Ontario Association of Emergency Managers
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Spotlight Series Archive

Access recordings and resources from every past Emergency Management Spotlight Series session — exclusive to OAEM members.

49

Sessions recorded

60+

Expert speakers

Free

For all members

45 sessions

Professional DevelopmentOctober 21, 2026

Expanding Public-Private Partnerships for EM

Chris Sheach

Emergency Manager, Niagara Region

Learn about the Emergency Management Niagara Coalition, which brings together CEMCs, first responders, Emergency Managers from schools, utilities, hospitals, and local non-profit partners every two months to learn together and network. Out of these meetings the Region has developed a multi-agency, RPAS program, coordinated public education campaigns, and increased shared resources in deployments.

Professional DevelopmentOctober 6, 2026

Supporting Mental Health With PSPNET

Jennifer (Jenny) Gonzalez, MSW, RSW

Therapist, Research Associate PSPNET, Department of Psychology, University of Regina

PSPNET provides free, nationally funded, confidential online mental health services for Canadian public safety personnel, including firefighters, paramedics, police, corrections, emergency managers and other PSP sectors. Their programs include therapist-guided and self-guided online courses designed to help address challenges such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress injuries, burnout, sleep and operational stress.

Community & EquityJuly 2026

United Way Greater Toronto Resilience Hubs

Alex Dow and Sandi Trillo, UWGT and Sonia Gaudry, Health Commons Solutions Lab

Learn how the United Way of Greater Toronto (UWGT) and the City of Toronto's Social Development division have been looking at how climate-driven disruptions like extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and flooding impact health human services. Find out about UWGT's pilot projects exploring how to embed a 'Resilience Hub' mandate into the day-to-day and emergency operations of existing service hubs. Explore the UWGT's partnerships with the Canadian Red Cross and Volunteer Toronto, supporting agencies and communities to get ready in anticipation of more of these kinds of disruptions.

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Flood & ClimateMay 2026

The Missing Intelligence Layer in Wildfire Planning

Brady Gilchrist

Founder & CEO, FireArc Inc.

Learn about the nine blind spots many community wildfire protection plans never address, and HaloScout, a satellite-derived spatial intelligence tool that gives every stakeholder around a WUI community a common picture of risk. Attendees will see how a FRIZ (Fire Risk Identification Zone) grid can be built around Ontario communities, what it surfaces in minutes, and how municipal emergency managers can use it as the foundation for developing a comprehensive HIRA, sequencing mitigation priorities, structuring exercises, briefing elected officials, and building the evidence base for FCM and provincial funding applications.

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Hazardous MaterialsApril 2026

Abandoned Gas Wells

Chris Case

Chief, Chatham-Kent Fire & Rescue

Learn about the hazards and challenges posed by abandoned gas wells and the importance of monitoring to prevent future incidents. The town of Wheatley has experienced two such incidents, including an explosion in 2021 and a more recent leak in November 2025. Chris will discuss response and lessons learned, and will also share information from the first collaborative symposium on legacy oil and gas well emergency response held in March 2026 in London ON.

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Technology & InnovationMarch 2026

MB Ready

Brenda Dhillon

Genvis Canada Country Manager

Learn about MB Ready, Manitoba's province-wide emergency public information platform, rolled out within 72 hours in response to the 2025 wildfires. The platform gave residents, including those in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, a single trusted source for wildfire warnings, evacuation guidance, and real-time updates across multiple channels. We'll explore the communications and coordination pressures Manitoba faced, the decision that triggered the rollout, what made 72-hour deployment possible, and the honest lessons for other jurisdictions. Participants will leave with a practical framework and replicable strategies they can apply in their own programs.

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Community & EquityFebruary 2026

GlobalMedic

Rahul Singh

Founder and Executive Director, GlobalMedic

Learn about GlobalMedic, a Canadian charity that focuses on delivering humanitarian aid both domestically and internationally with the greatest impact and most efficiency. Recent response missions include Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and Canadian wildfires.

