AMO Education
AMO’s educational training provide opportunities for municipally elected officials to advance their leadership skills in a variety of areas. Our training is custom designed specifically for municipal leaders. AMO continues to evolve its offerings so check back often.
View the complete calendar of AMO educational opportunities here. Our current training opportunities are also outlined below.
Current Educational Opportunities
Councillor Training Series - Under Pressure, Making it All Work - NEW
Elected municipal officials are facing many pressures including provincial interventions in municipal matters, a lack of Council cohesion, concerns about ethical behaviour, the challenges of municipal stewardship, relations with municipal staff, the demands placed upon you by constituents...and of course your unique experiences arising from local matters. These three part advanced training series digs into a number of the more challenging aspects of local leadership. Each session is $525. All three can be purchased for $1,300.
Responsibility Session: focuses on the ABC’s of governance and leadership including foundational governance, ethical responsibility, code of conduct, and council-staff relations.
February 21, 2024 - Full Details
Leadership Session: understanding your role as an employer and the impact of your understanding, actions and insights into this role on the overall organization is important. The Leadership Session will explore your role as a steward for your municipality, equity, diversity, and human rights, and community health and safety.
How to Plan and Tell the Story
The Telling the Story session is really important. It helps you demystify a number of key municipal responsibilities. Budget and strategic planning are a great internal exercise but if your constituents and community members don’t really understand what you are doing, why you are doing it and how priorities are identified and planned for, well, we all understand what the fallout can look like. Telling the Story also explores the importance of and options to community engagement. This final session explores fiscal sustainability, communications, and public engagement.
October 2, 2024 - Full Details
Competing Rights: What You Need to Know! - NEW
As elected officials, you often face complex issues that seem to pit rights of one group against the rights of others. What do you do when faced with this? This training will help you negotiate these sensitive situations including what you, as an elected official, need to do to fulfill your human rights obligations. This 3-hour virtual event is focused on the perspective and realities of elected officials.
December 12, 2023 - Full Details
OFIFC Indigenous Community Awareness
The AMO-OFIFC Indigenous Cultural Competency Training provides knowledge and tools to utilize in moving improved and stronger relations forward in Ontario.
| February 27, 2024 - Full Details | April 2, 2024 - Full Details |
Navigating Conflict Relationships as an Elected Official
Municipal life is very much a people-oriented business, meaning elected representatives must engage in and build a wide variety of relationships with constituents, municipal staff, other elected officials, other orders of government and community organizations. Participants will gain skills in building collaborative relationships and negotiating difficult ones in their role as an elected municipal official.
| March 4 - 5, 2024 - Full Details | June 26 - 27, 2024 - Full Details | October 16 - 17, 2024 - Full Details |
Advanced Strategies for Elected Officials to Master Conflict Relationships - NEW
Building on AMO’s in demand training, Navigating Conflict Relationships as an Elected Official (NCR 1.0), Advanced Strategies for Elected Officials (NCR 2.0), will take you to the next level of negotiating one of the more difficult aspects of local leadership: relationships.
April 9 - 10, 2024 - Registration and full information
Managing Communications through Uncomfortable Times - NEW
During times of crisis such as natural disasters or public disruption, municipally elected officials find themselves at the front line and facing the expectations of providing up to date and useful information to their communities. This interactive, one-day course will teach participants how to manage all aspects of crisis communications during an emergency or large-scale event. Participants will learn how to be comfortable with managing local, national, digital and social media to get messages heard. This training will provide attendees with techniques to effectively and proactively communication with the community and media.
Foundations in Planning for Elected Officials
An interactive and engaging half day session that familiarizes participants with legislation, processes and provides real life examples to give a deep understanding and insight into important planning matters.
| April 17, 2024 - Full Details | October 22, 2024 - Full Details |
Advanced Land Use Planning: A Deeper Dive
This course examines, from a strategic perspective, the planning process and the complexities that people can bring to the process. Over three hours, participants will engage in case studies and real life examples that are analyzed and understood through instructor lead instruction and group discussion.
| April 18, 2024 - Full Details | October 23, 2024 - Full Details |
Wings and Roots of Islam - NEW
In the last 20 years, the Muslim population in Canada has more than doubled. This workshop is for organizations and groups that want to increase their understanding of Islam and its followers. Besides giving workshop participants an overview of Islam, key workshop topics include: Hijab in Islam; Gendered Islamophobia; Alarming Surge in Islamophobia and the many Contributions of Incredible Canadian Muslims. This workshop is delivered by the Canadian Council of Muslim Women.
Anti-Islamophobia - NEW
This workshop, delivered by the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, will help participants critically examine the impacts of Islamophobia on the lives of Muslims living in Canada and how it further marginalizes Black and Indigenous Muslims, queer Muslims, and Muslims with disabilities. Participants will learn how to be active allies to counter Islamophobia.
Councillor Training
The demanding arena of municipal politics requires you to be up-to-date on issues (many!) and to have the skills and insight to manage expectations and relations, while delivering on strategies and commitments in a relatively short period of time. This is a tall order. AMO’s Councillor Training provides the foundations and insights to support you as you continue the role of local leader.
| February 14, 2024 - Full Details | May 14, 2024 - Full Details |