OMSSA Speakers Series

OMSSA Speakers Series
Thank you to everyone who attended our Speakers Series webinars for 2025. We look forward to hosting several Speakers Series webinars in 2026. We hope you will be able to attend these webinars as we announce them.
OMSSA brings in guest speakers to discuss topics and issues you want to hear more about in the human services sectors. These webinars will be hosted by the Association.
Upcoming Webinars
All sessions in Eastern Standard Time.
An Abbreviated History of Social Services in Ontario and OMSSA’s Role Within It
October 1, 2025 | 11:30AM to 1:00PM
Pricing
There is no cost to attend this webinar, but registration is required. Please click on the registration link associated with each webinar to complete the process.
Please note: Speakers and sessions are subject to change. Members who have questions can contact OMSSA at communications@omssa.com.
2025 Speakers Series Webinars
2025 Speakers Series Signature Sponsor
OMSSA is pleased to announce Enbridge Gas as our 2025 Speakers Series Signature Sponsor.
Owned by Enbridge Inc., a Canadian-based leader in energy transportation and distribution, the Enbridge Gas Distribution and Storage business unit is comprised of five natural gas utilities that collectively provide safe, affordable, reliable energy to about 7 million customers in Ontario, Ohio, North Carolina, Quebec, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.

Registration
Registration coming soon.
An Abbreviated History of Social Services in Ontario and OMSSA’s Role Within It
October 1, 2025 | 11:30AM to 1:00PM
This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA). The Association is pleased to offer a webinar presentation by John Stapleton of Open Policy Ontario.
There is a long history in Ontario of providing funds and programs for people with disabilities and those who are unemployed. Such support would later expand to include people experiencing homelessness and families in need of quality early years and child care.
The history of social services in Ontario is marked by struggle and a complex relationship between the federal and provincial governments, and municipalities, connected to who can deliver these services. All this taking place against a backdrop of a changing political and economic conditions, not to mention several life-changing events.
This reflective webinar will provide insights into the early motivation for government social supports, and how these programs have evolved, and expanded, over time as program and service delivery have changed starting from the founding of Upper Canada to contemporary Ontario, and OMSSA’s role within this evolution.
Moderator: TBC
About the Speaker

John Stapleton
Consultant, Open Policy Ontario
John Stapleton worked for the Ontario Government in the Ministry of Community and Social Services for 28 years in the areas of social assistance policy and operations. During his early career, John was senior policy advisor to the Social Assistance Review Committee. His most recent government work concerned the implementation of the National Child Benefit in the late 1990’s and 2000’s.
John was a senior research associate with the Neighbourhood Change Research Partnership at the University of Toronto. He is former Chair of Ontario Soldiers’ Aid Commission and is a volunteer with West Neighbourhood House and a former volunteer with WoodGreen Community Services of Toronto. John was Research Director for the Task Force on Modernizing Income Security for Working-Age Adults in Toronto and was the co-chair of the working group associated with this project. He is a former Innovation Fellowship at the Metcalf Foundation. He teaches public policy. He sat on federal Minister Duclos’ advisory committee on poverty reduction, the Minister of Community and Social Services advisory group on social assistance reform and Toronto’s advisory group on poverty reduction.
John has published op-eds in the Globe & Mail, National Post and the Toronto Star. He has written reviews for the Literary Review of Canada and written articles and studies for Ideas that Matter, the University of Toronto, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the C.D. Howe Institute, Realize, the Caledon Institute, The Toronto Dominion Financial Group, the Metcalf Foundation, the Ontario Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, Employment and Social Development Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs, Civic Action, Policy Options. Toronto.com and many others.
John is the former chair of the Board of West Scarborough Community Legal Services and is a member of the Council on Aging of Ottawa’s Expert Panel on Income Security. He is the Past President of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame and remains on its Board of Directors.
Speakers Series Webinars Archive
Working Together to Prevent and End Poverty and Increase Well-Being in Niagara
In March 2024, Niagara Region Council endorsed the Niagara Poverty Reduction Strategy. Recognizing that the Regional Municipality of Niagara and many local providers already deliver services to lift people out of poverty, this Strategy identifies best practice, uncovers gaps and leverages local knowledge to inform future action. Diverse perspectives and experiences shaped this community-owned Strategy. Over 1000 residents informed the Strategy including people living in poverty and over 200 Indigenous people. During this session, the presenters will review the collective impact approach used to engage community and collaborate with many sectors to create the Strategy. They will outline the Strategy’s areas of focus, recommendations and actions. The presenters will describe the evaluation plan designed to measure success and reflect on highlights from the first year of implementation, including how the Strategy informed a regional grant funding program. This presentation will be of interest for municipalities working to end poverty. Whether you're thinking of creating a poverty reduction strategy or looking for ways to enhance existing efforts, you’ll leave with insights and inspiration to engage community, monitor success and build collaborations that can work together to end poverty. Event Resources Presentation Slides View Recording Niagara Poverty Reduction Strategy Overview Strategy Report […]
Measuring What Matters: Creating A Meaningful Outcomes Framework Across 150 Programs
How do you create one outcomes framework for over 150 programs—each with different goals, services, and clients? In this session, we’ll take you behind the scenes of a major initiative led by the City of Toronto’s Social Development, Finance & Administration (SDFA) division to do exactly that. Using a practical approach rooted in Results-Based Accountability and logic models, we’ll walk through how we developed a shared framework that captures meaningful outcomes across diverse areas like community safety, youth development, poverty reduction, and more.
Institute on Municipal Finance & Governance Report: The Municipal Role in Child Care (POSTPONED)
In May 2024, the Institute on Municipal Finance & Governance at the University of Toronto released a report called “The Municipal Role in Child Care.” This report is comprised of four key sections, each with separate authors outlining their vision for municipally-led child care. This session will bring together some of these authors to provide an overview of their analyses and an update on their work since the report was published. Their presentations will each focus on what they see as strengths and opportunities here in Ontario, including the unique role of municipal service system managers.
A Look Ahead at Maytree’s Annual Welfare in Canada Report
The annual Welfare in Canada report enumerates and examines the total welfare incomes of example households receiving social assistance in a given year and details some key features of social assistance programs, in all 13 provincial and territorial jurisdictions in Canada. As the only publicly available resource that compiles and analyses this data, Welfare in Canada is the primary source for evaluating Canada’s progress on fulfilling the human right to an adequate standard of living for households receiving social assistance.
A Review of Homelessness Encampments Across Canada
Canada’s Federal Housing Advocate is a unique human rights accountability mechanism established to advance the right to adequate housing in Canada and monitor the National Housing Strategy. Located within the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Advocate works to amplify the voices of people experiencing inadequate housing and homelessness and hold governments to account on their human rights obligations. In this session, we will introduce the right to housing and the Advocate’s mandate. The Session will include a brief overview of the Advocate’s mandate and discuss the Advocate’s final report and recommendations resulting from her national review of encampments.
Continuing the Local Municipal Champion Conversation
Building on our conversation at OMSSA's 2023 Exchange Conference, four of this year's Local Municipal Champion award recipients will tell the story of the programs that were developed for their communities, with particular emphasis on the successes they have seen and the challenges they have overcome. They will also answer the many questions attendees had as part of the discussion.
Member Housing and Homelessness Initiatives Discussion
This session will bring together OMSSA Members to discuss the initiatives they've designed to address the current challenges in housing and homelessness.
Implementing CWELCC in Ontario
This webinar will explore the current implementation of the Canada-Wide Early Learning & Child Care Program (CWELCC). Attendees will hear our guest speakers share their insights on the implementation of CWELCC in Ontario. Please see our invited speakers and presenters.