Our 8th annual Municipalities of the Future Symposium will take place in-person on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. This year’s keynote speaker will be announced shortly and the Agenda will be updated weekly. Expressions of interest in attending will receive seat confirmation by March 5, 2026. If you are not on our listserv, please contact the School Director, Professor Naomi Couto at naomi@yorku.ca or submit the Expression of Interest form.
8th Annual Municipalities of the Future Symposium
We are pleased to announce that our 8th annual Municipalities of the Future Symposium will take place in-person on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thank you to our Town of Caledon hosts.
Address: 28 Ann Street, Bolton, Ontario L7E 1B9
2026 Organizing Committee:
- Adam Payler, Advisor, Organizational Performance, Office of the CAO, Town of Caledon
- Amanda St. John, Director, Office of the CAO & Chief Strategy Office, Town of Caledon
- Jennifer Baxter, Innovation Analyst, Office of the CAO, Town of Caledon
- Naomi Couto, Director, School of Public Policy and Administration.
- Piragal Thiru, Manager, Horticulture Operations & Community Programs, City of Vaughan
- Zachary Spicer, Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration
Quick Links
- 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 hosted and sponsored by:
Agenda
10:00 - 10:15 a.m.
Meet & Greet Networking
Event MC: Brian Lambie, President of Redbrick Communications
10:15 - 10:30 a.m.
Opening Remarks and Land Acknowledgment: Mayor Annette Groves, Town of Caledon
Welcoming Remarks:
Ravi de Costa, Associate Dean Research & Graduate, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University and
Edward Secnik, Executive Director, Strategy & Administration, Markham Campus, York University
10:30 - 10:50 a.m.
Keynote Address: Joyce Drohan, AI and Technology strategist on “Scaling AI: Balancing Ambition with Reality”.
10:50 - 11:00 a.m.
Q&A Period
11:00 - 11:15 a.m.
Networking and stretch break
11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion | Session I
After Stability: AI and Digital Transformation in Municipal Government
- Nicole Amaral, Digital Kitchener Innovation Lab Director, City of Kitchener
- Marco Cheng-Perri, Manager, Digital Transformation and Corporate Performance, Township of King
- Rob Emerson, Manager, Digital Transformation & User Experience, Information Technology, City of Barrie
- Rhonda Tsingos, Perry Group Consulting Ltd
Facilitator: Merlin Chatwin, Executive Director of Open North
12:00 - 12:15 p.m.
Networking and stretch break
12:15 - 1:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion | Session II
Resilience by Design: Service Delivery and Organizational Adaptation
- Moe Hosseini-Ara, City Librarian, Toronto Public Library
- Andrew Scott, Chief Transformation Officer, City of Burlington
- Emma McGarry Ware, Manager of Innovation, the Regional Municipality of Durham
Facilitator: Jim Harnum, President, Municipal VU Consulting and former City Manager, Deputy CAO, Commissioner and General Manager at various municipalities
1:00 - 1:30 p.m.
Lunch Break
1:30 - 2:15 p.m.
Panel Discussion | Session III
Planning After Stability: Growth and Sustainability in an Uncertain Era
- Christina Bruce, Director of the Policy Planning and Special Programs Department in the Planning and Infrastructure Development Portfolio, City of Vaughan
- Nicolas Day, Director, Regional Planning, Metrolinx
- Steve Ganesh, Commissioner of Planning, Building & Growth Management, City of Brampton
- Sarah Phipps, Project Director, Update Downsview, City Planning Division, City of Toronto
Facilitator: Eric Lucic, Caledon’s Commissioner of Planning and Development and Chief Planner
2:15 - 3:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion | Session IV
Democracy in Disruption: Municipal Elections and What Comes Next
- Steve Anderson, Lawyer, Author, Speaker and Deputy Administrator Ship and Rail Compensation Canada
- Peter MacLeod, Founder & Principal of MASS LBP
- Marium Nur Vahed, Lead, National Democratic Engagement
Facilitator: Stewart McDonough, Advisor, Municipal Engagement, Association of Municipalities of Ontario Lead, AMO’s Healthy Democracy Project
3:00 - 3:15 p.m.
Networking and stretch break
3:15 - 4:00 p.m.
Round-table Discussion | Session V
Governing Through Disruption: Leadership and Decision-Making Under Uncertainty
- Nathan Hyde, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) at the Town of Caledon
- John MacKenzie, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA)
Moderator: Judith D’Souza Soares, Commissioner for Community Services, Town of Caledon
Keynote address, “Scaling AI: Balancing Ambition with Reality” by Joyce Drohan, AI and Technology strategist
Joyce is an AI and Technology strategist with 25+ years' experience as a Global C-suite Executive and Management Consulting Partner. Joyce has successfully developed and grown commercial markets, developed high performing teams, delivered successful national and international transformation for private and public sector organizations across multiple industry sectors focussed on business outcomes and enabled by technology.
Joyce was appointed the Ontario Government’s first Chief AI & Technology Officer where she led the mandate to develop Ontario’s first AI Strategic Framework with the goal of industrialising AI across Ontario. Joyce was the first Global Chief Data Officer at Sanofi, she led the creation of enterprise-level value enabled by data and AI, this included founding the Global AI Centre of Excellence in Toronto, employing hundreds of Canadians in high tech jobs. Joyce was also Partner at Deloitte where she led Clients & Industries for Healthcare and Life Sciences and was Managing Director at PwC for AI Strategy where she was a trusted advisor to C-Suite clients to grow and transform their businesses. As a dual Canadian and British citizen, Joyce worked as Senior Advisor and National Director at the UK Government where she successfully led one of the largest global healthcare transformations that reduced the National Health Service (NHS) spending by £20bn while maintaining and improving quality metrics during the European economic downturn. The UK improved its quality-of-care global OECD ranking to first place during this period.
Joyce’s results have led to recognition as one of the Top 30 Global Chief Data Officers, Top Global Data Innovators and Top Global 100 Women in Data. Joyce has been a featured speaker for multiple events including the Economist, the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Star and guest lecturer at the University of Westminster, University of British Columbia, and Simon Fraser University.
Bios
Christina Bruce
Director of the Policy Planning and Special Programs Department in the Planning and Infrastructure Development Portfolio, City of Vaughan
Raphael Costa
Director, Economic Development, Office of Communications and Economic Development (OCED) | City Manager’s Portfolio
Ravi de Costa
Associate Dean Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University
Rob Emerson
Manager, Digital Transformation & User Experience Information Technology, City of Barrie
Jim Harnum
President, Municipal VU Consulting and former City Manager, Deputy CAO, Commissioner and General Manager at various municipalities
Margaret Josipovic
Executive Director of Planning, Growth Management and Housing Delivery, City of Vaughan
Stewart McDonough
Advisor, Municipal Engagement, Association of Municipalities of Ontario Lead, AMO’s Healthy Democracy Project
