Our 7th annual Municipalities of the Future Symposium will take place in-person on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Marcia Wallace, Chief Administrative Officer at The Corporation of the County of Prince Edward. The agenda will be updated, as needed, throughout January and February 2025. A ‘save the date’ will be sent to all those who have attended our previous Symposiums. Expressions of interest in attending will receive seat confirmation by February 24, 2025. If you are not on our listserv, please contact the School Director, Professor Naomi Couto at naomi@yorku.ca and we will send you a ‘save the date’ email with the RSVP link.
7th Annual Municipalities of the Future Symposium
We are pleased to announce that our 7th annual Municipalities of the Future Symposium will take place in-person on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (cocktail reception to follow) at the Second Student Centre, 15 Library Lane, Keele Campus, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto.
This year’s keynote, the “Urban vs Rural Reset : A Post-Pandemic Look Beyond Big Cities” will be delivered by Dr. Marcia Wallace, Chief Administrative Officer at The Corporation of the County of Prince Edward. You can browse our guest speaker bios below.
For more information about our annual event please contact: Dr. Naomi Couto, Director, School of Public Policy & Administration at naomi@yorku.ca.
2025 Organizing Committee:
- Zachary Spicer, Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration;
- Fausto Natarelli, Teaching Practioner, School of Public Policy and Administration;
- Piragal Thiru, Public Sector Leader, MPPAL Alumni;
- Asare Kester-Akrofi, Manager, Strategic Initiatives & A/Manager, Program & Strategic Support, Office of the Deputy City Manager(s) Infrastructure & Development Services & Corporate Services, City of Toronto;
- Sutha Balasingham, Director, Employment and Social Services, City of Toronto;
- Meghan Ditta, Supervisor of Strategy and Transformation, Township of King, York Region;
- Arman Hamidian, Management Consultant in Strategy and Policy, Santis Health;
- Naomi Couto, Director, School of Public Policy and Administration.
Quick Links
- Government Career Panels
- Celebrating Public Service
- Ontario Public Service Breakfast
- Professional Development Workshops
- Professional Networking Events
- Recognition Awards Dinner
This event is free, but space is limited and registration is required.
This event is co-sponsored by the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO), and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC_IAPC) Toronto Region.
Agenda
9:00 AM – 9:15 AM
Meet & greet networking
9:15 AM – 9:30 AM
Welcome, Lisa Philipps, Provost & Vice-President Academic
Keynote speaker introduced, JJ McMurtry, Dean, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS)
9:30 AM – 9:50 AM
Keynote Address: Urban vs Rural Reset : A Post-Pandemic Look Beyond Big Cities
Dr. Marcia Wallace, Chief Administrative Officer at The Corporation of the County of Prince Edward
09:50 AM – 10:00 AM
Q&A Period
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Networking and stretch break
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM
Panel Discussion | Session I
Enhancing the Resilience of Municipal Infrastructure to Climate Change
- Quentin Chiotti, Ph.D., Technical Director, Climate Risk and Resilience, Matrix Solutions Inc.
- Usman T. Khan, Ph.D., P. Eng, Associate Professor & Department Chair, Civil Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University
- Jeremy Schembri, Manager, Climate Change and Emergency Management, Region of Peel
Facilitators: Fausto Natarelli, Adjunct Professor, School of Public Policy & Administration and,
Piragal Thiru, Public Sector Leader, MPPAL Alumni
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Networking and stretch break
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Panel Discussion | Session II
Shaping the Future Workforce: Technology, Wellness and Inclusion
- Denise Andrea Campbell, Executive Director, Social Development, City of Toronto
- Marco Cheng-Perri, Supervisor of Digital Transformation, Township of King
- Meeta Gandi, General Manager of Corporate Services, Town of East Gwillimbury
Facilitators: Sutha Balasingham, Director, Employment and Social Services, City of Toronto, and
Meghan Ditta, Township of King’s Manager of Strategy and Transformation, Office of the CAO.
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
Lunch Break
12:30 PM – 1:15 PM
Panel Discussion | Session III
Technology and Talent: Finding the Right People For Today AND For Tomorrow
- Michiel Vos, Manager, AI Startups & Scaleups, Vector Institute
- Morgan Calvert, Chief Administrative Officer, Township of Adelaide Metcalfe
- Becky Jamieson, Commissioner of Corporate Services & Town Clerk for the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville
Facilitators: Zachary Spicer, Associate Professor, School of Public Policy & Administration, and
Arman Hamidian, Management Consultant in Strategy and Policy, Santis Health
1:15 PM – 2:00 PM
Panel Discussion | Session IV
Government Modernization to Meet Emerging Community Needs
- Sonia Brar, Chief Technology Officer, City of Toronto
- Dafna Carr, Associate Deputy Minister, ServiceOntario, Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery
- Andy Potter, Partner, Public Sector, Deloitte
Facilitators: Josie Scioli, Former Deputy City Manager, Corporate Services, City of Toronto, and
Asare Kester-Akrofi, Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services, City of Toronto
2:00 PM – 2:15 PM
Networking and stretch break
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM
Round-table Discussion | Session V
Municipalities as Economic Engines: the intersection of planning & economic development
- Clare Barnett, Director, Economic Development and International Relations at City of Brampton Economic Development Office
- Paul Aldunate, Expeditor, Investment Services, Economic Development, City of Brampton
- Raphael Costa, Director, Economic Development. Office of Communications and Economic Development (OCED) | City Manager’s Portfolio, Vaughan.
- Tony La Mantia, President and CEO, Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation
Moderator: Victor Severino, VP Partnerships, Toronto Region Board of Trade.
Keynote address by Dr. Marcia Wallace
Urban vs Rural Reset : A Post-Pandemic Look Beyond Big Cities
Marcia Wallace is the Chief Administrative Officer for Prince Edward County, a vibrant single tier municipality in Eastern Ontario with an active agricultural sector and a strong tourism related economy. In this role she leads the provision of a wide range of municipal services for residents, businesses and visitors.
Prior to joining the County, Marcia spent 20 years working for the province of Ontario. In her last position at the province she served as Assistant Deputy Minister with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing where she led the division responsible for the implementation of policy and programs across Ontario’s regional offices, the Ontario Building Code and disaster recovery programs. Prior to this role she led high profile policy and program initiatives at the Ministries of Municipal Affairs, Housing, and Environment.
In addition to this experience, Marcia also has a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from the University of Waterloo and is a Registered Professional Planning with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI). Marcia continues to be involved in teaching, most recently lecturing in the Local Government Diploma Program at Western University in London, Ontario.
Speaker Bios
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
Raphael Costa
Director, Economic Development, Office of Communications and Economic Development (OCED) | City Manager’s Portfolio
Zincia Francis
Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, City of Vaughan
Becky Jamieson
Commissioner of Corporate Services & Town Clerk for the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville
Asare Kester-Akrofi
Manager, Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure Services, City of Toronto
