MUNICIPAL EXCELLENCE NETWORK
PRACTICE COLLECTION FORM
General Information
Date
March 22, 2016
Name of Practice
Wood Buffalo Community Building Project
Name of Municipality
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
Your Name and Title
Mrs. Carole Bouchard, Director, Community Services
Department
Phone Number
(780) 743-7912
Fax Number
(780) 743-7937
E-mail for Practice Contact(s)
carole.bouchard@woodbuffalo.ab.ca
Mailing Address
9909 Franklin Ave., Fort McMurray AB T(H 2K4
INTRODUCTION
When completing this form, use your own words and share your practice in a story format. Please do
not include any derogatory comments. Use paragraphs and bullet points to organize your practice.
This is not a business case but instead is intended to be informative for your peers, showing them the
processes and outcomes of your practice. Be sure to focus on what you learned so that it is helpful to
the reader. Click on the grey boxes to type in your answers. The boxes will expand as you type.
THE ISSUE
Question
Abstract:
What is the practice you developed or are developing
(brief abstract)?
Please briefly describe the final practice developed.
(e.g. if you developed a new Council agenda, list the
agenda items, or if a new communications plan was
created, provide a summary of the plan’s goals,
objectives and highlights.)
Answer
The Wood Buffalo Community Building
Project seeks to bring together local
government and the private and non-profit
sectors to increase social capacity in the
wake of rapid growth, following through on
research and a number of
recommendations that have already been
put forth. Advised by the Faculty of Arts of
the University of Waterloo, which has
experience in the field of social innovation,
the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
and its community stakeholders want to
make happen changes that have already
been advocated, focusing on five key
themes: Arts and Culture; Building
Capacity; Harnessing Great Ideas; Shared
Space, and Social Planning.
Need:
Please describe (just a couple of sentences or bullet
points) why you needed to create this practice (policy
or process).
What issue made it necessary? (e.g. “We needed a
comprehensive plan to deal with…”, or “We needed
an annual forecasting tool because…”)
Numerous studies and reports have been
prepared about the community’s needs,
gaps in service and the kinds of things
that will enhance the quality of life in the
Municipality, making it a better place to
live, particularly for families. Indeed, there
is a long history of inquiry, so the time has
come to respond with the answers.
Wood Buffalo is a prosperous region and
its residents are generous in their support
of charitable causes; for four years in a
row, Fort McMurray has had the highest
per capita United Way contributions,
making it the “most caring community in
Canada.” But that affluence doesn’t mean
that there aren’t challenges. So by joining
forces with each other and with the
Municipality and the business sector, nonprofits can leverage their resources and
become a more powerful force for change.
Non-profit organizations face special
challenges in Wood Buffalo because of
the high cost of living, such as aboveaverage overhead and difficulty finding
and retaining staff. There is more demand
for their services than many would expect.
Job hunters often come to Fort McMurray
assuming they will automatically find
employment only to discover that they
don’t have the necessary skills That kind
of setback is particularly expensive in this
region, where there is limited social
housing. People also come here from all
over the world for work and require
assistance in adjusting to a new lifestyle
and culture.
CREATING YOUR PRACTICE
Research:
How did you obtain information to help design your
practice (including consultation with stakeholders,
formal and informal research)?
Please include any research documentation you can
share, or give us a source reference (e.g. Web site,
literature, “We reviewed the bylaws from other
municipalities in the area…”).
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
has conducted extensive consultation over
the past few years, producing several
studies and ultimately resulting in Future
Forward 2030: The Fort McMurray Vision,
and Envision Wood Buffalo, which form
the basis of the Wood Buffalo Community
Building Project. Future Forward, initiated
by Mayor Melissa Blake and launched in
early 2006, involved the public in creating
a community-based vision for the future of
Fort McMurray. Building on Future
Forward, Envision Wood Buffalo, which
again engaged residents, is a long-term
strategic plan that focuses on sustainable
development while balancing economic,
cultural growth and protecting the
environment. Armed with this wealth of
information, the Municipality conferred with
its private and non-profit sector partners,
as well as the University of Waterloo.
