Latest / Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam / A Coffee with Laura Swain, CAO of Parkland County

Transcript

A Coffee with Laura Swain, CAO of Parkland County · Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam

• 0:12
  Well, good morning, everybody, and welcome to another edition of the ABA Coffee In The Park.
• 0:17
  My name is Cam Milliken, and I am here with my co-host extraordinaire, Jennifer Herrick, the Executive Director of the Acheson Business Association.
• 0:26
  Good morning, Jennifer.
• 0:27
  Oh, good morning, Cam.
• 0:28
  It is a beautiful day outside.
• 0:31
  Oh, man, we have gone from like a minus 175 to like plus five degrees.
• 0:36
  Wasn't it amazing this weekend?
• 0:37
  My car is filthy, dirty. Can't get it washed.
• 0:40
  You know, this is an issue because my car is currently cleaner than yours.
• 0:43
  I know.
• 0:43
  That's unbelievable in itself because mine's always clean, but it is unbelievably dirty.
• 0:48
  But anyway, welcome everybody.
• 0:49
  Good to have you on the program with us today.
• 0:52
  And just want to remind everybody that we are coming to you from the Wall Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful downtown Acheson.
• 1:01
  That's right.
• 1:01
  So if you hear any whirring in the background or people talking or kids screaming, it's because we are live at the Wall Coffee Roasters.
• 1:09
  And Jennifer, tell us about some very important people.
• 1:12
  We would like to thank our gold corporate sponsors, which include the Myshak group of companies, Genics, Parkland County, and Bow Valley Credit Union.
• 1:19
  Yes.
• 1:20
  And without them, we would not be able to do what we do today.
• 1:23
  So thank you everybody.
• 1:25
  It's a great day.
• 1:25
  It is a great day.
• 1:26
  And Pam, I'm really excited about our guest today.
• 1:29
  Me too.
• 1:29
  Like really excited.
• 1:31
  I didn't sleep last night.
• 1:33
  Is that the reason?
• 1:34
  No, it's not.
• 1:34
  Because I was just a little wound up.
• 1:36
  I was just wound up for the week.
• 1:37
  But this was part of it.
• 1:38
  I was wound up for the week.
• 1:40
  And this was part of it that we get to do this interview today.
• 1:42
  I'm so excited.
• 1:43
  So let's introduce our guest.
• 1:45
  Our guest today is Laura Swain, the CAO of Parkland County.
• 1:50
  So welcome Laura. Thank you for having me! Okay, wait a minute.
• 1:53
  You better tell us what a CAO is.
• 1:56
  Okay.
• 1:56
  Well, okay.
• 1:57
  First question.
• 1:59
  Maybe I'm sure lots of your listeners are more private sector focused and might not know a lot about government.
• 2:05
  So a CAO is essentially the CEO of a municipality.
• 2:10
  So you run the operations of the municipality, and then I would compare council to the board of directors of the municipality.
• 2:17
  And so that's kind of how it would translate into private sectors.
• 2:22
  CAO stands for?
• 2:23
  Chief Administrative Officer.
• 2:24
  She's got a big role, Cam.
• 2:25
  It's huge.
• 2:27
  I would say she's probably the person that runs the place.
• 2:29
  She's the big cheese.
• 2:30
  That's my guess.
• 2:30
  Yeah.
• 2:31
  It just looks that way.
• 2:32
  We have a lot of awesome people.
• 2:34
  I mean, I don't know.
• 2:35
  We know better.
• 2:36
  So anyway.
• 2:36
  Yeah.
• 2:37
  So awesome to have you here.
• 2:38
  Thank you.
• 2:39
  So let's kick it off with Laura.
• 2:41
  Tell us a little bit about yourself and where did you grow up?
• 2:44
  Oh, good question.
• 2:46
  I grew up in Nova Scotia.
• 2:47
  No.
• 2:49
  See, I didn't know that.
• 2:50
  You didn't know that?
• 2:51
  Like the real Nova Scotia.
• 2:52
  The real Nova Scotia.
• 2:53
  So I was born in Halifax.
• 2:56
  And then we made the move to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, when I was a teenager.
• 3:00
  So I spent my formative years in Cape Breton.
• 3:02
  Okay.
• 3:04
  And yeah, I lived there until I did my high school and my university there.
• 3:08
  Really?
• 3:09
  And then I moved back to Halifax.
• 3:11
  What university?
• 3:12
  Cape Breton University.
• 3:13
  Cape Breton University.
• 3:14
  Shout out to...
• 3:15
  Yeah, shout out to CBU.
• 3:16
  That's right.
• 3:17
  Do they have a mascot?
• 3:18
  We always mention the mascot.
• 3:19
  They do have a mascot.
• 3:20
  It's like a red haired Scottish looking...
• 3:23
  Oh, okay.
• 3:24
  I thought maybe like a fish or something.
• 3:25
  But okay, no, that's good.
• 3:26
  And then I moved back to Halifax, and I did another degree at Dalhousie University.
• 3:31
  Come on.
• 3:31
  So yeah.
• 3:32
  Wow.
• 3:33
  So you're dual degree.
• 3:34
  I'm dual degree.
• 3:35
  Wow.
• 3:35
  Okay.
• 3:36
  At Dalhousie.
• 3:37
  Dalhousie, yeah.
• 3:37
  Shout out to Dalhousie.
• 3:39
  What's their mascot?
• 3:40
  It's a lion, I think.
• 3:41
  A lion.
• 3:42
  Okay.
• 3:43
  Yes.
• 3:43
  Okay.
