Events

Online registration is now closed. If you need assistance, please email us at registration [at] abmunis.ca.  DATES: September 27 - 29, 2023 LOCATION: Edmonton Convention Centre AGENDA: 2023 ABmunis Convention agenda overview TRADE SHOW: Registration for Trade Show is now open, register today! If you have any questions, please email tradeshow [at] abmunis.ca for more details.  Trade Show Brochure SPONSORSHIP: If you are interested in becoming a 2023 Alberta Municipalities Convention sponsor, email sponsorship [at] abmunis.ca to receive a package. We are always looking for new and exciting partners, and can work with you to customize a package that best suits your needs.  Sponsorship Brochure RESOLUTIONS Resolution Voting Instructions PRICING Type                                                  Early-bird & Virtual Pricing               In-Person Regular (After August 18) Alberta Municipalities Member            $620                                             $775 RMA Member                                     $720                                             $900 Non-Member                                      $1000                                           $1200 Municipal Interns                                Complimentary Virtual                                                $250 Virtual registrants will NOT have access to live breakout session. Slide presentations and audio from each session will be recorded and made available following Convention. PRE-CONVENTION SESSIONS Cost: $395 + tax  All sessions run concurrently from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on Tuesday, September 26 EOEP - Effective Meetings Join the inaugural offering of EOEP’s newest course, Effective Meetings! The course builds on highly rated education sessions at recent ABmunis and RMA conventions by providing a full day interactive learning experience that will help participants:  Understand what makes a great meeting and how you can help make meetings great Examine how rules of order and proper procedure enhance your meetings Discover ways to set up great decisions Identify action items that you can implement at your next council meeting As an elected official, you spend a good chunk of your life in meetings. This course provides tools, tips, and ideas to make your meetings work best! **Please note this course is not applicable for associate or affiliate members. EOEP - Municipal Corporate Planning and Finance Understanding municipal finances is fundamental to the job of an elected official.  Municipal councils are expected to plan, govern and set policy for the best interests of their community.  Sound financial planning and management is key to supporting a healthy municipality that can ensure that its current and future service commitments are funded in a sustainable manner. It is important that elected officials understand how financial planning and monitoring align with the municipality’s business cycle, including strategic planning, business planning and performance measurement.  Elected officials need to understand their role in establishing and prioritizing competing service level demands on behalf of citizens and then determine strategies to fund those service level commitments. **Please note this course is not applicable for associate or affiliate members. RMRF Legal Course * Please note this course is not applicable for associate or affiliate members. The Reynold Mirth Richards and Farmer LLP legal pre-convention session will focus on two different subjects through the day: CAOs: The One and Only This session will cover a variety of topics related to the lifecycle of a Chief Administrative Officer, including hiring and firing, employment contracts, healthy communications between Council and the CAO and recognizing and cultivating the unique roles of Council and the CAO in a municipality.  In addition, we will discuss some of the more mundane aspects of life as a CAO such as signing authority, going in camera and CAO duties and responsibilities.    Back Off: Harassment in the Workplace As employers, municipalities have an obligation to provide a safe workplace for employees, which includes providing a workplace free from bullying, harassment or intimidation.  This session will address the recent increase in difficult ratepayer interactions and what options municipalities have available to them to avoid potential liability under Occupational Health and Safety legislation, Human Rights legislation, Workers Compensation legislation and the common law, including the brand new tort of harassment. But this session will also address internal challenges and the importance of those at the top leading by example. Study Tour Edmonton International Airport (YEG) Airport City Sustainability Campus Tour Tuesday, September 26 from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm (Complimentary) Join us for an exciting tour of the Airport City Sustainability Campus, a hub of leading and emerging technologies from all sectors focused on aviation, commercial development and decarbonization. Having attracted $1.5B in investment over the past nine years, the YEG campus houses many types of businesses in the transportation, cargo logistics, manufacturing, sustainability, technology development, training and tourism sectors. This tour will explore the Airport City Sustainability Campus’ integrated ecosystem that spurs collaboration and innovation while fostering the commercialization of clean and emerging technologies.  