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Innisfil, ON – The Town of Innisfil has received national recognition for its Learning & Development 2.0 Strategy from the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA).  The Town was presented with the 2022 CAMA Professional Development Award, in the 20,001 to 100,000 population category, during a virtual Awards of Excellence Ceremony held today.

“CAMA is pleased to recognize the municipal excellence demonstrated by Innisfil with their learning and development strategy,” said Jack Benzaquen, CAMA president, CAMA representative for Quebec and City Manager for the City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC. “Innovation doesn’t usually come from a lightening bolt idea. At its core, innovation is about solving difficult problems and finding solutions to challenges over time.” 

“We pride ourselves on being a municipal leader in learning and ‘thinking like there is no box’ instead of ‘thinking outside the box’,” said Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin. “We have worked hard to transform learning and development at the Town of Innisfil, using a strategic approach to offer the right training, to the right people, at the right time.”

As a learning organization, Innisfil prides itself on developing and growing their people and developing the skills, strengths, and abilities to meet current and future community needs. A Learning & Development 2.0 strategy was developed solidifying that commitment to high-performance, revenue generation and dynamic learning opportunities.

It also supported the change necessary for the organization and its employees to move the Town toward its desired corporate culture and community focused approach to excellence in service delivery. The approach focuses on programs that support short-term and long-term learning objectives and align with Innisfil’s culture, mission, vision, and values. The goals of the learning and development program are:

  • Continue to understand employee and organizational learning needs
  • Offer more accessible and relevant learning opportunities to all employee groups
  • Improve learning opportunities for leadership and management development skills
  • More effectively measure learning impact
  • Ensure the Town is in compliance with legislated training requirements (but not 'drive' the program based on this need)
  • Focus on generating revenue instead of cutting costs to offer learning and development opportunities to both internal employees as well as external parties.

The strategy ultimately supports a strong culture that differentiates Innisfil from others, so the Town can attract critical talent, support, and retain employees, and develop and grow their staff. This is especially important with employees facing increased service demands from a growing community with limited opportunities to grow operating budgets. 

“The CAMA Awards of Excellence recognize the achievements of local governments and their senior staff in the development and implementation of successful programs, projects or services,” said Gary Kent, Chair of the 2022 CAMA Awards, CAMA Member-At-Large for Municipalities with a Population Over 100,000, and Chief Financial Officer and Commissioner of Corporate Services for the Region of Peel, ON. “Thirty-five submissions from across the country were received for this year’s awards. Congratulations to the winners and all those who took time to enter the awards program.”

 

About the Professional Development Award:
The Professional Development Award recognizes a community that has developed a unique and innovative program for their staff and can be replicated in other communities. Applicants should include documentation which outlines the program in all respects, and also shows evidence that the program has been successfully implemented.

About CAMA:
The Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators is a national, non-profit association open to all Chief Administrative Officers / City Managers and any person employed in a senior management position that reports directly to the CAO. CAMA has a membership of approximately 650 City Managers, Chief Administrative Officers and senior appointed officials from all parts of Canada. www.camacam.ca