Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation (OFNTSC) and Mamaweswen, The North Shore Tribal Council (NSTC), have partnered to develop Asset Management (AM) Plans for all seven NSTC communities. The Asset Management Plans will be developed in three phases:
PHASE 1 – AWARENESS: increase awareness of Asset Management
PHASE 2 – PLANNING: develop First Nations Asset Management Plans and
PHASE 3 – IMPLEMENTATION: implement the Asset Management Plans
This project received funding from Indigenous Services Canada’s (ISC) Asset Management Program.
By March 2021, Phase 1 was completed. A series of virtual workshops were delivered to First Nation representatives including Chief and Council, administration, finance and maintenance staff across all seven First Nation communities.
In each workshop, participants were provided with background information on Asset Management in order to build the community’s knowledge and understanding of various topics, including:
- What is asset management?
- Why implement asset management and what are the benefits to the community
- What processes are required to implement an asset management plan
- Why do the First Nations Asset Management Self-Assessment Tool
- Why implement a First Nations Asset Management Policy
The workshops also introduced the “First Nations Asset Management Self-Assessment Tool” to assess the community’s asset management maturity.
The results of each Asset Management Self-Assessments were used to prepare each community’s AM Strategy to be reviewed in the next round of community workshops.
An Asset Management information brochure was developed and provided to key representatives of each community, to help address the question – “Why do Asset Management?”
Phase 2 – Planning started in January 2021 with the development of an AM Strategy and Roadmap (AM S&R) for each of the seven communities. The AM S&R was developed based on industry best practices i.e. guidance documents from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, ISO 55000 Asset Management standards, and information from the Institute of Asset Management.
The AM S&R was designed to help First Nations:
- Define how the community’s context and strategic objectives translate to AM objectives (such as levels of service) and associated decision-making criteria
- Describe how the AM system will implement the principles set out in the AM policy and support the delivery of the AM objectives
The AM Strategy was made fully customizable for each community and can be reviewed, revised and updated as the AM process within the First Nation administration progresses.
An Asset Management Framework was also developed and included in each AM S&R. The framework includes elements of asset management processes and links other functions within the organisation such as operation, planning, finances and legal departments.
Sample AM Framework included in the AM Strategy and Roadmap Revised Project Organization Chart
The project team will explore the need to create a “State-of-the-Infrastructure (SOTI)” report for all community assets. This type of report is commonly used by municipalities to communicate their asset management objectives to elected officials and the public.
As part of Phase 2, an Asset Management (AM) Spreadsheet or register to capture infrastructure data (funded & non-funded) on all community assets, including housing, was produced. The spreadsheet also links data in ACRS, ICMS and PS 3150 data into the asset management process.
In the summer of 2021, training will be provided on the mechanics of the spreadsheet, the importance of data completeness and how to use & manage the spreadsheet.
Phase 3 – Implementation is expected to start in the fall 2021.