Nearly 100 municipalities in Ontario have declared intimate partner violence/gender-based violence (IPV/GBV) to be an epidemic. These declarations bring IPV/GBV to the forefront, and with Bill 173 —the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act, which has passed its second reading at Queen’s Park, there is hope that the province will begin to action the 86 jury recommendations from the Renfrew County Inquest. These recommendations outline a way to move forward with policies that will prevent IPV/GBV and provide support for victims and survivors.

But what is the municipal role in this work? This session will unpack what comes after the declaration, including why this step should be taken, and how establishing meaningful community partnerships are essential to solving this problem. Panelists will include speakers from Lanark County—the first municipality in Ontario to declare IPV/GBV as an epidemic—among other experts, who will examine how to meaningfully address this crisis and why it should be a component of all community safety and well-being plans.

Areas of Focus: Intimate Partner Violence; Gender Based Violence; Victim Advocate; Renfrew County Inquest; Public Education; Organizational Education.

This breakout session is sponsored by the Regional Municipality of Durham. Thank you for your support

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are defined as potentially traumatic experiences that occur during a child’s first 18 years of life (Source: Public Health Ontario). ACEs are traditionally classified under three broad categories: physical and emotional abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. However, researchers have also been exploring the idea of expanded ACES to include bullying, community violence, neighborhood safety, racism, and living in foster care. When ACEs are considered alongside the social determinants of health, it is evident that childhood trauma has a direct link with cyclical outcomes such as chronic disease, poor mental health, incarceration, and employment challenges, impacting the individual and future generations. It is crucial for social service and health care providers, educators, elected officials, parents and community members to understand how there is a shared responsibility, and opportunity, to promote positive childhood experiences that support healthy development, positive mental health, and resilience.

In this session we will hear from scholars and experts about why understanding ACEs are important for service system planning, building a sense of belonging, and community well-being. We will also hear specifically how Black and Indigenous youth are impacted by ACEs and how we can focus on supporting the mental health and wellness of marginalized and racialized youth in our CSWB plans.

Areas of Focus: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES); Social Determinants of Health; Racialized and Marginalized Youth.

Since the start of 2024, three important reports have been published that can be used to help guide how OMSSA Members think about the relationship of their work to substance use in Ontario during a drug toxicity crisis. These reports by the Medical Officer of Health for Ontario, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police all recognize the need to set politics aside in favour of developing evidence-based approaches for addressing a issue detrimentally impacting communities. In their own ways, these reports each recognize how harm reduction (ie. education, safe-consumption, safer supply, overdose prevention, among others) and treatment (ie. providing pathways to care, medication-assisted treatment, among others) are not disparate approaches at opposing poles, but instead compatible efforts that should be combined to meet the needs of specific communities. Drawing on these reports, this panel will help to separate the politics from the evidence with the intention of supporting the work of social services providers.

In this session, we will hear from drug policy experts from a variety of perspectives, including lived experience,  epidemiology, municipal policy, and police services. These speakers will help guide participants through the issues, while also providing insight into how an evidence-based approach to substance use in the fentanyl era can help them better understand the role of social services for people who use drugs.

Areas of Focus: Substance Use; Opioids; Harm Reduction; Treatment; People Who Use Drugs