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Home » Experience » Events » Municipalities of the Future Symposium » Municipalities on the frontlines:
New realities and mandates in a post-pandemic world

Municipalities on the frontlines:
New realities and mandates in a post-pandemic world

4th Annual Municipalities of the Future Symposium

Our 4th annual Municipalities of the Future Symposium took place in virtual format on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 and Dino Basso, Commissioner of Corporate Services for the Regional Municipality of York served as keynote speaker.

Throughout the day there were many guest speakers. Browse all guest bios below. A summary of the event is also available in YFile.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Alena Kimakova, Director, School of Public Policy & Administration at akimakov@yorku.ca

This event was co-sponsored by IPAC TRG.

Institute of Public Administration of Canada Toronto Region Logo in french and english

Agenda

Last Updated: March 3, 2021

9:00 AM – 9:15 AM

Participants connect

9:15 AM – 9:30 AM

Welcome and introductions

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Keynote Address
Dino Basso, Commissioner of Corporate Services for The Regional Municipality of York

10:00 AM – 10:15 AM

Q&A Period

10:15 AM – 10:30 AM

Small group networking session

10:30 AM – 11:15 AM

Panel Discussion | Session I

Session IA – The pandemic and change management: Challenges and opportunities for transformation and innovation in municipal public administration

  • Shanon Kalra-Ramjoo, Manager, Enterprise Project and Change Management Office / Strategic Innovation, City of Vaughan, Office of Transformation and Strategy
  • Asare Kester-Akrofi, Program Manager, Business Licensing & Regulatory Services, Municipal Licensing & Standards Division, City of Toronto
  • Stephen O’Brien, General Manager, City Clerk’s Office, Corporate Services, City of Guelph

Facilitator: Fausto Natarelli, Adjunct Faculty, School of Public Policy & Administration

Session IB – Health and social services: The need for integration and equity

  • Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou, Commissioner, Social Services, Regional Municipality of Durham
  • John Riches, Deputy Chief, Regulatory Compliance & Administration, Region of Durham Paramedic Services, Durham Region Health Department
  • Keddone Dias, Executive Director, LAMP Community Health Centre
  • Aseefa Sarang, Executive Director, Across Boundaries

Facilitator: Naomi Couto, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director, Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law (MPPAL) Program, School of Public Policy & Administration

11:15 AM – 11:30 AM

Break

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM

Panel Discussion | Session II

Municipal communications: An essential service with material impact

  • David Arbuckle, Executive Director, Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO)
  • Joe Couto, Director of Government Relations and Communications, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police
  • Lisa Duarte, Director of Communications and Marketing, Region of Peel
  • Michael Genova, Director, Corporate and Strategic Communications, City of Vaughan

Facilitator: Antoinette Sarpong, Change Management Lead, Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services

12:15 PM – 12:45 PM

Lunch Break

12:45 PM – 1:30 PM

Panel Discussion | Session III

Municipal finance: New realities in times of structural change

  • Gary Kent, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer, City of Mississauga
  • Laura Mirabella, Commissioner of Finance, Regional Municipality of York
  • Andrew Waters, Senior Financial Planning Analyst, Financial Planning Division, City of Toronto
  • Donna Herridge, Executive Director, Municipal Finance Officers’​ Association

Facilitator: Ken Ogata, Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy & Administration and School of Administrative Studies, York University

1:30 PM – 1:45 PM

Small group networking session

1:45 PM – 2:30 PM

Panel Discussion | Session IV

Session IVA – Economic recovery and intergovernmental relations

  • Sarah Klein, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Town of Whitby
  • Victor J. Severino, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Office of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction, Regulatory Modernization and Business Relief Division
  • Rosemarie Powell, Executive Director, Toronto Community Benefits Network

Facilitator: Jason Reynar, Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Innisfil

Session IVB – Human resources: Remote work, redeployment, leadership and process improvements