Attendees will be picked up from the Edmonton Convention Centre, and will be dropped off at the same location at the conclusion of the study tour. ** Timing for this tour overlaps with Pre-Convention sessions. If you are registered for Pre-Convention, please do not register for the YEG Airport Tour. Electric Vehicle Event Tuesday, September 26 from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm (Complimentary) Location: Surface Parking Lot at the Courtyard Marriott Join the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre and their partners to explore electric vehicle options available to municipalities. Chat with various team members and external partners, grab a snack, or take a test drive.  CITY OF EDMONTON RECEPTION Edmonton City Hall, Thursday, September 28 starting at 6:00 pm Tickets: $25 + GST (Guest tickets are available) Join us for an evening to celebrate with our host municipality, The City of Edmonton. The evening with feature great entertainment, snacks, and beverages. Please note, the event will be a cash bar.  HOTELS Alberta Municipalities has partnered with the following hotels to do our best to get members the best hotel rates. Please note, as our pre-determined blocks become full, the below rates may no longer be available. A deposit of first and last night's room rates may be required at the time of booking.  Sandman Signature Downtown Edmonton - rates starting at $160 per night + tax* Chateau Lacombe Hotel - rates starting at $154 per night + tax* Courtyard Marriott Downtown - Room block full Westin Edmonton Downtown -  Room block full Fairmont Hotel MacDonald - Room block full *Taxi chits will be available for those staying at the Chateau Lacombe and Sandman Signature hotels for transportation to and from the Edmonton Convention Centre, as well as transportation to and from evening events. Please see the front desk of your hotel, or the registration desk at the Edmonton Convention Centre to pick up a chit.  HOSPITALITY SUITES We are lucky to have amazing support from our partner organizations, which includes the hosting of multiple hospitality suites in the evenings during Convention. Please note, these hospitality opportunities are reserved for organizations who have sponsored our event. All sanctioned hospitality suites will be advertised by ABmunis during the event. We encourage you to attend the events that are approved and advertised by ABmunis, and thank the sponsors who have supported our event. IN MEMORIUM We will hold a moment of silence during the program for elected officials or administrators that we have lost in the last year. If you have a person you would like to remember a person, please send their name to events [at] abmunis.ca to have them included in the 2023 In Memoriam. MUNICIPAL FLAGS OR LOGOS As always, we will have our flag/logo video play throughout the event. If your flag/logo has changed in the last year, please send the updated, high-resolution photo to events [at] abmunis.ca.   PARTNERS PROGRAM  Cost: $100 The Alberta Municipalities Partners’ Program is available for those members who are bringing a partner along with them to Edmonton. Registration will provide your partner with the following access: Entrance to the Opening Trade Show Dessert Reception on Wednesday, September 27 from 3:00 – 5:30 pm A ticket to the Host City Reception Access to the Royal Alberta Museum and the Art Gallery of Alberta, along with taxi transportation to and from the venues if necessary Please note, registration DOES NOT grant partners access to any other Convention agenda items or meals, including Opening Ceremonies, breakout sessions, or any other plenary activities. Visits to the museum and the art gallery will be self-directed by the participant.  

Introducing the 2023 Alberta Municipalities Risk Aware webinar series! Join us for this transformative three-part series, addressing emerging risk topics affecting our membership. This series will provide valuable insights, actionable strategies, and cutting-edge tools for municipalities and community-related organizations. Don't miss this opportunity to strengthen your risk management approach. Reserve your spot today!   Facility Use Agreements: Why, When, and How? Presented by Dolden Wallace Folick LLP Wednesday, July 18th at 10:30 am This webinar offers an in-depth look at why using facility use agreements is important, and how to build an agreement that sufficiently protects your organization. No prior knowledge is needed to attend, however, if you were able to attend the Alberta Municipalities Public Risk Conference in May, this is an opportunity to deepen your understanding of what you learned at the Waivers, Assumptions of Risk, and Facility Use Agreements - How Local Governments Minimize Risk Through Contractual Means session. Register here.   Public Entity Liability: Maintenance, Transparency, and Prudence. Presented by ClaimsPro Tuesday, September 12th at 10:30 am This session will focus on activities before an incident that could cause liability on your entity, how to investigate said incident, and actions to take to provide transparency while not prejudicing your position. Best practices from an insurance adjuster's perspective will be shared as to how to mitigate and lessen liability. Register here.   Be Prepared – Creating a Culture of Preparedness in Alberta. Presented by Alberta Emergency Management Agency Tuesday, November 14th at 10:30 am Wildfire season in 2023 showed that emergencies and evacuations can happen at any time and are becoming more common. Join the Be Prepared team to learn how the Government of Alberta is building capacity for preparedness public education in Alberta. The Be Prepared program is created for local leaders to champion preparedness amongst the communities that they serve. By increasing risk literacy and encouraging preparedness as a habit at the local level, together we can encourage disaster risk reduction behaviours and contribute to a culture shift towards preparedness in Alberta. Register here.