Workshop Speakers
David Arbuckle
David Arbuckle
As an accomplished and outcome-focused public sector leader, David Arbuckle brings a wealth of municipal, political, academic and private sector experience to the role of Executive Director with AMCTO.
In his senior management roles with both the Town of Caledon and Region of Peel, David has built a reputation as a trusted problem solver and transparent collaborator who demonstrates highly developed partnership skills amongst diverse stakeholder groups.
Before joining the municipal sector, David served as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing where he helped lead several key municipal issues including the Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review and new affordable housing investments. David has a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Brock University and a Masters of Public Administration in Local Government from Western University.
Lori
Bolton
Lori Bolton
Director of Human Resources, City of Orillia
Lori Bolton serves as OMHRA’s President. She previously held the positions of Vice President of Finance and Stakeholder Relations and Chair of the Stakeholder Relations Committee.
Lori is the Director of Human Resources for the City of Orillia, where she directs and administers the corporate human resources function, including employee labour relations, collective bargaining, compensation and benefits administration, employee performance management, corporate training and development, health and safety functions, and payroll.
Alana
Del Greco
Alana Del Greco
Alana Del Greco is a strategic, dynamic and authentic public sector leader, championing innovation, sound policy and empowered teams. She is the manager of policy and government relations with AMCTO where she develops and executes strategies to further Association’s government relations, policy and advocacy objectives in support of member and municipal sector interests.
Prior to working with AMCTO she was a long-time member of the Association. She worked with in the CAOs Office at the City of Brampton and held different policy roles at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Alana has earned her Accredited Municipal Professional designation and has been recognized by the Local Government Program Alumni Society at Western University with the Emerging Leader Award. Alana loves to travel and has been known to take selfies in front of city halls in other countries. She is an avid curler and fountain pen collector.
Kelly
Fraser
Kelly Fraser
Kelly Fraser is the Director of Human Resources at the Municipality of North Perth, one of the fastest-growing communities in mid-western Ontario.
With over 13 years of HR experience across both the public and private sectors, Kelly is passionate about building people-first strategies and strengthening leadership accountability, with a focus on helping leaders and teams do their best work.
Charmaine Hammond
Charmaine Hammond, MA, CSP
Charmaine Hammond, MA, CSP, is a highly sought-after business keynote speaker, trainer, author, and educator, and one of only 65 Certified Speaking Professionals in Canada. She specializes in trust, healthy workplace relationships, psychological safety, collaboration, and conflict resolution, delivering “no‑fluff,” practical content that enables immediate action.
A former Correctional Officer and Corporate Dispute Resolution Expert, she has provided training, consulting, and speaking services since 1997, working with more than 80 Canadian municipalities.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Conflict Management & Analysis, is a bestselling author of multiple books, and has been widely featured in major publications and media.
Nassima Kaddoura
Nassima Kaddoura
Nassima Kaddoura is a labour and employment lawyer who provides advice and representation to employers and management on a wide range of labour, employment, and human rights issues.
She has served as the program coordinator for Pro Bono Students Canada and as a caseworker at the Sport Solution Clinic.
Lavinia
Latham
Lavinia Latham
Lavinia Latham is a human rights and employment lawyer, workplace investigator, and co-founder of Alphonse Latham LLP whose practice centres on complex workplace issues including incivility, harassment, discrimination, bullying, and sexual harassment. She is recognized for a trauma-informed, legally neutral approach that maintains procedural fairness, psychological safety, and legal defensibility while addressing how bias, power, and systemic inequities shape conflict.
Lavinia trains senior HR leaders and executives on respectful workplace practices, trauma-informed investigations, mediation, psychological health and safety, and post-incident workplace restoration using real-world case analysis and practical tools. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa, previously led the first Human Rights and Equity Office at the Toronto Catholic District School Board, has appeared before multiple tribunals including the Supreme Court of Canada, and frequently speaks on workplace investigations and organizational accountability.
Sara
Luther
Sara Luther
Sara Luther is a human rights lawyer, consultant, facilitator, and coach who spent more than a decade conducting workplace investigations and witnessing missed opportunities to align systems with organizational values.
She has seen the tangible consequences of these gaps for employees, leaders, and employers, and knows that most people ultimately want to work in a respect-based culture. She believes achieving this requires a progressive, creative, and ongoing commitment.
Now, with her team, she helps organizations strengthen institutional commitments by designing credible, action-focused policies and procedures, delivering dynamic leadership programming, building conflict competence, and providing specialized interventions grounded in the belief that caring for people strengthens the whole organization.
Jennifer Matwawana
Jennifer Matwawana
Jennifer Matwawana is an award-winning psychotherapist, keynote speaker, and co-founder of AWL Partners, a national firm helping teams and leaders thrive through mental wellness, leadership development, and emotionally intelligent workplace strategies.