• 3:43
  So all the Dalhousie alumni.
• 3:46
  Tiger, Dalhousie Tigers.
• 3:47
  So what did your parents do growing up?
• 3:49
  Oh, yeah.
• 3:49
  Good question.
• 3:51
  Well, my dad was a government worker, so he worked for a...
• 3:55
  Federal or provincial?
• 3:56
  Federal.
• 3:56
  Federal, okay.
• 3:57
  Yeah.
• 3:58
  He still does some work provincially.
• 4:00
  And then my mom stayed at home, and so now that I have my own child, I realize how big of a job that was, and I really don't think I appreciated the amount of work that went into that at the time.
• 4:11
  Brothers and sisters?
• 4:12
  I have one brother who lives in Halifax.
• 4:14
  Okay.
• 4:15
  Older or younger?
• 4:15
  Younger.
• 4:16
  Yes.
• 4:17
  Okay, so you were the...
• 4:18
  I was the oldest child, oldest grandchild, oldest niece on every...
• 4:23
  Yeah, so I was kind of the oldest of...
• 4:25
  You're like one of the youngest CAOs, right?
• 4:28
  You know, there's not a lot of people my age who are CAOs.
• 4:32
  I'd say especially in kind of the bigger municipalities in the region, I think it's changing, but I probably don't look like a lot of the other people who are CAOs, which I love.
• 4:42
  Yeah, no, me too.
• 4:43
  I think it's great.
• 4:44
  Yeah, it's great.
• 4:45
  It's young.
• 4:45
  It's good.
• 4:46
  It's yeah, it's refreshing.
• 4:47
  So you went to Dalhousie, and then what happened?
• 4:51
  Oh, while I was at Dalhousie, I was a used car saleswoman.
• 4:57
  So I kind of had my way through.
• 4:59
  Oh, now we gotta stop right here.
• 5:01
  A used car salesman.
• 5:02
  Come on, seriously.
• 5:04
  I needed a job in between my like moving back from Cape Breton and going to Dalhousie.
• 5:10
  So I was just looking for jobs.
• 5:11
  And so I ended up, I think it was when there were like ads in the newspaper to find jobs.
• 5:16
  There was one for to work at a car dealership, and it was doing financing.
• 5:20
  So I thought, OK, I'll put my name forward and I'll do that.
• 5:24
  So I showed up and it was kind of a smaller car shop.
• 5:28
  And so I ended up just like getting into helping sell cars.
• 5:32
  So I did that while I was doing my masters.
• 5:35
  Oh, really?
• 5:36
  This is incredible.
• 5:37
  I did that for a few years.
• 5:38
  So it gave me a good experience in dealing with lots of different people.
• 5:45
  For sure.
• 5:45
  Yeah, especially dealing with car salesmen and mechanics and all that.
• 5:48
  Yeah.
• 5:48
  Did you sell a lot of cars?
• 5:50
  Were you like, yeah?
• 5:51
  I don't know if I sold a lot of cars.
• 5:53
  Like, maybe I sold a few.
• 5:56
  Really?
• 5:56
  But yeah, we were more like selling cars for people who needed loans to get a certain type of vehicle.
• 6:04
  So it was more that sort of thing.
• 6:07
  Wow.
• 6:07
  I just never would have imagined it.
• 6:09
  No.
• 6:09
  No, that's great.
• 6:10
  Not if there's anything wrong with being a used car saleman.
• 6:12
  That's really cool.
• 6:13
  Yeah, it was just kind of a part-time job.
• 6:15
  I had while I was going to school.
• 6:16
  That's an awesome part-time job.
• 6:18
  And then I headed west.
• 6:19
  Did you get to drive a free car?
• 6:21
  Yeah, I did.
• 6:22
  We sold some BMWs and stuff, so I got to drive.
• 6:25
  Come on.
• 6:26
  I remember my husband and I were newly dating, and I picked him up with a 700 Series BMW.
• 6:31
  And that was it for him, right?
• 6:32
  I know.
• 6:33
  No, I know that feeling.
• 6:34
  I dated a girl who had a brand new Trans Am.
• 6:36
  It didn't last, because I really just liked the car.
• 6:38
  But anyway, so he stuck with you.
• 6:40
  That's the main thing.
• 6:41
  OK, so that's really funny.
• 6:43
  You picked your husband up, and he loved the car.
• 6:45
  I actually drove a Honda Civic, I'm just kidding, but I got to drive that one day.
• 6:50
  I love that. It was a giveaway on a golf course.
• 6:50
  That's just great.
• 6:51
  Anyway, so what brought you out west, though?
• 6:55
  Yeah, so I did a, my, what I was going to school for was a Master of Public Administration, so kind of a government degree.
• 7:03
  Right.
• 7:04
  And then at the time, that was about, goodness, about 14 years ago, the government of Alberta was doing lots of hiring.
• 7:14
  And so I thought, yeah, I'm just going to go out to Alberta and see what happens.
• 7:17
  I didn't know anyone.
• 7:18
  Really?
• 7:18
  I think I had one friend in Alberta.
• 7:20
  My husband was, he didn't have a job yet.
• 7:23
  He's an engineer.
• 7:23
  Was he already your husband?
• 7:25
  No, we were just dating at the time.
• 7:26
  You were just dating.
• 7:26
  Okay, yeah.
• 7:27
  Kind of newly dating.
• 7:28
  So I moved out here.
• 7:31
  Didn't have a car, didn't know anyone, didn't know anything about Edmonton.
• 7:34
  Wow.
• 7:35
  So I started working for the province.
