Municipal leaders from across Manitoba are set to gather in Winnipeg this month for the 94th annual Manitoba Municipal Administrators (MMA) Annual Conference.
The conference takes place from September 7th to 10th at the Delta Hotel.
Nicole Chychota, city manager of Portage la Prairie and current MMAA president, says the event brings together administrators, planners, finance staff, and other municipal professionals to share ideas, gain skills, and celebrate the accomplishments of local government leaders.
“This year's theme is 'Challenge Accepted'," noted Chychota. "We were celebrating the bold spirit of those who rise to meet today's demands. We found that this is a changing environment. There are a lot of different parts moving all the time, and our administrators really do rise to the challenge and so we wanted to take that into account when we set our scene. We've got a ton of great speakers; it's a great opportunity to bring administrators together to network and just learn how to do their jobs better.”
A gathering for municipal leaders
Chychota adds that the conference draws a broad range of municipal employees from across the province.
“Largely, that's our membership. Lots of CAOs and city managers, and administrative support staff. We have finance people, planners. It's a good range of members,” she says.
The conference allows participants to exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and gather practical tools they can use in their communities.
Roles and responsibilities
As MMAA president, Chychota will take on several key duties throughout the conference.
“I act as the emcee for most of the events, and we get to host our AGM. We've got a bunch of keynote speakers and the highlight of the week is always our graduation banquet, where we get to celebrate all our new CMMA graduates,” she remarks.
Conference highlights and sessions
Chychota mentions that mental health and wellness will be a major focus this year, in addition to a panel discussion talking about this year's wildfires.
“Our own fire chief, Brad Bailey, is going to be coming to speak as part of that panel. I'm really looking forward to that session,” she says.
MMA district meetings will take place Sunday, September 7, from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m., before the Ice Breaker event.
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