THUNDER BAY – More than 1,400 attendees from hundreds of municipalities across Ontario will participate in the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s 2010 AMO Conference, August 16 to 18 at Caesars Windsor, 377 Riverside Drive East.
Mayor Lynn Peterson and Councillor Joe Virdiramo, along with City Manager Tim Commisso will be representing the City of Thunder Bay.
“This is an important conference,” said Mayor Peterson, who is returning by acclamation as Chair of the Large Urban Caucus for AMO. “In addition to the sessions themselves and the opportunity to meet with colleagues from across the Province, we have scheduled meetings with Provincial Ministers to discuss important community issues.”
Mayor Peterson will chair two sessions including one on long-term care in Ontario. The second, First Nations and Municipalities – Partners in Development, will also feature Anna Gibbon, the City of Thunder Bay’s Aboriginal Liaison, as a presenter.
The Annual AMO Conference is Ontario’s foremost educational forum for municipal government. The three-day agenda includes keynote presentations by:
- Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario
- Jim Bradley, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing
- Sandra Pupatello, Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Trade
- Tim Hudak, MPP, Leader of the Official Opposition and the Ontario PC Party
- Andrea Horwath, MPP, Leader of the Ontario NDP Party
- Andrew Coyne, Editor, Maclean’s Magazine
- Diana Swain, Senior Correspondent, CBC News
- Jeff Rubin, former Chief Economist at CIBC World Markets
- Dr. Rick Miner, Miner & Miner Management Consultants
In addition, as many as 17 Ontario Government Ministers and Parliamentary Assistants will answer questions from conference delegates in an open session at 3:40 p.m. onTuesday, August 17.
More than 60 plenary sessions and workshops are scheduled. With the theme “Propelling Economic Prosperity,” the conference focuses on economic development and other key municipal priorities, such as green energy, waste diversion, infrastructure, and the delivery of health and social services. Program details are available on-line at www.amo.on.ca.