• 7:36
  Why Edmonton?
• 7:37
  I mean, not right.
• 7:38
  Because of the province.
• 7:39
  Well, no, I know, but like, Calgary or like...
• 7:42
  Just there were jobs here.
• 7:43
  Or you love the Oilers or what?
• 7:45
  You just like thought that was the best?
• 7:48
  I had been to Edmonton once for a conference during school, and I thought, I don't know.
• 7:52
  Edmonton doesn't have the best reputation across Canada.
• 7:55
  And then I got here, and I was like, I'm only going to spend two years in Alberta, go back to Nova Scotia.
• 8:00
  And then I just fell in love with Alberta, and I've been here 13, 14 years now.
• 8:06
  Beautiful place.
• 8:06
  Yeah, it's awesome.
• 8:07
  So your husband, who then you were dating...
• 8:09
  We were dating.
• 8:10
  He followed you?
• 8:11
  He followed me, but he lived in Fort McMurray for a couple years.
• 8:14
  That's love.
• 8:15
  So we didn't know.
• 8:16
  No, he followed her all the way from...
• 8:17
  That's love.
• 8:18
  That's amazing.
• 8:19
  We did long distance for a couple years.
• 8:21
  That sucks.
• 8:22
  I did that for that.
• 8:22
  Then we got engaged, and then he moved to Edmonton.
• 8:26
  Rest is history.
• 8:27
  So what did you do with the provincial government then?
• 8:29
  I worked for Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation. So I did..
• 8:32
  Okay.
• 8:33
  Should we talk to you now about the overpass?
• 8:35
  No, I'm just totally kidding.
• 8:37
  Folks, that's another podcast.
• 8:39
  I know that's another podcast.
• 8:40
  I'm sorry.
• 8:40
  I did policy and strategic planning, and moved up into some management roles.
• 8:45
  And so I was there for about four years.
• 8:49
  And there was lots of change at the time.
• 8:51
  And what I found throughout my career is when there's change and if you can just hang on, sometimes there's lots of opportunity.
• 8:57
  And so that's done well for me.
• 9:00
  So I was at the province for a few years.
• 9:02
  And then I had never considered going to municipal government.
• 9:07
  It just wasn't something that I...
• 9:08
  I didn't even take any municipal classes when I was in university.
• 9:11
  And that was kind of a stream in my program.
• 9:13
  But I just didn't realize how exciting municipal government is and how awesome of a career it is.
• 9:20
  But just on a whim, I got a call about a job in Parkland County.
• 9:24
  Okay.
• 9:24
  And I've been to Parkland County before, but I don't even know if I knew I was in Parkland County at the time.
• 9:30
  Yeah.
• 9:31
  So I drive out to Parkland County.
• 9:32
  That's kind of true.
• 9:33
  You can be in Parkland County and not know you're in Parkland County.
• 9:36
  I think I was tubing in the Pembina.
• 9:38
  There you go.
• 9:38
  There you go.
• 9:39
  You just never know when you're in Parkland...
• 9:41
  When you are or aren't in Parkland County.
• 9:43
  So I drove out, had an interview, and then I've been working at the county for... 8 years.
• 9:46
  So what was your first job at the county?
• 9:48
  Corporate Planner.
• 9:49
  Corporate Planner.
• 9:50
  So I reported to the CAO, and I did all the corporate planning and strategic planning for the organization.
• 9:55
  It was a pretty new role.
• 9:56
  And again, there was lots of change going on at the county at the time, so I was able to be involved in all these exciting initiatives and all these different things.
• 10:02
  And then I just ended up moving up within the county, and somehow I'm here.
• 10:06
  Yeah, somehow.
• 10:08
  Well, we know why, because you're brilliant at what you do.
• 10:10
  You're amazing at what you do.
• 10:12
  So that's pretty cool.
• 10:13
  So that's a cool journey.
• 10:14
  Yeah, it was quite the journey.
• 10:15
  And you've been CAO for how long?
• 10:17
  I have been in the CAO role since 2020.
• 10:22
  So I was interim CAO for a couple years, and then I've been permanent in the CAO role for three years.
• 10:28
  Three years.
• 10:28
  Yeah, so almost five years in total.
• 10:31
  Okay.
• 10:31
  Yeah.
• 10:32
  And it is true that you are one of the youngest CAOs, probably, I'm going to say in the province, maybe the country, I don't know, but yeah, I think that's fantastic.
• 10:42
  And yeah, there's, you know, there's lots of, in some of the, maybe municipalities across the province or smaller municipalities, there are some young people in the roles, there are some women in the roles, but in the Edmonton region, there are very few.
• 10:57
  I think that's great.
• 10:58
  And this is one thing that I admire so much about you, Laura, is you are such a strong female leader.
• 11:07
  And I love it.
• 11:08
  And you're so willing to talk to anybody and encourage anyone.
• 11:12
  And it's fantastic.
• 11:13
  And you are a true inspiration to me.
• 11:15
  So really, I think it's great.
• 11:17
  And I think more women can certainly get involved in that level of...government.
• 11:22
  No, I think you're absolutely...
• 11:24
  I love it because we're a big proponent of women in leadership.
• 11:27
  And the ABA is a big proponent of women in leadership.
• 11:31
  And so I think that's really cool.
• 11:32
  But something cool happened to you more than 12 months ago, 18 months ago.
• 11:42
  I had a baby?
• 11:43
  Yes! So I had a baby 10 months ago.
• 11:48
  A little baby?
• 11:48
  A little baby girl, Georgia.
