O.S.U.M. Convention May 2-4 in Niagara Falls

The Ontario Small Urban Municipal Convention will be at the Sheraton on the Falls May 2-4, 2018. Our theme is Walking the Municipal Tightrope. Rural and small town Ontario communities are under constant pressure to update infrastructure, transportation services, and absorb costs downloaded from the province. In many cases the property tax base is not adequate to accomplish all that needs to be done. In many cases we are asked to cover costs that are by nature meant to be covered by Queen's Park

This year's plenary sessions deal with many of the topics on our radar. They are:

·      Municipal Local Share: Finding new revenue to get the job done.

Presenter: Mr. Matthew Wilson, A.M.O.

·   Finding a solution to closing schools in rural small towns and northern Ontario

Presenters: Mr. Doug Reycraft, Chair, Communities School Alliance, Mr. Marcus Councillor, Township of Zorra

·      Changing Course with legalized Marijuana

Presenters: Mr. Bruce Linton, Chair and CEO Canopy Growth Corporation, Mr. Craig Rix, Partner, Hicks Morley LLP, Chief Bryan MacCulloch, Niagara Regional Police Force

·      Understanding Bills 68 and 139 and their application in our communities.

Presenters: Mr. John Mascarin, Partner Aird & Berlis LLP. Mr. Patrick Harrington, Partner, Aird & Berlis, LLP

·      Developing a Municipal Brand in small town Ontario

Presenters: Ms. Janice Thomson, Chair, Niagara Parks Commission

·      Working with OMAFRA to sustain our communities.

·      Uploading Health Care Costs to the Province

For more information visit the OSUM on the web at www.osum.ca or email [email protected] .