Niagara’s Regional Chair Al Caslin’s First State of the Region Address – Moving our People, Moving our Performance, Moving our Region Forward

State of the Region Address by Alan Caslin Niagara Regional Chair, March 25th, 2015, Niagara Falls, Ontario

(A Brief Foreword by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – NAL has always believed in posting the annual State of the Region Address delivered by the Chair of Niagara, Ontario’s regional government unabridged, without the usual reporters and editors deciding what parts of it to highlight for you.

NAL and our readers will get our turn to praise or citicize the messages in the Chair’s speech soon enough. For now, here is the first State of the Region addressed delivered by Al Caslin, a St. Catharines regional councillor chosen by a majority of fellow regional councillors late last year to serve in the top political job in Niagara for the next four years.)

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for being with us today.

 A big thank you to Wade and the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce for hosting today’s event.

I’d also like to congratulate Mishka Balsom, the GNCC’s newly appointed CEO.

It’s great to see organizations like the GNCC and area Chambers of Commerce working hand in glove with business to grow the Niagara economy and locking in jobs in across the Region.

I’d also like to acknowledge Bob Watson and Pen Financial for sponsoring today’s event. I must say, it looks like Bob may be competing with Meridian to be the Regional Chair’s favorite Credit Union.

Brian Merrett also deserves a big thank you and an Oscar for his performance. Brian was Niagara’s 3rd Regional Chair and I’ve been impressed by his continued commitment to Niagara and its residents.

Please hold your applause as I welcome a number of important guests here today.

I’d like acknowledge my colleagues on Regional Council in the audience today, including…

In addition, please join me in welcoming other public figures that have joined us today, including…

To kick off my remarks, I’d like to offer you a “Chair’s Eye View” of my first 100 days in office.

I’m sure some of you wonder what the Region does – I promise we’re not just a black hole for your taxes.

So let me share what I’ve been up to and give you the lay of the land.

Once you understand who we are and what we do, I’ll share my vision for Niagara, and for our Regional Government.

You’ll leave today with clarity about the work Regional Council is doing to position Niagara for success now and into the future.

As Regional Chair, I am the CEO of the Region and preside over all Regional Council meetings while also sitting on all committees.

Earlier, Brian talked about setting priorities. This is critical. As Chair, if I don’t set priorities for the Region then success and growth will surely elude us. 2

A stronger Niagara, with more jobs, more businesses opening and growing, doesn’t happen by accident.

We need a plan and we need to follow through to achieve success.

And this we will do, because there is a wide gap between then and now, and I assure you Niagara’s best is yet to come.

I’m a GM guy and a small business owner.

For twenty years I worked at GM in several capacities most recently as Facilities Manager in St. Catharines.

At GM we had a saying “Hands on the Wheel, Eyes on the Road”. Anyone that works with me will know that I’ve co-opted this motto for the work I do at the Region.

The principle is an important one. Overanalyzing or lacking focus by trying to wade through too many mid-level priorities is a recipe for failure.

The Strategic Plan that Council developed is looking to promote faster decision-making in all areas of the Region.

Last month I met with the Commissioner of Planning and Development.

Rino and I mostly discussed our shared love of cars, but I also had an opportunity to learn about the challenges posed by silos between Departments.

In his case, Rino explained that working in silos serves as a roadblock for both departments and creates challenges for those seeking to do business in Niagara.

I will continue to ensure that we are breaking down silos at the Region.

This can’t happen soon enough.

My Chair’s Eye View suggests that we have work to do.

We need to set priorities, tackle challenges with straightforward decision-making, and break down silos to ensure that Niagara is Open for Business.

Against the backdrop of my assessment of our Region, I will outline 3 key priorities that I have set for my term as Niagara Regional Chair.

I hope to look back in four years as Chair and elaborate how we’ve made tough decisions and worked together, to Move our People, Move our Performance, and Move our Region Forward.  

Moving our People is our top priority.

We want to see more commuters, more tourists, and more families that view Niagara as a connected place to live and do business.

To do that we need GO Transit. We need it all the way to Niagara Falls. And we need a commitment this year.

I look forward to meeting with Premier Wynne to discuss making a GO Train to Niagara a reality.

Last October, the Premier asked us to do our homework and come back with a detailed plan for this project in the first quarter of 2015.

In February, the Mayors of Niagara and I wrote to the Premier to request a meeting to update her on our work.

I’m proud to say that we’ve completed the work as requested and that the Region is willing to put forward significant investment in order to make this a reality.

A few weeks ago a number of local Mayors joined me at a meeting with Hamilton’s Mayor, and he too is fully supportive of ensuring the GO train comes to Niagara.

I am certain that having GO Transit to Niagara Falls will spur increased economic growth in the Region.

To that end, our Strategic Plan outlines how the Region will fund a Mobility Hub study to evaluate local needs and the growth opportunities.

Ideally we plan to have transit hubs in Grimsby, Beamsville, St. Catharines, and Niagara Falls.

Once we have Niagara GO-ing, we can’t stop there – we need to keep people and goods moving, right across the region.

Two weeks ago, I joined residents, community and business leaders, councillors and mayors, and local elected officials at a public rally in support of GO Transit to Niagara Falls.

You can see that as a community Niagara is united, and next year, you won’t need to watch the Leafs lose from your living room.

You can have a front row seat without having to drive to Toronto.  

Moving our people from A to B will not move this Region forward – transit is not that simple.

Intermunicipal Transit is a network that moves people and gets them exactly where they need to go.

Once we have GO – the Region will be a leader in developing the networks from the train stops that get our people moving.

