BREAKFAST / REGISTRATION  

8:00AM to 9:00AM ET

Room: Mississauga Ballroom Foyer

 OPENING REMARKS  

9:00AM to 9:15AM ET

Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)

Land Acknowledgement and Opening Remarks: 

• Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou, OMSSA Vice President and Commissioner of Social Services, Regional Municipality of Durham

 2023 AWARDS PRESENTATION  

9:15AM to 9:25AM ET

Patti Moore Human Services Integration

• Fern Dominelli, Executive Director, NOSDA

Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)

 PLENARY  

9:25AM to 10:25AM ET

Paths and Perils: Social Services Provision in the Year to Come

Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)

Ontario's economy continues to pose challenges for social service users and OMSSA Members. Inflation, in particular, is causing significant difficulties for those who OMSSA Members serve. The rising cost of food and housing, compounded by low social assistance rates are of immediate concern and are issues where solutions seem elusive. While many experts are predicting a mild recession through 2024, it's unclear what exactly this means for social services delivery in Ontario. This session will bring together economists and policy experts to discuss the year ahead and how social service providers can forge a path forward. Panelists will provide insights into the policy implications of growing socio-economic inequity, increased immigration, child care expansion, housing affordability, and more. 

Speakers:

• (moderator) Naomi Couto, Director and Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, York University

• Sheila Block, Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Ontario Office

• Gordon Cleveland, Economist, Cleveland Consulting: Early Childhood Education and Care Inc.

• Samantha DiBellonia, Policy Lead, Maytree Foundation

• Jaimee Gaunce, Director of Policy and Stakeholder Relations, National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc.

• Lindsay Jones, Director of Policy and Government Relations, Association of Municipalities Ontario

• Alfred Lam, Executive Director of the Centre for Immigrant and Community Services and Board Chair/Provincial Director, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants

• Brian Lewis, Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, and Senior Fellow, C.D. Howe Institute

 PLENARY  

10:45AM to 11:45AM ET

Paths and Perils: Social Services Provision in the Year to Come (Continued)

Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)

Ontario's economy continues to pose challenges for social service users and OMSSA Members. Inflation, in particular, is causing significant difficulties for those who OMSSA Members serve. The rising cost of food and housing, compounded by low social assistance rates are of immediate concern and are issues where solutions seem elusive. While many experts are predicting a mild recession through 2024, it's unclear what exactly this means for social services delivery in Ontario. This session will bring together economists and policy experts to discuss the year ahead and how social service providers can forge a path forward. Panelists will provide insights into the policy implications of growing socio-economic inequity, increased immigration, child care expansion, housing affordability, and more. 

Speakers:

• (moderator) Naomi Couto, Director and Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, York University

• Sheila Block, Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Ontario Office

• Gordon Cleveland, Economist, Cleveland Consulting: Early Childhood Education and Care Inc.

• Samantha DiBellonia, Policy Lead, Maytree Foundation

• Jaimee Gaunce, Director of Policy and Stakeholder Relations, National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc.

• Lindsay Jones, Director of Policy and Government Relations, Association of Municipalities Ontario

• Alfred Lam, Executive Director of the Centre for Immigrant and Community Services and Board Chair/Provincial Director, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants

• Brian Lewis, Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, and Senior Fellow, C.D. Howe Insitiute

 OMSSA UPDATE  

11:45AM to 12:00PM ET

Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)

Remarks: 

• Doug Ball, Executive Director, OMSSA

 BREAKOUT SESSIONS  

1:10PM to 2:40PM ET

 A  Part Technical, Part Getting Things Done: Housing Solution Lessons from Sault Ste. Marie and Niagara

Room: Mavis Room (Lower Level)

Establishing bridge and supportive housing can be a particularly sticky challenge, but it is critical piece that helps to ease the pressures on the shelter system and prepares people for more permanent housing options. This session will look at the distinct paths towards establishing bridge and supportive housing taken by two communities in Ontario. We will hear from Niagara Region about their bridge housing program, and from Sault Ste. Marie about how they are renovating existing assets into different supportive housing options. Both Niagara Region and Sault Ste. Marie, alongside Iain de Jong of OrgCode, will share the challenges and successes they have had in these housing programs. Their stories will illuminate not only the technical solutions they've found but will also showcase innovation and resilience in the face of immense challenge at the local level.