• 11:52
  I love that name.
• 11:53
  Just like it's not very common to be a young female CAO.
• 11:56
  It's definitely not very common to be a pregnant CAO.
• 11:59
  Young CAO, that's right.
• 12:01
  That's really cool.
• 12:03
  Okay, but let's take one step back.
• 12:04
  You have how many cats?
• 12:06
  I have five.
• 12:07
  Five cats that all live together in your house?
• 12:09
  They all live together.
• 12:10
  Everyone coexists.
• 12:12
  I'm very passionate about animal welfare.
• 12:14
  This is, when I first met you.
• 12:16
  I remember we were in a meeting, and somehow that came up.
• 12:18
  And I'm going to be honest, cats and me don't mix very well.
• 12:22
  And everybody's to their own.
• 12:23
  And I remember that, and I was going to make a comment, and then I heard you had five, and I thought, I'm not going to, because that's a lot of cats.
• 12:31
  Like, that is a lot of cats.
• 12:33
  I'm involved in the foster and rescue community for cats as well.
• 12:37
  Are you really?
• 12:38
  Yeah.
• 12:38
  My cats are rescues, and a couple of them are foster fails, foster wins.
• 12:43
  Yeah.
• 12:43
  Yeah.
• 12:43
  And so, yeah.
• 12:45
  That's really cool.
• 12:46
  Now, I will say, my attitude towards cats changed, because we had a cat experience a little bit.
• 12:51
  We had a really good cat experience.
• 12:52
  Felix?
• 12:53
  Yes, Felix.
• 12:54
  Yeah.
• 12:54
  No, no, not Felix.
• 12:55
  Well, Felix, of course.
• 12:56
  Felix, of course, but Walter.
• 12:58
  We had a cat in our office for a couple of days.
• 13:01
  We did.
• 13:01
  Walter.
• 13:02
  Yeah, and it just we couldn't keep him, but we had Walter, and he was a rescue cat.
• 13:06
  He was.
• 13:06
  And he was awesome.
• 13:07
  I loved Walter.
• 13:08
  He was amazing.
• 13:09
  So my heart has changed a little.
• 13:10
  But anyway, so you have five cats and you have Georgia.
• 13:13
  I have five cats and Georgia and my husband.
• 13:15
  And your husband.
• 13:16
  And the council.
• 13:18
  And the council.
• 13:19
  Yeah, well, I was going to say that's like having more kids, but just for full exposure, folks, we want to let you know that actually the mayor is sitting here at the table.
• 13:30
  So he hears us saying and everything.
• 13:33
  He came to make sure Laura doesn't go off, stays on the line.
• 13:37
  But anyway, so we'll we'll take care of that but anyway.
• 13:40
  But nonetheless.
• 13:41
  OK, so five cats, your husband, Georgia.
• 13:43
  This is pretty cool.
• 13:44
  And you're a CAO.
• 13:45
  Yes.
• 13:45
  How do you balance all this?
• 13:47
  Oh, good question.
• 13:47
  This is amazing.
• 13:48
  You know what?
• 13:48
  For me, we have so many awesome people at the county that I get to work with that I... maybe I'll maybe I'll start back at the journey of CAO and I was, you know, in the CAO role in an interim capacity.
• 14:04
  I'm sorry.
• 14:06
  That's my phone.
• 14:06
  Sorry.
• 14:08
  Normally I turn that off.
• 14:09
  I'm really sorry.
• 14:10
  No.
• 14:11
  So, you know, when I when I was thrust into the interim CAO role, I really had to make peace with the fact that I don't know everything.
• 14:17
  Right.
• 14:18
  And there's lots of really smart people on my team who know way more than me about lots of different topics.
• 14:24
  So my job is really to keep things moving in the organization and set that overall direction.
• 14:28
  So I guess that's a roundabout way to say that.
• 14:32
  Part of the way I balance everything at the organization is I just really try to surround myself with people who we have mutual trust with one another.
• 14:40
  And I accept the fact that I'm not going to know everything.
• 14:42
  I'm not going to have the answers for everything.
• 14:43
  And I just need to make people feel like they're supported.
• 14:46
  And then in my personal life, I've really tried at the county to build a supportive, flexible workplace.
• 14:53
  And in the past, I hadn't had to take advantage of that as much because I, you know, it was only myself and my husband and my cats that I had to look after.
• 15:00
  But now I'm so grateful that I've built that supportive, flexible workplace because I can take advantage of it myself.
• 15:06
  Last week, my husband was out of town and my daughter is still, she's only 10 months and so she's not in daycare yet.
• 15:12
  So I had to stay home for two days and try to work from home while balancing that.
• 15:18
  And so I'm just lucky that I'm able to do that at the county.
• 15:20
  Yeah.
• 15:21
  And I think that's a credit to the county.
• 15:23
  I think it's a credit to you and your leadership skills that you have.
• 15:27
  I think that's phenomenal.
• 15:29
  And I know some women would die to be in a position like that.
• 15:33
  That that's really cool.
• 15:35
  Just for clarification sake, we should tell people so Acheson is in Parkland County.
• 15:40
  How big is Parkland County?
• 15:41
  Parkland County is 2,500 square kilometers, and so it's a big municipality.
• 15:47
  I didn't know that. It's huge 2,500?
• 15:50
  Basically, the Acheson border all the way out to the Pembina River.
• 15:54
  It goes north to Yellowhead, Lac Ste Anne, and Sturgeon County, and then south to Brazeau, Leduc, Edmonton, Devon.
• 16:02
  And so it's a very big municipality geographically.