We will assess the most cost effective methods to move people into the diverse municipalities that make up Niagara.

Inter-municipal transit is especially important for mayors and residents whose towns and cities are located off the proposed train route.

That is why I’ve committed to working hard to ensure that we are moving our people and that when people get off the GO train they can get where they need to go.

Let’s change gears and talk about another priority.

What do you do? How you know that you are doing it well, and how do you measure your performance?

These seem like simple questions, but to answer well you need to know your purpose and to have a method to assess what works and if you are achieving your goals.

From day one as Chair, I’ve brought my experience with performance metrics to bear on how we at the Region can know we are successful and measure it in tangible ways.

This is why our Strategic Plan contains six items we call “Performance dials”.

For the first time in 45 years of the existence of the Niagara Region, we are finally measuring the outcomes of our work on activity besides tax increases.

You cannot run a Billion dollar corporation well, simply using guesswork.

We need to monitor the performance with data. Nothing results in more clarity than the facts.

So with a vision to recognize where we are today and where we intend to go, we decided as a Council that we needed to start measuring our progress.

To that end, Regional Council selected 6 measures to evaluate performance of our work at Niagara Region.  

So I’d like to ask Regional Councillors in the room to help me and stand up. When I ask, I need you to help me list those performance measures for our audience.

Our new Regional Council brought in these Performance Measures immediately.

And these measures are not just a tool for me and senior management.

Rather, I’ve started attending new employee orientations and speaking to Regional staff at all levels, about how the work they do aligns with Council’s strategic plan.

I do this to reinforce the principal that everything our employees do must have an impact on one of our performance measures.

Moving our performance financially means knowing what we spend and what we receive for those dollars.

To examine our spending we must know that we are getting the top value for our dollar.

It may sound funny for a politician to say, but you can be sure that every taxpayer and voter in Niagara knows this to be true.

And now for something different, let me address how your dollars are spent.

Our Strategic Plan commits to “Value for Money Audits” – a process I firmly believe in.

As we look at past dollars spent, and the present value received from a project or service, we can make the most informed decisions for future infrastructure projects and procurement processes.

Taxpayers deserve to know that they are receiving worthwhile services from their Regional Government.

That is why we will review the services and programs we deliver.

We will examine the results and keep pushing to modernize those that are working and discontinue those that are not.

We will also look at “Alternate Service Delivery” models and implement them when we know that someone else can deliver the service at a better price, for a better result.

We will not settle for status quo.

In an economy driven by Small and Medium-sized businesses, we will be unable to move our performance if we are not addressing the needs of our job creators. 

Many of you own or run a business – if you were looking for a location for a new office that faced roadblocks in planning, zoning, and permit decisions at every turn, you would no doubt take your business elsewhere.

In the past, Niagara Region has been its own worst enemy by not supporting the flow of available investment into Niagara Region.

For far too long we’ve had a sign in the window saying “out for lunch, back in an hour”.

We must do better. Niagara must be “open for business”.

And – the Region must do its part. We must be accessible to businesses, both those that do business in Niagara and those looking for their next expansion.

Securing a Foreign Financial institution in Niagara would position the Region as a financial hub.

This would open business channels between Niagara and emerging markets overseas.

We are taking steps to explore these vital opportunities.

I want to be crystal clear.

Under my leadership and the leadership of my council colleagues – Niagara is open for business.

As the Chief Executive Officer of the Niagara Region, I want to move the Region forward.

CEO’s must be held accountable for their results and for the actions of their organization.

By the end of the week I will have met with all MPs and MPPs in the Region, and will have met with business leaders and Chambers of Commerce.

I did this to understand their concerns and learn how the Region can support them better.

And I also need your help too.

I need a favour.

I’d like to ask you all to stand.

But wait,  

Only stand if you want to see a better Niagara.

Only stand if you want to see us measure our efforts and work together for a better Niagara.

Only stand if you want to see us turn a corner and move in a new direction.

Now give yourselves a hand.

For you are the leaders who can make the difference in showing that Niagara is open for business.

We need business and thought leaders in Niagara communities to hold Regional Council accountable for the work that the Region does for you.

Each day, I go to work asking how we can achieve better results as your regional Government so that residents see the value for the taxes they pay.

So let me tell you how I’ll move our Region forward. We will succeed:

By moving people and goods

By focusing on investment, innovation and entrepreneurship

By building a labour ready workforce

By positioning Niagara globally

By ensuring organizational excellence

And by doing business differently (or “better”)

These are the first steps of many that will bring Niagara together and drive us forward as a growing and vibrant area that supports families and business.

Friends, allow me to detail how we are working for you.

I am proud to share that Regional Council recently passed a budget that saw taxes come in under guidance at 1.92%.

We are keeping taxes low and I think we can all agree that is a very positive sign.

In fact, we are already focussed on replicating these low-tax results in 2016.

Next year’s budgeting process is already underway.

This year we plan to enhance our engagement with communities and solicit more public feedback.

We want ensure that our next budget reflects Regional Council’s priority to keep taxes low.

You’ve heard my vision for Niagara, for the Region, and for the work Regional Council is doing to position Niagara for success into the future.

You can see that we’re at a tipping point.

Council is moving from internal navel-gazing towards a focus on economic growth.

We’re moving from scattered actions, to calculated decisions as we improve our performance.

Over the next four years, with our best years before us, Regional Council will be driving Niagara in a new direction with our hands on the wheel and our eyes on:

Moving our People,

Moving our Performance,

and Moving our Region Forward.

I hope you’ll join us.

(NOW IT IS YOUR TURN. Niagara At Large encourages you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.)