2017 SILGA AGM and Convention
Speakers and Panels
Keynote Speaker Chris Koch – If I Can
I was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and raised in the small
farming and ranching community of Nanton, Alberta. It
was clearly established early on in my life that I would
not be raised with pity or sympathy. My family could
have treated my disability like a total tragedy but instead
chose to take it all in stride and make the best of the
situation. After all, I still had a good head on my
shoulders… and with that, anything is possible.
“Every day might not be great, but there is something great in every day.”
My life has been a fun ride with a lot of laughs and I make sure that my presentation reflects
that. I have not let limitations or obstacles in my life stand in the way of achieving my goals and
dreams and I encourage others to do the same. Furthermore, I am constantly setting new goals
for myself and I think it's important for everyone to always be challenging themselves as well.
Simply put, if I can do the things I have done so far in my life, what is stopping anyone else from
doing the same?
I absolutely love sharing my story and spreading my message of, “If I Can…”
Keynote Speaker Nik Badminton – Futurist
BC 2050. Planning for our Future.
Today we see exponential changes in the way we work, plan, and
operate with innovative technologies.
Municipal planning and administration is also evolving to keep an eye on
what is needed today, and more importantly, to anticipate what is
coming in the future. Nikolas Badminton is a futurist that will envisage
how British Columbia will evolve through urban planning, sustainability
initiatives, smart city infrastructure, evolving communities, and
transportation. And, the predicted outcome may be surprising to many.
Nikolas Badminton is a world-respected futurist speaker, author,
teacher, and conference producer. He wows audiences with keynote
speeches on: The World with Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality, The Future of Work; The
Sharing Economy; The Future of Cars; The Future of Cities; The Future of AI integrated with
Life and Business; The Future of Education; Predictions for 2016 to 2020, 2040, and beyond.
He regularly appears on the BBC, CBC, CTV, Global News, VICE, and writes for the
Techcrunch, Huffington Post, Forbes, Venturebeat, Betakit, TechVibes, Business.com, and
other media.
Terry Lake, BC Health Minister and John O’Fee, Chair of IHA
Future of health care in BC and the impact on local governments
Terry Lake was re-elected as MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson
on May 14, 2013. He was appointed Minister of Health on June 10,
2013.
Terry currently chairs the Cabinet Committee on Secure Tomorrow,
serves as vice-chair of the Treasury Board, and is a member of the
Cabinet Working Group on Core Review.
Terry has also served on the Select Standing Committees for
Aboriginal Affairs, Health, and Legislative Initiatives. He was also a
member of the Early Childhood Education Innovations Committee.
Terry was the Mayor of Kamloops from 2005-2008, and a city councillor from 2002-2005. He is
a former Vice-President of the Union of BC Municipalities, and a former member of the BC
Transit Board of Directors.
John O’Fee received his Commerce degree and Law degree
from the University of British Columbia and commenced
private legal practice in Kamloops immediately upon
graduation. His legal practice centered around real estate
development, corporate transactions, wills and estates. While
establishing and growing his legal practice John also pursued
community service. He was first elected to the Kamloops
School Board in 1988 and served three terms. For his final
three years he served as School Board Chair. In 1999 John
was elected to Kamloops City Council where he served for 11 years in various capacities
including Audit Committee Chair, President of the Kamloops Airport Authority Society, Hospital
Board Chair, Municipal Finance Authority Member and Regional District Director. In addition,
John served in various volunteer roles with the Thompson Rivers University Foundation
including six years as its board chair.
Monday April 24th
Tour of the Alberta Oil sands
Join the representatives from Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers on a tour of the
Fort McMurray oil sands. Leaving from Kamloops airport early in the morning and returning in
the evening. CAPP covers all transportation costs and meals. 45 spots available. Contact Lee
Coonfer @ [email protected] or Katie Kachur @ [email protected] to sign up.
The bus will leave from the Holiday Inn and Suites on the north shore of Kamloops. No special
hotel arrangements have been made. Address: 675 Tranquille Road, Kamloops, BC V2B 3H7
Phone:(250) 376-8288
Tuesday April 25th afternoon
Preconference Session – Tourism Destination Development with Thompson
Okanagan Tourism Association
Join Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), for information, resources and next
steps on how your community can engage in Tourism Destination Development. Key topics
include Regional Rail Trail Strategy Implementation, creating Remarkable Experiences, update
on the Regional Aboriginal Tourism strategy process, Route 97 marketing and development
initiatives as we well as the current work with Green Step toward the creation of a Charter of
Sustainability and how communities can become Green Certified.
