The Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) is a national, non-profit association open to all Chief Administrative Officers/City Managers and any person employed in a senior management position that reports directly to the CAO. CAMA has a membership of 650 City Managers, Chief Administrative Officers and Senior Appointed Officials from all parts of Canada.

The CAMA Board has been considering several opportunities to assist our members through the lifecycle of their careers.

In 2007, CAMA developed a basic CAO Employment Contract template which also included a list of some of the most common provisions found in administrative employment contracts. A survey to our membership in 2017 revealed that 75% of the respondents have an employment contract. In a world in which employment relationships are becoming more and more dynamic, municipal administrators should consider the importance of an employment contract. It was the decision of the CAMA Board of Directors at a recent meeting that the current contract should be expanded to include additional tools for the membership and the elected officials on this topic.

CAMA is seeking assistance from a professional consultant with technical expertise in municipal government and labour law to prepare a CAO Employment Contract Toolkit that will support CAOs when negotiating their contract and also the elected officials during the recruitment process.