• 16:06
  We have about 33,000 to 35,000 residents.
• 16:09
  We have lots of amazing businesses, lots of them in Acheson.
• 16:12
  Then we have Trans Alta out on the west, we have Wabamun Lake.
• 16:15
  And so there's so much about Parkland County that people might not know is part of Parkland County.
• 16:20
  And so we should just clarify, so people would think, okay, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, they're not actually part of Parkland County.
• 16:28
  They're within us, but they're their own municipalities.
• 16:31
  They want to be their own.
• 16:32
  Yes, so we work really closely with them, but they have their own council, their own administration that are essentially about the same size as us at the county.
• 16:40
  So 33,000 people live in Parkland County.
• 16:42
  That doesn't include Spruce Grove or Wabamun.
• 16:45
  It includes Wabamun, but it doesn't include Stony Plain.
• 16:48
  I mean, if you combine Parkland County, Spruce Grove and Stony Plain and summer villages, and you're probably around, the math isn't the greatest, 80,000 to 90,000.
• 16:59
  Yeah, so it's a big region.
• 17:00
  Huge, huge region.
• 17:01
  I mean, Spruce just reached 40,000 in the past year or so.
• 17:04
  No, that's pretty big.
• 17:05
  That's pretty cool.
• 17:06
  I bet most people would have no idea that Parkland County is that big.
• 17:10
  Yes.
• 17:10
  It's huge.
• 17:11
  It's huge.
• 17:12
  I had no idea.
• 17:12
  I stood on the Ec. Dev. Committee with the county.
• 17:14
  I didn't know that.
• 17:15
  I'm embarrassed.
• 17:16
  I should have known.
• 17:16
  That should have been on the test before they signed me up.
• 17:19
  That's right.
• 17:19
  How big is Parkland County?
• 17:21
  Well, Acheson.
• 17:22
  But anyway, yeah, so that's pretty cool.
• 17:23
  All right, yeah.
• 17:24
  So how do you find it, Laura?
• 17:26
  Because obviously, your family is still back east.
• 17:31
  Is your husband's family back east too?
• 17:32
  They are.
• 17:33
  My husband's a Newfoundlander.
• 17:35
  So we have no family here.
• 17:37
  It's just him and I.
• 17:38
  Yeah.
• 17:38
  And I mean, I've always, it's got to be difficult, you know, having your family, but then not having your own family close by.
• 17:48
  Because it's not like you can pack up in the car for a weekend and go visit grandpa and grandma.
• 17:53
  Or even call grandma and grandpa to come babysit.
• 17:55
  Right.
• 17:55
  If you have to, you know.
• 17:56
  For sure.
• 17:57
  And actually, grandpa and grandma were here last week.
• 17:59
  My parents were here, and so they do visit quite a bit.
• 18:02
  Yeah.
• 18:03
  And they're such a great help when they're here, but it is hard.
• 18:05
  And my husband and I, you know, we both have jobs, but we also both have lots of hobbies we do and social lives.
• 18:12
  And so for us, we just have to really understand that balance with one another and coordinate our schedules.
• 18:18
  And yeah.
• 18:19
  Tell us about the hobbies.
• 18:20
  Oh, well, we're both pretty big runners.
• 18:24
  And so yeah, I'm really into running.
• 18:25
  I mean, more so before I had my baby, but I still do that.
• 18:29
  And my husband does like quite long distance running.
• 18:33
  And so we both do ultra marathons.
• 18:35
  Come on.
• 18:36
  Serious.
• 18:38
  I do a marathon to like the living room.
• 18:41
  That's right.
• 18:43
  That's my marathon right there.
• 18:45
  We also organize an ultra marathon in Edmonton.
• 18:49
  Yeah.
• 18:49
  And we also organize a running group in Edmonton.
• 18:51
  So that's kind of what we do outside of work.
• 18:54
  That is so cool.
• 18:55
  I think that's cool.
• 18:56
  It's amazing.
• 18:56
  I love runners.
• 18:57
  I think they're amazing.
• 18:58
  I know.
• 18:58
  It's just not me.
• 18:59
  I can't run.
• 19:00
  It keeps me sane.
• 19:01
  No, I was a short distance runner in high school.
• 19:04
  Anything past 100 meters was getting a little iffy.
• 19:06
  Okay, so obviously you do marathons in the summer and stuff like that?
• 19:10
  Yeah, I just ran a half marathon actually in Arizona a couple weeks ago.
• 19:16
  Really?
• 19:16
  Yeah, just my first one back after having a baby.
• 19:19
  And then my husband does, he's going to Boston this year.
• 19:23
  He does lots of the America Big League.
• 19:24
  To do the Boston Marathon?
• 19:25
  No.
• 19:26
  He's kind of next level.
• 19:27
  He's going to run in the Boston Marathon?
• 19:29
  Are you serious?
• 19:30
  I watch that on TV with a bag of chips.
• 19:32
  I'm like, these guys are amazing, they're unbelievable.
• 19:36
  That's unbelievable.
• 19:37
  That's great.
• 19:38
  I just think that is so cool.
• 19:40
  It is so cool.
• 19:40
  That is so cool.
• 19:42
  Yeah.
• 19:42
  And now we organize an ultra marathon, like a 50-kilometer, 30- and 50-kilometer race through the River Valley in June.
• 19:49
  And so it's Father's Day weekend.
• 19:50
  We've done it for about five years now.
• 19:52
  So we get people from all over Canada, the US.
• 19:55
  That's amazing.
• 19:56
  How far is that?
• 19:58
  50 kilometers.