See:
Future Forward 2030: The Fort McMurray
Vision
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/pdf/F
ort+McMurray+2030.pdf
Report on Analysis of Public Input: Fort
McMurray Future Forward Sector
Workshops, May 2006
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/pdf/A
nalysis+of+Future+Forward+Public+Input.
pdf
Fort McMurray Community Profile 2006/07
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/pdf/F
ort+McMurray+Community+Profile+2006++2007.pdf
Envision Wood Buffalo
http://woodbuffalo.ironpointv7.net/Assets/D
epartments/Planning+and+Development/L
ong+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buf
falo/PDF/envision_wood_buffalo_plan.pdf
Community Background Reports
ANZAC
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/Long
+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buffalo
/PDF/background_report_anzac.pdf
CONKLIN
http://woodbuffalo.ironpointv7.net/Assets/D
epartments/Planning+and+Development/L
ong+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buf
falo/PDF/background_report_conklin.pdf
DRAPER
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/Long
+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buffalo
/PDF/background_report_draper.pdf
FORT CHIPEWYAN
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/Long
+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buffalo
/PDF/background_report_ftchip.pdf
FORT FITZGERALD
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/Long
+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buffalo
/PDF/background_report_ftfitz.pdf
FORT MCKAY
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/Long
+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buffalo
/PDF/background_report_ftmackay.pdf
FORT MCMURRAY
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/Long
+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buffalo
/PDF/background_report_ftmcmurray.pdf
GREGOIRE LAKE ESTATES
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/Long
+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buffalo
/PDF/background_report_gregoirelake.pdf
JANVIER
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/Long
+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buffalo
/PDF/background_report_janvier.pdf
SAPRAE CREEK
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/Long
+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buffalo
/PDF/background_report_sapraecreek.pdf
WOOD BUFFALO (REGIONAL)
http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/Assets/Depa
rtments/Planning+and+Development/Long
+Range+Planning/Envision+Wood+Buffalo
/PDF/background_report_regional.pdf
Process:
How did you go about designing your practice? For
instance, did you create a team, hire a consultant,
borrow something ready-made from another
jurisdiction?
Describe briefly who did the design work and what
process they followed.
GETTING APPROVAL FOR YOUR PRACTICE
Authority:
Whose/what approval did you need to create and
implement the practice?
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
joined forces with the Suncor Energy
Foundation and The Faculty of Arts at the
University of Waterloo, which agreed to
come onboard in an advisory capacity.
Waterloo has previous relevant
experience, considered invaluable, which
helped shape the design of the project.The
Suncor Energy Foundation is a private,
non-profit foundation established by
Suncor Energy Inc. in 1998; over the past
decade, it has invested more than $48
million in charitable organizations across
Canada. The Fort McMurray United Way,
which supports more than 60 community
programs, was subsequently recruited.
These partners brought considerable
community involvement to the table. .
The approval of the Mayor and the Chief
Administrative Officer was required.
Reporting:
How did you inform the decision-maker(s) about the
practice and your need for their approval?
Please note the name of any documents provided to
the decision-makers that you would be willing to
share.
Consultation:
Did you consult with stakeholders as part of your
approval process?
If so, how? If possible, attach a copy of templates,
surveys or other documents you used as part of your
consultation.
IMPLEMENTING YOUR PRACTICE
Plan:
Describe the process you went through to implement
the practice. If you used an implementation plan,
please note it here.
Policy:
What changes to bylaws, regulations or procedures
were needed to implement this practice and how did
you deal with them?
Mayor Melissa Blake was briefed about
the Wood Buffalo Community Building
Project and United Way, Suncor Energy
Foundation and University of Waterloo
representatives then held further
discussions with her. As Envision Wood
Buffalo was its guiding light, the
undertaking got the go-ahead, and Mayor
Blake, Chief Administrative Officer Glen
Laubenstein and several councilors
attended the Feb. 1, 2010 planning day to
show their support.
There was extensive engagement with
citizens during the formulation of Envision
Wood Buffalo, the backbone of the Wood
Buffalo Community Building Project, as
well as citizen surveys. During the Action
Planning Day in February 2011, more than
75 community leaders representing a
cross-section of interests provided input.