With over 25 years of experience, she is known for her straight talk, humour, and ability to make complex issues like stress and burnout feel relatable and actionable. She works with organizations across Canada, including male-dominated, high-pressure sectors where mental health is often overlooked, delivering keynotes and programs that challenge stigma and build resilience.
Her signature keynote, “Calm in the Chaos,” reminds frontline workers that mental health is not a soft skill but a survival skill, and that anyone can learn to rise above the chaos.
Jen
McGillis
Jen McGillis
Ronald S.
Minken
Ronald S. Minken
Ron Minken is the Founder and Managing Principal of Minken Employment Lawyers, a global award-winning employment, labour law, and litigation boutique established in 1990. With over 35 years’ experience, more than 500 court cases, and 10,000+ clients across nearly every industry, he is widely recognized for his strong advocacy skills.
He publishes extensively, writes columns for major HR publications, and is frequently interviewed by national media on workplace issues, including workplace romances. A sought-after speaker for over three decades, Ron has presented at leading legal, HR, municipal, and business conferences in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Aleksandra Pressey
Aleksandra Pressey
Aleksandra is a partner at Williams HR Law LLP, where she practices in all areas of labour, employment, and human rights law. She provides strategic advice and representation on issues including accommodation, discipline, termination, and legislative compliance. Aleksandra also conducts complex, trauma-informed workplace investigations and organizational culture reviews as a neutral third party across a range of sectors, including municipalities. A frequent speaker and writer, she also conducts training on a variety of HR law topics.
Melissa
Roth
Melissa Roth
Melissa Roth is a partner at Gowling WLG, practising exclusively in labour and employment law. She advises public and private sector clients on day-to-day human resources matters, human rights, grievance arbitrations, collective bargaining, wrongful dismissals, OHS and WSIB matters, and everything related to workplace law.
She regularly represents clients before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, as well as other administrative tribunals, labour arbitrators, and in court. A sought-after advisor and speaker, Melissa helps employers navigate challenges with strategic and practical advice.
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in Canada since 2023, she supports clients in maintaining compliant, productive workplaces.
Tanya
Sambi
Tanya Sambi
Tanya Sambi is an employment lawyer who advises employers on all aspects of workplace law, including hiring, termination, wrongful and constructive dismissal, human rights, workplace violence and harassment, and employment standards compliance.
She provides strategic guidance on drafting and reviewing employment contracts, offer letters, and key workplace policies, including Disconnecting from Work and Hybrid Workplace policies. A recognized authority in employment law, she frequently publishes, is interviewed by the media, and writes columns for Canadian HR Reporter and Human Resources Director Canada.
Tanya is also a regular conference speaker, presenting to HR, municipal, business, and executive audiences across Ontario.
Kris-Andre Smith
Kris-Andre Smith
Kris-Andre Smith is an Articling Student at Alphonse Latham LLP, where he supports the firm’s employment law, workplace investigations, corporate training, and immigration practices. He brings a strong foundation in legal research, policy analysis, and client-centred problem solving, with a particular interest in workplace rights, discrimination, and systemic issues affecting organizational decision-making.
A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, Kris-Andre completed substantive legal internships in South Africa, where he contributed to constitutional and public-interest initiatives, including housing rights advocacy and community legal education programs in Cape Town. These experiences strengthened his understanding of power dynamics, access to justice, and the real-world impacts of legal processes on individuals and communities.
Kris-Andre also serves on the Board of Directors of Scarborough Community Legal Services, where he participates in governance, policy development, and oversight related to access to justice and anti-discrimination initiatives. In this role, he contributes to organizational strategies aimed at addressing systemic barriers within legal service delivery, bringing a thoughtful, policy-informed perspective to his work.
John
Saunders
John Saunders
John Saunders, a partner in Hicks Morley’s Toronto office, has over three-and-a-half decades of experience advising employers on a wide range of labour and employment issues. His practice includes collective agreement negotiations, rights and interest arbitrations, human rights applications, occupational health and safety matters, and wrongful dismissal litigation. John has particular expertise in municipal law with regard to fire and paramedic issues and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. He provides ongoing negotiation advice to fire and paramedic departments on staffing, deployment, benefit issues, accommodation, mandatory retirement, presumptive disability legislation, negotiations and interest arbitrations.
Laura
Williams
Laura Williams
Laura Williams LL.B, CSP is not your average professional. She is a dynamic force and visionary thinker who blends her near three-decades of experience in law, business and corporate strategy to help leaders and organizations navigate the ever-evolving complexities of today’s workplace. With a track record that speaks volumes, Laura has not only founded but nurtured two highly regarded firms: Williams HR Law LLP and Williams HR Consulting Inc. Laura is a sought after thought leader, keynote speaker, corporate educator, media contributor, investigator and innovator who has become one of the go-to voices helping workplaces reshape perspectives and recalibrate strategies.
