National Public Works Week
May 16-22, 2010
Public Works: Above, Below, & All Around You

CPWA is pleased to announce the CPWA National Public Works Week awards program for 2010.

This is the 50th year of celebration for National Public Works Week in North America. Since its beginning in 1960, agencies, municipalities, and regions have used this week to educate and inform the public about the essential role that public works plays in the quality of their community life. Equally important are promoting the choice of public works as a career choice for the working force of the future and recognizing those whose who currently serve in these crucial public roles.

The theme for the 2010 campaign recognizes the pervasive and all encompassing role that public works plays in our lives: Public Works: Above, Below, & All Around You. We invite your agency and community to join in the celebration and to share your events with the CPWA National Public Works Week awards program.

You will find more information about submission categories and awards program judging criteria in the attached document. Questions may be addressed to Gail Clark at gclark@apwa.net or by phoning Gail at 202-218-6732.

Additional information regarding submission format will be forthcoming. In order to announce winners at the 2010 APWA Congress and Exhibition, entries will be due no later than July 1, 2010.

Randy Borsa
Director of Operations
City of Selkirk, MB
Chair, 2010 CPWA National Public Works Week

CPWA Board of Directors Update:

Government is firm on March 31, 2011 Deadline for Completion of Projects Supported by the Stimulus Funding!

In late January, the CPWA Board of Directors met in Ottawa for their annual winter board meeting. One ongoing issue for CPWA and members is stimulus funding, the timeliness of decisions by some provincial governments on specific local projects, and the March 31, 2011 deadline for approved projects to be completed.

During our meetings with Infrastructure Canada and others in Ottawa, the Government’s position on the March 31, 2011 completion for projects funded under the stimulus funding was strongly reiterated. It is clear that the Government has not wavered from the March 31, 2011 deadline, and has made it clear to provinces and municipalities that, generally speaking, any portion of an approved project remaining uncompleted by March 31, 2011 will become the fiscal responsibility of the municipality/province. Also, given that March 31, 2011 coincides with the close of the fiscal year, it is even more unlikely that an extension to funding projects under the existing stimulus program will be considered or approved.

Moreover, in February, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) issued an update to elected municipal officials stating “the priority for all orders of government is to create as many jobs and complete as many projects as possible during the next 13 months. With that goal in mind, and in the spirit of intergovernmental cooperation, FCM is not requesting an extension of the stimulus deadline at this time. FCM has been actively monitoring the rollout of stimulus funding and is in ongoing dialogue with the federal government.” We met with FCM while in Ottawa and offered CPWA assistance and support, and will remain in contact to coordinate our efforts.

Given these forewarnings, CPWA urges all municipalities with projects approved under the stimulus funding to continue to make progress to complete their projects to take full advantage of the funding provided under the stimulus.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact Peter King at pking@apwa.net or Gail Clark at gclark@apwa.net.

W. Gary Losier, P Eng
President
Canadian Public Works Association

CPWA members interested in volunteering their expertise for a coordinated response on rebuilding Haiti’s devastated infrastructure can register their interest and areas of expertise with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities by going to the FCM website link listed below.

FCM reports that in order to help restore the basic local services that have been destroyed by the earthquake, expertise will be required in such areas as planning, waste management, water and sanitation, public works, and housing. FCM is prepared to send a special municipal assessment team to Haiti to evaluate needs and propose a municipal response toward the reconstruction efforts.

Currently, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities is working on coordinating plans for a broad-based national municipal reconstruction effort for Haiti. FCM has offered to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canadian municipal assistance for the reconstruction of Haiti once the emergency response phase is over.

FCM has opened the special section of its recruitment website for municipalities and consultants who wish to offer technical assistance toward the rebuilding of Haiti. CPWA members interested in participating are encouraged to register with FCM.

Previously, FCM has managed two large post-tsunami reconstruction programs in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, following the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. The programs, funded by CIDA, involved the in-kind contribution of their Canadian municipal members.

The FCM Website at www.fcm.ca posts two recent advisories about Haiti as well as a link to apply to the FCM database. FCM plans to continue to update information and advisories as the situation continues to unfold.

Peter B. King, Executive Director, Canadian Public Works Association/ American Public Works Association