After the Municipality, Suncor Energy
Foundation, and United Way founding
members consulted with the University
Waterloo and laid the groundwork for the
Wood Buffalo Community Building Project,
an Action Planning Day was held on Feb.
1, 2011. It was attended by 75 community
leaders, who grouped issues and concerns
into five categories and created five Action
Learning Teams to push the agenda
forward.
No bylaw, policy or procedural changes
were required.
Please attach a copy of the change in bylaw, policy or
procedure.
When:
When did your municipality begin to use the practice?
Was it implemented all at once or in stages?
The Wood Buffalo Community Building
Project was launched by its partners in fall
2010 and will unfold over the next five
years. The Feb. 1, 2011 Action Planning
Day was an important step forward,
resulting in the creation of Action Learning
Teams, which met via video-conferencing
in April. They are getting together again at
a week-long learning event in June. A new
community awards program has been
launched as part of the project; The Heart
of Wood Buffalo Leadership Awards
Ceremony, scheduled for June 21 at
Keyano Theatre in Fort McMurray, will
celebrate leadership in the non-profit
sector.
Who:
Who was responsible for implementing the practice?
If someone else is responsible for ongoing
management, who is it?
RESOURCES REQUIRED
Budget:
How much did it cost you to design and implement
your practice (i.e. We saved/spent $XX per year)?
What are your ongoing operational and capital costs,
if any?
Staff:
What human resources did you need to design,
implement and manage your practice? (e.g. “It took X
staff member(s) X months on this” or “This is part of
normal staff duties.”)
Infrastructure:
What “capital costs” (such as information
technology,other equipment or building assets) did
you need to design, implement, manage, and/or
evaluate your practice?
The five Action Learning Teams (Arts and
Culture; Building Capacity; Harnessing
Great Ideas; Shared Space, and Social
Planning) are responsible for
implementation, assisted by the steering
committee and advised by University of
Waterloo.
Any costs involved are being covered by
the Suncor Energy Foundation, a private,
non-profit charitable organization. Its
funding priorities are educational,
environmental and community-based
initiatives in the regions where it operates,
such as Fort McMurray/Wood Buffalo.
Two senior staff members from
Community Services’ Neighbourhood and
Community Development Branch have
been involved with the project from the
outset. They participate as part of their
normal duties and no extraordinary
demands on time or resources have been
required. Several other employees, based
on their areas of expertise, have also
agreed to serve on the Action Learning
Teams. They stepped forward on a
voluntary basis but are working the added
responsibilities into their regular routines.
No capital costs were entailed.
EVALUATING YOUR PRACTICE
Formal:
If you did a formal evaluation (e.g. user satisfaction
survey, analysis of annual expenditures or number of
rate payers served) for your practice, please describe
the evaluation tool and the process used.
Tell us who was involved.
Informal:
If you did an informal evaluation, describe what you
did (such as discussing the practice with people in the
office or on the street, or letters/comments received).
Performance measures:
Please list the performance measures for this practice
(i.e. reduced number of complaints, money saved, or
change in equipment life expectancy.)
Please list the process you used for measuring
performance, (i.e. We do annual surveys on…)
examples include:
 collecting data
 establishing a baseline
 applying the measures
 results
 follow up
Changes:
(a) Based on the evaluation (formal or informal),
describe any changes you have made, or would like to
make, to your practice as a result. (e.g. “After
implementing this practice, we decided that it would
be better if…”)
-or-
There has not yet been any formal
evaluation, but assessment is part of the
game plan for the project. This is
particularly important to the University of
Waterloo; just as it is helping Wood Buffalo
based on previous experience in social
innovation, it hopes to use what it learns
from Wood Buffalo to assist other
municipalities down the road.
The Action Planning Day on Feb. 1, 2011
generated a lot of feedback from several
sectors, especially as the Action Learning
Teams and their assignments were being
drawn up. A newsletter has been launched
that provides regular updates on activities
and action.
The University of Waterloo will collect data
on an ongoing basis throughout the
project, using a variety of rigorous
quanitative and qualitative performance
measures that are currently being
determined. It is specifically part of the
mandate of the steering committee to
monitor progress.