  • Silvia Fraser, Director of Transformation, Workplace Strategies, City of Toronto
  • Dana Johnston, Interim Head of Human Resources, Town of Whitby
  • Roy Tran, Director, People Experience, City of Toronto
  • Lola Obomighie, Director, People and Culture, Cota

Facilitator: Amuna Baraka-Clarke, Senior Director, People & Culture, LOFT Community Services

Keynote Speaker Dino Basso

Dino Basso, Commissioner of Corporate Services for The Regional Municipality of York

Keynote address by Dino Basso

Dino Basso is the Commissioner of Corporate Services for The Regional Municipality of York, an upper tier municipality comprised of nearly 1.2 million residents. Since March 2020, York Region has been at the forefront of the pandemic response.

Together with his team, Dino has tackled significant – and sometimes unrelenting – challenges to support the organization’s response to COVID-19. His high-performing team of leaders and approximately 400 staff deliver critical internal and external support in the areas of: Planning and Economic Development; Corporate Communications; Human Resources, Property Services; Data, Analytics and Visualization Services; the Office of the Regional Clerk; and Business Services. He is also the Vice President of YorkNet, a York Region owned municipal services corporation that installs and manages an extensive dark fiber network. With the demand for high-speed internet at an all-time high, delivering on YorkNet’s mandate to better connect underserved communities all across York Region has never been more important. 

A Registered Professional Engineer (P. Eng), Dino has spent the majority of his 31-year career – 27 in fact – as a public servant. Prior to assuming the Commissioner role in 2014, Dino was the Executive Director for the Region’s Corporate and Strategic Planning department; Director of Capital Delivery, Transportation and Works; and Manager of Corporate Policy and Special Projects in the Office of the CAO. His leadership style is based on a commitment to operating with integrity, empowering trusted employees, seeking first to understand and leading from behind.

Speaker Bios

Paul Aldunate

Expeditor, Investment Services, Economic Development, City of Brampton

David Arbuckle

Executive Director, Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO)

Joanne Kinya Baker

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Specialist, City of Markham

Sutha Balasingham

Director, Employment and Social Services, City of Toronto

Amuna Baraka-Clarke

Senior Director, People & Culture, LOFT Community Services

Clare Barnett

Director, Economic Development and International Relations at City of Brampton Economic Development Office

Leya Barry

Climate Change Supervisor, Community Services Department, Parks, Forestry and Environment Division, City of Mississauga

Sonia Brar

Sonia Brar, Chief Technology Officer, City of Toronto

Alison Burgess

Manager of Government and Community Relations, Durham Region

Morgan Calvert

Chief Administrative Officer, Township of Adelaide Metcalfe

Denise Andrea Campbell

Executive Director, Social Development, City of Toronto

Marco Cheng-Perri

Supervisor of Digital Transformation, Township of King

Quentin Chiotti

Practice Lead, Climate Risk and Resilience, Matrix Solutions Inc.

Quentin Chiotti

Technical Director, Climate Risk and Resilience, Matrix Solutions Inc.

Raphael Costa

Director, Economic Development, Office of Communications and Economic Development (OCED) | City Manager’s Portfolio

Naomi Couto

Director, School of Public Policy & Administration, York University

Joe L. Couto

Director of Government Relations and Communications Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police

Stella Danos-Papaconstantinou

Commissioner, Social Services, Regional Municipality of Durham

Steven Del Duca

Mayor of Vaughan

Keddone Dias

Executive Director, LAMP Community Health Centre

Meghan Ditta

Township of King's Manager of Strategy and Transformation, Office of the CAO

Lisa Duarte

Director of Communications and Marketing, Region of Peel

Hali Farah

Manager, Diversity & Inclusion | People Experience. People & Equity Division, City of Toronto

Zincia Francis

Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, City of Vaughan

Silvia Fraser

Director of Transformation, Workplace Strategies, City of Toronto

Paul Freeman

Chief Planner, The Regional Municipality of York

David Fulford

Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC)

Meeta Gandi

General Manager of Corporate Services, Town of East Gwillimbury

Steve Ganesh

Commissioner of Planning, Building and Growth Management, City of Brampton

Michael Genova

Director, Corporate and Strategic Communications, City of Vaughan

Arman Hamidian

Management Consultant in Strategy and Policy, Santis Health

Donna Herridge

Executive Director, Municipal Finance Officers Association

Shirley Hoy

Senior Advisor with StrategyCorp Inc.

