PERIOD REPORT
DATE: August 25, 2016 Report No. ADM-16-022
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Anja Nurvo, Director of Corporate Services
SUBJECT:TITLE Corporate Services - 2016 Second Period ReportBody
The following is a report on the activities pertaining to the Corporate Services Department from May 1, 2016 to August 31, 2016.
I. DIVISION ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Corporate Services
• Director and Communications Coordinator met with Victoria News staff to review enhanced coverage of Esquimalt; led to reinstatement of “A Day In The Life of Esquimalt” feature special insert in August 31, 2016 edition, regular historical articles from Municipal Archivist, and monthly Mayor’s Message
• Staff completed the following:
o 46 notices, agendas, minutes, late items and action reports, follow up and correspondence up for Regular, Special and In Camera meetings of Council and Committee of the Whole (YTD 87)
o Editing and posting finalized archived meeting videos on website
o 34 newspaper notifications of meetings and advertisements
o 8 Proclamations prepared and posted, including to website (YTD 17)
o Conducted research and prepared 11 staff reports for consideration by Council on various topics (YTD 22)
o Making all arrangements for presentation of Spirit Awards (YTD 7)
• Corporate Officer and Deputy Corporate Officer dealt with 30 requests for commissioning of documents, mostly for foreign pensions (YTD 45)
• Corporate Officer and Deputy Corporate Officer completed 20 electronic registrations at Land Title Office (YTD 30)
• Corporate Officer responded to 15 requests for access to records under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (YTD 27)
• Continued with implementation of records management system and scanning of Bylaws to eliminate duplicate paper copies, review of all records in Corporate Services and Fire Departments, updating manual and software as required
• Staff continued with implementation, training, troubleshooting and enhanced utilization of software for Granicus, Legistar Agenda Management, Webcasting, iPad Application, and Minutes Management
• Administrative Assistant/Deputy Corporate Officer completed certificate in Local Government and continued with courses towards Diploma in Public Administration
• Staff training included JIBC Emergency Management, LGMA Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Training for Local Government Staff, JIBC enhanced communications
• Continued with Website review, updated departmental content, eliminated duplicate bylaws from other webpages and replaced with links to centralized listing of bylaws; ensuring all active Management and Council Policies are updated and posted on The Bridge
• Scheduling and coordinating Mayor and Council attendance at various conferences, meetings and workshops, and ongoing coordination and scheduling of Mayor and CRE Board Chair meetings, events and attendances
2. Communications
Communications Activities
• Reviewing options for Esquimalt’s involvement in Canada 150th celebrations including funding opportunities; staff report pending early in third period
• Ongoing work with website committee to identify gaps and potential enhancements for website
• Coordinated contract with professional photographer to update the Township’s stock photo library
• Communications support to Township departments on program announcements and initiatives (Official Community Plan Review, ETS updates, new yard and garden waste facilities)
• Continued with program of news releases and newsletters, posting 28 news releases to the website and issuing 8 releases using regional news media contact list. Topics of news releases included:
o Township Posts Draft Wastewater Treatment Guiding Principles
o Township Hosts Looking Forward Forum
o Township Holds Tax Increase to 1.96%
o Earthquake Simulator Comes to Esquimalt
o New Branch Drop-off Locations in Esquimalt
o Gorge Swim Fest at Esquimalt Gorge Park
o Age-Friendly Assessment
o OCP update
• Worked with departments on revising and adding web content to new corporate website
• Daily updating of website home page with news and events features
• Final editing, writing and publishing of Township of Esquimalt 2015 Annual Report and published to website
• Daily media monitoring using Google Alerts, media outlet websites and social media; forwarding information to staff where appropriate; posting news clippings and links to internal website for staff information; 54 news items posted to staff internal website The Bridge
• Daily updating on internal website The Bridge, posting content of interest to staff, including announcements, staff moves, news items, videos, safety information, photos and photo galleries
• On behalf of the Township, liaising with advertising representatives from print, broadcast and electronic media on major advertising opportunities.
• Advertising:
o Wrote and coordinated MV Coho ad “Esquimalt: So Easy to Explore,” and provided editorial for the “Close to Town” feature (May 2016)
o Coordinated “Experience Esquimalt” materials for Times Colonist with a focus on September events in the Township (August 2016)
o Writing, photo editing and design comp for full page ad in the “Day in the Life” special insert in Victoria News (August 2016)
• Assisted with promotion of community events and media photo opportunities, posting some 20 event announcements to the website, including:
o Looking Forward Forum
o Earthquake simulator in Esquimalt
o Fort Macaulay Interpretive Event
o Memorial Park Music Fest Concerts
o Special Council Meetings
o Gorge Swim Fest
• Writing assignments included speeches and speaking notes, event notices, news items, newsletter, annual report, advertising and web content.
• Editing, writing and design of July 2016 “Current” Newsletter. Stories included:
o Projects on the Go in the Township
o Mayor’s Message
o Esquimalt Road Design Guidelines and Upgrade Project
o Official Community Plan Review
o New Yard and Garden Waste Locations
o New Director of Human Resources
o Community Calendar
Communications Analytics:
Website Google Analytics May 1 - August 31, 2016
• 234,496 page views (399,543 last period)
• Most popular page: home page (8.24% of all views) - increase of .3%
• Daily monitoring of social media sites and posting of information (last period in brackets):
o 61 (65) tweets and retweets posted to Twitter
o 160 (148) new followers added during the period
o 68 (53) timeline posts to Facebook during period
o 91 (67) new Facebook likes during the period
• Legistar Analytics (last period figures in brackets):
o 347 (990) total page views - all pages in the Granicus system
o 166 (409) total visits - total number of times visitors came to the site
o 167 (300) total unique visitors - individual views of site
o 62% desktop, 38% mobile)
o 303 (941) external media stream views*
* Media stream views represent the total number of views of all live and on demand media during the time period
3. Archives
• We are currently half-way through “Capturing our History: Phase II: Esquimalt Archives Image Digitization Project”, with funding providing by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre of UBC. The project commenced in mid June with completion expected in early October, with the goal to upload and make available on-line a combined total of approximately 1,400 historical photographs and textual images to further tell the story of Esquimalt.
