Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to announce that the implementation of 20/20: A Brilliant North, NWT Public Service Strategic Plan is well underway. This plan is the first of its kind for the Department of Human Resources.
Mr. Speaker, 20/20: A Brilliant North is an important and exciting strategic plan that will guide the Government of the Northwest Territories human resource planning over the next 10 years and is being championed by all deputy ministers. The actions contained in the accompanying three-year action plan are ambitious, with year one focussing on the development of a number of programs, the second year piloting programs such as the training program for aboriginal employees and in year three, rolling out the full programs.
Goal one, Fixing the Foundation, supports 20/20: A Brilliant North’s mission and vision by putting in place a firm foundation of excellent human resource management practices and services necessary to ensure the other strategic goals have the support to be successful. Work that has already commenced under this goal includes the establishment of a transition team with a focus on streamlining human resource processes and procedures and reducing the backlog in pay and benefits. Client service training has also been provided to Human Resources’ staff in all regions; learning plans are currently being developed for all employees in Human Resources; and a client satisfaction survey will be issued to Department of Human Resources’ clients prior to the end of this fiscal year.
Goal two, Engage: Magnetic Attraction. This goal, through the attraction of Northerners and others to
the public service, and the engagement of existing workforce, will establish a public service that reflects our diverse cultures and provides high quality services to the residents of the Northwest Territories. Some of the exciting actions being worked on under this goal include: the establishment of an Aboriginal Employees Advisory Committee; the establishment of recruitment strategies for hard to recruit occupations such as engineering, pharmacy and social work; and identifying ways to increase the support and representation of persons with disabilities.
Goal three, Dazzle: Diverse Opportunities, focuses on the commitment to the workplace and environment, individual wellness, and establishing and maintaining excellent relationships with our partners: the public and stakeholders. Under this goal the Government of the Northwest Territories Green Team has been established; a Summer Wellness Program was piloted in the Department of Human Resources; the Managers’ Tool Kit was launched; regularly scheduled meetings commended with both the Union of Northern Workers and the Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association; cross-cultural awareness opportunities for employees are currently being developed and labour relations training is being offered to managers and supervisors in all regions.
Goal four, Inspire: Expanding Horizons, focuses on inspiring the public service to strive for continuous development and a culture of lifelong learning. Under this goal, the important work of developing aboriginal employees training programs, the implementation of learning plans and a new performance management framework are underway for all employees.
Last, but not least, goal five focuses on the future through excellence in planning for and management of the public service including the development of a succession planning framework that includes the transfer of knowledge. Under this goal, a framework for departmental human resource plans that will include an affirmative action component is currently being drafted and work is also underway on identifying common priorities and shared services where the Government of the Northwest Territories may partner with community and aboriginal governments to improve human resource management in the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, we have much work ahead of us but I look forward to keeping the Members of this Assembly informed as we continue to implement 20/20: A Brilliant North. I am expecting that the first formal results, reporting on year one of the three-year action plan, will be tabled in this Assembly in June 2010. In closing, I would like to thank the Government Operations committee for their ongoing support and guidance as we move forward implementing 20/20: A Brilliant North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Municipal and Community Affairs, Mr. Robert McLeod.
MINISTER’S STATEMENT 15-16(4):
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in May 2008 I announced to Members that Municipal and Community Affairs would be leading the work on capacity building initiatives at the local government level, in full partnership with the Department of Human Resources as well as the Northwest Territories Association of Communities and the Local Government Administrators of the Northwest Territories.
Today I would like to provide Members with an update on the details of this exciting initiative. However, before I do, I need to thank our key partners in public service capacity building: the NWT Association of Communities and the Local Government Administrators of the NWT. Without their vision, pragmatic advice and informed analysis, we would not be as advanced as we are in the development of strategies that aim to address this issue. At both the board and staff levels, these two organizations are fully committed to rolling up their sleeves and provide hands-on efforts to make this opportunity as meaningful and far-reaching as possible.
Mr. Speaker, the Public Service Capacity for Local Government Initiative will include a series of strategies, each aimed at strengthening the capacity of local government administrators as well as the leadership capacity of mayors, chiefs and councillors so that they can provide effective direction and support to their staff.
The first priority for the initiative focuses on the key position councils need to both maintain the day-to-day operations and to implement their long-term vision; this is the local government administrator, also known as the SAOs and band managers. We all know that local governments in the NWT have undergone significant evolution and transformation in their relatively short history. As a result, the skill set required to manage a local government has expanded significantly and at this point, many NWT local governments are challenged to recruit and retain competent administrators. This initiative will work to address this challenge and raise the profile of this rewarding and exciting profession.
Working in collaboration, the NWT Association of Communities, Local Government Administrators of the NWT, the Department of Human Resources and MACA have developed a number of strategies as part of this initiative. One of the larger initiatives is the Administrator Development Program, where local governments can apply for two-year funding to support either a trainee or mentor for their administrator position, depending on the current needs of the local government. There will be strong encouragement for local governments to hire Northerners into their permanent administrator position.
Another initiative is the Good Governance training for elected leaders. This program was successfully piloted earlier this year by the School of Community Government with a number of participants who were attending the NWT Association of Communities annual general meeting. This training will be offered to every newly elected council, on an ongoing basis, so that councillors have a common knowledge base around roles and responsibilities, especially in relationship to their administrator.
There will also be an Administrator Mentorship Program where skilled, experienced administrators will be available to formally mentor those who are developing their skills. As well, a pool of professionals will be developed, where local governments can access temporary expertise on an interim basis to troubleshoot or maintain services during a vacancy.
Professional development workshops will be held to build the skills and expertise of administrators. The first one, planned to coincide with the Local Government Administrators of the NWT 2009 annual general meeting, will address recruitment and retention challenges in local governments.
As well, an array of promotional materials will be developed, including brochures, information on Local Government Administrators on the NWT’s website and the production of a video on council-administrator engagement. These will be targeted primarily to Northerners to encourage them to consider the interesting and challenging work opportunities available in local governance.
In past discussions I have had with standing committee, they have provided excellent ideas and suggestions on the topic of community capacity, and we look forward to their input and analysis prior to the formal launch of this initiative.
I would like to thank Mayor Gord Van Tighem, from the NWT Association of Communities, and John McKee, from the Local Government Administrators of the NWT, for their leadership.
A capable public service at all levels of government is essential if we want to see quality programs and services developed and maintained for our citizens. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we are providing the tools, supports and resources to local governments to make this happen. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Lafferty.