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Technology & InnovationDecember 2025

City of Guelph GIS Application

Diana Danila

Geographic Information System (GIS) Analyst, Information Technology, City of Guelph

Learn about the City of Guelph's Emergency Management Program and GIS application within its Emergency Operations Centre to enhance emergency response capabilities — serving as a centralized system for accessing and visualizing information relevant to emergency management, aiding in decision-making and resource allocation.

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Community & EquityOctober 2025

Canadian Red Cross Ontario Operations

Christopher Allsop; Jeff Taylor

Senior Manager, EM Volunteers & PDA Operations Ontario; Senior Manager, Relief Operations Ontario, Canadian Red Cross

Learn about the scope of the Canadian Red Cross' operations in Ontario, including details of 2025 deployments across the province.

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Planning & PreparednessSeptember 2025

Strength in Unity: Collaborative EM Exercises

Kassondra Stockman-Sousa, MFS, HcEM-M, CBCP

Emergency Preparedness Advisor, Halton Healthcare

Learn about organizing exercises that collaborate with external partners including Municipal CEMCs and First Responders. The two main exercises that will be discussed include: 1. full-scale Code Orange (mass casualty) exercise at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital in April 2024 involving key partnerships with Oakville Fire Department, Town of Milton, and Halton Region. 2. full-scale Code Silver (active attacker) exercise at Milton District Hospital scheduled for November 12, 2025 involving key partnerships with Halton Regional Police Service and Halton Region Paramedic Services.

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Planning & PreparednessAugust 2025

Hamilton-Oshawa Ports Authority

Vicki Gruber

Director, Safety & Security, Harbourmaster, HOPA Ports

Learn about harbour operations, port security and emergency management at the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA), a day in the life of a Harbour Master, and the recent HOPA Annual Port Security Exercise.

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Hazardous MaterialsJune 2025

Abandoned Mines & Mine Hazards

Amy Bryant

Emergency Management and Security Coordinator, Ministry of Northern Economic Development and Growth / Ministry of Energy and Mines

Learn about abandoned mines and mine hazards in Ontario and the Ministry's new public education program launch.

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Technology & InnovationMay 2025

Broadcast-Broadband Convergence B²C Lab

Orest Sushko

Director, Broadcast-Broadband Convergence B²C Lab, Humber Polytechnic

Learn about North America's first Broadcast-Broadband Convergence B2C Lab; a world-class telecommunications research centre designed to explore multi-sectoral business applications enabled by the new ATSC 3.0 IP-based television broadcast transmission system including the pioneering R&D work that Humber Polytechnic is undertaking alongside a global research and implementation team. Humber's B2C Lab is undertaking advanced R&D with emergency communications that can bolster the resilience of municipal and regional communications networks and offer enhanced capabilities and services using this new broadcast transmission technology.

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Planning & PreparednessMay 2025

CSA Group — Emergency and Continuity Management Standards

Candace Sellar; Erich Hildebrandt

Manager, Strategic Initiatives; Project Manager Worker and Public Safety, CSA Group

Learn about CSA's role in the development of public safety standards and information products in areas of emergency/security management, transportation of dangerous goods, search & rescue, etc. The session will also provide a high-level overview of the scope, purpose and application of the third edition of CSA Z1600, Emergency and Continuity Management Program.

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Hazardous MaterialsApril 2025

Municipality of Port Hope's Municipal Rail Safety Plan

Jason Williams

Director of Protective Services / Fire Chief, Municipality of Port Hope

Learn about the Municipality of Port Hope's Municipal Rail Safety Plan, Evacuation and Transportation Plan and continuity of operations protocols as part of the municipality's comprehensive Emergency Response Plan and key program elements.

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Flood & ClimateApril 2025

Canadian Severe Storms Lab

Dr. David Sills

Director – Northern Tornadoes Project, Canadian Severe Storms Lab, Western University

Learn about the Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory at Western University; a new research center that will transform understanding of damaging winds, hail, and flash floods in Canada.

