Infrastructure Asset Management Alberta (IAMA) represents the greater community of any person, organization or agency engaged in or has an interest in infrastructure asset management. The ‘community’ is supported by the IAMA Working Group which is a voluntary group of representatives from associations, local governments, agencies, private industry and/or first nations brought together to recognize and integrate the administrative, technical, operational, financial, and planning aspects of asset management.

IAMA history:

It all began with a meeting in Red Deer in 2010 attended by asset management practitioners from Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer and many other municipalities around Alberta. For most, the idea of municipal asset management grew from the Public Sector Accounting Board directive 3150 which required municipalities to inventory and depreciate their tangible capital assets in their financial statements beginning in 2009. The significant gap between remaining book value and actual replacement cost begged attention. Early AM practitioners in attendance recognized that funding replacement cost was key to maintaining sustainable services for citizens. Canadian Network of Asset Managers as well as Asset Management BC were newly formed organizations with the similar goals and objectives. Both were represented at the meeting provided the group with an overview of their organizations structure.

The group continued to meet regularly in Red Deer to hear case studies from municipalities who were making progress in their asset management plans. This was driven entirely by a group of dedicated volunteers with the workshops being sponsored by a few supportive municipalities on a rotational basis. At the same time, a group of BSAB practitioners was meeting regularly to share best practices and try to bring consistency to PSAB reporting. Back then the reporting practices as well as the auditing standards varied greatly. The PSAB group was trying to reduce the uncertainty that this was creating for them. Around 2014 the groups decided to merge, and cover topics related to tangible capital assets (TCA) reporting as well as AM practice t the workshops. This seemed to bolster the numbers of attendees at our workshops. Two important things happened n the year following the merger. We were able to apply for and received a Municipal Collaboration Grant from the Province and we developed a relationship with the GFOA in Alberta. Finally there was some structure and a bit of capital for the organization. The grant money was used to develop a website and to hire the GFOA’s ED to provide some much-needed admin support for the volunteers who had been running the organization off the side of their desks for years.

In 2017 the decision to incorporate was made as the group had a small balance from charging a nominal fee for our workshops while still relying on municipal sponsors to cover most of the cost for venue and catering. This was the beginning of what IAMA is today with an elected board representing the entire industry, bylaws and policies and a membership made up of AM and TCA practitioners. The (still volunteer) board of directors provides governance and the workshops are developed by a larger working group of volunteers. Both groups meet once a month and the beat goes on…

IAMA Governance:

In November 2017 Infrastructure Asset Management Alberta became an official non-profit association.  See below for IAMA Official Bylaws.