• 19:59
  50 kilometers?
• 20:00
  So you go from kind of Hawrelak Park in Edmonton, and you go kind of all the way east, and then you come back and you go all the way west.
• 20:07
  50 kilometers.
• 20:07
  Yeah.
• 20:08
  You run 50 kilometers.
• 20:09
  Cam, I can do it on an e-bike.
• 20:12
  You can come, Cam.
• 20:13
  Try it out. I'll give you a free entry.
• 20:14
  How about I come and volunteer?
• 20:16
  I'll be the guy that holds the cups of water as the runners go by.
• 20:21
  I mean, I know this looks like a runner's body, not, but nonetheless, that's incredible.
• 20:27
  Yeah, we do that.
• 20:28
  We raise money for charity through that.
• 20:30
  And then, yeah, we've done it for a few years.
• 20:32
  That is cool.
• 20:32
  That is so cool.
• 20:33
  That is so cool.
• 20:34
  And so, what other hobby?
• 20:36
  I mean, that's a hobby right there.
• 20:38
  You golf?
• 20:39
  You're an avid golfer.
• 20:40
  I like to golf.
• 20:41
  Do you golf in our golf tournament?
• 20:43
  I'm going to golf in your golf tournament this year.
• 20:44
  This year?
• 20:45
  You're going to golf?
• 20:45
  Good.
• 20:46
  I think I was...
• 20:47
  On the mayor's team?
• 20:48
  I'll be on anyone's team.
• 20:50
  I know.
• 20:50
  Yeah, he says yes.
• 20:51
  That's perfect.
• 20:52
  So, yeah, so that's good.
• 20:52
  You got a team now.
• 20:53
  That's cool.
• 20:53
  I got a team.
• 20:54
  Awesome.
• 20:54
  Yeah, so I enjoy golf.
• 20:57
  Yeah.
• 20:58
  And cats.
• 20:58
  And cats.
• 20:59
  So these are, yeah.
• 21:00
  Yeah, I like to.
• 21:01
  So, yeah, I foster.
• 21:02
  I haven't fostered in a while because I have this new baby.
• 21:05
  Yeah, yeah.
• 21:05
  My last foster cat.
• 21:08
  This might be too much information.
• 21:10
  Well, there's no such thing on our podcast.
• 21:12
  I kind of like thought, oh, I might be pregnant.
• 21:14
  And so I told my husband, if I'm pregnant, can I keep this cat?
• 21:18
  And he's like, oh, yeah.
• 21:19
  And then I was.
• 21:20
  So I got to keep the last foster cat.
• 21:22
  So that was the fifth and final cat for now.
• 21:26
  Oh, I could say a little bit.
• 21:27
  Just don't say it, just don't say it, yeah.
• 21:30
  So yeah, and we like to travel.
• 21:32
  And so again, we haven't traveled as much.
• 21:34
  How has life with a little one changed you?
• 21:37
  Like, because Jennifer has a son, I have a daughter, I remember.
• 21:42
  How has life or has it changed you?
• 21:44
  It's definitely changed.
• 21:45
  I would say that you hear a lot of things about having a young baby and trying to balance everything and all the emotions.
• 21:53
  And I was lucky that I had a great pregnancy, good postpartum, I have a content baby.
• 21:59
  But I really, really tried to focus on all the positives about it.
• 22:04
  And I really just tried to enjoy every day of maternity leave and get out lots and do lots.
• 22:10
  And so I would say that it's changed our lives in terms of my husband and I, we can't just go for a run together.
• 22:16
  We can't just go off somewhere to travel.
• 22:18
  But we really do try to make her part of our life.
• 22:21
  That's the best.
• 22:21
  We bring her along.
• 22:22
  She's been on lots of plane rides already.
• 22:24
  She's been on lots of trips.
• 22:25
  Awesome.
• 22:26
  We bring her out with us and we just have to realize that probably after 5 p.m.
• 22:30
  she's gonna be in the house.
• 22:31
  No, no, yeah, no.
• 22:32
  We had our daughter at the Swiss Chalet three days after she was born.
• 22:36
  She didn't order her own quarter chicken, but nonetheless, we had her there three days after she was born.
• 22:40
  And you know what?
• 22:41
  Hayden is far more patient when it comes to travel delays than Ryan and I are.
• 22:46
  We're like frustrated and angry, and he's like, you know chillax, telling us to calm down.
• 22:46
  Yeah, they just play their game, and away they go, and we're like screaming at the agent.
• 22:53
  No, they're good.
• 22:54
  And I think, you know, traveling with a baby, you realize how patient people are when you have a baby with you.
• 22:59
  It's like, yeah, it's quite easy.
• 23:01
  And they'll give you a little extras.
• 23:03
  Like even the airlines, they'll give you, anyway, we won't get into that, but nonetheless.
• 23:06
  So that's cool.
• 23:06
  That's good.
• 23:07
  Yeah, I'm glad it's been a very positive, positive experience.
• 23:09
  It's been wonderful.
• 23:10
  Yes.
• 23:10
  Cool.
• 23:11
  So I'm very lucky.
• 23:12
  Well, I mean, that, I think career, having a child, raising a child in the midst of career and all of that.
• 23:18
  And now that I know you run 50K marathons, that's even more impressive.
• 23:21
  Like not right now, but you will again one day.
• 23:25
  That's just incredible.
• 23:26
  And so when we talk about the county, we talk about all that's going on there.
• 23:30
  Tell us where, tell us the good things about Parkland County.
• 23:35
  Like what's happening in Parkland County?