Speakers:

• (moderator) Janel Morrison, Supervisor, Income and Social Supports, Regional Municipality of Peel

• Nicole Cortese, Manager of Homelessness Operations, Regional Municipality of Niagara
  

• Iain De Jong, President and CEO, OrgCode Consulting Inc.

• Joanne Pearson, Integrated Program Manager, Housing and Homelessness, District of Sault Ste. Marie

 B  Understanding and Using Harm Reduction in a Social Services Context

Room: Vista Room (Main Level)

Across the country, we continue to see high numbers of deaths related to opioid overdoses. This is compounded by complex and worsening economic and social issues, such as homelessness, mental health problems, rising costs of living, and more. Against this backdrop, there are conflicting ideas about how to best support people who use drugs. It is important to recognize that we must work across sectors to implement programs and policies that work to minimize harmful effects, while respecting and empowering people to reach their own goals.  

In this session, we hope to navigate these ideas and hear from several experts, including a person who uses drugs (PWUD), who will clarify misconceptions about people who use drugs, and who will provide pragmatic and practical ways to implement harm reduction principles. They will also speak to how to communicate information about harm reduction, and how to continue or start conversations with other municipal stakeholders. This conversation will be relevant to those who are looking to gain a better understanding or challenge preconceived ideas around harm reduction. 

Speakers:

• (moderator) Ian Hanney, Program Supervisor, Homelessness Prevention and Social Planning Social Services, County of Lambton

• Zoe Dodd, Community Scholar, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital

• Sam Gilchrist, Executive Director, Gwekwaadziwin Miikan

• Colin Johnson, Chair, Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance

• Lorraine Lam, Crisis Outreach Worker, Regent Park Community Health

 C  Changing the Narrative on Homelessness: Addressing NIMBYism and the Criminalization of the Unhoused

Room: York Ballroom (Lower Level)

Often when members of the general public think of homelessness they conjure images of chaotic and overcrowded encampments, rampant drug use, and criminal activity. It’s often these images that stand between OMSSA Members and their work trying to find support for the unhoused. OMSSA Members understand very clearly that public support is essential for their success in delivering housing supports. In this session, researchers studying social exclusion, community integration, and the public perception of homelessness, will provide insights into how to shift the narrative on homelessness away from criminalization and towards social inclusion.  

Speakers:

• (moderator) Sutha Balasingham, Director, Employment & Social Services, City of Toronto

• Jessica Braimoh, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University

• Erin Dej, Associate Professor, Department of Criminology, Wilfred Laurier University

• Naomi Nichols, Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair in Community-Partnered Social Justice, Trent University

This breakout session is sponsored by the Regional Municipality of Durham

 D  EarlyON in Focus: Thinking-Through Challenges, Advocacy, and Innovations

Room: Dundas Room (2nd Floor)

EarlyON programming is often overlooked in the broader discussion of children's services. These programs play important roles in communities as they support families looking for welcoming, early learning experiences to enjoy with their children aged 0-6. EarlyON helps families meet other families, are led by qualified staff, and can support early intervention for children with special needs. It also acts as a starting point on a pathway for many Ontario families in need of other municipal social services. The scope of EarlyON's social impact in communities can be quite large.