Segway Tours
Learn how to ride a Segway, a two-wheeled, self-balancing,
battery-powered electric vehicle while travelling through the
wonderful alpine scenery of Sun Peaks. Depending on the
number of participants, your ride will be 15 minutes or more.
Pub Night at Cahilty Bar and Grill – evening
Enjoy the music of SILGA’s own Papa Keith as you join the other delegates for an informal
gathering. Sponsored by CAPP.
Wednesday, April 26th
Morning Tours
1. Waste Water Treatment Centre
Sun Peaks Utilities provides water, wastewater, storm and gas services to the resort
community. On this tour you will see what happens to the wastewater via the modified
activated sludge process that sees the final effluent filtered using the exhausted biomass. The
tour will also check out the composting facility where Class A compost is produced for use
throughout the resort. Pat Miller will be your tour guide.
2. Walking tour of health care facility and school
Tour the @Kool School - the only ski in-ski out school in the world – which is designed for
children to work independently who are home-schooled or live in remote locations. By
fundraising, the Sun Peaks parents took this distance learning model and adapted it by adding a
teacher who supervises the children at all times . Older students also rely on computer
programs such as Skype to communicate with another off-site teacher.
When complete, the new Health Care Facility will be a full service medical centre designed for a
doctor, x-ray capabilities, onsite physio, chiropractic and massage services. The Sun Peaks ski
patrol will also be housed in the building.
3.
Village and ice rink walking tour
Jim Alix will be your tour guide of the Sun Peaks Village and the new NHL size ice rink. Learn
how the village was designed to maximize limited space, to keep it walkable and to give it a
unique resort atmosphere.
Wednesday Morning Breakout Sessions
1. Cannabis Dispensaries – Present and Future Solutions
The federal government has committed to legalizing marihuana but until that happens local
governments are struggling to manage the consequences of this legal holding pattern. Across
the country, cannabis dispensaries are springing up at an unprecedented rate. Some local
governments hope to control and manage this proliferation by adopting detailed regulations.
Others hope to deter cannabis dispensaries with the use of bylaw enforcement proceedings or
police involvement. How are your neighbours dealing with this challenge? What strategies have
been employed by local governments in BC and across the country? What works? What
doesn’t? What’s at stake? When will the federal government unveil the new legal scheme, and
how will it affect local governments? Denise McCabe and Kaitlyn Cumming will provide a legal
update and facilitate a group discussion around various strategies being employed.
Denise McCabe and Kaitlyn Cumming, Fulton & Co.
Denise practices as the firm’s senior advisory counsel, and
provides legal consultation services on complex local government
files. Denise has extensive experience advising local governments
in all areas of operations and governance. She is also a registered
trade-mark agent, and applies her specialized training to meet our
public and private clients’ unique needs in matters of technology
development, acquisition, transfer, protection and licensing of
trademarks, official marks, copyright and patents.
Kaitlyn is developing a practice in municipal, commercial and
personal injury litigation. She was born in Calgary and attended the
University of Victoria Bachelor of Commerce co-op program with a
focus on accounting. Kaitlyn obtained her law degree at the
University of Alberta in Edmonton. While in law school, she
represented individuals in various disputes, including small claims
and residential tenancy matters. In her last year of law school,
Kaitlyn completed a practicum with Legal Aid where she assisted
with criminal matters and conducted research into poverty law
issues.
2. Tourism Panel Tourism Panel – with Glenn Mandziuk, TOTA CEO, Grant
MacKay, VP Destination BC and Arlene Schieven, President Tourism Sun
Peaks
Glenn Mandziuk, CEO with Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association
Glenn Mandziuk is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Thompson Okanagan Tourism Region which has over a $3 million
budget; involves over 3,200 industry stakeholders and 90 communities
and hamlets; and undertakes consumer marketing, travel trade, media
relations, research, industry and community services. Glenn has over
20 years’ experience in tourism marketing and community
development, and has successfully administered and/or coordinated
several community and product development projects, business
retention programs, local, regional, and provincial partnership
development, and marketing initiatives and assisted in attracting over
$220 million in investment to the South Okanagan region. He holds a
Master of Environmental Design Degree majoring in Community Planning and Development
and a Bachelor of Arts Degree majoring in Leisure and Tourism Management.
Grant MacKay, Vice President, Destination and Industry Development with
Destination BC
Grant Mackay is currently the Vice President of Destination & Industry
Development for Destination British Columbia. Grant joined the BC
Public Service in 1995 as a Business Unit Manager with Tourism
British Columbia after a long career in marketing and sales in the
packaged goods industry with Scott Paper Limited. In 1997 Grant
became Vice President of Marketing for Tourism British Columbia,
responsible for world-wide consumer marketing and travel trade
programs. In April 2010, Grant was named Assistant Deputy Minister,
Tourism Marketing with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts.