• 23:37
  Well, I think first off, just the, the people, we have lots of great people in Parkland County.
• 23:42
  We had a almost complete turnover in council last term.
• 23:47
  And so I was an interim CAO trying to manage this, you know, new council come on, you have six new people, you have certain impressions of people that, you know, and then just trying to work together with a new council.
• 24:02
  So I don't want to interrupt, but so maybe, cause I think people, so what is the role of say, like the mayor who's sitting here and the CAO?
• 24:09
  I guess to put it bluntly, who really runs this?
• 24:12
  I shouldn't say that.
• 24:14
  That's a really good question.
• 24:15
  Cause you're a paid employee.
• 24:17
  Yes.
• 24:18
  And the council are elected officials.
• 24:20
  So I'm appointed and the council is elected.
• 24:22
  And council's job is really to set the policy and the long-term direction for the county, make the decisions on bylaws.
• 24:31
  And then administration's job is really, you know, number one, to provide council with advice.
• 24:36
  We have lots of experts in the municipality.
• 24:37
  But number two is really to take that direction from council.
• 24:41
  Sometimes it won't be what you suggest it or maybe what you believe.
• 24:47
  But it's really our job to provide that direction.
• 24:51
  And so there's a term, fearless advice, loyal implementation, which is something that I really live by.
• 24:58
  I like that.
• 24:59
  You really have to provide council with your best advice.
• 25:01
  But at the end of the day, they are the ones who set the direction and you really have to implement that.
• 25:05
  So, can I ask you this?
• 25:07
  Do you ever disagree with the mayor or with council?
• 25:09
  Like, do you ever...
• 25:11
  And how does that work?
• 25:13
  Yeah, how does that work?
• 25:14
  It's really about, you know, I think administration and council sometimes aren't aligned on certain things, but that's not a bad thing.
• 25:20
  I think that's a good thing.
• 25:21
  And we both have different perspectives and things we bring to the table.
• 25:25
  And so it's just about being respectful to one another, which we have...
• 25:29
  Administration has a great relationship with council.
• 25:31
  We feel supported.
• 25:32
  We feel respected.
• 25:33
  And so, you know, it's just about bringing that best advice, but then at the end of the day, accepting that that might not be the way that we go as an organization, and that's okay.
• 25:42
  And we're all working in the same direction and we're on the same team.
• 25:47
  I love that, because I think most people would never know or understand how that works.
• 25:50
  No, I don't think a lot of people understand.
• 25:52
  Absolutely not.
• 25:52
  You know, and so I think it's good for people to know that that's how it works.
• 25:56
  It is.
• 25:56
  And for me, my job is really to support council and to be more behind the scenes.
• 26:01
  And I really like that.
• 26:02
  So I like letting them be at the forefront.
• 26:06
  And for me, my job is just at execution and being behind the scenes.
• 26:09
  So let me ask you this question.
• 26:11
  Having been working in government for many, many years, do you ever get tempted to think maybe I should run for office?
• 26:20
  No, okay, sure.
• 26:21
  Because you could make the announcement right here, right now on our podcast. It could be breaking news Cam.
• 26:25
  I would be honoured.
• 26:26
  We would be honoured.
• 26:27
  I'm not just saying this because the mayor is sitting next to me, but I have so much respect for people who go into elected office because you really, you're out there.
• 26:35
  Oh, yeah, sure.
• 26:36
  Especially these days.
• 26:37
  No, you are.
• 26:37
  You're right.
• 26:38
  Especially these days.
• 26:38
  And it's such a challenging environment to be an elected official that I grew up, my grandmother was a mayor growing up.
• 26:46
  Oh, really?
• 26:47
  And so I kind of saw that growing up, but it was so different back then that there wasn't social media.
• 26:52
  Oh, yeah.
• 26:54
  There wasn't a lot of that stuff going on that goes on now.
• 26:57
  And so I think you have to have really thick skin to be an elected official.
• 27:01
  And I don't think I have that.
• 27:04
  I think you'd be awesome.
• 27:05
  But nonetheless, you know where you want to be, and that's the most important.
• 27:09
  And I'm involved in lots of things that are...
• 27:13
  Lots of boards and committees and stuff outside of Parkland County that maybe fulfill that other itch that I have to get involved in more.
• 27:19
  Absolutely.
• 27:20
  100%.
• 27:21
  Well, Laura, we told you this would fly by.
• 27:23
  Almost over.
• 27:24
  It's almost over, but we have one final question.
• 27:28
  What is the best piece of advice you have been given either personally or professionally that you carry with you to this day?
• 27:35
  That's a great question.
• 27:37
  I think the best piece of advice for me, and it's something I think I mentioned this at the start, is you can find opportunity and you can learn a lesson in any situation.
• 27:48
  So it can be the absolute...
• 27:49
  You can have the worst boss, you can have the worst job, you can be in a bad environment.
• 27:55
  And I've never really had to that extreme, but you can be in a meeting that you hate.
• 28:01
  And you can take something away from that.
• 28:03
  So it's just about looking at what is the opportunity that I have in this situation and how can I learn from it, and not just wallow or anything like that.
• 28:12
  So I think it's just...
• 28:14
  Great advice.
• 28:14
  You do a great job.
• 28:15
  You really do.
• 28:16
  And we're ABA and myself and Jennifer, we're connected with the county quite closely.
• 28:22
  We consider that an honour and a privilege to be able to work with the county and to work with you and the mayor and the council and all of that and the people.
• 28:30
  And just from the outside of the fishbowl, I think you do an amazing job.
