Learn how the Town of Caledon modernized recreation services by replacing manual, staff‑dependent processes with automated, self‑serve workflows. Explore key case studies—including online account management, automated communications, streamlined reservation requests, and a new mobile app—that collectively reduced workload, improved data accuracy, and enhanced client experience for Caledon residents.

This session explores how Canadian municipalities can evolve from traditional 311 into a holistic Digital Front Door strategy that reimagines how residents access city services and supports. We’ll discuss how to move from siloed, department-centric interactions to a unified, resident-centric experience that spans infrastructure, community programs, and human services. You’ll see how a Digital Front Door can support both residents and internal teams, enabling more coordinated responses to issues and more seamless navigation across municipal offerings. Attendees will leave with a clear vision of what a Digital Front Door could look like and practical ideas for where to start and how to scale over time.

An interactive, scenario‑based session that helps MSDO participants explore how access, equity, and human rights emerge in real client service situations. Through table discussions, attendees will identify potential barriers, community resources and which local supports are needed. Following this, the presentation will overview the unit’s work, clients served, and cross‑organizational collaborations that promote equitable service delivery. The session will conclude by gathering insights from all participants to compile a shared list of community resources across MSDO member communities.

In a world where automation and digital interactions dominate, genuine human connection has become a powerful differentiator. When things go off-script—whether it’s a service failure, unexpected disruption, or customer frustration—people don’t want another automated response. They want to feel heard, understood, and supported by someone who can make things right.

This session explores how frontline teams and leaders can transform challenging moments into opportunities to build deeper trust and loyalty. By strengthening core skills like empathetic communication, active listening, and decisive problem-solving, organizations can move beyond transactional service to create truly memorable customer experiences.
Gain practical strategies to respond with confidence when it matters most—balancing emotional intelligence with swift action to not only resolve issues, but leave customers feeling valued and respected.

Uncertainty doesn’t have to drain your team—it can sharpen focus, deepen culture, and unlock new capabilities. This upbeat, practical session explores free tools for future-focused skill development, how to strengthen culture under pressure, and how to treat efficiency as a win for both people and performance.

Session description coming soon.

The Joint Councils bring together senior public sector leaders to advance consistent, high quality service delivery across jurisdictions by aligning the Public Sector Service Delivery Council (PSSDC) and the Public Sector Chief Information Officer Council (PSCIOC). Municipal participation is embedded through MSDO (service delivery) and MISA (IT leadership), ensuring local realities and frontline experience inform pan Canadian priorities. This session provides a practical “101” overview of how the Joint Councils work, why they exist, and what role municipalities play. Participants will gain insight into current priority areas—such as safe and trusted digitally enabled services, client centric service design, digital public infrastructure, cyber security, and service delivery talent—and how these priorities are advanced through working groups and communities of practice. The session will conclude with clear pathways for engagement, helping MSDO members align municipal initiatives, contribute to national conversations, and showcase local service excellence on a broader stage.

Session description coming soon.

Session description coming soon.

Session description coming soon.

Service New Brunswick will present Achieving Excellence Together, its Employee Value Proposition focused on strengthening workforce engagement, growth, and empowerment to deliver high quality public services. This session will share how aligning employee experience with organizational purpose has created a transferable model municipalities can adapt to attract, retain, and inspire their workforce.

Municipalities are facing growing pressure to attract, retain, and develop talent—while serving increasingly diverse communities. Yet persistent gender gaps in leadership, career progression, and workplace experience continue to limit the full potential of the municipal workforce.

This session explores why gender equity remains a critical workforce issue in 2026, and how municipalities can take practical, data-driven steps to address it.

Drawing on the work of The Prosperity Project, this session will highlight systemic and everyday barriers that impact women’s career advancement, and offer actionable recommendations to strengthen employee engagement, support leadership development, and build more inclusive teams.

Stephanie Marie Attard is a Holistic Wellbeing Facilitator based out of Caledon On. Stephanie specializes in Yoga, Somatic Breathwork, and Nutrition and the intersection of these modalities in how we live healthier, happier lives. She has been practicing yoga for 7 years and teaching yoga for 3; locally and abroad, for hundreds of people, and over 1500 hours over all.

Unstoppable Tracy delivers a dynamic, high-impact keynote designed to propel audiences beyond perceived limitations and into bold, decisive action. Drawing from her lived experience as a world-class athlete, humanitarian, and MBA-trained corporate consultant, Tracy reveals how to break through uncertainty, embrace possibility, and lead with resilience, especially in times of crisis.

She has a proven track record of helping organizations build high-performing teams, including leading business units to outperform the stock market during challenging economic periods. Her signature “Limitless” mindset equips leaders with practical tools to elevate performance, strengthen adaptability, and inspire action at every level of an organization.

With her infectious energy, powerful storytelling, and actionable insights, Tracy leaves audiences energized, empowered, and ready to take immediate steps toward meaningful change. As she often says, “If I can do it, you can do it.”

About Tracy

Unstoppable Tracy Schmitt is a globally recognized motivational speaker, bestselling author, decorated athlete, and award-winning humanitarian who has inspired audiences in over 40 countries. Born a four-way amputee, Tracy has built a life defined not by limitations but by extraordinary achievement, captaining 110-foot tall ships, scaling the Himalayas, earning a paraskiing bronze, and competing in the Quest for Gold World Cup. She is the #1 Female Transformational Global Leader selected by leadership expert John Maxwell and a #1 International Speaker with more than 100 million viral views. Tracy has shared stages with icons such as Jane Fonda, Dr. Phil, Michael Douglas, and Mel Robbins, and brings a unique blend of humor, authenticity, and high-performance strategy to every audience.

Session description coming soon.

Municipal service settings evolve rapidly, making real-time, reliable information essential for staff. During this session, Sonya and Nelia will discuss Service London’s journey in converting its internal knowledge base into a dynamic OneNote platform, collaboratively developed by frontline employees and seamlessly linked with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM. This approach enables consistent, efficient, and sustainable customer service without requiring extensive IT involvement.

This joint presentation will showcase the City’s Customer Satisfaction Feedback Program, which gathers near‑real‑time interaction and satisfaction data across 14 Points of Service and visualizes it through a Power BI dashboard for business units and senior leadership. Hear highlights of how the program supports performance monitoring, informs service improvements, and even connects to business‑unit incentive structures through the eyes of the system architects and frontline business unit representatives. Attendees will leave with knowledge of how Customer Satisfaction Feedback Program delivers practical value and strengthens service excellence across a municipal organization.

Join MSDO Board member Mason Buettner as he discusses how low‑cost usability testing using web and digital analysis can help municipalities uncover hidden barriers in digital services. Through two municipal case studies, this presentation shows how small testing efforts led to clearer navigation, simplified service request flows, and reduced cognitive load for residents. Attendees will leave with practical methods for running lightweight usability tests, identifying quick wins, and improving digital experiences even with limited resources.