Sunday, January 21, 2018:

1:00 pm - 1:10 pm  

• Conference Welcome, O Canada

1:10 pm - 2:00 pm

Opening Keynote:

• Hinterland Heroes: Inspirational Community Builders on the Margins of North America. James Raffan is a writer, geographer, explorer, filmmaker, community activist and one of Canada’s finest storytellers.

2:00 PM - 2:15

What’s Ahead for Rural Ontario – Using Foresight to Shape the Future

• Norman Ragetlie, Director of Policy and Stakeholder Engagement, Rural Ontario Institute

2:45 PM – 3:30

Session Block A

• Can We Finally Solve Ontario’s Rural Broadband Deficit?
• Power Partnerships for Public Libraries
• Developing a Risk Management Plan for Your Municipality
• The Scoop on Poop: Onsite Wastewater – The Municipal Dilemma
  • Mark Green, Public Health Inspector and Chief Building Official, Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit
  • Terry Rees, Executive Director, Federation of Ontario's Cottagers' Association
  • Ron Taylor, CAO, City of Kawartha Lakes
• On the Road Again – Sponsored by LAS

4:00 PM - 4:45 pm 
                                   

Session Block B

• Can We Finally Solve Ontario’s Rural Broadband Deficit?
• Power Partnerships for Public Libraries
• Developing a Risk Management Plan for Your Municipality
• The Scoop on Poop: Onsite Wastewater – The Municipal Dilemma
  • Mark Green, Public Health Inspector and Chief Building Official, Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit
  • Terry Rees, Executive Director, Federation of Ontario's Cottagers' Association
  • Ron Taylor, CAO, City of Kawartha Lakes
• The Impact of Bill 68 on Municipal Investments – Sponsored by LAS  

Monday, January 22, 2018:

8:30 am - 8:35 am

• Welcome Remarks

8:35 AM - 8:50

• Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne
  • Slide Deck

8:50 am -  9:45 Am

Opening Keynote

• Award winning business journalist Amanda Lang

9:45 AM - 10:00 am

ROMA Update

• Ron Holman, ROMA Chair and Afshin Majidi, ROMA Secretary-Treasurer

10:00 AM – 10:15 AM

•  Lynn Dollin, AMO President  
  • Slide Deck

10:45 am - 12:15

Session Block C
 

• Volunteers in Teeny Tiny Places – Your Harshest Critics? Your Best Allies!
  • Joe Baptista, Mayor, Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands
  • Don DeGenova, Councillor, Municipality of Tweed
  • Sheila Fawcett, Past Chair, Spencerville Mill Foundation and Acting Secretary of Spencerville Business and Community Connections
  • Edward Hilton, Agriculture Advisory Committee of City of Kawartha Lakes, Lindsay Downtown Revitalization Advisory Committee
• It's Accrual World: What you need to know about municipal financial statements
• The Joy of Bill 68 – Updates to the Municipal Act and Municipal Elections Bill 68
  • Paul Cassan, Senior Associate, Wishart Law Firm LLP & Wishart Municipal Group
• Collaborative Solutions from Growing Good Food
  • Ben Canning, Co-Founder, Co-Project Manager, Project Growing North
  • Christian D'Antonio, Education Director, Project Growing North
  • David Thompson, Research Project Coordinator, Rural Agri-Innovation Network
• Municipal Law Update – 101
  • Tony Fleming, Partner, Land Use Planning and Development Group, Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham LLP
  • Alan Whyte, Partner, Labour and Employment Law Group
• Legalization of Recreational Marijuana: Challenge or Opportunity
  • Renu Kulendran,Executive Director, Legalization of Cannabis Secretariat, Ministry of the Attorney General
  • Karl Thomas, Office of the Commissioner, OPP
  • Patrick Weaver, VP Business Development, JP Mariwell Inc
• Automated Vehicles: Planning the Next Disruptive Technology
  • Antonio Gómez-Palacio, Principal, DIALOG Design
  • Julia Markovich, Senior Research Associate, Transportation Policy, The Conference Board of Canada
  • Michael Polowin, Partner and Leader of National
  • Municipal Law Group, Gowling WLG
  • Jutta Treviranus, Director, Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University

12:15 PM - 1:15pm

• Lunch Learning Sessions: 
  • The Role Canada’s Oil and Natural Gas can Play in Economic and Environmental Needs, sponsored by Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP)
  • Bringing Value to Ontario Municipal Water & Wastewater System Owners – A Unique Shared Services Approach, sponsored by Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA)
  • What Impact has a Changing Economic Landscape had on Property Assessment? sponsored by Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC)
  • Access Talent: Ontario’s Approach to Accessible Workplaces, sponsored by Accessibility Directorate of Ontario

1:45 PM - 2:30

Session Block D
 

• It’s a Whole New World for Waste Management in Ontario
• Social media for Municipalities: Increasing Engagement and Overcoming Challenges
• The Leadership Gap – ONWARD with growing tomorrow’s municipal leaders in Ontario
• Keeping Community Schools Open
  • Doug Reycraft, Chair, Community Schools Alliance
  • Marcus Ryan, Councillor, Zorra Township
  • Katherine Sedgwick, Journalist, Queensborough
• Small Village Servicing Innovation – The Key to Growth
  • Mike Dwyer, CAO, Township of Rideau Lakes
  • Trish Johnson, Lead, Better Best Practices Initiative, WaterTap
• The Three Rs of Disaster: Resilience, Response and Recovery, sponsored by Insurance Bureau of Canada
• Municipalities and Rural Health: Focus on Primary Care and Long Term Health
• Update on the Province’s Municipal Asset Management Planning Regulation

2:45-3:30

Session Block E (repeat of D)

4:00 PM - 4:15

• The Honourable Bill Mauro, Minister of Municipal Affairs

 

4:15-5:00

• Ministers’ Forum  

Tuesday, January 23, 2018:

7:45 am - 8:30 am        

• Breakfast Learning Sessions
  • Digital Signatures – The Last Mile, sponsored by LAS
  • Ontario’s Changing Energy Landscape, sponsored by Independent Electricity System Operator
  • Air Canada: Connecting you to the World: Session Sponsor: Air Canada
  • Harnessing the Benefits of Propane, Sponsored by Superior Propane

8:45 am - 9:00 am        

• The Honourable Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs

---

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM

• Theories on Relationship Building, Cat Criger, Traditional Indigenous Elder

• Patrick Brown, Leader, Ontario PC

9:45 - 10:30 AM

Michael Smither Question Box Panel
 

• Chair: Fred Dean, Barrister and Solicitor

Speakers:
 

• Lynne Balfour, Director, Education Development, Ontario Building Officials Association
• Jody Johnson, Partner, Aird + Berlis LLP
• Sid VanDer Veen, Drainage Coordinator, OMAFRA
• Robert Walton, Director of Public Works, Oxford County
• Sandra Weber, Director of Planning, County of Huron 

---

10:30 AM - 10:45 AM

• Andrea Horwath, Leader, Ontario NDP

---

10:45 AM - 11:30 AM

Closing Keynote Speaker
 

• Climate Action Planning in Remote Communities
  • Glen Murray, Executive Director, Pembina Institute

11:30 AM

• Closing Remarks and Wrap Up Prize Draw
  • Sponsored by Air Canada