We All Win
Democracy is healthy when everyone is able to participate fully and safely in the development and wellbeing of their communities. Better decisions are made when the voices of diverse genders and identities, ethnicities, races, sexual orientations, ages, and abilities are heard and represented around Ontario’s municipal council tables.
The We All Win stream of work will promote greater diversity, support AMO members in their efforts to be equity-informed leaders, and provide the resources, training and tools to support candidates and elected municipal officials who experience harm or abuse online or elsewhere.
We All Win Objectives
- Increase diversity on municipal councils to be more reflective of Ontario's diversity.
- Support AMO members through their diversity, equity, and inclusion journey.
- Elected officials are equity-informed leaders.
- People running for office don’t feel alone and have recourse.
Relevant AMO Training
AMO continues to offer and develop training opportunities that include examining issues related to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Here are some offerings that align with this stream of work. As AMO continues to work through this project we will identify and create new training opportunities where gaps are identified to meet the needs of our members.
We All Win Resources, Videos, Articles
Resource Highlight:
Videos/Articles:
- Globe and Mail, June 13, 2022—Opinion: Women and racialized political candidates are being set up to fail
- TVO, February 24, 2022—‘That’s how you do it’: Black women in Ontario politics — past, present, and future
- Toronto Star, March 8, 2020—How well are women represented on your local city council? Search hundreds of cities in our exclusive database to find out
- Orangeville Banner, September 12, 2022—Greater diversity needed on Erin council as town demographics change
- CBC article, September 26, 2022—No ballot required
- Globe and Mail, October 15, 2022—As apathy spreads, municipal democracies are in danger
Thinking of running for municipal office? Here are some resources that can help:
- A Guide for Women Candidates from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities | Good all round guide: Minimum requirements, basic job description, campaign planning, fundraising, media relations and more
- A 101 and Guide on the 2022 Elections from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) | Information on the role of municipal government, an election calendar, a guide to running for council, the importance of diversity on council and other resources
- How do local governments work? | Outlines the difference between municipal, county and regional governments.
- Province of Ontario guide for municipal and school board elections | General information including, eligibility to run for elections, the nomination process, third party advertising, campaign finance and financial statements.
- Lead Where You Live: A guide on running for municipal council
- PoliNOW’s guide for how to run for municipal office - More resources from PoliNOW
Organizations that support candidates:
- Operation Black Vote Canada provides hands on training to support Black candidates in federal, provincial and municipal elections.
- The Canadian Muslim Vote is a national, non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization that aims to increase civic engagement of Canadian Muslims through community outreach and education.
- ProudPolitics supports political advocacy for 2S LGBTQ+ including support for candidates.
- Women in Politics Thunder Bay and PoliNOW connect and supports women in parts of northern Ontario run for municipal office.
- ElectHER Now connects people with women in the Grey-Bruce region who are currently or have previously served in municipal elected office.
- The Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ CanWILL program promotes gender parity and more diversity on municipal council.
- Municipal Campaign School (Guelph, Oxford County, Wellington County area) a volunteer-led initiative to encourage and support members of underrepresented communities, including women, Indigenous, Black, racialized and youth members of our community, to run for office.
- Politics Now - Electing Women in the North. A grassroots organisation that amplifies, engages and empowers women in politics all over Northern Ontario.
- The Jean Collective—a women in politics initiative that supported 20 women who ran for municipal office in Lambton County, Ontario in 2022.
- Ottawa’s City for All Women Initiative
- Run 4 Office Waterloo Region intends to increase the number of persons who identify as Black who run for political office, in Waterloo Region.
- NOMINEE: Nominee empowers people traditionally sidelined by politics to step up to the stage through a community of mentors and educational resources.
- The Institute for Future Legislators from Toronto Metropolitan University
Sites about democratic equity:
- AMO’s We All Win campaign
- Informed Opinions amplifies the voices of women and gender-diverse individuals for a more democratic Canada
- Equal Voice is a national, bilingual, member-based, multi-partisan organization that has been advocating for the equal representation of women in Canada’s Parliament, in provincial and territorial legislatures, and on municipal and band councils.
- Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
- Canadian Women Leaders' Digital Defence Initiative
- Canadian panel YouTube playlist
- Samara Centre for Democracy
- Stemming the rise in online abuse
- Online Abuse in Local Elections
- Rural Ontario Institute—Municipal Councillor Profile
AMO's election results analysis and municipal information:
- AMO’s Municipal 101—municipal government explained
Disclaimer/About these links:
The articles, videos, resources, and organizations listed here do not necessarily reflect AMO positions or policies. They are intended to continue our collective learning and act as the basis for good, healthy conversations about how to foster a healthy democracy in Ontario municipalities.