PERIOD REPORT
DATE: January 3, 2019 Report No. ADM-19-003
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Anja Nurvo, Director of Corporate Services
SUBJECT:TITLE Corporate Services - 2018 Third Period Report
Body
The following is a report on the activities pertaining to the Corporate Services Department from September 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018.
I. DIVISION ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Corporate Services
• Staff completed the following:
o 27 meetings: preparation of notices, newspaper notifications, agendas, and minutes for Regular, Special and In Camera meetings of Council and Committee of the Whole, including posting on website, preparation of late items, action reports and completion of all required follow up
o 6 proclamations prepared and posted, including on website
• Corporate Officer and Deputy Corporate Officer completed 11 electronic registrations at Land Title Office (28 total for year), and commissioned 28 documents for members of the public (69 total for year)
• Corporate Officer responded to 8 requests for access to records under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (29 total for year)
• Corporate Services staff continued with implementation of pilot electronic records structure for Departmental records, transferring existing files and preparing new files into the new electronic structure
• Executive Assistance coordinated registration and all arrangements for travel and accommodation for 2019 Conferences for Council, made all arrangements for Council’s participation in local parades, and coordinated compilation and drop off of new resident packages
• Executive Assistant provided ongoing assistance to and acting as backup for Communications Specialist including website postings, monitoring of social media and regular social media postings
• Staff coordinated Candidate Orientation session as well as several post-election meetings, including regional Joint New Council Orientation, Inaugural Council meeting, in-house Council Orientation, Strategic Planning sessions and New Year’s Levee
• All staff in Corporate Services assisted with preparation for election as required; Chief and Deputy Election Officers completed all election proceedings and post-election procedures, including making all required arrangements for transitioning to the use of the Provincial Voters List and holding a Special Voting opportunity at The Sunset Lodge, hiring and training all election staff, preparing all advertisements and final report to Council, arranging for the secure destruction of election materials in accordance with legislated requirements, and completing cost sharing invoice to School District 61
• Administrative Assistant/Deputy Corporate Officer obtained designation as Certified Municipal Clerk through the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, associated with Local Government Management Association of BC
• Executive Assistant attended emergency preparedness training courses including EOC Information Officer as backup for the Communications Specialist
• Prepared 2019 Council and Committee of the Whole meeting schedule, updated Council Calendar, Municipal Website and Granicus/Legistar with 2019 Council and COTW meetings
2. Communications
• Communications support for 2018 Local Government Election, including development of dedicated website section, newsletter story, and home page links
• Writing, design and publication of Fall 2018 “Current” Newsletter. Stories included McLoughlin Amenity Funds, Election 2018, corridor design, climate action recognition, Esquimalt Town Square update, and deer count information
• Continued with program of news releases and media advisories, posting 30 news items to the website and issuing three releases using the regional news media contact list
• Assisted with promotion of community events and media photo opportunities, posting 21 event announcements to the corporate website
• Worked with web consultant on adding “Submit an Event” function for local community groups to submit their own event for review and approval before publishing
• Taking a user-focussed approach, worked with web consultant to revise website site map to reflect best practices, web analytics and user testing
• Managed communications for the McLoughlin Amenity Funds Working Group
• Photography for internal and external news, events and website content
• Website home page refreshing of content and worked with various departments on revising and adding web content, including new development tracker feature and updated Mayor and Council section post election
• Daily media monitoring using Google alerts, media websites, and social media, forwarding information to senior staff when appropriate, and posting a total of 24 news items to internal staff website (The Bridge) during the period
• Daily home page updating of The Bridge with information of interest to staff, including announcements, staff hires, news items and photo galleries
• Liaise with advertising representatives from print, broadcast and online media on advertising and digital opportunities.
• Communications support for the Urban Wildlife Stewardship Society’s deer management program, and the CRD wastewater treatment project
• New employee communications including photos, business cards, website content and Intranet profiles
• Updating of municipal hall entry way digital screen
• Responding to information requests from regional media
Communications Analytics for the Period:
• Website Google Analytics
o 239,893 page views (236,339 page views last period)
o Top three page views: 1) Parks and Recreation, 2) P and R drop-in schedules, 3) Home page
• Daily monitoring of social media sites and posting of information (last period in brackets)
o 107 (139) tweets and retweets posted to Twitter
o 70 (70) new Twitter followers added during the period
o 116 (141) new timeline posts to Facebook
o 61 (71) new Facebook likes during the period
Note: Compared to other municipalities in the CRD (not including Victoria), the Township of Esquimalt is ranked #1 in Twitter followers and #3 in Facebook likes. In 2018, Twitter follower growth was 17%, while Facebook growth was 35%.
• Legistar Analytics (last period in brackets)
o 785 (1050) total page views (all pages in the Granicus system)
o 442 (541) total visits (total number of times visitors came to the site)
o 383 (454) total unique visitors - individual views of the site
o 52% (88%) desktop, 48% (12%) mobile
3. Archives
Statistics
• 655 Volunteer Hours
o 486 hours - Volunteer Archivist
o 169 hours - Four Volunteers
• 41 Research requests received including a genealogical query from Australia.
o 5 Additional inquiries from Environmental Consultants regarding Esquimalt properties.
o Approximately an additional 20 inquiries from municipal staff in Communications, Development Services, Engineering, and Parks and Recreation.
