This is the final report in a series of updates on the progress being achieved by Canadian municipalities through FCM’s Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP). Each web-based report focuses on one of the five competencies from the Asset Management Readiness Scale. The reports incorporate real examples of what communities are doing to improve their decision-making on infrastructure as well as information on tools communities can use to better manage their assets.
How local governments are enhancing and maintaining their asset management practices
Local governments maintain sustainable asset management practices by supporting staff with training, internally sharing knowledge to highlight the benefits of asset management and participating in external knowledge sharing initiatives. By contributing to, and staying current with, leading practices, local governments deepen their asset management practices.
FCM’s Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP) helps local governments advance their asset management practices, leading to improved long-term infrastructure decision-making. MAMP supports the development of competencies through a mix of funding, partner-led training, guides and tools. Using the MAMP created Asset Management Readiness Scale, Canadian municipalities can identify areas for improvement as they advance their asset management practices across five competency areas, including Contribution to practice. In this report you’ll hear from municipal asset management experts about how municipalities can maintain their momentum. You’ll also find statistics that track how Canadian municipalities are progressing on their asset management journey.
How local governments are advancing their asset management practices
Since 2017, 876 MAMP municipal grant recipients (including 9 municipalities who received two grants) worked on the Contribution to Asset Management Practice competency. They achieved this by engaging staff and council in training and skills development activities to improve knowledge sharing internally and externally. Those local governments advanced their asset management practices in four key areas:
499
municipalities engaged in asset management training and development
376
municipalities reported that asset management initiatives such as staff training, long-term planning software or records management would continue in the future
333
municipalities expressed interest in pursuing further asset management projects contingent on funding availability
168
municipalities created a Lifecycle Framework and developed strategies to prioritize infrastructure investments and extend the useful life of their assets
Watch: How municipalities are helping each other with asset management
Hear how local governments are exchanging information and joining communities of practice to discuss how they can improve their asset management practices.
The City of Thunder Bay, ON, (population 110,172) used a municipal grant from MAMP to create a communication plan for internal workplace education and external asset management awareness, as well as AM-focused public engagement materials. They shared their experiences and lessons learned at a Northwestern Ontario community of practice meeting organized by Asset Management Ontario.
“Through this process, connections across Northwestern Ontario were made and we continue to connect with the smaller communities to compare and help with lessons we have learned.”
– Amy Coomes, Project Manager, Infrastructure and Operations
Watch: Creating a culture of asset management knowledge sharing
Learn how local governments are capturing and sharing lessons learned and institutional knowledge across their organization.
With the development of our asset management plan, Council and staff have increased awareness of what assets the County has, what condition they are in and how much and when they should be replaced. Asset management is becoming part of the workplace culture
– Kara Kennedy, Manager, Capital Assets, Woodlands County, AB (population 4,754)
Watch: How to get the most value from asset management training
Discover the ways training staff in asset management practices ensures a common approach, understanding and language when addressing municipal challenges.
Since 2017, MAMP has funded training for 8,993 municipal employees and elected officials from 1,629 municipalities across Canada. Investment in training and development creates shared objectives and common understanding related to asset management. In addition to building greater skills to implement asset management practices locally, 83% of participants indicated that their municipality is now better positioned to also consider climate considerations within their asset management practices because of training.
Sign up today for an online asset management training course offered by MAMP’s partners. These training opportunities are designed with municipalities of all sizes in mind, can be taken at any time and can help you strengthen your asset management practices.
Learnings from municipal experiences in improving their asset management practices
Strong municipal asset management practices are built upon a foundation of collaborative work and continued dedication to learning and sharing. MAMP has observed that, at the completion of asset management skills training and activities, municipalities acquired the following lessons-learned from their experiences:
Early and consistent council engagement is key to ensuring asset management projects and practices are supported
Greater knowledge sharing, such as through networks, communities of practice and collaborative partnerships, is among the top priorities for municipalities looking to maintain momentum
Continued training, including through skills development (technical assistance), knowledge hubs and workshops, supports longer-term development
Reducing staff turnover, in addition to enhancing internal processes, reduces the potential for knowledge loss
Value of peer-to-peer learning, through activities such as holding staff workshops, helps to communicate the importance of asset management across the organization
Measures of success
Below are graphs demonstrating where communities who made progress in this competency rated their Contribution to Asset Management Practice activities on the Asset Management Readiness Scale before and after participating in MAMP activities.
Through MAMP-funded projects, municipalities have progressed on average from no commitment towards asset management to commitment and resourcing for the Contribution to Asset Management Practice competency.
Of the 429 municipalities that improved on the scale:
Through MAMP partner-led activities, municipalities have progressed on average from developing their awareness of asset management training and information to taking steps to preserving staff knowledge, advancing their position for this competency.
Of the 311 municipalities that improved on the scale:
Unless specified, data provided about MAMP is cumulative from May 2017-September 2023.
Tools and case studies
Looking for inspiration and guidance to help your community continue its asset management journey? Check out the resources below.
MAMP Asset management insights resources
We've gathered resources to explain infrastructure planning and asset management, and listed sources of training, conferences and more.
Concerned about the impact of staff turnover on the city’s capacity for asset management, North Battleford, Saskatchewan took forward-looking steps to instill a culture of asset management in the municipality.
Local governments maintain sustainable asset management practices by supporting staff with training, internally sharing knowledge to highlight the benefits of asset management and participating in external knowledge sharing initiatives. By contributing to, and staying current with, leading practices, local governments deepen their asset management practices.
Since 2017, MAMP has funded training for 8,993 municipal employees and elected officials from 1,629 municipalities across Canada. Investment in training and development creates shared objectives and common understanding related to asset management. In addition to building greater skills to implement asset management practices locally, 83% of participants indicated that their municipality is now better positioned to also consider climate considerations within their asset management practices because of training.
