Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008 - (Page 24)

want to share with you three insights into why on earth we get so involved with this association. I can assure you it’s not because we need more things to do in our busy lives! The first insight is passion. It takes passion for busy, successful people to look for more things to do that will bring value to their professional lives. But where does that passion start? Invariably, we were all encouraged to get involved by someone who was already passionate about this association and its work. It may have been to serve on a project team. It may have been to serve on a zone executive. Or it may have been to share, at a training session, an innovative idea we implemented in our own municipality. Passion, Friendship and Life Experience I We only come through this life once. My philosophy is to fill it with rich and rewarding experiences. By Ron Shaw, CMO, 1995 AMCTO President Then some of us got hooked. This initial involvement led to more involvement as we discovered that the more we invested in this association, the more we received from this association—an association with a long and rich history in education and training; an association with a strong history in providing networking and other opportunities to share new ideas and innovations; and an association with a growing reputation for sound advice and feedback on legislative initiatives. The second insight is friendship. In lives already filled with outstanding friendships, we’ve added more. I’ve made friends at all levels of the association: Zone 2, the Professional Development Committee and, of course, the Board of Directors. I will keep these friendships alive and close to my heart and look forward to renewing them for years to come, year after year. The third insight is the enormous life experience any involvement and, in particular, serving as president can provide. It is worth every extra hour and all the energy invested. It is something you must experience to fully appreciate. We only come through this life once. My philosophy is to fill it with rich and rewarding experiences. It has now been over 10 years since I left the office of president of AMCTO. I have gone on to other endeavours, serving on other association executives, as president of my own service club and continuing my involvement in the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference. I have continued to find opportunities to become passionate about what I do, to find that you cannot have enough friends and to chalk up more rich life experiences. I urge each of you to consider some initial involvement in this association. Then, see if the bug catches you and if it leads you to your own passions, friendships and life experiences. I suppose it’s like trying on a coat. Put it on and see if it fits. My guess is that it will and you will wear that coat for the balance of your career. ◆ Practical and Innovative Solutions to Complex Challenges Operations/Planning/Design Transportation/Systems 5th Floor – 230 Richmond Street West Toronto ON M5V 1V6 Canada tel 416 596 1930 fax 416 596 0644 www.ibigroup.com OTHER OFFICES LOCATED IN CALGARY MHBC Regional & Urban Planning & Resource Development Kitchener Vaughan London Kingston Barrie (519) 576.3650 (905) 761.5588 (519) 858.2797 (613) 384.7067 (705) 728.0045 MHBC Planning focuses on realistic advice for complex and challenging issues. We have successfully completed a wide range of planning projects: Municipal Plans/Studies Urban and Site Design Aggregate Resource Planning Government Restructuring Landscape Architecture Community Planning Land Development Project Management Communications Expert Evidence | EDMONTON | MONTREAL | OT TAWA VANCOUVER SAN DIEGO | BOSTON | DENVER | IRVINE CA | PORTL AND | SALT L AKE CIT Y | SAN FR ANSISCO | SEAT TLE | LONDON UK | PARIS | ATHENS www.mhbcplan.com 311374_ibi.inddmunicipal 1 24 · MONITOR 12/20/06 1:05:17 PM 321999_MacNaughton.indd 1 May/June 2008 PM 3/15/07 7:38:05

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008

Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008 Contents President's Message: On Messages and Milestones Viewpoint: Much Ado About Nothing? Again Mapping the North: Municipalities Team Up to Create Sophisticated Geographic Information System The Clean Water Act: Let's Make it Perfectly Clear Developing Trend: Communication is Essential During Large-Scale Projects Water Under the Bridge Municpal Memos Index to Advertisers

Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.