AMO 2025 Pre-conference workshops

• Reviewing recent developments in the law regarding health and safety, including principles coming out of Greater Sudbury (City) and subsequent cases 
• Discussing when and how owners can be liable for heath and safety, and considering the implications of breaches of such responsibility and the availability of potential defences. 
• Considering the balance between an owner’s exercise of its contracted rights to direct the and “assuming control of the project.

Speakers:

• Catherine Gleason-Mercier, Partner, Singleton Reynolds
• James Little, Partner, Singleton Reynolds

Register Here

Workshop: Countering Hate, Social Polarization, and Extremism in Ontario Municipalities, Strong Cities Prevention Academy—Canada 

The Prevention Academy pre-AMO Conference workshop is designed to enable mayors, councillors, and municipal staff to better understand and identify on- and off-line threats, needs and vulnerabilities in their communities and understand how to apply a whole-of-society approach to prevention in their municipalities.

This special session will focus on two modules:

• Understanding the Hate Landscape—Data Collection and Threat Assessment: how governments, including smaller municipalities that may have limited staff or resources to dedicate to tracking these specific trends, can understand the threat and hate landscape locally, particularly in light of underreporting and data gaps around vulnerable communities
• Multi-Level Partnerships—National, provincial and municipal collaboration in prevention: explore how to tangibly harness existing resources, partnerships, and programming on the national, provincial, and municipal level to move towards stronger, more resilient cities

The session focuses on foundational skills and tools for municipalities to better understand the local landscape and resources available at all levels of government to support initiatives around social cohesion and hate prevention. This session is designed so that municipalities can think creatively about their approaches to health, housing, the arts, and more and how those can intersect with social cohesion efforts. These sessions will also support sharing of proven practices and models for collaboration not only in their city, but across Canada.

Participants will explore, in detail, promising practices from across the Strong Cities global network of cities and receive tailored recommendations on how to implement these approaches to prevention in their own municipalities.

Speakers:

• Charlie Clark, Former Mayor, Saskatoon 
• Amy Mack, Canada Research Chair, University of Lethbridge
• John McCoy, Executive Director, Organization for the Prevention of Violence

Registration: $50.00

Register Here

Workshops:

Pre-registration is not required.

• Growing Wisely: Planning for Our Community’s Future

Asset management is a holistic approach to infrastructure planning that is based on proactive strategies and efficient investment. It is a tool that helps you plan for the future you want for your community. Beginning with a primer on growth and asset management, attendees will be provided with recommendations towards integrating growth and demographic shifts into asset management practices. Several case studies on how different municipalities in Ontario are planning for growth, with asset management and capital planning, will be discussed. 

This interactive session is relevant to municipalities of various types and sizes tasked with managing demographic changes, service level expectations, and financial sustainability. 

• AMO’s Civility and Anti-Harassment Strategy – MASS LBP

AMO is developing a strategy to combat the incivility and harassment experienced by elected officials and municipal staff in Ontario.  The strategy will offer proactive measures to foster safer and more respectful municipal environments as well as practical tools that municipalities can develop to respond effectively when incidents occur.

Join us for a solutions workshop concerning the mistreatment of elected officials and municipal staff.

Workshops:

Pre-registration is not required.

• Municipalities and Corporate Partnerships: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly in Increasing Revenues Without Raising Taxes - Partnership Group - Sponsorship Specialists

This 90-minute workshop has been designed to provide Ontario municipalities of all sizes from small villages to mega cities and everything in-between to better understand the benefits, the drawbacks, the issues and the celebrations associated with corporate partnership and naming right deals in municipalities in Ontario. 
The session will explore, explain and engage in discussion on topics such as:

• How do we know how much money we can raise in our community?
• If we are building a new facility how much money can we raise to offset capital costs? 
• What is the difference between donations and sponsorship, and does it really matter?
• How do we determine what the naming right for our arts centre or arena or Canada Day event or mom and tot swim program is really worth?
• Is it better to outsource these sales of naming rights and sponsorship or build internal capacity with staff to do it?
• Who else is doing this and what have been their successes and failures?
• What are the key setbacks to such a program
• How do stakeholders like the local high profile hockey team or swim club feel about the municipality making money off “their venue” and how do you deal with it?
• What are the risks and rewards?

If your municipality has ever considered getting into the “sponsorship and naming right” game or if you are already doing it and want to know more about it and the pros and cons or how to fix your existing program, this is the session for you. Come with your questions, your stories (to share your success or failure with others) and an open mind to better understand The Good, The Bad and The Ugly around Corporate Partnerships / Naming Rights and municipalities. 

Speaker: Brent Barootes, President and CEO, Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists

• Activating provincial support for emergency preparedness and response - Ministry of Emergency Preparedness & Response

When disaster strikes, local governments are on the frontlines of keeping their communities safe. But effective emergency management requires strong collaboration and coordination with all levels of government. This session will share how municipalities can work with Ontario’s new Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response to prepare for and respond to emergencies using Ontario’s new one-window approach. It will also cover how to activate Ontario Corps resources to augment municipal response, access provincial grants, and how Ontario’s newly proposed legislation will provide more flexibility and reduce red tape for municipalities.

Speaker: The Hon. Jill Dunlop, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response