This initiative is offered through the Municipal Asset Management Program, which is delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Before You Begin: The Legacy of TLP

    • A Message from Larry and the AM-SK Team
  • 2

    Course Explainer

    • Course Explainer

    • How to Navigate the Course
  • 3

    Asset Management: The Amazing Adventure!

    • Asset Management: The Amazing Adventure!
  • 4

    Welcome and Course Overview

    • Acknowledgements

    • Who are the characters?

    • Why this course?

    • Thought Exercise
  • 5

    Start with Why

    • Why does Municipal government exist?

    • Why does asset management matter?

    • Why now?

    • Start with Why - Thought Exercise

    • Why you?
  • 6

    So What?

    • What Asset Management is not

    • What Asset Management is

    • What Gets in the Way?

    • What the Heck is PSAB 3150?
  • 7

    Who Cares?

    • Who is Asset Management for?

    • Who are your champions?

    • Who can help?
  • 8

    Where, When and How

    • Where, when and how to get started.
  • 9

    Lifecycle Costing

    • Lifecycle Cost Introduction.

    • Lifecycle Areas and Forecasts.

    • The Lifecycle Costing Quiz

    • The Lifecycle Costing Quiz 2

    • Vehicle Ownership, Lifecycle Cost Demonstration
  • 10

    The Asset Register

    • The What and Why of the Asset Register

    • No Asset Register?

    • The Asset Register Quiz

    • The Asset Register Quiz 2

    • Town of Tiger Lily - Asset Register Example
  • 11

    Levels of Service

    • Introduction to Levels of Service

    • Documenting Levels of Service

    • Getting Started with Levels of Service

    • The Levels of Service Quiz

    • The Levels of Service Quiz 2

    • Examples of Levels of Service Documentation
  • 12

    Risk

    • Why Care About Risk?

    • Risk Management

    • Example Risk and Treatment Plan

    • The Risk Quiz
  • 13

    Climate Considerations

    • Why use Asset Management to build climate resilience?

    • What are Climate Considerations in Asset Management?

    • Climate-Related Risks and Levels of Service

    • Risk Mitigation Through Analysis of Climate Data

    • The Four-Step Framework in Action

    • The Final Consideration: Mitigation of Non-Regional Based Risks

    • Climate Considerations in Asset Management: A Call to Action

    • Climate Considerations Quiz

    • Downloads and Resources
  • 14

    The Bigger Picture

    • Integrated Planning

    • The Long-Term Financial Plan

    • How to develop an asset management policy, strategy and governance framework

    • The Bigger Picture Quiz 1

    • The Bigger Picture Quiz 2
  • 15

    Canada Community-Building Fund

    • Introduction and History

    • Canada Community-Building Fund and Asset Management

    • Getting Started in Saskatchewan

    • Canada Community-Building Fund Quiz
  • 16

    Some History of Asset Management In Saskatchewan

    • Aging Infrastructure in Saskatchewan is a Major Challenge

    • Municipal Asset Management and Saskatchewan

    • Asset Management - Getting Started Guide

  • 17

    Asset Management Readiness Scale - Level 1

    • The 5WH of the Asset Management Readiness Scale

    • An Overview of the Asset Management Readiness Scale (AMRS)

    • Exercise - Take the AMRS Assessment

    • The AMRS Excel Assessment Tool

    • You've got this!

    • Getting to Level 1 on the Asset Management Readiness Scale

    • Course Progress Review.

    • The AMRS Level 1 Quiz
  • 18

    Asset Management Readiness Scale - Level 2

    • Policy and Governance

    • People and Leadership

    • Data and Information

    • Planning and Decision Making

    • Contribution to Asset Management

    • Course Progress Review

    • The AMRS Level 2 Quiz 1

    • The AMRS Level 2 Quiz 2
  • 19

    (BONUS) Been There and Done That

    • Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)

    • Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

    • Manager of Recreation Services

    • Manager of Operations
  • 20

    The Secret Sauce

    • The Elephant in the Room

    • The Secret Sauce

    • The Secret Sauce Quiz
  • 21

    Course Close

    • Conclusion and Partner Acknowledgements

    • Required FCM Participant Evaluation

    • The Resource Downloads

    • The Crescendo!

Instructors

Christina Benty

Christina Benty is the former mayor of Golden, British Columbia and retired after having served 12 years in local government. In addition to her lived experience in the political arena, she studied political science and completed her Masters of Arts in Leadership at Royal Roads University with an organizational leadership project on community engagement and asset management for the Town of Golden. Christina considers herself an asset management evangelist and firmly believes that asset management is no longer a luxury for local governments who have time and resources to put toward the process; it is a necessity. With aging infrastructure that needs renewing and replacing, one of the more complex conversations that communities need to have is about how to become sustainable and what decisions are required to go down that path. Christina believes that asset management is a team sport that involves not only the staff responsible for the management of the assets, but also elected officials, residents, and businesses. She assists teams in building a culture of excellence in leadership and asset management, and supports local governments in engaging with their communities on service delivery realities and the financial pressures that accompany them.

Nicole Allen

Executive Director / Mentor at NAMS Canada

Nicole is the Executive Director of NAMS Canada, and has delivered asset management training and support to municipalities and government organisations across Western Canada since 2011. Nicole is a civil engineer, having graduated from the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. She has wide-ranging experience working in the areas of strategic planning, asset management, transportation, and land development. Nicole has worked extensively in both the rural and the urban sectors throughout western Canada and beyond.

Larry Sparks

Larry Sparks is a business coach, consultant, and project manager with roots in Saskatoon, SK and Golden, BC. He is a passionate entrepreneur and self-professed nerd with a penchant for cloud-based collaboration, as well as productivity and communication tools. When not in the office, Larry is likely out nurturing new ideas with his young family, riding his bike, or kayaking on the Kicking Horse River. The informed rate payer.

Instructors

Darian Brown

Darian Brown is the Director of Technical Services for ATANA. Additionally, he holds a M.Sc. from the Department of Civil and Geological Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. Darian was born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and received a B.Sc. in Honours Physics from the University of Saskatchewan in 2010. Since that time, Darian has worked in the areas of infrastructure asset management, transportation planning, decision analysis, and cost-benefit analysis. In his spare time, Darian enjoys playing soccer, snowboarding, and scuba diving. Simplifying the complicated, the data cruncher.