In some instances, these programs are being used to address broader issues around food insecurity, supports for asylum seekers, and provide targeted programs such as dedicated parenting supports for 2SLGBTQ+ families, Indigenous and racialized families, and families involved with children’s aid societies. Recognizing the often-vital role EarlyON plays in Ontario communities, it is more important than ever to share the promising practices that OMSSA Members have established. This discussion-based session will bring Members together to share their insights on how to strengthen EarlyON moving forward. Discussion questions will include: 

• How has your CMSM or DSSAB used your mental health support funding for EarlyON? 
• What integrative approaches has your CMSM or DSSAB developed between EarlyON, other social services, and community partners?  
• What creative solutions have you developed for finding programming space at low or no cost? 
• What innovative ways have been developed to connect with hard-to-reach families (for instance recent immigrants or refugees) or to raise awareness in the community about programs? 
• What training has been provided to staff to help them work with people with overlapping needs or who are from equity-deserving groups?  
• How do you build meaningful and effective partnerships with stakeholders like the community organizations, schoolboards, the Province, etc.? 

Speakers:

• (moderator) Naama Ofrath, Policy Development Officer, City of Toronto

• Stephanie Allan, Specialist, Early Years & Child Care Services, Regional Municipality of Peel

• Julie Gaskin, Director, Children's Services Division, Regional Municipality of Durham

• Denise Plinton, Advisor, Early Years & Child Care Services, Regional Municipality of Peel

PLENARY  

Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)

2:55PM to 3:40PM ET

Systemic Anti-Black Racism by the Numbers: Implications for Social Service Providers

The data shows that systemic anti-Black racism is deeply embedded in Canada, and that the experiences of Black Canadians reflects that of Black Americans. Systemic anti-Black racism is evident in all our systems and institutions including the labour market, education, health care, policing, and child welfare. It impacts the experiences of Black Canadians, along with their mental health and wellbeing. 

This keynote address, will provide insight into what systemic anti-Black racism looks like in Canada and what social service providers can do to ensure they are not perpetuating anti-Black racism in the workplace or in the delivery of services. 

Speaker:

• Tana Turner, Principal, Turner Consulting Group

Resources:

• Turner Consulting Group: Systemic Anti-Black Racism by the Numbers Report

 SPONSOR PRESENTATION  

3:45PM to 4:30PM ET

From Community Housing to Housing the Community

Did you know that in the western world, Canada holds the record for the largest private land nationalization?

Did you know that today, Canadian governments support the for-profit housing sector to the tune of $1,000 billion and keep increasing that support by tens of billions every year? Did you know that if we add up all the funding from federal, provincial, and territorial governments, the amount of support dedicated to community housing is only a tiny fraction of that? Did you know that in Canada only 3.5% of the housing stock is non-speculative, way below the average of other OECD countries?

When you think about what defines the value of land, you factor in items like schools, roads, sewage and water supply systems, hospitals, electrification, fire stations, etc. Typically, we consider vectors of value for land to be community assets and infrastructure. Why does the housing economic system predominantly benefit private owners? How can we use these assets to benefit the community?

This session offers some perspective on housing and, more specifically, community housing. It also discusses ways out of the crisis including an argument for the community housing sector to own 20% of the total Canadian rental stock market.

Speaker:

• Stéphan Corriveau, Executive Director, Community Housing Transformation Centre

 BREAKFAST / REGISTRATION  

8:00AM to 9:00AM ET

Room: Mississauga Ballroom Foyer

 OPENING REMARKS  

9:00AM to 9:05AM ET

Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)

Land Acknowledgement and Opening Remarks: 

• Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou, OMSSA Vice President and Commissioner of Social Services, Regional Municipality of Durham

 2023 AWARDS PRESENTATION 

9:05AM to 9:10AM ET

Patti Moore Human Services Integration

• Laura LePine, Director of Community Services, County of Renfrew

Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)

 PLENARY  

9:10AM to 10:40AM ET

ADMs in Dialogue: Supporting Human Services Delivery in Ontario

Room: Mississauga Ballroom (Main Level)

Join Assistant Deputy Ministers from the Ministries of Children, Community and Social Services, Municipal Affairs and Housing, and Education to hear a short update on their portfolios, followed by a moderated roundtable discussion that focuses on changing policies and initiatives that relate to the work of OMSSA Members. We will hear what the coming months hold and what work needs to be done at all levels of human services to continue to ensure we provide person-centric services and stability supports for those we serve. 