• 49 Walking Tours brochures distributed.
• 4 donations of archival materials, including 48 glass slides prepared by a well-known Victoria photographer and former Esquimalt resident.
• 20 archival collections formally accessioned into the Archives collection.
• $61.05 in donations received and deposited into Archives Trust Fund.
• 5 Buildings photographed prior to demolition.
Highlights
• Volunteers continue processing and/or creating finding aids for the Esquimalt Arts and Crafts Society and the Silver Threads collections, as well as continue adding to our vertical files with clippings from recent newspapers, while also updating old labelling.
• Other notable events and activities include:
o Archivist and Volunteer Archivist participated in and set up a display for the “100 Years of Remembrance” event at Fort Rodd Hill on November 4th, which over 800 people of all ages and demographics attended. The Parks Canada event coordinator told us “one teenager was nearly crying as she told me what she had learned from the Esquimalt Archives about the young people from her school who had gone overseas and served.”
o The WWI anniversary also prompted a significant increase in research questions about the War Memorial and Esquimalt’s military heritage.
o Original research on the HMCS Galiano loaned to the Maritime Museum for an exhibit <https://mmbc.bc.ca/exhibits/home-port-heroes/>.
o Volunteer Archivist attended the book launch for May Q. Wong’s “City in Colour: Rediscovered Stories of Victoria’s Multicultural Past,” which featured several photographs from our collections.
o Archivist attended two meetings regarding the proposed heritage alteration permit at St. Peter’s/St. Paul’s Anglican Church.
o Archivist visited staff at the City of Victoria and District of Oak Bay Archives and discussed their policies, successes, and ongoing challenges. She also attended a South Vancouver Island Archives Group meeting in December.
o Archivist updated various forms and policy documents. She also began verifying the locations of our physical collections and identifying archival boxes that are damaged and need replacement.
o Conservator replaced and professionally framed a print of the HMCS Esquimalt that had been damaged due to a water leak. The new print is now hanging in Municipal Hall near the Administration door.
o Jack Bates conducted several guided tours through Macaulay Park using information acquired from the Archives.
4. Human Resources
Recruitment (Regular Positions)
There were 9 regular positions posted and filled, and 1 in progress at the end of December:
Completed:
• Public Works Supervisor (PW - internal)
• Office Administrator (Engineering & Public Works)
• Community Development Programmer (Parks & Recreation)
• Building Maintenance Worker x 2 (RPT & RFT - Parks and Recreation)
• Chargehand - Sidewalks & Concrete (PW)
• Aquatic Leader (Parks & Recreation)
• Out of School Care Supervisor (Parks & Recreation)
• Reception Leader (RPT - Parks & Recreation)
In Progress:
• Communications Specialist
Labour Relations
Collective Bargaining:
IAFF:
To date we have had three days of bargaining with IAFF Local 4264: September 20, September 21, and October 30. Two more dates have been agreed to: January 10 and January 18, 2019.
CUPE:
After 5 ½ days bargaining at the regional table, and one day bargaining specifically with the Township of Esquimalt and CUPE 374, a settlement was reached and a Memorandum of Settlement was signed on September 7, 2018. CUPE 374 ratified all 6 municipalities the following week, and GVLRA ratified on September 26, 2018.
Grievances:
IAFF:
There is one outstanding grievance regarding vacation scheduling (Union is grieving that vacations should not have to be scheduled in blocks) that is scheduled for an arbitration hearing on April 25 and 26, 2019. The parties have agreed that Ken Saunders will hear the case.
CUPE:
There is one outstanding grievance that is scheduled for an arbitration hearing on February 28 and March 1, 2019 with Arbitrator John Kinzie. The Union is grieving Management’s decision to deny their request that one of the Township’s regular full-time employees be granted paid Union leave two days per week, plus 18 more days throughout the year in order to fulfill her role as CUPE’s Treasurer.
Staff Training
On September 18, 2018, Human Resources organized an in-house seminar provided by the Employer’s Advisors Office, regarding the correct procedures to follow during accident investigations for staff. Attendees included supervisors, managers, directors, and safety committee members.
General
• Human Resources developed and implemented a Management Policy regarding drugs and alcohol in the workplace, as a result of the legalization of cannabis on October 13, 2018.
• Work has begun on the development of a corporate leadership training program.
• Human Resources organized the annual flu clinic that took place on October 30; the quadrivalent vaccine was provided to 49 staff members (12 more than the previous year).
• Human Resources organized the annual Employee Long Term Service and Perfect Attendance Presentation. Twenty employees were recognized for their long service, and 18 employees for their perfect attendance. This year two members of the Fire Department were also recognized for 20 years of exemplary service.
• Five modules regarding New Employee Orientation have been uploaded to The Bridge, and a presentation of these modules was provided to directors and managers to ensure new staff use this orientation process.
II. COMMITTEES
• Executive Assistant coordinated one Labour Management meeting (3 total for the year), including preparation of agendas and minutes
o Office Administrator, as Recording Secretary for the Environmental Advisory Committee, coordinated two EAC meetings, including preparation and posting of Notices, Agendas and Minutes
o Staff posted 9 sets of Agendas and Minutes of APC, DRC and EAC to the website with agenda link forwarded to Council