Manitoba municipalities, already struggling to attract and retain qualified CAOs, will face a critical human resource crunch in the next 10 years as 58% of Chief Administrator Officers (CAOs) plan to retire. With billions of dollars at play and critical services to hundreds of thousands of Manitobans potentially impacted, the Manitoba Municipal Administrators (MMA) are trying to get ahead of the problem.
The MMA shared member survey findings today at the Association of Manitoba Municipalities Spring Convention. The CAO member survey shows that 34% of respondents plan to leave their positions within the next five years — or 58% within the next 10 years. Speaking to elected officials, the MMA president Nicole Chychota had words of caution as she laid out training and support plans that are currently being developed.
“Now is the time to plan ahead,” says Chychota. “It’s already incredibly difficult to attract and retain a new CAO. With 63% of CAOs stating there is no succession plan for their departure, we need to take steps now to ensure we can find qualified professionals when the time comes.”
The MMA has developed a competency framework that establishes standards and training guidelines, laying the foundation for the MMA to become the regulatory body for the profession.
“MMA has taken a number of steps to support the development of professional municipal administrators and encourage people to consider a career in municipal administration,” says Chychota. “We have also requested that the Manitoba government amend the legislation, empowering the MMA to provide professional designations for administrators.”
All of this is a direct response to a current decline in governance quality at the local level. Creating a system that better prepares administrators for the current and evolving political environment will attract new candidates. Elevating the status and competence of the profession will help build a pipeline for talent to progress their careers.
Currently, while CAOs lead a team of credentialled workers (who oversee waste and water systems, project and city planners) there is no requirement for CAOs to have credentials themselves. The ability to oversee these operations competently and with confidence, understanding the legal requirements and the responsibility to citizenry is at the heart of the professional designation process.
“The MMA is working hard to build confidence in the competency of local government,” says Chychota. “We seek the support of the Manitoba government to update the legislation that would not only allow the professional designation, but to also require that Manitoba municipalities only hire CAOs with their designation.”