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Community & EquityJanuary 2025

Dufferin County Emergency Support Service (ESS)

Steve Murphy

Manager Preparedness, 911 and Corporate Projects, County of Dufferin

Learn about Dufferin County's Emergency Support Service (ESS) trailers and volunteers — the first of their kind in Ontario at a regional level, and their deployment during local emergency and disaster situations.

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Community & EquityJanuary 2025

Ontario Corps

Bernie Derible; Lisa Priest; Nina Diaz

Deputy Minister and Commissioner EMO; Assistant Deputy Minister, Preparedness, Programs and Planning, TBS; Director, Emergency Management Programs and Partnerships, TBS

This session will provide an overview of Ontario Corps, a new volunteer emergency response team for Ontario natural disasters and emergencies. Learn about Ontario Corps, and their role in providing ground assistance, including emergency shelter, debris management and flood protection. The new Ontario Corps volunteer organization, a group of partners and people that the government can call to help communities hit hard by emergencies and natural disasters, would supplement communities' emergency response amid natural disasters and other crises.

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Planning & PreparednessDecember 2024

Canadian Coast Guard

Matthew Ducker

Team Leader, Exercise Planning, Exercise and Preparedness, Incident Management Directorate, Canadian Coast Guard

Learn about the Canadian Coast Guard's mandate, programs, services and resources, including international partnerships and cross-border agreements through a national and regional lens.

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Planning & PreparednessNovember 2024

Ontario's Heavy Urban Search and Rescue Unit

Donald J. Kembel; Jordan Froese

Operations Manager, Emergency Response Unit, Office of the Fire Marshal; Program Specialist, Emergency Response Unit

Learn about Ontario's Heavy Urban Search and Rescue, HazMat, CBRNE, USAR Unit, capable of responding to disaster situations at municipal, provincial and national levels and the roles and responsibilities of this specialized unit.

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Hazardous MaterialsOctober 2024

Rail Safety

Scott Croome

Director Dangerous Goods, Rail Association of Canada

Learn about the RAC and the railways that transport millions of passengers and goods each year with a safety lens such as the Safety Culture, transporting dangerous goods, emergency response plans, highly specialized and committed railroaders and the RAC's Dangerous Goods Team (RAC's DG Team), the TRANSCAER initiative, Operation Lifesaver, etc.

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Planning & PreparednessAugust 2024

Nuclear Emergency Response Plans

Mary La Chapelle; Michael Munro

Acting Deputy Director, Durham Emergency Management; Acting Director, Nuclear Radiological and Scientific Response Programs, EMO

This session will provide an overview of the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan (PNERP) — plans, programs and exercises. Learn about public safety during nuclear emergencies including Ontario's off-site responsibilities in the preparedness for, response to, and recovery from nuclear or radiological incidents.

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Planning & PreparednessJuly 2024

Toronto Transit Commission's Business Continuity Program

Randy Yeboah, MDEM, CBCP, PMP

Director, Business Continuity & Resilience, Toronto Transit Commission

Learn about the Toronto Transit Commission's efforts to implement a comprehensive business continuity program. This session will cover the essential elements of an effective program, the application of continuity practices to planned events, and opportunities for collaboration with resilience stakeholders and partners.

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Planning & PreparednessJune 2024

Where to Now? Federal EM Legislation Post Covid & Convoy

John 'Jack' Lindsay

Associate Professor, Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies, Brandon University

Hear about perspectives as to 'Why Canada needs to dramatically update how it prepares for and manages emergencies'. Engage in a conversation about the need to review the existing Emergencies Act and how emergency management needs to be integrated into decision-making by all levels of government and communities to be effective.

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Community & EquityMay 2024

Northern Remote Airports — Links to Essential Services

Thomas Rolfe

MTO

Learn about MTO's northern remote airports and their vital transportation link to Indigenous communities. Hear about Thomas Rolfe's leadership role overseeing the emergency management, emergency response, security, and business continuity programs for the twenty-eight certified airports and one aerodrome that MTO operates, including insights as to incident response and relationship building with First Nations community leaders to improve emergency preparedness and response.

