Town of Newmarket wins national award for leadership training initiative

The Town of Newmarket has received national recognition from the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) for its leadership training program.

The municipality was presented with the 2025 CAMA Municipal Inspiring Workplace Award, in the 20,001 to 100,000 population category, during an awards ceremony at CAMA’s national conference in Mont-Tremblant, Que.

“CAMA is pleased to recognize Newmarket for the municipal excellence demonstrated by their leadership essentials program,” Tony Kulbisky, CAMA president, CAMA representative for Alberta and CAO for Westlock County, Alta, said in a CAMA news release. “Providing professional and confident leadership is at the core of every municipality’s success. The program speaks to very specific things necessary to be an effective, respected leader.”

The program is aimed at enhancing leadership and workplace culture at the town. It recognizes that all municipalities are in the people development business. Leadership matters. How organizations educate, empower and inspire people leaders has a direct impact on workplace culture and vitality, the release stated.

The leadership vision for Newmarket is to create an environment for extraordinary public service. To achieve this, the “made in Newmarket” leadership essential program was developed.

By placing an organization-wide value on the power and potential of common points around leadership, Newmarket’s people leaders — supervisors, managers, directors, commissioners, and the CAO — now share common language, goals, tools, and tactics that brings the leadership vision to life within the organization.

It provides user-friendly tools and clear expectations and consistency around seven core fundamentals: onboarding, predictive index, performance excellence partnerships, employee development, performance recognition, service recognition, and fun factor.

The program also includes a “secret sauce” that the town’s people leaders agree makes good leaders. Expanding on the word “leadership,” the ingredients include listening, empathic, approachable, dedicated, ethical, respectful, supportive, humble, inclusive, and proactive.

This is a highly replicable program for any municipality in the country, big or small, CAMA stated. It can also be used as a reference foundation for others to customize a similar program considering their municipality’s leadership needs and priorities.

“I am so proud of our Newmarket team for developing this amazing program and for creating an award-winning corporate culture rooted in caring teamwork, respect and an innovative spirit,” says Mayor John Taylor. “Congratulations to all of the 2025 CAMA award winners. Your passion and creativity is truly paving the way to an even brighter future for all communities across Canada.”

“On behalf of team Newmarket, we are deeply honoured to be recognized among our colleagues from across the country as the recipient of the 2025 CAMA Inspiring Workplace Award,” says Ian McDougall, chief administrative officer. “This achievement is particularly meaningful because it speaks to the very unique and special corporate culture we have all worked together to create in Newmarket. This is what makes us excited and inspired to get up every day and come to work with an incredible team in an extraordinary community.”

“CAMA’s Awards of Excellence Program celebrates the best in local government and recognizes the professional municipal administration needed to deliver creative and successful programs, projects or services,” said Bev Hendry, chair of the 2025 CAMA awards committee and CAMA past president. “Each year we are amazed at the calibre of submissions received. Congratulations to the winners and everyone who submitted an entry.”

A total of 54 submissions were received for this year’s awards program. To find out more about each award, and to see a video outlining each project, visit www.camacam.ca/awards and look for the award recipients’ link.