Looking to get started on asset management in your municipality? Are you wondering how to get started?
There are many excellent asset management resources available in Canada. This list provides a sample of great asset management resources for beginners, as recommended by the Technical Working Group of the Municipal Asset Management Program.
Remember that your province or territory may have specific requirements, regulations, or approaches to asset management, so we encourage you to start with local resources if they are available. You can also look to your local asset management community of practice for more information. You can find definitions of common terms on the AM Concepts page.
Guides
| Title |
Author |
Type |
Description |
|
The Building Blocks of Asset Management - A how-to guide for reaching Level 1 of FCM's Asset Management Readiness Scale
|
FCM's Municipal Asset Management Program
|
Guide and webinar recording
|
The guide and webinar helps communities at early stages of asset management to take the first steps to reach Level 1 on the Asset Management Readiness Scale.
|
|
Asset Management 101 Booklet
|
Canadian Network of Asset Managers (CNAM)
|
Guide
|
This guide details the initial steps to start asset management and advancing in the five competency areas.
Registration required (free)
|
|
Guide de gestion des actifs à l’intention des petites municipalités (available in French only)
|
Centre d’expertise et de recherche en infrastructures urbaines (CERIU)
|
Guide
|
This guide will help municipalities understand the concepts of asset management and the main steps to developing an AM policy, strategy and plan.
|
|
Guide à l'intention des élus concernant les infrastructures municipales (available in French only)
|
Centre d’expertise et de recherche en infrastructures urbaines (CERIU)
|
Guide
|
This municipal infrastructure guide for elected officials provides approaches for managing municipal assets like water and wastewater systems, stormwater and roadways.
|
|
Building Sustainable and Resilient Communities with Asset Management: An introduction for municipal leaders
|
FCM
|
Guide
|
This guide helps municipalities embed sustainability into asset management practices, including climate change considerations, to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.
|
|
Asset Management for Sustainable Service Delivery: A BC Framework
|
Asset Management BC
|
Guide
|
This Framework establishes a high-level, systematic approach that supports local governments in moving toward service, asset and financial sustainability through an asset management process.
|
|
The Joy of Governing (your how-to guide for optimal governance)
|
Association of Yukon Communities (AYC)
|
Guide
|
The Joy of Governing was developed for small northern communities to enhance understanding of governance, leadership, and the link to asset management. It is also available in Inuktitut.
|
|
Asset Management Getting Started Guide
|
Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA), Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), Government of Saskatchewan
|
Guide |
This guide will provide readers with fundamental information about asset management and how it can be used to help support municipal operations.
|
Tools
| Title |
Author |
Type |
Description |
|
Asset Management: The Strategic Basics
|
Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA); Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA); Infrastructure Asset Management Alberta (IAMA)
|
Workbook
|
This workbook helps elected officials gain an understanding of the benefits and trade-offs of asset management, the role of elected officials, using data for decision-making and communicating to the community.
|
|
Asset Management for Municipal Staff: The Technical Basics
|
Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA); Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA); Infrastructure Asset Management Alberta (IAMA)
|
Workbook
|
This workbook provides municipal staff with information, exercises and reference material to help them understand asset management concepts and competencies, the asset data required, and the process of building an AM Plan.
|
|
Starting the asset management conversation with your municipal council: A communication tool
|
FCM's Municipal Asset Management Program
|
Tool
|
This presentation can be easily adapted and used to give municipal council an overview of asset management and its value to the municipality.
|
|
Getting Started Toolkit (User Guide and Excel Workbook)
|
Province of Alberta
|
Toolkit
|
The tools in this toolkit have been designed to help kick-start municipalities who are in the early stages of their asset management journey, or to support others with continuous improvement of their asset management programs.
|
|
Estimated Maximum Useful Life Table for Asset Management
|
Association of Yukon Communities (AYC)
|
Reference
|
These tables provide an estimated maximum useful life for tangible capital assets for the purposes of asset management and financial planning.
|
Examples
| Title |
Author |
Type |
Description |
|
How to develop an asset management policy, strategy and governance framework: Set up a consistent approach to asset management in your municipality
|
FCM
|
Guide with examples
|
See section 2.5 for examples of AM plans. See section 3.3 for examples of AM strategies and frameworks. See section 4.7 for examples of governance structures
|
|
2015 Asset Management Handbook
|
Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, BC
|
Example
|
This is an example of an AM Handbook from the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality in BC (population 4,800).
|
|
Asset management plan for the County of Northumberland, ON
|
County of Northumberland, ON
|
Example
|
This is an example of an AM plan from the County of Northumberland, ON (population 85,000)
|
|
Asset Management Leadership Team Terms of Reference for Frankston City, Australia
|
Frankston City, Australia
|
Example
|
This is an example of the terms of reference for Frankston City’s AM leadership team (population 134,000).
|
Videos and webinars
| Title |
Author |
Type |
Description |
|
Principles of Asset Management
|
Asset Management Ontario
|
Video
|
This video describes the principles of asset management, why they are important, and the need for sound asset information to make decisions.
|
|
La gestion des actifs (available in French only)
|
Centre d’expertise et de recherche en infrastructures urbaines (CERIU)
|
Video
|
This video explains the importance of asset management and the first steps that municipalities can take to get started.
|
|
Why invest in asset management?
|
FCM
|
Video
|
This video explains how asset management can address many of the challenges faced by municipalities relating to service delivery through infrastructure.
|
|
The Big Picture: The Asset Management Journey
|
Institute of Asset Management (IAM)
|
Video
|
The Big Picture is a visual tool for starting conversations about asset management within your organisation as well as with customers, suppliers and wider stakeholders.
|
|
Practical advice for common AM challenges
|
FCM's Municipal Asset Management Program
|
Webinar recording
|
This webinar provides lessons and advice from municipalities on getting started in asset management, creating a team, using software, hiring a consultant, and taking an asset inventory.
|
|
The Building Blocks of Asset Management - A how-to guide for reaching Level 1 of FCM's Asset Management Readiness Scale
|
FCM's Municipal Asset Management Program
|
Guide and webinar recording
|
The guide and webinar helps communities at early stages of asset management to take the first steps to reach Level 1 on the Asset Management Readiness Scale.
|
Online courses
| Title |
Author |
Type |
Description |
|
The Basics of Asset Management for Elected Officials
|
Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities (NSFM)
|
Online course
|
This paid course is designed to provide elected officials with a clear understanding of asset management and how to use it to inform decision making and improve service delivery.
Registration and fee required
|
|
The Learning Path to Asset Management Readiness
|
Asset Management Saskatchewan (AMSK)
|
Online course
|
This paid online course provides an overview of AM concepts, such as levels of service, lifecycle costing and risk, to help small municipalities get started and advance in asset management.
Registration and fee required
|
|
Pourquoi se préoccuper de la gestion de ses actifs municipaux? (Module 1) et
Les étapes du cycle de gestion des actifs municipaux (Module 2) (available in French only)
|
Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM), Centre d’expertise et de recherche en infrastructures urbaines (CERIU)
|
Online course
|
This free course includes a module about the principles and prerequisites of asset management, and a second module that explains the six steps in the asset management cycle.
Registration required (free)
|
Note: Different jurisdictions can have specific requirements for asset management plans, policies and strategies. For example, Ontario’s regulation O. Reg 588/17 lays out specific requirements for Ontario municipalities. It is always a good idea to check with your province, territory, municipal association, or local community of practice to see if there are specific requirements or approaches in your jurisdiction.
