Community Accounts vying for top prize in national competition

Community Accounts, a made-in-Newfoundland and Labrador information system that monitors well-being in communities, regions and the province as a whole, is vying for top prize in a prestigious national competition that recognizes public service excellence.

The IPAC Award for Innovative Management, established by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and sponsored by IBM, recognizes excellence and outstanding achievement in the public service. This year�s theme, In the Know, Managing Knowledge, emphasizes innovation in knowledge management. Community Accounts is one of four finalists out of a field of 90 competitors representing federal/provincial and municipal civil service organizations from across the country.

"This is certainly great news, and well-deserved," said Premier Roger Grimes. "Community Accounts is unique in Canada, an innovative tool for social and economic policy development that other jurisdictions are looking to model. I congratulate the Community Accounts team for helping to position Newfoundland and Labrador as an innovator not only in the social policy field, but also in the world of information technology.

Winners of the IPAC Award for Innovative Management will be announced at a ceremony in Toronto on August 27. The Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) has been dedicated to advancing excellence in the public service for over 50 years. The national president of IPAC this year is Fonse Faour, chair and chief executive officer of the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Service Commission.

"Mr. Faour has dedicated his career to building excellence in the civil service both here in this province and on the national stage," said the Premier. "I congratulate him for the excellent leadership he has shown and for his success as this year�s president of IPAC."

Community Accounts was developed by the Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency, Department of Finance, in partnership with Memorial University and the Strategic Social Plan. Community Accounts team members include Dr. Doug May of Memorial University, Alton Hollett, director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency, and agency staff Terry Quinlan, Robert Reid, Greg Tucker and Peter Benoite. The team won a Public Service Award of Excellence earlier this year.

Development of the information system comes from the commitment government made to measure social progress when it launched the Strategic Social Plan (SSP) in 1998. The Web-based system brings together information on a wide variety of topics including health, education, income, and employment, and is an important tool for the first ever Social Audit now underway

"Community Accounts gives everyone the chance to use the same information that government uses to develop its programs and policies," said Gerald Smith, Minister of Health and Community Services and lead minister for the Strategic Social Plan. "It is recognized for its ease of access, and for the wealth of information it provides. Community Accounts is a valuable resource for policy makers, students, planners and citizens interested in gaining a better understanding of themselves and their communities."

The system was used to develop From the Ground Up, a look at social and economic well-being in Newfoundland and Labrador released earlier this spring as part of the province�s first-ever Social Audit.

For more information on Community Accounts, you can go to www.communityaccounts.ca To learn more about the Strategic Social Plan, click on www.gov.nl.ca/ssp .

Media contact: Marcia Porter, Communications, (709) 729-0175

2003 08 26                                        1:15 p.m.