February 28, 2019

TO: Mayors, Wardens, Clerks, All Units

CC: NSFM Membership

FR: Pam Mood, President, Federation of Municipalities

RE: NSFM BOARD REPORT, FEBRUARY 7, 2020

I am pleased to send you the highlights of NSFM Board Report from our February 7, 2020, meeting. We ask that you include this report on your Council Agenda. We would be pleased to answer any questions that may arise or hear any comments and/or suggestions.

Also attached is the update on our initiatives report.

1. Presentation from Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing: The Board was provided with an update from Municipal Affairs on recent consolidation talks, as well as plans to conduct a joint DMAH/NSFM roadshow to consult members on code of conduct changes.

2. Presentation from Intergovernmental Affairs: The NSFM Board was provided with an update on the work of the Government of Nova Scotia’s Forestry Transition Team.

3. Code of Conduct: The NSFM Board passed a motion distribute the updated code of conduct template to NSFM Members, and to work with DMAH on soliciting input from members on code of conduct issues.

4. Committee Restructuring: NSFM staff presented the Board with a committee restructuring proposal. The Board passed a motion to have NSFM staff work with AMANS to revise the proposal to ensure that AMA is appropriately involved in the appointment of municipal administrators to the standing committees. for standing policy committees felt that there isn’t a role for NSFM on this topic.

5. CAP Map: The Board approved staff’s request for funding for a web-based interactive map displaying CAP underpayment and overpayment for Nova Scotian households, and directed staff to liaise with stakeholders to secure funding assistance.

6. Campbellton Resolution: Past President Mason updated the Board regarding his meeting with experts at Halifax Water on the topic of federal wastewater regulations. The NSFM Board endorsed the Campbellton Resolution in December and is looking to further support advocacy on the issue at the provincial, regional, and federal levels.

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Board Initiatives Report – February 2020

NSFM Vision: Effective local government and strong, sustainable communities

NSFM Mission: To enable effective local government for Nova Scotia’s communities by facilitating strategic advocacy, education and collaboration

Initiatives

1. CAP

In late January and early February NSFM hosted meetings of the All-Party Committee on the CAP. Committee members included the leaders of both opposition parties ( and ), Liberal MLA (and former municipal councillor) , as well as opposition critics on municipal matters (Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin and Lisa Roberts).

2. NSFM’s Contract to Support the Administration of the Gas Tax Fund

NSFM continues to be on target for meeting all deliverables outlined in the work plan to support the administration of the federal Gas Tax Fund (GTF) for the 2019-20 fiscal. The next GTF meeting with Department of Municipal Affairs and Housing, schedule for Feb. 11, will be to discuss deliverables for the 2020- 21 workplan.

3. Asset Management

NSFM continues to support municipalities with asset management planning, as a requirement of the 2014-24 Gas Tax Fund Agreement.

4. NSFM Receives Funding from FCM for Asset Management Project

NSFM recently received word that its proposal to FCM’s Municipal Asset Management Program for a Partnership Grant was successful. The proposal to FCM, submitted in September, was a request for funding to update NSFM’s online course, the Basics of Asset Management for Elected Officials, to include a new module on integrating climate considerations into the asset management planning process. This new module will provide municipalities with a framework

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to support the inclusion of climate considerations into their long-term asset management plans.

NSFM staff will conduct the research and develop the content for the new climate change module. Staff will also develop a marketing plan to promote the course, which will target new elected officials and other provincial and territorial associations. BaseCorp Learning Systems will create the storyboard from the course content developed by NSFM, along with the course audio and associated learning resources. The project will be completed by the end of December.

The total project cost is $22,649 and NSFM will receive $18,119 in funding from FCM. NSFM’s matching contribution will be through staff remuneration.

5. NSFM Receives Funding from Department of Energy & Mines for an Active Transportation Project

The Department of Energy and Mines recently confirmed that NSFM’s Active Transportation Committee’s application to the Connect2 Program for a “Mainstreeting Project” was accepted. “Mainstreeting” is a concept that seeks to identify opportunities to support walkability, connectivity and economic activity in those small and rural municipalities with secondary highways as their main street. When a highway intersects a community, it limits the municipality’s potential to promote and implement active transportation initiatives.

