BOW VALLEY – Roam transit’s decision-makers will be completing their report cards.
The Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission approved hiring Elevated HR Solutions Inc. for a board self-assessment to be completed by early 2025. The intent is to find potential areas to improve the board for both the current and future commission members.
The commission’s six directors – representing their respective municipalities – approved the move that will cost between $3,500-$5,000. The commission’s board asked Roam staff at its October meeting to return with options for allowing a board self-assessment to be done in 2025.
“I believe it’s worthwhile from a due diligence point of view,” said commission chair Dave Schebek.
Martin Bean, Roam’s CEO, noted every annual organizational meeting that’s held in October the commission is asked if it feels a self-assessment is required.
Among the scope under review will be board governance, strategic alignment, roles and responsibilities, decision-making and board dynamics.
“This self-assessment aims to provide Roam transit's board with valuable insights into current practices and areas for growth, aligning with your objectives of strengthening board governance, fostering strategic alignment, and enhancing overall effectiveness,” stated the Nov. 6 report from Elevated HR Solutions.
The process will have board members complete surveys to give feedback on governance aspects, with an optional mid-December check-in to check the process.
Once all feedback is received, the consultant will prepare a final report of key findings and recommendations for January, 2025. An optional debrief session is also available for the board.
Grant Canning, a Banff councillor and board director, noted with an election coming up in October 2025, the board could look quite different within 12 months and whether different timing was better.
“This board could look very different a year from now than it does now,” he said.
“You obviously don’t want to do it right after because you don’t have time to have an assessment, but maybe a year or two into the next term from a timing perspective rather than the tail end of the curve.”
Schebek added the timing was important, with a new board often taking time to learn all aspects of the transit authority. With the assessment final report being returned early in the new year, he noted “there’s some runway where you’re treading water to try and keep things moving forward.”
Alexandra Parkinson, a board director from Improvement District No. 9, said a self-assessment could help raise issues where the board could grow its understanding to improve both the existing and future boards.
“If we go ahead and look at that and see ‘most of the board members are lacking this’, how can we then go forward and show the next board what that looks like? It could be used as a tool for administration to come back to the board and say, ‘these may be the priorities’ or ‘these are things we’re lacking in that we need to educate more on that’,” she said.
Roam transit comprises of the Town of Banff, the Town of Canmore and Improvement District No. 9 as voting members. There are two non-voting members from Parks Canada, with one from each of the Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay field unit and Banff field unit.
The transit commission also approved having Roam staff complete a bylaw review in 2025. Each board member will give comments on potential amendments to existing plans before the end of the first quarter of 2025.
Governance audits or self-assessments can be relatively common in public organizations. In 2022, the MD of Bighorn underwent a governance audit by George Cuff that provided 41 recommendations such as the relationship and responsibilities between its elected officials and municipal staff.
Tanya Foubert, a board director representing the Town of Canmore, said in the future similar exercises could be done in the third year of a term. It would allow new members to get experience and have time to implement potential recommendations.
“I think this is about passing off to the next board the best board structure that we can and that requires our self-assessment as the ones who have been on the board up until [now],” she said. “Post-election, board members may not have enough experience to really self-assess and understand what might be needed. I think the timing’s right.”
