CCI Newsletter, No. 32, November 2003

CCI's Director General Bill Peters Retires

by Charlie Costain, Acting Director General, and Linda Street, Senior Advisor

Bill Peters, the sixth Director General of the Canadian Conservation Institute, retired in July 2003 after 37 years in the Public Service of Canada.

Prior to his arrival at CCI in the summer of 1995, Bill had spent three years as Director General of the Heritage Branch in the Department of Canadian Heritage and two years in the Historic Sites Directorate of Parks Canada. With this background, he brought to the Institute a thorough understanding of the Canadian heritage community.

Under Bill's leadership, CCI's horizons expanded to include emerging issues such as Aboriginal and multicultural collections, the architectural interiors of Canada's most culturally significant buildings (such as the Parliament Buildings), and the need to contribute actively to policy development to ensure the adequate protection of Canada's moveable cultural property. At the same time, he encouraged the continued development of CCI's core strength — the symbiotic relationship between scientific research and conservation treatment (the results of which have provided major contributions to conservation activities worldwide). He also made sure that CCI's knowledge base, the services it provides, and its strategic directions reflected the practical realities and needs of Canadians by seeing to it that consultations with the heritage community were conducted and continued on an ongoing basis. Linked to this was his direction to staff that client satisfaction be regularly assessed, measured, and analysed so that improvements could be made as needed.

All of this was achieved in the face of budget reductions and diminished fiscal expectations. To ensure that CCI was as focused as possible, he involved staff in a period of intense examination of many critical issues including policy, organizational structure, client satisfaction, and staff morale, values, and principles, to name but a few. And he saw to it that many of their recommendations were adopted. This resulted in an improved planning cycle for the organization and a heightened awareness of client needs and satisfaction. Systems were streamlined, reporting relationships were clarified, revenue generation possibilities were explored and pursued, and the organizational structure was revised. Partners were engaged in collaborative efforts and projects, one of the most fruitful of which was with the Heritage Conservation Program of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). CCI and PWGSC have now worked together on a number of projects on Parliament Hill, with CCI contributing to the identification and specifications for preserving the heritage interiors of these significant buildings. Efforts such as these have increased the efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability of the Institute.

Bill had a strong background in communications, and knew the importance of sharing information and broadening the Institute's base of relevance. He encouraged staff to find opportunities for CCI to increase its ability to reach out beyond the heritage community and provide service to a broad range of clients. His guidance and encouragement were motivating factors in the improvement of CCI's original Web site and the creation of a new one. This new site — "Preserving my Heritage" — is designed to raise public awareness about the importance of conservation, and provides an opportunity for members of the general public to access information that will help them protect their own personal treasures.

As another means of making information, knowledge, and expertise broadly accessible, Bill encouraged CCI's publication program and its education and training efforts. Once again, he ensured that the Institute constantly sought constructive criticism from its clients and partners in order to continually improve these efforts. Ongoing dialogue was always important to Bill.

The creation of a positive, healthy working environment for CCI staff was one of Bill's priorities. He had great confidence in the abilities of his staff to exercise proper judgement, and he never hesitated to give them the authority to act when he believed it to be in the best interests of the Institute. His open door policy reflected the care and concern Bill had for his team, which included all members of CCI staff. The building of staff morale was always a work in progress.

As a "people manager," Bill focused on both the physical and emotional work environment of his staff. Accommodation difficulties at CCI during his tenure contributed greatly to the complexity of these issues. By the late 1990s, the CCI facility at 1030 Innes Road had become inadequate, inefficient, and costly. In addition, a toxigenic mould species found in the perimeter wall cavity required immediate remedial action. Following an extensive cost-benefit analysis, it was decided that the building should be refurbished to extend its life by another 10 years. Bill initiated the process that would eventually lead to replacement of all windows and the roof membrane, as well as the remediation and retrofit of the building.

Bill's contribution to CCI may be measured by the fact that, under the influence of his wisdom, experience, personality, and approach, the Institute continued to occupy its place as a cornerstone of national and international conservation activities. As a result of his efforts, CCI remains vital to the ongoing strength of the Canadian heritage community.