The city can add another award to its cupboard for its Emergency Management program, as it has received national recognition from the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA).
Back in February, the same program was recognized by Public Safety Canada with an Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award. It has now been presented with the 2025 CAMA Willis Award for Innovation, in the 20,001 to 100,000 Population Category during a ceremony on May 28 in Mont Tremblant, Que.
"I am extremely proud of the incredible work and ingenuity that has gone into the City's emergency management program," St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron said in a news release. "During an emergency, every second counts. These innovative and collaborative tools address shared challenges for emergency responders across all municipalities and drive meaningful, sustainable changes in emergency management."
Three key projects are part of St. Albert's emergency management program: Know Your Zone, the Rapid Damage Assessment Tool, and the Everbridge Mass Communication System.
Know Your Zone is an emergency preparedness map and the first of its kind in the province. It uses ArcGIS mapping technology to create a real-time evacuation and shelter in place map.
The Rapid Damage Assesment Tool uses census and tax data to streamline property assessments and recovery efforts by allowing responders to put together a map in real time to see which how severe the damage may be to different properties, which helps the city focus their recovery efforts.
The Everbridge Mass Communication System is the same software that was used in the Los Angeles wildfires, and helps city officials and municipalities communicate during a crisis. It utilizes a cloud-based platform that delivers real-time alerts across multiple devices.
There were a total of 54 submissions for 2025's CAMA awards program. A representative from CAMA is going to make an official presentation to city staff and St. Albert city council during their regular council meeting on June 3.