In his current capacity, Grant is responsible for tourism industry
development designed to increase BC’s worldwide competitive
position. Grant has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of British Columbia.
Arlene Schieven, President, Tourism Sun Peaks
Arlene Schieven has been the President and CEO of Tourism
Sun Peaks since August of 2016. Prior to joining Tourism Sun
Peaks, Arlene spent five years in Sun Valley, Idaho as the
President and CMO of Visit Sun Valley. Arlene has an
extensive destination marketing background with a focus on
mountain resort destinations. In addition to Sun Peaks and Sun
Valley, Arlene also spent many years in Whistler, as the Vice
President of Marketing for Tourism Whistler. Schieven has also
worked in tourism and marketing education as the head of the Tourism Marketing Management
Program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and as an MBA marketing instructor at
Royal Roads University.
Wednesday Afternoon Speakers
Address by the President of UBCM – Murry Krause
Murry was elected to Prince George City Council from November
1996 to 1999 and again from 2002 to the present. He is a City of
Prince George Director on the Regional District of Fraser Fort
George, where he Chairs the Regional Hospital District Board and
Cultural Advisory Committee.
Murry is a Past President of the NCLGA and was their
representative on the 2008/09 UBCM Executive. He was elected as
a Director at Large in the fall of 2009 and is currently Chair of the
First Nations Relations Committee.
Murry is the Executive Director of the Central Interior Native Health
Society; a position he has held for 21 years. Prior to that he was the Executive Director of the
Prince George United Way and manager of several non-profit organizations.
Murry has been an active volunteer for local, regional, provincial and federal initiatives. He has
been recognized for that involvement by being awarded a Governor General of Canada
Commemorative medal; the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal; the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
Medal, and Prince George’s Citizen of the Year for 2000.
UBCM Session on the Working Group on Responsible Conduct
The issue of questionable conduct is an emerging policy area for local governments in BC and
across the country. The issue is multi-faceted and includes elements of education, advice,
investigation and enforcement. Due to the complex nature of this subject matter UBCM, the
Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development and the Local Government
Management Association of BC have formed a working group to examine responsible conduct
of local government elected officials. The working group will conduct an analysis and undertake
policy work on this issue, and that work will inform UBCM Executive's policy paper for
consideration of members at the 2017 UBCM Convention. This session will provide an update
on the work of the committee to date.
Gary has spent 25 years working in the local government field with
experience in small, medium and large-sized local governments. As the
Executive Director, Gary is responsible for overseeing the administration,
advocacy, funding programs and strategic direction of UBCM. Advice to
the UBCM President and Executive is a critical element of this position.
Gary currently serves as Chair of the Gas Tax Management Committee,
Trustee on the Municipal Pension Plan Board of Trustees and Co-Chair of
the Green Communities Committee.
Manny Jules – Commissioner, First Nations Tax Commission
C.T. (Manny) Jules was the driving force behind the First Nations Fiscal
Management Act (2005), which created the First Nations Tax
Commission. He also led the amendment to the Indian Act (1988) which
enabled First Nations to levy property taxes on designated lands. The
Indian Taxation Advisory Board (ITAB) and the current First Nation
property tax system were created as a result. Mr. Jules served as Chair
of ITAB from 1989-2003 and 2005-2007. He served as Chief of the
Kamloops Indian Band from 1984-2000. Mr. Jules has devoted over 30
years of his life to public service in support of Aboriginal issues. He
received an Honourary Doctorate of Laws from the University of British
Columbia (1997) and another from Thompson Rivers University (2006).
Friday, April 28th
Morning Breakout Sessions
1. Grant Writing Panel with Brian Bedford, Ministry of Community, Helen
Patterson, SIDIT and Brant Felker, UBCM
Helen Patterson, the Controller for the Southern Interior
Development Initiative Trust, holds a CPA, CMA accounting
designation and oversees all fiscal operations for the Trust. She
has an extensive work history with local government and
understands the complexity and challenges that Municipal
government’s face. She brings a great mix of leadership,
operational experience and technical breadth to SIDIT. She also
oversees the grant programs for the Southern Interior and has a commitment to achieve
maximum funding for the programs each year.
2. CAO Performance Review – Jake Rudolph, Deputy City Manager with the
City of Abbotsford
Jake has had a professional career which spans 35 plus years in four
provinces, five municipalities and one regional agency. For the past 19
years, he has resided in British Columbia and is currently the Deputy
City Manager with the City of Abbotsford.
