CSA Sponsors Breakfast Session at CAMA 2010 Annual National Conference
June 1, 2010 - CSA Standards sponsored a breakfast session on June 1st at the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators' 2010 Annual National Conference. The session, entitled "Foundations of Governance: Municipal Government in Canada's Provinces", was introduced by Bonnie Rose, President of CSA's Standards division.
With interest in the current economy being top-of-mind, the conference’s overall theme of "Seizing Opportunities - Action Through Leadership" attracted much attention and generated much discussion.
CSA Presents to FCM Municipal Infrastructure Policy Forum
May 29, 2010 – This year's FCM Annual Conference featured a presentation by Michael Mortimer, Program Manager for Infrastructure and Built Environment. Michael updated an audience of over 100 city managers and elected officials from across Canada (including the north) on the work being done within the Municipal Infrastructure Solutions Program.
For more information on FCM's 2010 Conference, click here.
CSA Hosts Workshop at CNAM "Building Partnerships" Event
May 5, 2010 – CSA Standards hosted a presentation at the Canadian Network for Asset Managers "Building Partnerships" event held in Ottawa on May 2 – 5. The workshop, entitled "A Changing Climate for Infrastructure Assets: Is your plan adaptable?" was co-presented by Michael Mortimer, Program Manager Built Environment Standards, Canadian Standards Association and Birgit Isernhagen, Planner, Infrastructure Services and Community Sustainability at the City of Ottawa. The presentations included an overview of why it is essential for municipal asset managers to consider the impacts of climate change in their plans and tactics. A case study on how the City of Ottawa is doing just that, was also presented.
CNAM's event focused on how assets, people, and processes support future infrastructure fiscal need and sustainable service delivery. Two streams – strategic and operational – offered collaborative, interactive discussion forums and presentations.
CSA Hosts Panel Discussion at CAMPSI
April 14, 2010 – CSA Standards hosted a panel discussion at the Strategy Institute's annual "Canadian Asset Management Planning for Sustainable Infrastructure" held in Toronto on April 12 and 13. The session, entitled "Asset Management & Sustainability: How Are You Building Your 'People, Planet & Profit' Capacity?" was moderated by Michael Mortimer, Program Manager, Built Environment Standards, Canadian Standards Association. The panelists included: Peter Steblin, City Manager for Coquitlam; Paul Graham, Chief Administrative Officer for the Town of the Blue Mountains; and Don MacIver, Mayor for the Town of Amaranth. The speakers provided perspectives on how the practice of modern municipal asset management, climate change adaptation and issues related to environment and municipal sustainability must all be considered together.
"Organizations must transition from 'Silo' to broader, 'Sustainable' thinking", according to Paul Graham. The panelists shared their 'real world' experience on how this is being done along wit h many practical lessons learned for their communities.
CSA Hosts Session at FCM Sustainable Communities Conference
February 12, 2010 – CSA Standards hosted a session on "Sustainable Stormwater Practices" at the 2010 FCM Sustainable Communities Conference, held February 10-12 in Ottawa. The session highlighted the experiences and lessons learned from leading municipalities, and looked at strategies for successfully implementing sustainable stormwater practices.
"The example of a community working together to achieve net zero run-off from low impact design was the most interesting part for me," said Shannon Joseph, Development Officer at FCM's Green Municipal Fund. "It is so critical to see practical examples of how such systems can be applied."
Over 70 people representing different municipalities and disciplines across Canada took in four presentations delivered by leading subject matter experts. To see CSA's presentation at the FCM event, click here.
CSA Helping to Adapt Northern Community Infrastructure to Climate Change Impacts
January 29, 2010 – CSA hosted three workshops with northern stakeholders as part of the public consultation on CSA's new Plus 4011 Technical Guide, targeted for release in late Spring 2010. The publication focuses on foundations for buildings and other infrastructure built in permafrost regions.
A warmer climate and melting permafrost can result in a failed structure; CSA's new technical guide will help to prevent this. The workshops were held in Whitehorse, Iqaluit and Inuvik. Feedback from the workshops was positive and constructive.The event received extensive media coverage, including live interviews on CBC Radio North's morning shows in Iqaluit and Yellowknife.
For further information, contact Erik Sparling.
Introduction of Sustainable Stormwater Practices Training – Both Public and Dedicated Sessions Available
January 15, 2010 – CSA offered the first set of publicly scheduled stormwater sessions: Stormwater: Fundamentals and Stormwater: Designing Road and Parking Lot Infiltration Systems. Practitioners from municipalities, contractors, builders and other community stakeholders discussed key issues and drivers affecting their field and worked on challenging design cases. Additional details on these courses and publicly scheduled session dates are available. For more information on these and other Municipal Infrastructure Solutions Program workshops, contact Karyn Ferguson or click here.