Norm McInnis, new CAO for Fernie

Norm McInnis has had a smooth transition into his new community and his new job, doing work he knows and loves.

Norm McInnis became the CAO for the City of Fernie on November 1, 2016. — Photo courtesy Norm McInnis

There are rare and precious times when milestone life changes happen smoothly—no hitches, no glitches, no bumps in the road. That’s the way it was when Norm McInnis and his wife decided to leave Norm’s hometown of Olds, Alberta, where he had been the town’s CAO for more than eight years.

“My wife and I had spent our first year as empty nesters,” McInnis said. “We thought about making a change and decided to check out Fernie, where our older son lives. It all came together so effortlessly, we think it was meant to be.”

The position of CAO for the City of Fernie happened to be vacant, and McInnis’s extensive experience and longstanding passion for community economic development made him a perfect fit for the job. He took up his new position on November 1, 2016.

McInnis is still compiling a comprehensive overview of Fernie, its needs and its people, and he’s excited about serving his new community. We asked him to tell us about his perspective on his new job.

What does the big picture look like to you?

Corporately what we need to do on the community services side, working with various groups, is to move the community forward. There’s a big vision here and we all need to pull in the same direction to bring it to fruition.

We understand that change is a long game. Change management is incremental work and you need to build the right foundation. In order for your vision to pull you forward from your current reality, you have to know that reality.

Do you feel a certain amount of pressure, as the new guy?

I understand that we may never get to perfect agreement despite our hard work and good intentions. What I value is not necessarily what you value, and inherent in that is conflict. I’m quite prepared to work through those friction points in order to get to the bigger vision.

From a community engagement point of view, there’s a real skill or art to getting that conflict in the room and letting it work itself out. An administrator can’t take sides in this stuff. You have to use that friction to create positive energy. If people understand the process and the reasons why council makes the decision it does, then they can accept the decision even if it’s not what they would have chosen.

What is the main strength or skill you bring to the job?

Leadership is more art than science, and the creative side of leadership is something I’ve studied and try to practice. It’s important to have an understandable process. The framework for this work, for me, is relationships, possibilities and actions. Sometimes we are so fixated on moving to action we don’t build the requisite relationships and understand all the possibilities.

What are some specific things that are on your agenda for this year?

A lot of the work that I see for myself and the City of Fernie is internal. We need to focus on planning and budgetary process, with a clear understanding of the service levels that we are setting with the resources that are available, and more clarity around roles and responsibilities.

I’m looking forward to my role in community economic development and merging into some of the social fabric, some of the relationships, some of the community organizations, and understanding what the City of Fernie can do as a partner in economic development. Tourism Fernie does an incredible job, the chamber of commerce is extremely engaged, and many entrepreneurs and business people here are extremely passionate about our community. Most of all, there is an energy in Fernie that you can feel. It comes from the people, and I want to contribute to that in a positive way.

How would you define success?

I think it’s moving the needle. Seeing that our work has moved us from current reality toward a more preferred future, that’s success. I certainly see myself more as a public servant than as an administrator. Community engagement is really important and valuable to me—it leads to stronger personal investment in the community.