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Technology & InnovationMarch 2024

Next Gen 911

Jennifer Moreton; Andrea DeJong

APSCAO; St. Catharines Fire & Emergency Services

Learn about the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials Canada's (APCO) mission and involvement with Next Generation 9-1-1 and how the City of St. Catharines is leading the way for local area municipalities as the new NG911 emergency call-handling system is launched.

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Professional DevelopmentMarch 2024

OMMI EM Specialist Accreditation

Bill McKim; Kathy Branton

Executive Director OMMI; Vice Chair OMMI CMM Accreditation Committee

A facilitated workshop on the Ontario Municipal Management Institute's Certified Municipal Manager — Emergency Management Specialist Accreditation.

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Community & EquityFebruary 2024

Emergency Management for Farm Animals

Danie Glanc

Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Learn about emergency preparedness for farm animals.

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Technology & InnovationOctober 2023

Alert Ready — Canada's National Public Alerting System

Martin Bélanger

Pelmorex Corp

This session will provide an overview of the national public alerting system, also known as Alert Ready. The presentation will provide information on several topics, including: The roles and responsibilities of the various partners involved with public alerting in Canada; System utilization and capabilities; A description of how emergency alerts are distributed to the public; The future evolution of the Alert Ready system and building a more effective public alerting system.

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Flood & ClimateMay 2023

Flood Management in Ontario

Angela Coleman; Katherine Watson; Mark Anderson

Conservation Ontario; South Nation Conservation; Grand River Conservation Authority

Learn about Conservation Ontario and Conservation Authorities and the roles and responsibilities of Conservation Authorities around flooding. Some specific examples will be presented to introduce how Conservation Authorities engage with emergency managers in flood forecast and warning to help protect people and property from flooding.

Planning & PreparednessMay 2023

A Safe, Practiced and Prepared Ontario

Bernie Derible

Deputy Minister and Commissioner of Emergency Management Ontario

Ontario's first-ever Provincial Emergency Management Strategy and Action Plan (PEMSAP) sets a foundation for a proactive approach to emergency management in Ontario. This foundation will enable a safe, practiced and prepared Ontario based on a one-window approach for all Ontarians - through EMO - to proactively coordinate emergencies in collaboration with municipalities, First Nations and community partners. The PEMSAP builds on lessons learned from past emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which was the single largest provincial emergency in decades.

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Professional DevelopmentDecember 2022

Code of Ethics & Professional Standards for EM

Dr. Shirley Feldmann-Jensen; Sandy M. Smith, RN, PhD

California State University; Arkansas Tech

This session will overview the current version of the EM Code of Ethics developed by FEMA, the process used to create it, and highlight various ethical issues of importance to the DEM field.

Flood & ClimateOctober 2022

Northern Tornadoes Project

G.A. Kopp

Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Western University

The session will present the work done by the Northern Tornadoes Project at Western University to identify every tornado in Canada, along with the impacts that these cause. Attendees will learn about the methods used to identify and rate tornadoes in Canada.

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Planning & PreparednessSeptember 2022

Long Term Care Emergency Plans

Rena Bowen; Anastasia Seretis

Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care

What Was and What's New: An overview of the new Fixing Long-Term Care Act, 2021 and its regulations related to Emergency Plan requirements for long-term care homes. Discussion includes recognizing the consultation and collaboration possibilities at various government and non-government organizations/partners; awareness of some of the challenges long-term care homes experience in developing emergency plans.

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Planning & PreparednessAugust 2022

Planning for the 2024 Solar Eclipse

Patricia Martel

Niagara Region

On April 8, 2024, parts of Ontario will be front row for a rare natural phenomenon: a total solar eclipse. This session will discuss the emergency management implications for jurisdictions under the path of totality and will outline Niagara Region's approach for preparing for this significant event.

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Technology & InnovationJuly 2022

Amateur Radio in Times of Disaster

Edward Graham Dougall

Peel Amateur Radio Club

Learn about Amateur Radio Operators who provide a critical public service for our communities during times of disaster. They can provide reliable communications when the normal infrastructure is offline. Amateur Radio clubs, such as the Peel Amateur Radio Club (PARC), have established working relationships with community, provincial and national organizations to provide support in times of crisis under the umbrella of their national organization, Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC).

