An asset management program as a municipal practice has largely been the responsibility of either finance or public works professionals for many years. In some Canadian municipalities, finance officers answered the asset management call to action in response to PSAB 3150. What began as a tangible capital asset accounting exercise transformed into finance departments leading the push for greater asset management program maturity in their respective municipalities. In other communities, while finance took responsibility for fulfilling PSAB accounting requirements, it was the public works department that assumed a leadership role in asset management capacity building. As outlined in the case studies featured in this issue of the Public Sector Digest, asset management maturity development does not occur overnight, nor without significant effort. It requires collaboration between finance and public works, with senior management and Council engaged from the get-go.
As municipalities work towards fulfilling provincial requirements for asset management, the advancement of best practices and knowledge sharing will be integral to implementing a sustainable asset management programs.
The Canadian Network of Asset Managers (CNAM) – a not-for-profit with the mandate to advance public infrastructure asset management practice through leadership, innovation, and collaboration – has worked diligently over the last 11 years to bring finance, public works, and other municipal stakeholders together to build an asset management program capacity in Canada. The advent of asset management regulations and funding requirements in Canada has certainly helped to propel momentum in the industry in recent years, but collaboration and knowledge sharing between asset managers continues to be the most vital component for fostering excellence in public infrastructure asset management.
2017 was a significant year not only for municipal asset management maturity development in Canada, but also for the maturity of CNAM as an organization. CNAM held its Annual Conference in Calgary in May 2017, with 350 participants – it was the largest number of delegates to attend since our first annual event 11 years ago. Throughout May we also hosted several meetings for the regional asset management Communities of Practice (CoPs). These included representatives from: Yukon Asset Management Community of Practice (YAM-CoP), Asset Management BC (AM-BC), Infrastructure Asset Management Alberta (IAMA), Asset Management Saskatchewan (AM-SK), Asset Management Ontario (AM-ONT), Ontario Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (OSCI), Centre d’expertise et de recherche en infrastructures urbaines (CERIU), and the Atlantic Infrastructure Management Network (AIM Network). In addition, representatives from Manitoba and Northwest Territories, currently in the process of establishing Communities of Practice in their jurisdictions, also attended. These meetings were followed by two FCM-led workshops for the CoPs in the Fall of 2017 that helped further bond our regional and national asset management networks.
Further, CNAM continued its initiative of engaging with and formalizing partnerships with many key industry organizations, including Plant Engineering and Maintenance Association of Canada (PEMAC), Institute of Asset Management – Canada (IAM), and the Institute of Public Works and Engineers Australia (IPWEA).
CNAM is also working to promote asset management program best practices and assist members with strengthening their awareness of asset management requirements specific to their jurisdiction. Through the New Professionals Network Committee, CNAM developed and introduced a new educational outreach program with colleges and universities. In addition, CNAM has continued to produce and deliver educational webinars and provide content value via CNAMPedia. Finally, through our partnership with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), we are going to be working to deliver asset management awareness activities throughout the country.
As municipalities work towards fulfilling provincial requirements for asset management, the advancement of best practices and knowledge sharing will be integral to implementing a sustainable asset management program. With the roll out of O. Reg. 588/17, Ontario is now the first province requiring municipalities to not only have an asset management plan in place, but also a strategic asset management policy, with a large focus on lifecycle events, levels or service, and climate change resiliency. Ontario is not alone; New Brunswick also has requirements in place for an asset management plan by August of 2018. CNAM is committed to assisting these municipalities with developing holistic programs and sharing these best practices with the rest of Canada.
We are currently planning our 12th annual conference, which will be held in Windsor, Ontario. This year’s conference will have the theme “Bridging the Gap” as we continue to bring together infrastructure finance, engineering, and public policy to tackle the challenges and opportunities of an asset management program collaboratively. We also hope to see representation from the United States at this year’s CNAM Conference – with several states now introducing asset management planning regulations – bridging another gap that exists in the sharing of asset management best practices and innovation.
As my time as CNAM President comes to a close, I hope to see continued progression in asset management program development throughout the country. There have been great strides made by many municipalities, with an asset management program being at the forefront of several agendas. With PSD Citywide’s robust asset management tools and services, we are assisting municipalities across Canada with implementing industry best practices and programs that are manageable for their particular capacity. As captured in the Kenora case study in this issue, we are also working with partners to develop industry leading approaches to integrating climate change adaption and resilience strategies into asset management programs. There is still work to be done in Canada to build asset management capacity, but we’re well on our way.
JOHN MURRAY was formerly the Manager of Asset Management within the Public Works Department at the City of Hamilton and was with the City of Hamilton’s Public Works department for 19 years, gaining extensive experience in infrastructure management practices and computer information systems. Prior to his Manager of Asset Management position with the City, he held the positions of Senior Project Manager of Infrastructure Programming and Project Manager of Infrastructure Management Systems. He is the President of the CNAM (Canadian Network of Asset Managers) and has represented the City of Hamilton on the National Round Table for Sustainable Infrastructure (NRTSI).
