AMO Education Workshops

Achieving financial sustainability is essential for municipalities to build long-term economic resilience and enhance the well-being of their communities. Effective stakeholder engagement—involving residents, businesses, and local organizations—strengthens public trust, promotes collaboration, and aligns stakeholders toward shared financial goals.

Combining sustainability with engagement helps municipalities navigate challenges while ensuring transparent, inclusive, and impactful governance.

This workshop will be in-person at the Sheraton Centre Toronto.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: January 18, 2025, 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Location: Sheraton Centre Toronto

Register here.

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.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: February 13, 2025, 10:00am - 1:00pm

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The AMO-OFIFC Indigenous Cultural Competency Training helps build indigenous cultural competency in municipal government by providing knowledge and tools to utilize in moving improved and stronger relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. This session includes both self-paced learning modules and a live virtual component.

Full workshop details.

Workshop dates:

• February 19, 2025, 12:30 - 4:00pm
• September 24, 2025, 12:30 - 4:00pm

Register here.

Asset management is about making informed, evidence-based decisions that help you allocate limited resources effectively and prioritize infrastructure investments. This interactive workshop offers municipally elected officials the opportunity to explore how asset management not only fulfills legislative requirements but also enhances decision-making and strengthens service delivery.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: February 26, 2025, 12:00pm - 3:00pm

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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.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: March 6, 2025, 10:00am - 1:00pm

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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.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: March 19 and 20, 12:00 - 2:30pm each day

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Delivered by award-winning equity and inclusion consultant and municipally elected official in Ontario, Colleen James understands how equity, inclusion and innovation is applied in the municipal context. 
This workshop will focus on the importance and opportunities in embedding equity, inclusion and innovation within municipal decision-making processes, policies, and innovations. Through presentations, discussions, and interactive activities, elected officials will explore practical strategies to create more inclusive and equitable local governance and service delivery.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: March 25, 2025, 12:00pm - 3:00pm

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Accessibility and inclusion are more than meeting your obligations under Ontario’s AODA Standards. Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committees provide important insight and direction for municipalities in building accessible and inclusive communities.

AMO has partnered with the Abilities Centre to enhance elected officials understanding and approach to inclusion. The Disability Inclusion Workshop and Panel Discussion will highlight best practices and provides a platform for local leaders to reflect on your own and your organizations knowledge and approach to inclusion.

You will leave this workshop with a greater depth of knowledge and understanding that is essential to providing access and the ability to enjoy your community.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: March 27, 2025, 12:00 - 2:00pm

Register here.

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 educational opportunity will provide attendees with techniques to effectively and proactively communication with the community and media. 

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: April 16 - 17, 2025, 11:00am - 3:00pm

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The Advanced Strategies to Master Conflict Relationships workshop will take you to the next level of negotiating one of the more difficult aspects of local leadership: relationships. It will explore how to prepare for difficult conversations and provide tools for positive results and how to zero in on the causes of conflict and impasse. 

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: April 23 - 24, 2025, 12:00pm - 2:30pm each day

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Municipal leaders across Ontario are increasingly tasked with navigating increasingly complex planning challenges that demand both a strong understanding of human rights principles and the ability to apply these principles effectively within their communities. This workshop will leave councillors with the necessary context and tool to effectively apply human rights-based approach to municipal planning.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: May 8, 2025, 10:00am-1:00pm

Registration will open soon.

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.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: May 13, 2025, 10:00am - 1:00pm

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Municipal Codes of Conduct are extremely valuable for local councils to establish a general standard to ensure that all Members of Council share a common basis for acceptable conduct, and to which all Members are expected to adhere to and comply with. As AMO and municipalities await provincial direction, your Association has developed a course that helps and guides municipal leaders in: developing or revitalizing existing codes of conduct, establishing buy-in or ownership at council, expectations on ethical behaviour and how to ensure adherence, how to address and manage breaches, Integrity Commissioners as a supporting resource and so much more.

This training will be delivered by a leading Ontario lawyer in the municipal sphere including in that of integrity commissioners.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: May 14, 2025, 10:00am - 12:00pm

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In collaboration with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthel Centre for Holocaust Studies (FSWC), AMO is offering timely and in demand education on: Antisemitism: Then and Now. 

The FSWC is one of Canada’s leading human rights and social advocacy organizations. Inspired by the legacy of Simon Wiesenthal, FSWC works to build a more inclusive and respectful Canada by sharing the lessons of the Holocaust, advocating for human rights and combatting both antisemitism and hate in all its forms.

This two-hour training covers historic and contemporary antisemitism, how to address this, and ways to build allyship. This workshop will help municipally elected officials to better understand the experience of and serve Jewish employees and community members.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: May 21, 2025, 1:00 - 3:00pm

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In collaboration with the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW), AMO is presenting a 2 hour workshop that will support AMO members to  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 what Islamophobia is and how to be active allies to counter Islamophobia.

The CCMW is an organization dedicated to the empowerment, equality and equity of all Muslim women in Canada. Their mission is to affirm the identities of Canadian Muslim women and promote their lived experiences through community engagement, public policy, stakeholder engagement and amplified awareness of the social injustices that Muslim women and girls endure in Canada, while advocating for their diverse needs and equipping local CCMW chapters with the necessary resources to maximize national efforts and mobilize local communities to join the movement.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: May 28, 2025, 1:00 - 3:00pm

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Elected municipal officials are facing many pressures. This includes: 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. The pressure is real and we are here to support you.

As an elected official, your understanding and approach to planning and leadership will be one of your lasting legacies on your organization and community. This session will look into various elements of leadership and actions you should be undertaking.

This session will explore:
•    Stewardship
•    Strategic Planning
•    Fiscal Sustainability

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: June 4, 2025, 10:00am - 1:00pm

Register here.

Elected municipal officials are facing many pressures. This includes: 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. The pressure is real and we are here to support you.

This session will help 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. This session explores the importance of and options to community engagement and how leadership is the key ingredient to meaningful and impactful local engagement.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: June 25, 2025, 10:00am - 1:00pm

Register here.

Ransom ware attacks on municipal organizations are on the rise. You may believe you have your basis covered, but do you?  This workshop lead by experts in the cybersecurity field from the Rogers Catalyst Cybersecurity Centre at TMU will help you build the protections you need to keep your municipality safe from attack. This workshop will guide participants through short lectures, guided discussions, and activities. Elected officials will be provided insight and information to better understand the landscape and critical decisions related to preventing, preparing for, and responding to cybersecurity incidents.

Full workshop details.

Workshop date: October 21, 2025, 1:00 - 4:00pm

Register here.