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Flood & ClimateJune 2022

Wildland Fire Management

Dan Johnston; Jaime Seeley

Forest Fire Management Program; Fire Advisor – Northwest Region

This two-part session will provide an overview of wildland fire management in Ontario, including current and emerging challenges, and opportunities for action, immediately followed by an overview of the partnerships between AFFES and Indigenous Communities throughout Ontario.

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Planning & PreparednessApril 2022

When the Lights Go Out

Catherine Blair

Alectra Utilities

Times are changing for utility storm response efforts. Even under the worst of conditions, the expectation is that the lights come back on, fast. Restoring power in the wake of a major storm requires extensive planning and preparation. Learn what is involved with a utility emergency management program. Also, utilities improve their power restoration efforts when they work with their municipal partners. Here is how Alectra works with our municipalities under blue and dark skies.

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Community & EquityMarch 2022

Red Cross — Volunteer Experience in EM

Louise Geoffrion

Canadian Red Cross

Canadian Red Cross' refreshed strategic approach to volunteer experience and engagement; disaster and health emergency response. Discussion includes what is happening in volunteerism today; how shifts in volunteerism impact organizational strategies and what these shifts mean in an environment of disaster and health emergency response.

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Planning & PreparednessFebruary 2022

Day in the Life & Virtual Tour of the PEOC

Jason Redlarski

PEOC

Emergency Management Ontario Duty Officers 'day in the life' and virtual tour of the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC). Jason will be 'taking us to work' and providing an insider's view of the Provincial Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) via a virtual tour while elaborating on the EMO Duty Officer's position. This event offers additional insight for all those aspiring to be Duty Officers or EM.

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Professional DevelopmentJanuary 2022

Certification Journey — Applying for Your AEM/CEM

Jennifer Smysnuik

Manager, City of Toronto Office of Emergency Management

IAEM is the only organization that offers a certification for individual emergency managers. The Certified Emergency Manager designation is a nationally and internationally recognized professional certification for emergency managers. This session will provide an overview of the certification process, help you decide what type of certification is right for you and offer tips for putting your application together.

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Technology & InnovationOctober 2021

Connecting EM with Cyber

Derek Bowers

Town of Wasaga Beach

Threat vectors and variables are constantly changing. All it takes is one small change to the code and it is a new variable. Do you know how to 'Ride the Storm' and keep your business running and customer service operational? We will discover if you are ready for when and how to get there.

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Planning & PreparednessJuly 2021

EarthX21 MISSION Briefing

John Heltzel

EIS Council

Earth-Ex is a free exercise opportunity to self-evaluate levels of preparedness and resilience in the face of real-world Black Sky potential disasters. This year's exercise presents two engaging scenarios that everyone in the world faces — uncontrolled fires and extreme flooding events.

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Flood & ClimateMay 2021

Severe Weather in Ontario

Geoff Coulson

Warning Preparedness Meteorologist

Ontario experiences four full seasons of weather. A good knowledge of current and forecast weather is important for everyday activities and events still days in the future. Yet, keeping up to date on the latest weather trends can be a challenge given the number of sources of information that are available. The presentation will provide an overview of the broad spectrum of extreme weather that can affect the province as well as methods of assessing current and forecast weather issues.

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Hazardous MaterialsApril 2021

Anhydrous Ammonia Hazards

Dave Colvin, CEM

Anhydrous ammonia is used extensively in our communities and businesses for refrigeration, farming and illicit drug production. Many think of it as what people use for cleaning. This causes a lot of complacency. In fact, this toxic gas can cause burns, long term health impacts, and even be fatal if inhaled. Large quantities are present in arenas, breweries, cheese and dairy businesses, industrial operations, farms and are transported through our communities. Dave has been involved in two serious incidents and has helped to increase awareness throughout his career. He will also touch on the Fernie BC municipal arena tragedy where three lives were lost.

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