Conference Agenda
Wednesday September 23, 2026
7:00 am to 8:45 am
Breakfast
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
HOSTED BY
8:40 am to 8:55 am
Morning Stretch
Presenter: Jennifer McGillis
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
PRESENTED BY
9:00 am – 9:45 am
Speaker: Lola Obomighie
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
PRESENTED BY
Wednesday - 9:00am - 9:45am
A Blueprint for a People Strategy
Every municipal election cycle triggers a familiar wave of strategic planning, but one question often gets skipped: does the workforce have the capacity to deliver on Council’s vision? This interactive session offers a step-by-step blueprint for building a People Strategy that turns Council priorities into workforce action, covering capability mapping, talent alignment, leadership, culture, organizational design, and success measures across a term. Real examples and adaptable templates leave participants ready to launch or refresh their own municipality’s People Strategy
9:45 am to 10:30 am
Speakers: Lavinia Latham and Carl Alphonse
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
PRESENTED BY
Wednesday - 9:45am - 10:30am
Picking up where last spring’s session presented by Alphonse Latham on post-investigation restoration left off, this discussion shifts focus upstream, from managing conflict to preventing it. A legal-risk lens on EDI reveals where recruitment, leadership accountability, and culture initiatives tend to stall, and the exposure created when policy and practice drift apart. Municipal trend data, real-case discussion, and a hands-on gap-mapping exercise combine to leave attendees with a defensible, forward-looking EDI action plan, anchored in OMHRA’s 2026 theme, Kaleidoscope.
10:35 am to 11:05 am
Sponsor Showcase Session (Coffee Break incorporated)
Location: Grand Scheme Ballroom & Foyer
10:35 am to 2:45 pm
Hands-On Help Desks: Personalized Support Sessions
Location: Grand Scheme Ballroom & Foyer
LRIS Collective Agreements Clinic: Upload, Ask, Achieve
Bringing your collective agreements to the Fall Conference is a great opportunity to have them uploaded directly into the database while you’re on site. Whether you’re new to the system or looking to make better use of its features, OMHRA staff are here to answer all your questions. Take advantage of this hands-on support and leave feeling confident in using the LRIS database effectively.
Presented by: OMHRA
Unlock the Full Potential of OMHRA’s Members Lounge
Representatives from our association management database provider will be onsite to walk you through features, tips, and best practices so you can make the most of every member interaction, such as posting jobs, updating your profile and accessing our many resource libraries. Bring your questions, explore all of the elements of the Members Lounge and leave with practical ideas you can put to work right away.
Presented by: Member 365
Get Hands-On With Our New Job Posting System
Curious how to post a job or advertise an internship/co-op opportunity on our newly launched platform? Stop by for a hands-on, one-on-one demonstration. We’ll walk you through the process step by step, from creating your listing to promoting it to the right candidates, so you leave with the confidence to post your next opportunity on your own. Whether you’re hiring for a full-time role or looking to bring on a co-op or intern, this is your chance to get personalized guidance and have your questions answered in real time. Drop by during the conference to book your individual walkthrough.
Presented by: Picsume
HOSTED BY
11:10 am to 11:45 am
Speaker: Jordan Goure
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
Wednesday - 11:10am - 11:40am
Winning the Candidate: How Municipalities Can Compete for Talent and Become the Employer People Choose to Stay With
Competing for talent in today’s labour market means understanding what candidates actually value: meaningful work, culture, flexibility, and room to grow. This session shares practical strategies for sharpening your employer brand, improving recruitment processes, and shaping an employee experience that keeps people around. Expect guidance on positioning your municipality as a destination employer, communicating a genuine value proposition, and building a workplace culture strong enough that people choose not just to join, but to stay.
PRESENTED BY
11:45 am to 12:00 pm
Special Meeting of the Members and Annual General Meeting (in-camera)
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
11:45 am to 12:45 pm
Sponsor Luncheon
Location: Strategy Room and Leaders Room
12:00 pm to 12:45 pm
Members Luncheon
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
HOSTED BY
12:45pm to 1:30 pm
Speakers: Michelle Folliott, Asha Rampersad and Krista Siedlak
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
PRESENTED BY
Wednesday - 12:45pm - 1:30pm
Traditional engagement surveys tell only part of the story. This session explores how to turn them into dynamic, continuous feedback systems capable of driving real change across remote, frontline, hybrid, union, and non-union municipal workforces. Pulse surveys, stay interviews, and workforce analytics take centre stage as tools for identifying what drives engagement in different employee segments. Participants will leave with strategies for converting insight into targeted action that lifts retention, productivity, and satisfaction, reframing engagement as a genuine strategic capability.
1:30 pm to 2:00 pm
Speakers: Kristen Angrilli and Danielle Halliday
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
PRESENTED BY
Wednesday - 1:30pm - 2:00pm
Niagara Region built its first Total Rewards Strategy by translating broad People Plan priorities into a practical, multi-year roadmap spanning 2023 to 2027. This session traces that journey, from stakeholder engagement and requirements gathering to external research, target-setting, and communications planning. Learn how compensation, benefits, pension, recognition, and well-being priorities were aligned with organizational strategy and converted into measurable deliverables. A municipal case study offers tools and lessons for HR leaders building integrated, sustainable Total Rewards strategies of their own.
2:00 pm to 2:45 pm
Speaker: Stephanie Jeronimo
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
PRESENTED BY
Wednesday - 2:00pm-2:45pm
The Ontario Pay Equity Act can feel dense, but this session breaks it down for today’s municipal workplace while tackling current issues in Job Evaluation. Presenter Stephanie Jeronimo of Hicks Morley walks through how to explain Job Evaluation clearly to employees, compares evaluation approaches, and shares tools for a fair, transparent, and sustainable process. Sample rating systems will be available as a resource, giving attendees something concrete to bring back to their own organizations.
2:45 pm to 3:05 pm
Sponsor Showcase Session (Coffee Break incorporated)
Location: Grand Scheme Ballroom & Foyer
3:10 pm to 4:00 pm
Speaker: Jennifer Wu
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
PRESENTED BY
Wednesday - 3:10 pm to 4:00 pm
Most municipalities want to invest in their people but struggle to connect learning dollars to organizational priorities, workforce needs, and budget realities. This session gives HR professionals a practical structure for building a smarter learning strategy, organizing investment into legislative and compliance, job-required, and developmental categories. A case study walks through a four-pillar, governance-grounded approach for prioritizing spend, supporting budget decisions, and demonstrating value. Participants see the framework in action and leave with tools they can put to work right away.
4:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Speaker: Mike Raine
Location: Newbridge Ballroom
PRESENTED BY
Wednesday - 4:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Good performance management starts well before the annual review. This session digs into why so many appraisal systems fall short and how municipalities can build a process that drives improvement year-round. Discussion covers what managers are truly accountable for, HR’s role in developing strong leaders, and ways to align individual performance plans with organizational priorities across different work arrangements. Attendees take home a laminated quick-reference guide, including a sample individual operational plan, to support meaningful accountability and feedback long after the session ends.
6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Good Vibrations
Fall Conference Reception
Location: Celtic Room Foyer
Dress: Tie Dye Casual
SPONSORED BY
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Celebrate Good Times, Come on
OMHRA Fall Conference Dinner | Location: Pavillion | Dress: Tie Dye Casual
HOSTED BY
Photo booth
sponsored by
Mocktail sponsored by
Wine sponsored by
