“Local governments provide a diverse range of services that are essential to our communities’ quality of life, like clean drinking water, transportation systems, waste management, drainage and flood protection, affordable housing, parks and recreation services. The services they deliver depend on physical infrastructure assets, like water treatment plants and wastewater retention ponds, roads, buses, civic facilities and emergency vehicles. A local government’s infrastructure assets (along with those provided by community partners) are the foundation that enables our communities to thrive socially, economically, culturally and environmentally. The management of existing assets, planning for future assets and their connection with front-line municipal services must be a priority for local governments.“

The FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) publication “How to Develop an Asset Management Policy, Strategy and Governance Framework” provides practical advice to assist local governments in setting up or developing an existing asset management policy, leading to a municipality-wide consistent approach to asset management.

Click on the image below to download your copy of the guide.

 

The Framework establishes a high-level, systematic approach that supports local governments in moving toward service, asset and financial sustainability through an asset management approach. The development of the Framework was led by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities in partnership with Asset Management BC.  The Framework has been updated in 2019 and now includes 4 companion Primers;

Climate Change and Asset Management

Integrating Natural Assets with Asset Management

The Role of Operations & Maintenance in Asset Management, and

Land Use Planning and Asset Management

View the Framework and Primers >

Healthy natural assets can provide – or be restored and managed to provide – services just like engineered assets, often at lower cost. The Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI) offers tools and support so that local governments can integrate natural assets into their asset management and financial processes.

 

MNAI is currently offering a watershed-level program in B.C. focused on the needs and capacities of smaller / rural local governments in a single geographic region.

 

MNAI has extended the period for local governments to submit applications until after the BC municipal elections and will keep it open until a suitable candidate is identified.

 

To review the request for expressions of interest >> click here

 

The Status of Asset Management in British Columbia: Results from the 2016 Gas Tax Fund Asset Management Baseline Survey is now available.

 

In May 2016, UBCM launched the Phase 1 Asset Management Assessment Form – Baseline Survey collecting responses from all 189 local governments in BC.  While each local government provided discrete data, this report describes cumulative data only.  Results from the survey are the first of its kind in BC and confirm what was known anecdotally; there is a growing awareness of the importance of asset management to support the long-term delivery of local government services.

The MNAI has opened a request for expressions of interest for local governments that would like to submit an application to participate in its next round of projects. For more information on getting involved in the next round of projects and what local governments can expect as a result of participation please read more here. Expressions of Interest are due on Friday, July 14th, 2017. Check out the MNAI discussion paper on Defining and Scoping Municipal Natural Assets.