Speakers:

• (moderator) Doug Ball, Executive Director, OMSSA

• Cordelia Clarke Julien, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services

• Angela Cooke, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

• Kyle MacIntyre, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Health

• Holly Moran, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education

 BREAKOUT SESSIONS  

10:55AM to 12:25PM ET

 E  Beyond Bricks and Mortar: Creating Pathways Between Housing and Mental Health Support

Room: York Ballroom (Lower Level)

Housing, or the lack thereof, is a key issue facing every community in Ontario. Meanwhile, it’s becoming increasingly well known that for those who are unhoused, their journey towards stability doesn’t end once they find shelter. In this session, experts will provide insights into what is needed beyond providing someone with four walls and a roof. Specifically, how do we create effective and lasting pathways between housing and mental health supports? Which players need to collaborate to ensure people can continue to be housed? And, what does it mean to have a home that is truly accessible and culturally appropriate? This panel will explore these questions and examine our systems and policies from a local, provincial, federal, and international perspective. 

Speakers:

• (moderator) Peter Sweeney, Commissioner of Community Services, Regional Municipality of Waterloo

• Michael Anhorn, CEO, CMHA Toronto
  

• Jaimee Gaunce, Director of Policy and Stakeholder Relations, National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Inc.

• Curtis Hildebrandt, Senior Advisor, Health System Transformation, Indigenous Primary Health Care Council

• Samara Jones, Researcher, Canadian Observatory on Homelessness & A Way Home Canada; Coordinator, Housing First Europe Hub

 F  The Ontario Human Rights Commission: A Human Rights-Based Approach for the Municipal Services

Room: Erin Mills Room (Main Level)

In this session, you will learn more about how the Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) Framework can help you apply a human rights lens to support policy, program and service system planning and implementation in a way that mitigates discrimination populations in your community.

Speakers:

• (moderator) Michael Jacek, Senior Advisor, Association of Municipalities Ontario

• Juliette Nicolet, Acting Director, Policy, Education, Monitoring & Outreach, Ontario Human Rights Commission

 G  Building Responses to Human Trafficking: Improving Support, Coordination, and Training

Room: Vista Room (Main Level)

Between 2019 and 2022, 1500 human trafficking cases have been identified by The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline. 67% of those cases occurred in Ontario. While victims/survivors of human trafficking might represent a small number of people who seek assistance from municipal social services, they are a demographic who are particularly vulnerable. For instance, their already complex needs are made more complex by the fact that they may be asked to testify in court sometimes several years after they have escaped their trafficking situation. For Crown attorneys prosecuting such cases, the success of their work often rests upon the degree of stability a victim/survivor of human trafficking finds in their housing and other income and social supports.

This panel brings together experts who are looking at the issue of human trafficking from several important perspectives. They’ll discuss how best to work with and support victims/survivors, how best to train staff to identify and work with those who have been trafficked, and how systems can be better coordinated between OMSSA Members, the Province, and community organizations.

Resources:

• Report: Human Trafficking Trends in Canada (2019-2020)

• Concerns about labour trafficking increase amid higher demand for migrant workers in Canada

• Human Trafficking Corridors Enable Traffickers to Exploit More Canadian Women and Girls + Corridors Report

• Report: In Harm’s Way: How Systems Fail Human Trafficking Survivors

• Video: What is Sex Trafficking?

