Detailed Program


Please note: This webpage features the detailed session descriptions for the Exchange Conference. For the program-at-a-glance, please visit our Program-At-A-Glance webpage. For a document featuring detailed session descriptions, click here. Speakers may change and will be added as we get closer to the Exchange Conference and Conference program may change at any time without notice.

Note: Pre-registration for breakout sessions is not required. You are able to attend any sessions on each event day by heading to the corresponding breakout room location. 


Session Descriptions & Speakers 
MONDAY, MAY 12 

 WELCOME RECEPTION / REGISTRATION 

The Exchange Conference Welcome Reception begins at 5:00 p.m. Members looking to register ahead of the start of the Conference on May 13th can visit the Registration Desk to pick up their badges starting at 4:00 p.m. 

Room: TBC


 TUESDAY, MAY 13 

 OPENING REMARKS AND PLENARY  
Presentation details coming soon. 

Sponsored by the Regional Municipality of Durham


 BREAKOUT #1  

 1.1  A) Infant and Early Mental Health Care Pathways & B) Integrated Systems + Unique Data Collection = Better Child Outcomes


 1.2  A) Local Municipal Champion: Region of Peel - From Idea to Impact: Expanding Access to Essential Services in Peel Region & B) Closer Than They Appear: Navigating Client Journeys with Partnership Development and Asset Mapping


 1.3  A) Collaborative Outreach: Providing Tiered Care for Homeless Populations & B) Rethinking Paramedicine to Better Support the Community, Improve Access to Care, and Reduce Impact on Toronto's Health Care System


 1.4  A) Building Strong Landlord Partnerships: Durham Region Housing Program & B) Supporting Tenants and Preserving Tenancies in Community Housing


 BREAKOUT #2  
 2.1  A) Local Municipal Champion: City of Windsor: Windsor-Essex Registered Early Childhood Educators Campaign & B) Local Municipal Champion: Northumberland Early Years Employment Initiative - EYEI Program


 2.2  A) Collaborating to Address Encampments: Assertive Street Outreach in Niagara & B) Peel's Asylum Claimant Response


 2.3  Meeting the Moment: Designing an Local End of Mortgage Strategy


 2.4  Reconciliation with Purpose, A Healing-Informed, Transformational, Collaborative, Framework to Become Urban Kin


 BREAKOUT #3  
 3.1  A) Inclusion for All: System Review of the Special Needs and Inclusion Supports & B) Quality Assurance and Compliance in Special Needs Resourcing


 3.2  A) Local Municipal Champion: Region of Durham: Building Collaborations for Responsive Mental Health and Social Care Supports and Services & B) Local Municipal Champion: County of Simcoe: Access to Integrated Care in Couchiching: A Partnership Between the County of Simcoe Ontario Works and Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital

Sponsored by the County of Simcoe



 3.3  A) Building Bridges: Addressing the Housing Crisis for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: A Municipal Perspective & B) Building Bridges: Collaborative Housing Solutions for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities


 3.4  Presentation TBC


 2025 AWARDS BANQUET  

Room: TBC

As part of the Exchange Conference festivities, OMSSA is pleased to announce the Awards Banquet will return for 2025. The Awards Banquet is an opportunity to recognize our OMSSA Awards recipients and to gather for an evening to celebrate as a sector. As we get closer to May, we will offer more information on our Awards Banquet, in addition to our exciting program and confirmed speakers. 

2024 Award Recipients



 WEDNESDAY, MAY 14 

 BREAKOUT #4  
 4.1  A) Welcoming the Rainbow: Creating Resources for 2SLGBTQ+ Inclusion in Children's Programs & B) "Embracing Black Hair" Beauty Salon & Barber Shop


 4.2  Growth by Design: Expanding Not-For-Profit and Public Child Care


 4.3  Celebrating Success in Life Stabilization: Opportunities for Collaboration and Learning


 4.4  A) Addressing NIMBYIsm in Transitional Housing Projects & B) Approaches to Effective Communication and Advocacy


 4.5  A) Local Municipal Champion: County of Renfrew: Mesa - A Collaborative Approach to Compassionate Care & B) Navigating Housing Instability: Strategies for Supporting Clients with Complex Needs


 BREAKOUT #5  
 5.1  A) The Power of Stay Interviews: A Key to Unlocking Employee Engagement and Retention & B) Building Workforce Sustainability in Child Care and Early Years: A Collaborative Approach Between the Region of Waterloo and Ryelle Strategy Group


 5.2  Advancing Health Equity in Housing and Child Care Settings: Opportunities to Improve Through Collaboration Across Sectors


 5.3  A) Homelessness and Community Response Teams in Durham Region, A Continuum of Support & B) Key Lessons Learned from the Grey Bruce Community Safety and Well-Being Plan


 5.4  A) People, Process, and Paper: Evaluating Toronto's STARS Supports Assessment Tool & B) Using a Data-Driven Prioritization Method to Support the Launch of Needs-Based Portable Housing Subsidies


 5.5  Inner Outer Change: Conscious Leadership and Self-Reflection for Leaders in Human Services