The Political Trenches: Local Government At Work · The Political Trenches

High Level CAO Viv Thoss

December 17, 2025·29 min·1 clip

Viv Thoss says High Level had “several years” of non-compliant financial reporting and she had to act fast.

1. The Political Trenches: Local Government At Work episode centers on Viv Thoss, the CAO for High Level, Alberta, and her move from Silverton, British Columbia. 2. Chris and Ian interview Viv as a local government professional whose job matters because she has worked as a CAO in two provinces. 3. The episode asks what a CAO actually does and what changes when the job crosses provincial borders. 4. Viv says the CAO role is “a balancing act” between council expectations, community expectations, and staff expectations. 5. Chris and Ian contrast that balance with the solitude many CAOs feel between elected officials and administration. 6. Viv says Alberta legislation is “way more prescriptive” than British Columbia legislation. 7. She says the core responsibilities and accountability are the same in Alberta and BC, but the legal nuances and organization culture differ. 8. Viv describes buying a copy of the Alberta Municipal Government Act and keeping it beside her desk. 9. She says BC uses both the Community Charter and the Local Government Act, and she checks mentors when she is unsure. 10. Viv explains that High Level and Silverton both involved water issues and difficult community communication. 11. She says community hesitation appeared when she worked with the province in Silverton and that the experience prepared her for similar uncertainty in northern Alberta. 12. Viv says moving provinces means rebuilding a network because BC gave her people she could call and “bounce things off.” 13. She says she is building that same support system in Alberta through people, professional organizations, and national groups. 14. Viv says mentors, including former CAOs and senior leaders, gave her advice that helped shape her career path. 15. She says getting to know staff as people, not just employees, helps her gain trust when she enters a new organization. 16. Viv says new elected officials need role clarity, respect, civility, and curiosity to work well with administration. 17. She says she believes in education and respectful discourse, even when a CAO has to tell people what they do not want to hear. 18. The conversation is conversational and practical, with Ian and Chris pushing for concrete examples from High Level, Silverton, and Alberta municipal practice. 19. Listeners interested in municipal leadership, CAO work, and Alberta-BC comparisons would get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a tightly focused policy debate or a purely technical legal walkthrough might skip it.

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