A sample of our current work

Governance and Management Diagnostic Tool
Working with a philanthropic organization to develop a self-assessment tool that can be applied to a number of not-for-profit community organizations, customized to the size of the organization and the sector within which they operate. The self-assessment will assist these organizations in strengthening their governance and management practices as well as their overall performance, making them more effective and efficient in providing needed services to the community.

Planning to 2025 for Community Centres
Developing, for the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres, a long-range comprehensive strategy aimed at sustaining and directing the community centre movement in Winnipeg. Six plans will be prepared – one overall planning framework that provides a common foundation and parameters for five subsequent plans, one covering each of the city’s geographic districts.

Integration Initiative
Worked with a large municipality to help build political and administrative support for a major reorganization affecting three departments. Following political approval, a transition plan will be developed to guide the implementation of the change initiative, including considerations related to human resources, labour relations, space allocation, and budget control.

Public Administration Manual
Developing for a municipality in Ontario a manual on municipal public administration that captures and elaborates upon the best governance and management practices, tailoring it specifically to that City. The manual will be organized through a series of teaching modules, each comprising a discrete, critical component of municipal public administration, outlining the concepts and tools associated with each component. This will form the basis of a training program for management and professional staff.

Westminster Housing Society Strategic Direction
Worked with the volunteer Board of the Westminster Housing Society to solidify its strategic direction and to develop a planning framework, that is, an outline by which the strategic direction can be translated into action. This is intended to guide further work to be undertaken by the Board.

Heritage Conservation Tax Credit Program Review
Evaluated, for the City of Winnipeg, the effectiveness of its Heritage Conservation Tax Program within the broad context of heritage conservation policy. This review included a series of recommendations for change aimed at simplifying processes, strengthening management practices, and enhancing heritage conservation outcomes.

Guidelines for Community Centre Policy
Worked with the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres to develop a set of guidelines to accompany the City of Winnipeg’s Recreation, Leisure, and Libraries Facility Policy to which the General Council must adhere. The guidelines will make it clear to the City of Winnipeg and to community centre volunteers how the policy will be interpreted and applied, thereby facilitating day-to-day decisions.

Vital Signs
Worked with the Community Foundations of Canada in Ottawa to help develop and build consensus around a national set of core indicators that would be used to gauge the quality of life in municipalities across Canada. The final product, an annual Vital Signs report, will inform community foundations across Canada, assisting them in directing their philanthropic efforts.

Additional project experience

Recreation, Leisure, and Library Facilities Policy
Helped translate the Public Use Facilities Study (PUFS) into the City of Winnipeg’s new recreation policy, which was adopted unanimously by City Council. The policy has been developed to generate a more contemporary and financially sustainable mix of recreational facilities.

Service-based Business Plans
Helped reconstruct the City of Winnipeg’s approach to strategic decision-making and budgeting by implementing a service-based view of the organization and building the systems to support that view including service-based business plans and service-based budgeting. The result allows for a more strategic approach to the allocation of resources while providing a more transparent view of civic government to the citizens of Winnipeg.

Plan Winnipeg 2020 Vision
Managed the comprehensive review of the City of Winnipeg’s primary long-range policy document, Plan Winnipeg. This process was lead by a political steering committee and included significant public consultation. The end result was captured in a vision statement, guiding principles, and 100 policy statements to guide the provision of all city services to the citizens of Winnipeg.

A New Deal for the City of Winnipeg
Helped develop a proposal to reinvent the manner in which services are funded at the City of Winnipeg, including a proposal to fully reconfigure the current tax structure in order to lead to a more financially sustainable municipal model. Developed and managed the public consultation process including seven town hall sessions and nearly 70 workshops, engaging nearly 6000 Winnipeggers in the process.

United Way & IISD Community Indicators
Worked as part of the team, led by the United Way of Winnipeg and the International Institute for Sustainable Development, to establish a series of community indicators that would be used to monitor, over time, the relative health of the community. The intent was to inform public policy decision-makers through the provision of an independent, objective view of Winnipeg.

Integrated Planning Model – City of Winnipeg
Helped develop the Integrated Planning Model for the City of Winnipeg. This new philosophy was translated into a revised organizational structure and additional resources for the Planning, Property and Development Department. Recommendations focused on stronger leadership in planning, the formalization of the community resources area model, and a series of customer service improvements.

Getting Down to Business Report – CentreVenture
Worked with the CentreVenture Development Corporation to generate a series of recommendations to improve the rules, regulations, and processes that face the development industry as they pursue projects in downtown Winnipeg. The process included extensive consultation with city administration and the development industry and led to a series of improvements supported by both.

CentrePlan Vision, Strategic Plan, and Action Plan
Managed the development of the City of Winnipeg’s downtown plan consisting of two components: a long term vision and strategic plan together with a shorter term action plan that committed resources and identified responsibilities for a number of key initiatives. The plan was unique in that several downtown organizations (not just the City of Winnipeg) contributed funding to the process and committed to implementing components of the plan.