Becky Jamieson

Commissioner of Corporate Services & Town Clerk for the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville

Binnu Jeyakumar

Director of Clean Energy, Pembina Institute

Dana Johnston

Interim Head of Human Resources, Town of Whitby

Shanon Kalra-Ramjoo

Manager, Enterprise Project and Change Management Office/Strategic Innovation, City of Vaughan, Office of Transformation and Strategy

Gary Kent

Commissioner of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer, City of Mississauga

Asare Kester-Akrofi

Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services, City of Toronto

Usman T. Khan

Associate Professor & Department Chair, Civil Engineering, York University.

Alena Kimakova

Director, School of Public Policy & Administration, York University

Kimberley Kitteringham

City Clerk & Director of Legislative Services and Corporate Communications and Community Engagement, City of Markham

Sarah Klein

Director of Strategic Initiatives, Town of Whitby

Tony La Mantia

President and CEO, Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation

David LePage

Co-founder and Managing Partner, Buy Social Canada

Thomas MacPherson

Manager, Transportation Asset Management, Transportation and Infrastructure Planning, Transportation Services, The Regional Municipality of York

John Mascarin

Partner, Aird & Berlis LLP and Adjunct Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University

Jennifer McCabe

Procurement Advisor, City of Ottawa

Cielo Medel

Director IT & Chief Information Officer, City of Mississauga

Laura Mirabella

Commissioner of Finance, Regional Municipality of York

Rumina Morris

Director, Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression. City Manager’s Office, City of London

Ajay Nandalall

Risk Manager, Environmental & Social Risk Management, TD Bank

Fausto Natarelli

Adjunct Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration

Stephen O’Brien

General Manager, City Clerk’s Office, Corporate Services, City of Guelph

Lola Obomighie

Director, People and Culture Cota

Ken Ogata

Assistant Professor, School of Public Policy & Administration and School of Administrative Studies, York University

Marco Palermo

Deputy Chief Technology Officer, Technology Standardization Delivery, City of Toronto

Andy Potter

Partner, Public Sector, Deloitte

Rosemarie Powell

Executive Director, Toronto Community Benefits Network

Jason Reynar

Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Innisfil

John Riches

Deputy Chief, Regulatory Compliance & Administration, Region of Durham Paramedic Services, Durham Region Health Department

Aseefa Sarang

Executive Director, Across Boundaries

Antoinette Sarpong

Change Management Lead, Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services

Jeremy Schembri

Manager, Climate Change and Emergency Management, Region of Peel

Josie Scioli

Former Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, City of Toronto

Victor J. Severino

VP Partnerships, Toronto Region Board of Trade

Harkirat Singh

Deputy Mayor in the City of Brampton

Zachary Spicer

Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration

Ian Stedman

Assistant Professor, Canadian Public Law and Governance in the School of Public Policy and Administration

Barbara Swartzentruber

Executive Director, Smart Cities Office, City of Guelph

Piragal Thiru

Public Sector Leader, MPPAL Alumni

Roy Tran

Director, People Experience, City of Toronto

Robert Trewartha

Director of Strategic Communications and Initiatives, City of Mississauga

Christine Tu

Director, Office of Climate Change and Energy Management, Region of Peel

Michiel Vos

Manager, AI Startups & Scaleups, Vector Institute

Sharon Walker

Manager, Emergency Planning, Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service, Emergency Planning, City of Vaughan

Dr. Marcia Wallace

Chief Administrative Officer at The Corporation of the County of Prince Edward

Andrew Waters

Senior Financial Planning Analyst, Financial Planning, City of Toronto

Bianca Wylie

Co-founder of Digital Public and Tech Reset Canada; Senior Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation