The Government Finance Officers Association, an association for public sector finance professionals in the US and Canada, this week named Vancouver as the recipient of its Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

The finance team at the city council has put emphasis on explaining their budget decisions to the public by creating infographics and language that is easy to understand, it said in a statement.

Patrice Impey, general manager of finance, risk, and supply chain management for the City of Vancouver, said: “We have worked hard over the past few years to improve our financial planning, budgeting and reporting processes, and to enhance the presentation of our budget documents to make them more accessible for citizens.”

“It’s gratifying to receive external recognition for all of the work the finance team has done.”

The award recognises organisations whose budget documents explain complex information in a “clear and engaging way”, the statement said.

The financial management practices of the city have also been acknowledged by credit rating agencies, the statement said.

Vancouver received one of the top rankings among Canadian municipalities in a fiscal accountability report last year by the CD Howe institute.