City council has agreed to allow Coun. Whitney Smith to claim expenses related to her attendance at this summer’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference even though she did not get the municipality’s approval to attend the event.
Last February, council agreed to send Coun. Janet-Lynne Durnford to the annual conference — and agreed to cover her costs. At that time, Smith did not express an interest to attend the event in Ottawa.
At Monday’s meeting, there was no discussion and no questions were asked about the request from Smith to have her expenses covered.
According to a report provided to council from Smith, the Ward 1 councillor said she “believes the experience justifies the reimbursement of the related expenses.”
The amount of the expenses was not disclosed.
“The motion ratified by council provides Coun. Smith with the approval to claim expenses related to the 2024 Association of Municipalities of Ontario's Annual General Meeting and Conference,” explained Melissa Gowanlock, the city’s manager of communications.
“Council expenses are reported semi-annually, which includes the costs to attend authorized conferences.”
In a 15-page report to council Monday, submitted jointly by Smith and Durnford, Smith laid out the events she attended, the connections she made and explained why she felt it was worthwhile to attend the conference.
Smith said she and Durnford, along with city CAO Gayle Jackson and deputy CAO Amanpreet Singh Sidhu, visited various trade tables “engaging with vendors that provide services to municipalities.”
During this time, she said, she learned about temporary housing initiatives to support individuals experiencing homelessness or emergency situations and discovered new traffic-calming technologies such as speed cameras.
On the second day of the conference, Smith attended the women’s networking breakfast, where discussions revolved around the “professional journeys of women in politics and business,” as well as the importance of mentorship.
“I had valuable conversations with local councillors, forming a network for continued communication,” Smith said in the report.
She also joined Durnford and Jackson as part of a delegation on physician recruitment.
“I participated in a delegation to address Orillia’s challenges regarding the recruitment of doctors, nurses, and the long-term need for a new hospital,” Smith said.
She also did a “tour” with Simcoe North MP Adam Chambers.
“The tour of the temporary Parliament in West Block was informative and offered an opportunity to network with fellow councillors and staff from Simcoe and Muskoka,” Smith explained.
She also was part of a delegation that met with the minister of health, where discussions “focused on Orillia’s healthcare needs, reinforcing the urgency of our city’s healthcare infrastructure and support for residents.”
Smith said she also attended conference sessions focused on municipal innovations, diversifying municipal leadership, public colleges, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation and how to meet evolving needs.
She also attended a session that “highlighted the growing cyber challenges municipalities face, particularly in terms of hacking and data breaches, and offered strategies to mitigate these risks.”
On the third day, she attended a session that provided insights into how other municipalities are addressing homelessness.
“However, it became clear that while some plans work for other regions, Orillia may need a more localized approach to find effective solutions,” Smith noted.
She also attended a session focused on “innovative customer solutions” for municipalities.
“I left this session feeling proud of the collaborative and constructive relationships we have within our own council and staff, particularly compared to the conflicts faced by others,” said Smith, who also attended a session on the impact of the opioid epidemic on municipalities.
“The AMO conference provided an excellent platform for networking with councillors and municipal staff across Ontario,” concluded Smith.
This was the first conference Smith has attended this year. She has no previous expenses from conferences and training.
