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MAKING A DIFFERENCERUNNING “THE CITY THATMAKES A DIFFERENCE”Royal City CAO Hans Loewig is retiring after five yearsat the helmby BRIAN HUNSBERGERHans Loewig brought a steady hand and years ofmunicipal government experience to the City ofGuelph at a time of transition when just such leadershipwas needed. He is retiring at the end of Decemberafter five years of service as Chief Administrative Officer.It will be his second attempt at retirement.Although he has not served in his current role for along time, Loewig will be leaving with high praise fromPHOTO: EXCHANGE MAGAZINE“The strength of any organization stems from a solid structure that is flexible enough toadapt to change. One of my primary roles has been to facilitate change.“46 | w w w . e x c h a n g e m a g a z i n e . c o mhis boss, Mayor Karen Farbridge. She commented,“What has impressed me about Loewig’ leadership ishis unremitting commitment to serving the publicinterest. I quickly learned he has a remarkable ability,within seconds of meeting, to discern if someone isauthentically interested in doing the same or has othermotives. If you were the former, he would do anythingto help you. If you were the latter, you had met yourmatch.”Loewig, who grew up in St. Catharines and Welland,started his career in park management. After graduatingfrom the School of Horticulture in Niagara Falls hefirst worked in Regina, then came to Kitchener wherehe did design and development in the Parks Departmentbefore accepting a management position inBrantford as Director of Parks for six years and thenAdministrator of Parks and Recreation for 20 years. Hewas then appointed CAO and served for five and a halfyears in that capacity.He retired from the City of Brantford in 2004 but waslured back to work by the City of Guelph in 2007 to filla “temporary” assignment. “Initially it was to be aneight month contract while they hired a permanentCAO,“ Loewig quipped. “Somehow it got extended tofive years!”Loewig describes himself as a practical person. “Istarted at the bottom and worked up,“ he commented.“I’ve experienced it all in municipal government. Overthe years I developed a strong interest in strategicplanning and change management. The strength of anyorganization stems from a solid structure that is flexibleenough to adapt to change. One of my primaryroles has been to facilitate change.“He went on to say, “There are lots of shades of grayin municipal government work. Compromise is neededto find creative, practical solutions. I try to be a supporterof staff and encourage them to seek those solutions.The City’s corporate values are ‘integrity, excellenceand wellness.’ I try to model those values tostaff.“ He leads a staff team of 1435 (full-time equivalents)people and oversees an annual operating budgetof $170 million as well as a capital budget of $34 million.Loewig highlighted some of the changes that havetaken place in Guelph during his tenure. While Guelphhas long been known for fostering an environmentalethic, some significant initiatives have happenedrecently on that front. A $30 million organic wastefacility opened this fall. It will also be receiving organicwaste from the Region of Waterloo. At the same time,Guelph has no conventional landfill site. Non-organicwaste is trucked elsewhere.A community energy initiative is significantly reducingthe City’s energy consumption. This is being donein cooperation with Guelph Hydro, the local electricalutility. The objective is to reduce consumption in thenext 20 years at the same time as the population (currently120,000) is expected to grow by 50,000 people.District heating systems are part of the solution.Loewig proudly pointed out that Guelph is a leader inOntario in community energy solutions. CanadianSolar Solutions, Canada’s largest solar panel producer,employs 500 people in the city.Guelph is also currently developing the Hanloncontinued on page 45