NSFM’s Mainstreeting Project has two phases. The first is a research component that will document mainstreeting best practices from across North America and define the issues of mainstreeting (including policy, funding, business economics, and street design). This phase will also involve work with 5 local municipalities (St. Peters, Middle Musquodoboit, Hubbards, Westville and Elmsdale) to identify their current conditions and possible opportunities to implement mainstreeting best practices.

In the second phase involves engagement where best practices will be presented to the five communities to garner feedback on their relevance to Nova Scotia municipalities. It will also involve engagement with stakeholders and other levels of government on the importance of applying mainstreeting guidelines to local communities.

FBM, a local architecture and design firm, is working with members of NSFM’s

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Active Transportation Committee to carry out the work of the Mainstreeting Project. NSFM will receive $19,000 from the Connect2 Program and has secured $11,500 in matching funds and $7,500 in-kind, for a total project budget of $38,000. The project will be completed in late spring and NSFM’s Active Transportation Committee will request to present the findings at the fall conference.

6. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

NSFM submitted the EPR proposal to Minister Wilson in June of 2019 (see link here) He replied and told us he would need to see the Efficiency and Effectiveness Report to help him discern whether EPR was the right direction forward for Nova Scotians. That report was submitted to him in September (see link here) followed by a meeting and presentation on the report on Oct. 2.

In an attempt to get some momentum behind this file, Nova Scotia’s waste reduction coordinators prepared a newspaper ad. It appeared in the Chronicle Herald as a ¼ page (full colour) ad on Saturday, February 22nd, and Saturday, February 29th. It also appeared in regional newspapers throughout the Province.

Please remember that if you get any calls about EPR, your local waste coordinators or NSFM will be happy to speak with you to discuss EPR and all it has to offer to Nova Scotia residents.

Being mindful that solid waste management is often the fourth-largest line item

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on municipal budgets—and one with some of the fastest year-over-year increases in cost—we at NSFM would encourage you to continue to discuss the efficiency and effectiveness study with your CAOs, fellow council members, and your waste coordinators.

7. RMA Trade

2020 has kicked off strong for RMA’s partnership with the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities. NSFM and RMA’s Tim Elms have been holding weekly communication sessions as there is a lot of prep work for marketing tools, timelines, and contact information. RMA is currently in the educational phase where they will explain that our CFTA and APA compliant programs help members to save on price, save on time, offer procurement choice flexibility, and support local suppliers. Updates include:

• Initial communication has been made with all of Nova Scotia’s municipalities and towns, excluding HRM (newsletter, and email / phone calls) • First official NS road trip to the South Shore to meet with Counties and contacts for the week of 2020/02/03 • Initial meeting with Colchester took place in mid-January • Cape Breton travel for the week of 2020/02/10 • New program: Acklands Grainger has expanded their program with RMA to a national level and their goods are now available in Atlantic Canada. Acklands-Grainger is Canada’s largest distributor of maintenance, repair and operational supplies, with 350,000+ in-stock industrial, safety and fastener products, the largest selection of in-stock brand-name products and the largest exclusive private-label offering in the industry.

Next steps include:

• Providing opt-in forms and 1-page handouts for all municipalities for Staples Business Advantage, and tire programs. • Meetings, conferences, and travel to all regions. • Continued work with municipalities, towns, schools, and universities for quotes.

8. NSFM Communications

Don’t forget to check out NSFM’s First Annual Report.

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The 28-page end-of-year checklist was distributed at the annual conference and AGM in November and is also available online through the NSFM website, at this link.

It sets the bar for NSFM to continue this annually, to outline the work of all NSFM staffers done at the direction of the board.

Since NSFM hired a dedicated Communications Advisor, NSFM has been active on all social media accounts, including twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. A recent social media audit reveals our twitter and Facebook posts are being seen by thousands of people every week.

NSFM’s twitter account is expanding our audience and reach. New followers are up considerably since the communications department was launched in August – from 315 to 561 followers. We’re looking to double it in the next few weeks. Are you following us yet: https://twitter.com/nsfedmuni

Facebook is also achieving new highs for NSFM. Did you know the biggest draw was the post about Claire Detheridge receiving the Ken Simpson Memorial Award? The post reached more than 5,200 people because of the high interaction rate (487 people reacted, commented or shared).

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