Throughout his career, Jake has taken an active role in his profession
and his community serving on various committee and boards. These
have included past roles with IPAC, URISA and the Atlantic Planners
Institute. He has chaired the Regional Administrators Advisory
Committee (RAAC) serving Metro Vancouver and co-chaired the Metro
Vancouver Integrated Provincial Regional Emergency Management (IPREM) function.
As a member of CAMA, he has been a member of the Awards Committee on two occasions and
served on an Election Process Review Committee. He has been on the CAMA Board since
2014; Chaired the Strategic Plan Review Committee; and served on the Conference Committee
and the Code of Conduct Committee.
3. Big Data for Elected Officials – Louise Wallace Richmond
We’ve all done it. Swiped the Air Miles card. Liked the Facebook page.
Told the lovely clerk at IKEA our postal code. Signed up for the loyalty
perks at the grocery store. And while that exchange of information has
value for you as consumer it also has great value to you as an elected
official.
Big and open data help you better understand your community; who they are, where they live,
what they like, where they get their information and how you can improve your relationship with
them. The single most powerful communication tool is good relationships. And relationships
start with better understanding. This seminar will review the data available in free tools that you
can use to better get to know and engage with citizens.
No social media experience required. Every community has a compelling story which can be
told and better understood through big data tools available to us all.
Louise Wallace Richmond is the owner of Mediability Corporate Communications. With an
honours in Economics and a masters in Publishing, she uses research and design to deliver
proven marketing campaigns to forward looking businesses and non-profits in Western Canada.
She’s a part time professor in the School of Business at Okanagan College and a Councillor for
the City of Salmon Arm.
Morning Speakers
Through the Eyes of a Child – Darlene Morgan
This is a true story about my experience in residential school – the primary focus is truth &
reconciliation; my presentation shows how I am having to reconcile with myself about what
happened to me, what I have done & continue to do to help other survivors, I try to speak for
those who cannot speak about what happened to them and I verbalize their stories for them; I
try to bring to the forefront why first nations are the way they are today; i.e. extreme alcohol &
drug abuse, violence in the home, parents unable to care for their own children, the loss of
language & culture, extreme sexual abuse, families unable to live in a family environment
(institutionalized) resulting in living in the streets - homelessness, many children did not go back
home, many children died in residential schools or died trying to run away; in essence a
Canadian First Nation genocide that no one wants to talk about; can be a very emotional
presentation but I believe it brings true meaning to the truth & reconciliation process
Darlene Morgan is currently the CAO for Gitlaxt’aamiks Village Government, one of the four
Nisga’a Villages located in the Nass Valley. She has 43 years’ experience in First Nations
Governance including working in every sector of First Nations Administration. She also served
16 years as an Elected Official for Gitwangak Indian Band prior to taking the CAO position with
Gitlaxt’aamiks. She has watched over the years how the Indian Act controlled how First Nations
operated and how the primary focus was to manage poverty. Working for Gitlaxt’aamiks has
provided Darlene the opportunity to work under the first modern day treaty with no connection to
the Indian Act or the Department of Indian Affairs. This move was instrumental as she worked
within the confines of the treaty as they made monumental changes in how the Nisga’a Nation
would operate under a new regime. Darlene is one of the Residential School Survivors who
never returned home, she spent 11 years in the system, left with a very good education, lost her
language & culture, had no connection to family and for the past 42 years has devoted her time
working in various roles with First Nations using the education provided by the Federal
government against them, her ultimate goal – get rid of the Indian Act. Darlene continues to be
a mover & shaker within the Nisga’a Nation with a focus on capacity building, training &
education. She left her hometown of Gitlaxt’aamiks in 1960 to attend residential school, in
2004 she accepted the job as Chief Administrative Officer of Gitlaxt’aamiks Village Government,
after 44 years, Darlene returned home to work for her own people. Today Gitlaxt’aamiks is
considered the most progressive of the four Nisga’a Villages as they continue to move forward
implementing the first modern day treaty.
Auditor General for Local Government - Gordon Ruth
The Auditor General will provide an update on the work of the Office and a summary of what we
have found in the audit work completed to date.
Gordon Ruth, FCPA, FCGA joined the AGLG in October of 2015. He
was previously the Executive Vice President of Certification and
Operations for the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC. Mr. Ruth
was also the Chief Executive Officer for the Certified General
Accountants of BC for almost five years. He has held several positions
in the public sector, ranging from the federal government to BC Hydro.
He spent 15 years with the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now
Metro Vancouver) where he became the Chief Financial Officer and
helped steward the financial affairs of this regional federation of
municipalities.