By: Tyler SearlePosted: Last Modified: | Updates
Advertisement
Advertise with us
The group representing municipal administrators is urging the province to create a regulatory body for the profession, warning of a “critical human resource crunch” as a chunk of the workforce prepares to retire.
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Monthly Digital Subscription
$1 per week for 24 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $4 plus GST every four weeks. Offer only available to new and qualified returning subscribers. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Winnipeg Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
Start now
*$1 will be added to your next bill. After your 4 weeks access is complete your rate will increase by $0.00 a X percent off the regular rate.
The group representing municipal administrators is urging the province to create a regulatory body for the profession, warning of a “critical human resource crunch” as a chunk of the workforce prepares to retire.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
The group representing municipal administrators is urging the province to create a regulatory body for the profession, warning of a “critical human resource crunch” as a chunk of the workforce prepares to retire.
About 300 members from the Manitoba Municipal Administrators participated in a recent survey that found one-third of respondents are planning to leave their positions within five years, and nearly 60 per cent within a decade. Of those, 63 per cent indicated there are no succession plans in place for their departure, MMA association president Nicole Chychota said.
“We do see this as a very critical issue for administration and municipalities in Manitoba, and if we want to avoid a crisis in the future, we have to start acting now,” Chychota.
The MMA is asking the province to establish standards and guidelines for chief administrative officers, hoping a formal training process will create a pipeline for qualified professionals to replace the retiring workforce.
The group submitted a proposal to Municipal Relations Minister Glen Simard in December, asking him to introduce certifications for both chief administrative officers and people working in lower administrative roles, including finance managers, municipal clerks and assistant CAOs.
Under Manitoba’s current laws, municipal administrators — including those hired as CAOs and tasked with managing budgets, human resources and overseeing day-to-day operations — are not required to have any official qualifications.
Other high-level professionals, such as city planners, lawyers and physicians are represented and regulated by legislated bodies.
Several of Manitoba’s municipal CAOs have recently been accused, investigated or charged in fraud cases involving public funds, underscoring the need for formal oversight, Chychota said.
Manitoba Municipal Administrators has developed an educational and disciplinary framework to oversee the profession. It has asked the Simard to amend legislation and enshrine the group as a provincial regulator.
“We firmly believe this is the way that is best to move forward,” she said. “The pieces are there, we just need the legislation to change.”
In January, Simard told the Free Press he was considering the proposal.
A spokesperson from his office reiterated that statement in an email Tuesday.
“We appreciate the thoughtful and detailed proposal that has been brought forward and are taking the necessary time to review it carefully.”
tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca
Tyler Searle
Reporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press‘s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.
Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Tyler Searle
Reporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press‘s city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic’s creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.
Every piece of reporting Tyler produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Advertisement Advertise With Us
History
Updated on Wednesday, April 16, 2025 5:48 PM CDT: Fixes title
- Read Later
Report ErrorSubmit a Tip
