Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador is providing assistance through the Community Cooperation Resource Center and the Department of Municipal Affairs will also be involved in the process."
Great work by the communities of Fogo Island!
Beyond these two areas the CCRC, through Kelly Vodden also recently visitied the Eastport area to take part in a meeting geared toward increased regional cooperation. Check back to follow the regional cooperation projects ongoing around newfoundland and Labrador.
Cheers,
Ryan Lane
CCRC Program Officer
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Busy doesn't quite capture it
As the flagship project of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador the CCRC has a responsibility to remain vigilant in its efforts to assist communities to develop cooperative efforts of varied size and scope. The CCRC is always interested in improving communication with municipalities especially with regard to CCRC activities and new cooperative efforts across the province. What better way to improve the flow of communication than through the newest form of digital media, the blog.
As I write this primere entry I have just facilitated the first Municipal Sustainability Self-Assessment Tool Kit with the Town of St. Anthony and I have only just arrived back from a research trip to Iceland. That's only in the past 2 weeks! Next week includes work in New-Wes-Valley and then Change Islands and Fogo Island. Busy doesn't quite capture it. Through this blog I'll update the regular activities of the CCRC starting with the Sustainability Self-Assessment Tool Kit pilots and the Iceland trip and including regional efforts of service sharing from around the province.
Today the Town of St. Anthony became the first municipality in the province to complete the Sustainability Self-Assessment Kit (SSAK) developed by the CCRC intended to be the first step of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSP) that municipalities will have to complete by the end of 2009 to access long term gas tax funding. It is quite appropriate then that St. Athony be the first town to complete the SSAK as Mayor Boyd Noel today informed me that they were the first municipality to access the currently available gas tax funding. The SSAK is a basic evaluation tool for municipalities and in later posts I'll give more detail about the SSAK and the ongoing pilot process. During the pilot process I will be gathering input from the participatiing municipalities to improve the SSAK and I'm glad to report that the town of St. Anthony was pleased with the existing SSAK and indicated that it will be a usefull tool for long term planning.
That should be sufficient for a brief introduction to the CCRC but be assured I'll update regularly with relevant cooperation information and activities that the CCRC is engaged in.
Cheers
As I write this primere entry I have just facilitated the first Municipal Sustainability Self-Assessment Tool Kit with the Town of St. Anthony and I have only just arrived back from a research trip to Iceland. That's only in the past 2 weeks! Next week includes work in New-Wes-Valley and then Change Islands and Fogo Island. Busy doesn't quite capture it. Through this blog I'll update the regular activities of the CCRC starting with the Sustainability Self-Assessment Tool Kit pilots and the Iceland trip and including regional efforts of service sharing from around the province.
Today the Town of St. Anthony became the first municipality in the province to complete the Sustainability Self-Assessment Kit (SSAK) developed by the CCRC intended to be the first step of the Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSP) that municipalities will have to complete by the end of 2009 to access long term gas tax funding. It is quite appropriate then that St. Athony be the first town to complete the SSAK as Mayor Boyd Noel today informed me that they were the first municipality to access the currently available gas tax funding. The SSAK is a basic evaluation tool for municipalities and in later posts I'll give more detail about the SSAK and the ongoing pilot process. During the pilot process I will be gathering input from the participatiing municipalities to improve the SSAK and I'm glad to report that the town of St. Anthony was pleased with the existing SSAK and indicated that it will be a usefull tool for long term planning.
That should be sufficient for a brief introduction to the CCRC but be assured I'll update regularly with relevant cooperation information and activities that the CCRC is engaged in.
Cheers
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