May 9, 2003
Program to improve city and hamlet services and training
Organization compares
service delivery in Nunavut communities
CHARLOTTE PETRIE
The Nunavut Association of Municipalities has devised a program to compare
and contrast every municipality's method of service delivery in order to determine
each community's strengths and weaknesses.
The Municipal Training Organization has identified a list of performance indicators
to measure the delivery practices of each hamlet and city.
By breaking down the function of all the service deliveries, such as accounting,
water and sewer, and bylaw enforcement, the organization has created a performance
measurement program that evaluates the success or failure of each service area.
Once the strengths and weaknesses of each community's method of delivery are
identified, the organization will apply one community's "best practices"
to another community's area of weakness.
"We want to find out from the municipalities what are their best practices,
what they are doing right, and share that information with the other municipalities,"
explained Keith Peterson, NAM's chair.
"By doing that we can figure out which municipalities are having problems,
and in what areas, then target those issues."
MTO was incorporated as a non-profit organization in February 2003. Its board
consists of two members of the Nunavut Association of Municipal Administrators
and two representatives of the department of community government and transportation.
In March, the board approved 59 training events, and continues to seek money
to offer another 46 events. Beginning last February, MTO offered courses to
69 students in accounting, computer basics, driving, bylaw enforcement and advanced
medic first aid.
By improving the skill level of hamlet and city employees, MTO hopes to improve
the performance of service delivery in all the communities.
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