Program
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) is hosting its 2nd annual Healthy Democracy Forum. The 2025 Forum will focus on two significant strategic initiatives underway to support AMO’s members in the lead up to the 2026 municipal elections and beyond.
The Forum is an initiative of AMO’s Healthy Democracy Project, which is a unique project inspired by AMO’s Board of Directors in 2022 that is focused on:
- Attracting more diverse candidates to municipal office.
- Promoting more respect for the people engaged in democratic processes.
- Encouraging greater participation in local democracy and an increase in voter turnout.
- Promoting greater civic engagement and greater awareness of the role of municipal government.
*please note this program is subject to change
Healthy Democracy Forum October 18
09:00 – 09:30 | Opening & Framing
● Welcome from AMO
First focus: Voter turnout
09:30 – 10:15 | Turn Up the Turn Out
○ Data on voter turnout in Ontario municipalities
○ AMO’s new Resource on Voter Participation in Local Elections
○ What impacts voter turnout, structural barriers, educational gaps, and motivations to vote
○ Examples of voter turnout solutions in action
○ Q&A
10:15 – 11:00 | Panel 1: Get Out The Vote (GOTV)
Organizations with experience with GOTV programs/initiatives Success and challenges with GOTV programs
● Examples of best practices
● Moderated discussion + audience Q&A
11:00 – 11:45 | Panel 2: Indigenous outreach
Leaders from Indigenous organizations exploring engagement with urban Indigenous communities on civic participation and voting
● Opportunities and best practices
11:45 – 12:30 | Workshop: Creative Currency Voter Turnout Campaign
● Delegate engagement on testing ideas for AMO's voter turnout campaign.
Opportunities and best practices
12:30 – 1:15 | Lunch & Networking
Second focus: Candidate attraction and retention
1:15 – 3:15 | Public Affairs Campaign Launch
Exploring AMO’s public affairs campaign to increase voter and candidate participation in the 2026 municipal election. This session will explore:
1. Data and research
2. Campaign strategy
3. Campaign creative
4. Campaign toolkit
5. How to engage with campaign and amplify
3:15 – 3:30 | Break
3:30 – 4:30 | Lessons from on the ground
Leaders from national and local candidate support organizations
● Lessons learned through years of attracting, retaining, and supporting candidates for office
4:30 – 4:45 | Launch of AMO’s Democratic Solutions Bank 2.0
● Featuring Stewart McDonough, AMO Municipal Engagement Advisor/HDP Lead and Henry Khamonde, AMO, Administrator Membership Services
● Launch Solutions Bank 2.0 with new layer of existing candidate supports
4:45 – 5:00 | Closing Conversation
● Reflections from the day.
Healthy Democracy Forum October 19
09:00 – 09:30 | Opening & Framing
● Welcome from AMO / PM
Keynote Address:
Framing civility as a democratic health issue, linking provincial experience to local realities
09:30 – 10:15 | Data & Diagnosis
● Examining our political climate
○ Trends in trust, polarization, and civic expectations
○ The concerns and experiences of municipal officials
○ Q&A
10:15 – 11:15 | Panel 1: The Political Experience
● Lived experience of incivility in public service
● Pressures of campaigning, council culture, and social media
● Moderated discussion + audience Q&A
11:15 – 12:15 | Panel 2: Inside the Institution
In discussion with senior municipal staff on leadership inside the municipal corporation.
● Role clarity, neutrality, and navigating political/administrative tensions
● Recruitment, retention, and morale challenges
● Maintaining professionalism under public and political pressure
12:15 – 13:00 | Lunch & Networking
13:00 – 13:45 | Concurrent Panels 3 & 4
● Province, integrity commissioners, and legislation (Bill 5, strong mayor powers)
● Tension between “toothless” and “weaponized” enforcement
● Lessons from oversight and provincial intervention
Panel 4: Journalism, Social Media & the Public Sphere
● Impact of shrinking local news on civility and accountability
● Emerging models: local outlets, community media, digital platforms
13:45 – 14:45 | Thematic Solutions Workshops: Round One
• Civic Literacy & Public Education
• Support & Protection for Municipal Staff and Politicians
• Media & Information Ecosystems
• Council Culture & Leadership Development
• Systemic Levers: Provincial Role & Oversight Tools
14:45 – 15:00 | Break
15:00 – 16:00 | Thematic Solutions Workshops: Round Two
● Opportunity for participants to engage in additional theme from first round of thematic solutions workshop.
16:00 – 16:45 | Plenary Readout & Synthesis
● Each workshop shares top 2–3 ideas
● Moderator draws cross-cutting themes and tensions
● Reflection: What feels actionable? Where is alignment?
16:45 – 17:00 | Closing Conversation
● Reflections ,
● Path forward for AMO and participants
● Invitation to carry forward a “healthy democracy” agenda
To see how the 1st Annual Healthy Democracy Forum went, take a look here.
Registration and Accommodations
AMO has secured preferred rates of $314 per night until September 25, 2025. After that date, rooms may be available at the Westin Harbour Castle at market rate.
Click here to book your accommodations
Together, let’s draft a blueprint to a more engaged, informed, and vibrant local democracy.