Nine of Barrie’s 11 city council members, including Mayor Alex Nuttall, attended one conference last year and expensed $20,119 to taxpayers, city records show.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) annual conference was held Aug. 20-23, 2023 in London.
“I think it’s very important for members of council to attend these conferences for educational purposes, and to see how other municipalities do certain things,” said Deputy Mayor Robert Thomson. “London was a great conference where the mayor and I were able to have meetings with seven (provincial cabinet) ministers.
“So I think we can see some of the positivity that has come out of these meetings, and working with other levels of government," he added.
Barry Woods, a retired political science professor at Georgian College’s Barrie campus, said municipal councillors attending conferences is a great idea.
“It’s not a big deal at all. It’s not a lot of money and it’s a way of being much more inclusive for councillors,” he said. “I think it’s good experience for them. It’s good interaction to talk to other people and be part of the whole system. Rather than just having the mayor and the deputy mayor go all the time, I think for the amount of money I think it’s important.
“It gets people involved. It might even be just a little slight reward for all the work that they do," Woods added.
Woods said there are other advantages to attending conferences, too.
“Even the camaraderie amongst the people that you go with, the camaraderie amongst the councillors … they get out, it’s a little bit social, it’s not all business,” he said. “Some of them may want to one day take their careers a little but further in terms of municipal politics. It’s good exposure.”
Coun. Craig Nixon, who didn’t attend AMO 2023, along with Coun. Clare Riepma, had another take on the matter.
“To those who feel that these conferences are a vacation or a perk, they might want to consider another travel agent,” Nixon said.
Coun. Nigussie Nigussie said the conference was a learning experience for him.
“As a first-time city councillor with limited political experience, attending the AMO conference in London was a valuable opportunity to gain insight into municipal affairs,” he said. “Building strong relationships with both provincial representatives and fellow city leaders has been a rewarding outcome of our efforts in advancing our city's interests.”
“So was it worth it?” asked Coun. Bryn Hamilton. “For me, personally, 100 per cent. There is no better opportunity to learn about major provincial priorities, issues, trends and hear about other local solutions and approaches to better our city. I support attendance of all councillors at this important event.”
Barrie city councillors’ 2023 AMO expenses are $870 to register, with the remainder for travel, accommodation and meals.
Total AMO expenses for Barrie council members were Coun. Sergio Morales at $2,579, Coun. Amy Courser at $2,526, Coun. Gary Harvey at $2,441, Coun. Ann-Marie Kungl at $2,332, Thomson at $2,249, Coun. Jim Harris at $2,196, Hamilton at $2,117, Nigussie at $1,841, and Nuttall at $1,838.
Harris said his first AMO conference was in 2019 in Ottawa, and seven council members attended, including the mayor and deputy mayor at the time.
“As for the value, at AMO municipalities are invited to request a delegation to meet with provincial ministers — which provides a valuable opportunity to communicate our city's priorities and needs directly to the minister and their staff,” he said.
Harris noted that in both 2019 and last year Barrie was successful at being granted several meetings.
“These delegate meetings are distributed amongst the attending members of council to ensure effective preparation and representation for our community," he said. “In addition, there are a number of speakers, including thought leaders on current and emerging issues, a trade show, information sessions and opportunities to learn from other municipalities.
"From my experience from attending last term and this term, I believe it is important that municipalities actively participate in AMO on behalf of the communities they represent," the Ward 8 councillor added.
Hamilton questioned why councillors were being questioned about attending AMO last year.
“I’ve worked in the public not-for-profit sector for two decades and always find it interesting when people challenge leadership participation/attendance at conferences,” she said. “Like other provincial conferences, AMO is an incredible opportunity to learn, network and gain exposure to new ideas and best practices.”
Hamilton said she had an opportunity to attend a number of relevant panels, including London’s Blue Box transition and lessons learned, root causes and systemic solutions for ending homelessness, building future ready infrastructure, and municipalities and Ontario health teams.
“There were also some fascinating exhibition tables highlighting new trends. One was looking at future road safety measures for speeding that I was able to connect back with staff,” she said. “This year was perhaps even more important as we had a chance to meet with several cabinet ministers to advance important issues on behalf of the city. We divided these meetings amongst those in attendance.
“It was also the first time the building (homes) faster fund was announced, which gave us a unique opportunity to learn about the program and ask questions.”
Hamilton said that, since AMO 2023, she has connected with a number of CAOs and councillors from other municipalities that she met at the conference.
“These relationships have been extremely insightful to learn, compare and explore opportunities for improvement within the city of Barrie,” she said.
Kungl said Barrie councillors are offered the opportunity to attend AMO or the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) annual conference.
“The AMO conference in my opinion is one that is extremely valuable to municipal representatives, as it is organized by our association and becomes a valuable knowledge exchange forum,” she said. “AMO is also the conference where there is a structured opportunity to have a question-and-answer period with ministers of provincial parliament, in addition to scheduled delegations that are more direct conversation with certain minister portfolios based on priority areas of focus a municipality is dealing with.
“Over my years on council, I have been given the opportunity to choose between these conferences as an education opportunity that has been of value.”
Nuttall said it's "routine" for the mayor to attend these events on behalf of the city.
“As for councillors, it is at each councillor’s discretion if they attend provincial or federal conferences," he said.
Nixon, who was not at AMO 2023 because of a prior commitment, also said each councillor can choose whether or not to attend the annual AMO conference.
“I do not know how many have historically attended, however the fact that nine out of 11 attended last year is a testament to the dedication of our current council who chose to spend a summer weekend attending seminars, lectures and focus groups (at AMO),” he said.
“The conference also affords them the opportunity to meet with councillors and provincial members of parliament from all over Ontario to discuss ideas, best practices and to lobby MPPs for assistance on local issues," the Ward 2 councillor added.
Nixon said he's interested in attending AMO 2024, which is scheduled for Aug. 18-21 in Ottawa.