To keep momentum building, it would have
been advisable to have followed up on the
Feb. 1 Action Planning Day more quickly,
rather than waiting until June for the next
big learning event. It’s not that ground has
been lost, but it would have been better to
have kept the project on everybody’s front
burner
(b) Has your practice met your expectations and if so,
how?
LESSONS LEARNED / BENEFITS RECEIVED
Benefits:
What are the benefits of this practice to your
municipality? (eg. Preparation of Council agenda
packages now requires less time, etc.)
Working with the University of Waterloo,
the Municipality and its local partners have
come up with a unique way to link
"thinkers and doers" in two different but
siimlar communities that can learn from
each other. This will result in the best
possible and sustainable solutions to the
challenges facing Wood Buffalo as it
continues to undergo rapid growth and
change.
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
is moving forward with community-driven
initiatives that will improve non-profit
capacity and the quality of life in the
region.
Community stakeholders are collaborating
more extensively and more creatively,
becoming more effective by joining forces.
Non-profit groups are expected to be
become stronger and more self-sustaining.
The community is working together, which
will foster a collective sense of
responsibility for dealing with issues.
Working with the University of Waterloo,
the Municipality has come up with a
unique partnership that will yield new
insights.
Making Wood Buffalo a better place to live
will attract and keep residents, and put the
Municipality in a friendly spotlight rather
than the negative glare that often bears
down – unfairly.
Key Lessons:
What key lessons have you/your municipality learned
through the process of:
 designing;
 obtaining approval;
 implementing; and
 evaluating your practice?
Include any problems, surprises, and unanticipated
benefits. (e.g. “We realized that we needed to spend
more time…”)
While a good response was expected from
the non-profit sector, the turnout at the
Action Planning Day by the business
community was pleasantly surprising.
Businesses were willing and eager to be
involved. It was quickly realized that
everybody truly has a stake in how the
non-profit sector fares – that the social
welfare of the region is a universal
concern.
The fall 2010 seminar at the Tamarack
Institute was not the usual kind of
conference attended by Municipal staff,
but it proved highly educational. A
manager attended because she was
specially invited but now regularly checks
out its courses and Web site material. Just
like the partnership with the University of
Waterloo, new learning experiences can
yield big benefits.
Advice to Municipal Peers:
What advice would you give to another municipality
that is considering adopting your practice? Is there
anything you might have done differently?
While the non-profit sector is typically
collaborative, it may not be as cohesive as
is generally assumed. We found that many
groups were not aware of everything their
counterparts had to offer and the various
ways in which they could work together,
leveraging their resources. Be aware that
there are probably lots of opportunities to
build non-profit and social capacity in your
community.
Be open-mined about new partnerships. A
lot of different people/groups may have a
piece to solve the puzzle.
PRACTICE UPDATES
New Information:
There may be some new information to add since this
practice was first posted. This is especially true if:
 a new process has been implemented in your
municipality;
 there are new practice evaluation results; or
 there has been a change affecting organizational
direction. For example, explain how new economic
conditions or a new vision/strategy affect the
practice.
Please indicate those changes here. Don't forget to list
any new documents that may be useful to your peers.
Then go to "Other Information" to attach the new
documents.
OTHER INFORMATION
Suggestions:
Please list relevant information sources that others
might use or you would be willing to share (courses,
Web sites, literature, experts).
Documents & Attachments:
Please list any documents you would be willing to
share with others interested in your practice (e.g. a
bylaw, a policy, approval documents, templates).
* Note: Most documents can be electronically
attached to your practice in the MEnet database. If
only a paper version of your document is available,
please send it with your completed Practice Collection
Form. We will scan it and attach it.
Nominations:
Do you have any suggestions of other individuals or
municipalities with municipal practices that we should
add to the Municipal Excellence network? Please list
their practice, municipality, and contact information.
Or, e-mail menet@gov.ab.ca and let us know about a
municipal colleague that has a really good way of
doing things.
COMMENTS
Have we missed something; anything you’d like to
add to the areas we have touched on, or an area we
have not mentioned?
Thank you for your contribution to the Municipal Excellence network. Please return
this form as soon as you are able.