• Jennifer Richardson, Cultural Awareness and Representation Shouldn’t be an Afterthought in Anti-human Trafficking Programme and Policy Design, The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 53, Issue 3, April 2023, Pages 1758–1765

Speakers:

• (moderator) Mina Fayez-Bahgat, General Manager, Social and Community Services, County of Simcoe 

• Julia Drydyk, Executive Director, The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking

• Zoltan Kertesz, Policy Advisor, Regional Municipality of Peel
  

• James McLean, Director of Research and Policy, The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking

• Susan Orlando, Provincial Coordinator, Ontario's Human Trafficking Prosecution Team, Ministry of the Attorney General

• Jennifer Richardson, Senior Director of Strategy and Communications, Ontario Native Women's Association

 H  Developing Local Solutions in the Employment Services Transformation

Room: Mavis Room (Lower Level)

This session will look at how OMSSA Members and Service System Managers (SSM) can work together effectively to develop solutions locally. Attendees will hear from Durham, WCG, and Fedcap SSMs about the work they are doing to address local challenges that have arisen as the employment services transformation (EST) continues to roll out. Additionally, the session will include an update from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services on EST opportunities they continue to pursue and how they have sought to promote local solutioning through their Joint Ministry SSM Committee, From the Field series.  

Speakers:

• (moderator) Tanya Antoniw, Executive Director, Employment and Social Services, City of Windsor

• Deborah Childs, Director, Strategic Partnerships, WCG Services

• Kirsten Cutler, Executive Director, Transformation Secretariat, Employment and Training Division, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development

• Bonnie Elder, Director, Ontario Works, City of Hamilton

• Jayne Garner, Director of Operations, Peel and York, WCG Services

• Jodi Guilmette, Director, Employment & Social Services, Regional Municipality of Halton

• Debra Johnson, Manager, Income and Social Supports, Human Services, Region of Peel

• Charlene Pineda, Director Operations, Employment Ontario, Ottawa & the Eastern Collaborative, WCG Services

• Shanthi Rajaratnam, Senior Director, Service Quality, Fedcap Canada

• Alissa Savage, Senior Manager, Project Governance and Stakeholder Engagement, Transformation Secretariat, Employment and Training Division, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development

• Sunny Sharma, Director, Business Innovation and Implementation Branch, Social Assistance Programs Division, Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services

• Salima Tejani, Senior Contract Manager, WCG Services

• Christine Wilmot, Manager, Employment Service System, Regional Municipality of Durham

 I  Special Needs Resourcing in Children's Services: Assessing Opportunities and Charting Paths Forward

Room: Dundas Room (2nd Floor)

The Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement has yet to bring forth an increase in special needs resourcing for OMSSA Members. Despite this, the demand for special needs resourcing has increased dramatically since CWELCC has been introduced.

This session will be a strengths-based look at how OMSSA Members have approached the challenge of creating more spaces without new federal or provincial money available. In order to facilitate a solutions-oriented session, CMSMs and DSSABs are invited to bring with them their insights into the range of solutions that they have developed around communicating with parents whose children are waiting for special needs resourcing, supporting educators who are themselves depleted and are finding it challenging to cope with children who may require access to special needs resources, developing new opportunities for special needs training among existing staff, to name only a few of the areas of focus. Discussion question for the session will include: 

• How does your CMSM or DSSAB deliver special needs resourcing (e.g., direct delivery or partnerships with external agencies)? 
• What proportion of your funding is being used on special needs resourcing? Where, specifically, is it being used? 
• What are the common pain points you are experiencing? What are you hearing from agencies and families about their experiences? What gaps are you seeing in the system? 
• What opportunities for innovation has your CMSM or DSSAB seen related to workforce, intake, referrals, funding, and partnerships?  
• With the continued expansion of CWELCC what supports do you need from the province to ensure the inclusion and equitable access to programs that rely on special needs resourcing? 
• What measures need to be put in place for the future to ensure the sustained growth of programs that rely on special needs resourcing?  

Speakers:

• (moderator) Darryl Wolk, Manager, Policy Development and Public Affairs, OMSSA

• Shannon Costello, Director of Children's Services, District of Cochrane

• Nancy Hendy, Program Manager, Every Child Belongs, Toronto Children's Services

• Tara Matte, Director, Children's Inclusion Support Services, Andrew Fleck Children's Services and Chair, Ontario Network of Special Resource Programs