Manitoba deputy minister on way to becoming Winnipeg CAO

A deputy minister in the Manitoba government is in line to become the next chief administrative officer of the City of Winnipeg.

Joe Dunford, the deputy minister of public service delivery, has been chosen by a selection committee consisting of councillors Devi Sharma, Jeff Browaty, Ross Eadie and Janice Lukes.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said he looks forward to the skills and experience Dunford will bring to the position.

If city council approves the hiring at next week’s council meeting, Dunford will officially begin the job on Aug. 4.

“I’ve said, as Winnipeg continues to grow, we need a new CAO to modernize the work that we do, improve service delivery for the public, and help us build a more responsive and forward city government,” Gillingham said after the nomination was approved by executive policy committee on Tuesday.

“I’m confident Joe Dunford is up for that task. (He) has worked across multiple governments and multiple provinces in focusing really on operational excellence in the work that he has done. He brings a wealth of public-sector experience and leadership, as I said, across multiple provinces.

“Ultimately, we were looking for, and I believe we found, a CAO which can drive the ‘yes first’ culture, customer focus, high-performance culture, for the City of Winnipeg.”

Dunford could not be reached for comment.

Mintu Sandhu, Manitoba’s minister of public service delivery, congratulated Dunford on the new chapter in his career.

“Mr. Dunford has been a dedicated public servant whose leadership and deep knowledge of service delivery have made a meaningful impact. I know he’ll bring the same drive and commitment to his new role with the City of Winnipeg.”

Dunford’s LinkedIn account shows he received a bachelor’s degree in science in 1998, a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 2003, and a master’s degree in engineering in 2011, all at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dunford has worked in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as Nova Scotia.

He was assistant deputy minister of transportation and infrastructure for five years with the Newfoundland and Labrador government, he served five years as regional director of infrastructure support with that province’s eastern health region, and worked for four years as a process engineer with Memorial University.

Dunford was Nova Scotia’s senior director of procurement and project delivery in health care redevelopment for a year before coming to Manitoba in April 2023. He was deputy minister of consumer protection and government services under the Tory government.

Dunford replaces Michael Jack, who resigned as city CAO last year after an audit of the city’s workforce found that out of 12 department leaders, 10 had no formal performance measures for evaluating staff, while many positions, including senior management, had no job descriptions or they were outdated.

Jack was hired as the province’s deputy minister of business, mining, trade and job creation.

Gillingham thanked Sherwood Armbruster who has been filling the position on an interim basis.

“His steady leadership has been greatly appreciated,” the mayor said.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca