Program

Rural Healthy Democracy Forum Program
*The program information below is subject to change

June 11, 2025

8:00 a.m.  Breakfast
8:30 a.m.  Robin Jones, AMO President
8:35 a.m.  Christa Lowry, ROMA Chair
8:40 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

AMO’s Healthy Democracy Project: an introduction to the groundbreaking project working to accelerate the health of municipal democracies across Ontario

  • Petra Wolfbeiss, Director, AMO Membership Centre
  • Stewart McDonough, Lead, AMO’s Healthy Democracy Project
9:00 a.m. –10:15 a.m. 

Let’s talk social health. 

Social health isn’t just a personal health issue - it’s a societal one. When people feel disconnected and unseen, it doesn’t just impact their well-being. It fuels broader challenges like incivility, the spread of misinformation, political polarization, and a growing mistrust in institutions and one another. Disconnection breeds division and suspicion, while connection fosters understanding, empathy, and collaboration.

Join Pete Bombaci to discover practical strategies for nurturing deep connections and forging a path toward stronger and more connected homes, streets, classrooms, workplaces, communities — and a more cohesive and resilient society. Let’s shape a future where meaningful bonds are the cornerstone of our collective well-being and the antidote to some of the greatest social challenges of our time.

  • Pete Bombaci, Founder & CEO, GenWell
10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.       Coffee Break 
10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.    

How to survive and thrive in the current political environment as a community leader.

Municipal leaders are at the forefront of shaping vibrant, thriving communities, but the pressures of public service today—harassment, scrutiny, and unrelenting challenges—are causing many to step away. 
Join us for an honest, hopeful conversation about how we can lead with resilience and purpose. Together, we’ll explore:

  • Mental Health Matters:  Why prioritizing the emotional and mental health of elected officials is essential—and how we can create safe, sustainable environments for leaders to succeed.
  • The Power of Mentorship:  How trusted guidance and peer support can sustain leaders through challenges and help cultivate the next generation of public servants.
  • Finding Your Why: How to lead from your values, stay grounded in your purpose, and unite your community around a shared vision for the future.
     
  • Jordan Simmons, Co-founder & CEO, Nominee
11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.    

Elect Respect Initiative - Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, City of Burlington, AMO Board of Director

Join Mayor Marianne Meed Ward as she shares the purpose, intention and hoped for impact of the “Elect Respect” initiative.
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.     Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 1:40 p.m.    

Accelerating democratic health in Ontario’s rural municipalities 

Improving the health of your local democracy requires a concerted, intentional, community-wide effort. Bringing together aligned community leaders to address democratic opportunities helps people see they aren’t alone and that there’s a big, dormant capacity to engage community in local decision making and elections. It’s also fun!

Learn about AMO’s step-by-step model to build capacity and speed up improving your local democratic health.

  • Stewart McDonough, Lead, AMO’s Healthy Democracy Project
1:40 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.    

Finding solutions to shared democratic challenges

AMO’s Democratic Engagement Solutions Bank is an important component of AMO’s Democratic Accelerator approach. It is a catalogue of resources designed to help communities in Ontario find practical ways to improve democratic and political participation.  

In this catalogue, you’ll find a collection of solutions, tools, resources, and approaches tried in municipalities and other jurisdictions to help make your local democracy work better. 

Learn how to use and contribute to a Bank full of inspiring potential solutions to democratic challenges in your communities. 

  • Dr. Chris Erl, Researcher, Democratic Engagement Exchange, Toronto Metropolitan University
2:20 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.    

Levelling up civic education in your community 

In partnership with CIVIX, the national experts on civic education, AMO has developed new civic education resources that are available to all AMO members for use in their communities. Learn from Mayor Jamie McGarvey and teacher Julie Hoyles who have used the resources and can share their experiences.

  • Mayor Jamie McGarvey, Town of Parry Sound 
  • Julie C.P. Hoyles, Grade 5/6 Teacher, Manor Park Public School
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.         Coffee Break 
3:30 p.m. – 4:20 p.m.        

Ways to improve the candidate experience in Rural Ontario

Increasingly, qualified candidates and experienced elected officials are weighing the risks and rewards of running or seeking re-election for municipal office. Risks for candidates and growing incivility are outweighing the good news stories of remarkable, positive change being accomplished through inspiring, committed municipal leadership. 

It’s time to rebalance the risk/reward equation.

Join a conversation that will explore experiences and examine opportunities to improve the candidate experience informed by research undertaken by AMO through its Healthy Democracy Project and Operation Black Vote Canada:

Both initiatives offer solutions that municipalities, civil societies, community organizations, and election officials can as we work together to encourage and support candidates running for municipal office.

Moderator 

  • Petra Wolfbeiss, Director of AMO’s Membership Centre led the development of AMO’s research

Panelists

  • Dr. Erin Tolley from Carlton University is the Canada Research Chair in Gender, Race, and Inclusive Politics and guided the Black on the Ballot initiative
  • Laura Wood is the co-founder of electHER Now, a candidate attraction and support organization that is committed to the gender balance of elected municipal leadership in Grey Bruce 
  • Sharmila Setaram, Councillor, City of Welland
4:20 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.      

Clearing the collision at the intersection of voter turnout, civic engagement, and incivility 

Join an interactive discussion about the inter-connected issues we face and an exploration about how we can work together to address these connected democratic challenges. In our current political and cultural climate three trends have become increasingly, and seemingly inextricably linked:

  • Significant drop off in voter turnout
  • A contracting of municipal community outreach and civic community engagement to keep elected officials and municipal staff safe
  • An increase in incivility, harassment, and toxic political discourse
Recognizing these problems as interconnected is an important step we need to take as a sector. If we work together with intent and aligned capacity, we can seek to reverse these trends, protect civic engagement spaces, and safely engage residents in local decision making. Combined those efforts can lead to safe and civil spaces where community members can engage, participate, and vote.
  • Stewart McDonough, Lead, AMO’s Healthy Democracy Project
  • Dr. Chris Erl, Researcher, Democratic Engagement Exchange, Toronto Metropolitan University