• 28:35
  I agree.
• 28:36
  I really do.
• 28:37
  And I'm not just saying that.
• 28:38
  I really think you do an amazing job.
• 28:40
  And people will never understand all that goes on.
• 28:45
  We get to see a little snippet of it.
• 28:48
  And I'm not sure I'd want to be in your shoes some days.
• 28:51
  But you seem to handle it so well and with such professionalism.
• 28:55
  And I think that's fantastic.
• 28:57
  I think Parkland County is so lucky and so blessed to have you.
• 29:02
  So you can't go anywhere.
• 29:03
  All right, Mr.
• 29:04
  Mayor.
• 29:05
  She can't go nowhere.
• 29:06
  Yeah.
• 29:07
  So if you do, we'll hunt you.
• 29:09
  No, just kidding.
• 29:09
  No, I appreciate that.
• 29:11
  And I think, you know, right back at you guys, we have such a great relationship with the Acheson Business Association.
• 29:16
  And I've seen the progress and the growth the ABA has made over the last few years.
• 29:20
  And we're just at the county.
• 29:22
  We're so grateful to have that relationship with the ABA.
• 29:25
  And I will say that, you know, while I tried to stay behind the scenes, you know, I am the most forward facing administration at the county.
• 29:32
  We have so many great people who work at the county that I can only take credit for a little tiny sliver of what goes on.
• 29:38
  There's just so many amazing people that my job is just to kind of keep that ship moving and support them.
• 29:44
  But they have to have a captain.
• 29:46
  And so you're great at that.
• 29:47
  Thank you.
• 29:48
  I'll call the mayor the admiral while he's sitting here.
• 29:51
  But every...
• 29:53
  You're going to get him a hat?
• 29:54
  You're going to get him a hat.
• 29:55
  Yeah, yeah.
• 29:57
  Admiral, admiral mayor.
• 29:59
  But every ship has to have a captain.
• 30:01
  That's right.
• 30:02
  And you are an amazing captain.
• 30:03
  And so thank you so much.
• 30:06
  Thank you so much.
• 30:07
  So if people are interested in visiting the beautiful surroundings of Parkland County, how can they find out what's in Parkland County?
• 30:14
  Where can they go?
• 30:15
  There's a website.
• 30:16
  We have a Parkland County website.
• 30:17
  So I would check out our Parkland County website, parklandcounty.com.ca.
• 30:23
  I know you're always like, is it.com?.ca?
• 30:27
  Are you com or ca?
• 30:29
  Are you com?
• 30:30
  I think so.
• 30:32
  And then we have a wonderful tourism initiative that we've launched that talks about all the awesome spots in Parkland County.
• 30:38
  Yeah, it's amazing.
• 30:39
  And you know what?
• 30:40
  Wabamun.
• 30:41
  You guys are doing an amazing thing in Wabamun there.
• 30:43
  That's becoming like a hotspot.
• 30:45
  I only know that from sitting on the Ec Dev committee, but that's pretty cool.
• 30:48
  So yeah, some cool stuff.
• 30:49
  We have cool stuff.
• 30:49
  We have lots of parks.
• 30:50
  We have lots of natural areas.
• 30:52
  We have lots of trails.
• 30:53
  Birds.
• 30:54
  Birds.Animals Lots of birds.
• 30:55
  And just every part of Parkland County that you visit is different.
• 31:01
  So like we have the southeast side of Parkland County that's on the southwest border of Edmonton, that has a beautiful trail network, the River Valley, we have Wabamun, we have Pembina, we have everything.
• 31:12
  So there it is, folks.
• 31:14
  Right now, we're all struggling in saying we should stay in Canada and visit Canada.
• 31:18
  So Parkland County be a great place to visit.
• 31:20
  We'll welcome you with open arms.
• 31:22
  Well, thanks Laura, it's amazing.
• 31:24
  Thank you for taking the time, it's great.
• 31:27
  Fantastic podcast again, Cam.
• 31:28
  Oh man, I'll tell ya, Laura is an amazing person.
• 31:32
  Like amazing, and what she does is incredible.
• 31:34
  She really is, and when I said she is an inspiration to me, she really is.
• 31:38
  Yeah, she is, and again, as we talked about in the podcast, one of the youngest CAOs in the province, I mean, that's just incredible.
• 31:45
  She's doing a fantastic job at Parkland County.
• 31:47
  She's doing a wonderful job.
• 31:48
  I love working with Laura.
• 31:50
  So do I.
• 31:50
  I loved her story.
• 31:51
  I mean, you know, cats and all.
• 31:54
  It's really great, and I just think she's amazing.
• 31:56
  So that was an awesome story.
• 31:58
  It was.
• 31:58
  Yeah.
• 31:58
  So thanks, everybody, for listening.
• 32:00
  Really appreciate it.
• 32:01
  Hey, make sure you tell your friends about the ABA Coffee In The Park podcast wherever you get your podcasts or at www.Achesonbusiness.com.
• 32:11
  Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your coworkers.
• 32:13
  If you don't have any friends, make a friend so you can tell them about the podcast and make sure you subscribe.
• 32:20
  That is so important so you don't miss a new episode of ABA Coffee In The Park.
• 32:24
  That's right.
• 32:24
  You'll be notified when the new episode drops and we got some great guests coming up in the next few weeks.
• 32:29
  So it's going to be awesome.
• 32:31
  But thank you everybody for listening.
• 32:32
  We really appreciate it.
• 32:34
  Thanks, everyone.
• 32:34
  See you next week.
• 32:35
  See you later.