• Municipal Archivist is part of the staff team exploring potential projects and events to mark Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017. A staff report will be presented to Council early in the 3rd period.
• Municipal Archivist will resume writing a monthly historical article for the Victoria News, the first article to appear in September.
• There were 74 logged requests for information/assistance/support during this period, of which 35 were walk-ins; research requests included:
o Architectural historian Jim Wolf of New Westminster comprehensive look at all the houses designed or reported to have been designed by the renowned BC architect Samuel Maclure.
o BC Heritage Branch major project to conserve and better interpret the historic naval buildings on Cole Island in Esquimalt Harbour.
o Royal Roads University Archives is creating a series of “historical minutes” to air on public television; the first series focusing on the Dunsmuir family, Hatley Castle and the military college.
o Hallmark Heritage Society is developing a series of free public lectures highlighting aspects of the region’s built heritage.
o Developing Statement of Significance for the Parks and Recreation Department nomination of Gorge Park as a place of historic significance under the BC Heritage recognition program, supported by the Victoria Nikkei Cultural Society.
o Friends of Government House Gardens Society is researching the history of Esquimalt streets and parks for the 22nd annual English Car Affair In The Park event on September 11th. Esquimalt will have a higher profile this year as vintage cars travel through the Township before rendezvousing at Government House.
o Information on the history of the French and French-Canadians in Esquimalt was provided to Director of Development Services in support an application to the Francophone and Francophile City Network.
o Development and Engineering Services were assisted with determining the permitting history and general history of 6 properties.
• The archives received a number of new acquisitions over this period, including:
o Victoria City Councillor Pam Madoff donated an original sketch of Captain Jacobson’s house drawn by the late architect Nick Bawlf.
o Bruce Grahame donated a series of historical photographs plus a framed sketch of Lampson Street School by local artist Gladys Durrant.
o Stu Walker donated a Certificate of Discharge, that belonged to his grandfather John Bruce Todd, issued in Glasgow in 1886, where Todd was honourably discharged from the merchant ship City of Carthage.
• Research on houses, apartments and commercial buildings in Esquimalt continues to be popular with 11 requests being made by local residents.
• On July 14th, we welcomed View Royal’s archivist for a demonstration of how Past Perfect works for managing, scanning and up-loading historical images and textual material. View Royal is considering developing an online collection similar to Esquimalt’s.
• Photographs were taken of 3 houses prior to the Township issuing final demolition permits.
• Our team of seven volunteers contributed a total of 703 hours. Volunteers continued to work on a variety of projects, including:
o Compiling a definitive list of everyone who has served as mayor or councillor in Esquimalt .
o Long time volunteer Sherri Robinson led the annual Jane’s Walk on May 8th as well as conducted a cemetery tour on July 31st. Entitled “A Look Back to 1916”, it focussed on the lives of people 100 years ago including some well-known Esquimalt residents.
o Finding aids have been completed for several major collections, and several others are underway.
o A total of 60 walking tour packages were handed out directly to the general public and 820 sets were put together for use by the Mayor and Township staff.
o Reviewing and organizing the contents of several boxes of material related to women’s history.
o Reviewing and organizing clipping files pertaining to the history of the Gorge.
4. Human Resources
• Recruitment - vacancies (Regular Positions Only) filled or in progress during period:
Public Works
§ Engineering Technologist III
§ Public Works Manager (in progress)
Development Services
§ Office Administrator (Development/Building)
Corporate Services
§ Administrative Clerk II
§ Administrative Clerk 1
§ Human Resources Director
§ Executive Assistant (CAO & Mayor)
§ Finance Clerk III - Accounting (in progress)
§ Senior Accountant (in progress)
Parks & Recreation
§ Maintenance Lead Hand
§ Building Maintenance Worker
§ Custodial Maintenance Worker
• Labour Relations:
o Preparation for Arbitration currently scheduled for October 18 and 19th.
o Step III Policy Grievance being heard August 31, 2016.
o Two grievances were filed in the period: both relating to employees receiving Letters of Expectation. Grievances will be heard pending the Step III Policy Grievance.
o One Human Rights Complaint filed. We have requested a deferral pending outcome of the Arbitration that is scheduled for October 18 and 19th.
• Staff Training:
o Contracted the Justice Institute of BC to facilitate and lead two ½ day courses for 25 unionized Supervisors: Leading Change and Navigating Challenging Conversations
• Plans for next period:
o Preparation for CUPE bargaining
o Preparation for IAFF bargaining
II. COMMITTEES
• Staff made all arrangements for Committee recruitment, including advertising and posting vacancies, interviews with Council and updating contact lists and website information
• Annual committee member orientation will be scheduled for early in the third period.
• Staff made all arrangements for scheduling of one Environmental Advisory Committee meeting and one Labour Management Committee meeting, including preparation of notices, agendas and minutes.