2026
CONFERENCE
AGENDA
Monday
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
REGISTRATION OPENS and BREAKFAST
Register at the entrance to the BAYLY BALLROOM. Pick up your name tag and swag!
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Bayly Ballroom
EXHIBITOR BOOTHS OPEN AND SCAVENGER HUNT BEGINS
Visit the sponsor and exhibitor booths located in the Bayly and Kingston Ballrooms, participate in the scavenger hunt and win a prize!
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM
Bayly Ballroom
OPENING REMARKS FROM ASPO CHAIR, LISA VEIT
9:10 AM - 10:10 AM
Bayly Ballroom
Day One Keynote Speaker: Scott Stratten, UnMarketing
UNLEADERSHIP: LEADING FOR TOMORROW, TODAY
With disruption at its full force, leadership today is different than any time in recent history. Leaders today and tomorrow can thrive more than ever if done correctly. Told with Scott’s storytelling style, it is mixed with both humor and practicality so the audience doesn’t just enjoy the talk, but has tools that could be used immediately to better themselves and their company.
Some key lessons:
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To acknowledge not only what we've been through, but where we can go in the future
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How to create a stronger team bond
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The most important leadership trait going forward
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How dealing with problem customers can strengthen your company
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Create an environment where a multi-generational workforce can thrive
10:10 AM - 10:30 AM
BREAK - SPONSOR/EXHIBITOR BOOTHS
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Animal Care & Operations Track
Animal Services Track
Bayly Ballroom
Melissa Shupak, Toronto Humane Society
BEYOND CAPACITY: BUILDING FLOW THROUGH INTAKE, DECISION-MAKING AND PLACEMENT PATHWAYS
Managing population is about more than counting kennels — it requires intentional systems that support flow, reduce bottlenecks, and align animal needs with the right pathway at the right time. This session explores practical approaches to intake management, population decision-making, foster utilization, fast-track pathways, and adoption processes that support both animal welfare and operational sustainability. Using real-world sheltering examples, participants will examine how small process changes can significantly improve movement through the shelter while reducing strain on staff, animals, and resources. The session will also explore how organizations can shift from reactive population management to proactive, strategic flow planning. Attendees will leave with actionable ideas that can be adapted to organizations of varying sizes and capacities.
10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
Leadership Track
Harwood Room
Leadership Round Tables
Join fellow animal welfare and animal services leaders for a series of interactive, peer-led roundtable discussions focused on the real-world challenges and opportunities shaping our sector. Exchange ideas, share experiences and learn from colleagues across the industry in practical conversations designed to spark new thinking, strengthen connections and inspire action. Pick one table to join:
1. HR: ENGAGING & RETAINING STAFF
How do we create workplaces where people want to stay, feel heard and see a future for themselves? This roundtable explores staff engagement, meaningful feedback, recognition, career development, performance conversations and how leaders respond when employees raise difficult issues. Participants are invited to share practical approaches, lessons learned and ideas that can strengthen employee experience and retention.
2. CAPITAL CAMPAIGNS: The Highs, lows and holy-cow moments
What does it really take to fund a major facility, expansion or organizational transformation? This candid roundtable goes beyond the success stories to explore campaign readiness, donor relationships, feasibility studies, board involvement, unexpected costs, construction surprises and the challenge of keeping momentum when progress stalls. Participants are encouraged to share both hard-won lessons and the moments that made the effort worthwhile.
3. MUNICIPAL RELATIONSHIPS: Building better relationships within municipal governments
How can animal services teams build stronger, more productive relationships within municipal government? This roundtable explores service and funding negotiations, council relations, public accountability, advocacy and how to position animal services as an essential community partner. Participants will discuss ways to build trust, demonstrate value, navigate changing municipal priorities and create partnerships that work for both organizations and the communities they serve.
4. CUTTING THROUGH THE NOISE: Creative Marketing and Social Media That Move Our Mission Forward
People are busy, online spaces are crowded and every organization is competing for attention. How can animal welfare organizations get noticed, engage audiences and turn that attention into meaningful support for their mission? Join fellow leaders for a creative, practical discussion about fresh ideas, standing out without a big budget, connecting with audiences and making social media and marketing work harder for animal welfare. Share what's working, what isn't and what we could all do differently.
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Animal Care & Operations Track
Bayly Ballroom
Aaron Caldwell, Dogs Playing for Life
EVERY DOG, EVERY DAY! UNLEASHING THE POWER OF PLAYGROUPS
Dogs live to play, now let them play to live! Learn how playgroups can dramatically improve quality of life
for dogs in shelters and for the humans who care for them. This presentation will discuss the myriad
benefits of playgroups and will make the case for playgroups as an essential part of shelter operations.
With data collected from host shelters before and after their playgroup seminars, it is easy to see the
positive changes brought about by consistent playgroups. Come find out why 100% of responding
participants have said that the benefits of playgroups outweigh the risks!
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Animal Services Track
Westney Ballroom
Jasmine Herzog-Evans and Tonya Canning, Toronto Animal Services
ANIMAL HOARDING, TORONTO ANIMAL SERVICES
A comprehensive review when addressing hoarding situation involving animals - Removal of animals to supporting the people living in such conditions to help reduce reoccurrences
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Leadership Track
Harwood Room
SUPPORTED SELF-REHOMING: THE PAST, THE PRESENT, THE FUTURE
What if you could predict which pets would succeed in a new home before they ever entered your doors?
Since 2017, Rehome by Adopt a Pet has been tracking the journey of pets staying out of the shelter
system—and we’re ready to share the results. This session breaks down the "anatomy of a rehome," using
nine years of granular data to explore:
Owner Stamina: How long are owners truly willing to wait for the right match?
Success Metrics: Which pets find homes fastest and what factors drive a successful transition?
Intake Reduction: How to turn these insights into a "Supported Self-Rehoming" program that works
immediately.
Move beyond guesswork and leave with a data-backed blueprint to empower owners, reduce intake, and
save more lives.
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
LUNCH - SPONSOR/EXHIBITOR BOOTHS
1:35 PM - 2:30 PM
Animal Care & Operations Track
Bayly Ballroom
Victoria Badham, Toronto Wildlife Centre
ANSWERING THE CALL OF THE WILD: BEST PRACTICES IN WILDIFE INTAKE, REFERRAL, AND COEXISTENCE
This session equips animal shelter professionals with practical tools for supporting wildlife in ways that
prioritize coexistence and appropriate care. Participants will learn where to find trusted resources for
licensed wildlife rehabilitators and options for temporary care when needed, as well as how to assess
whether wildlife truly requires intervention. A key focus will be on promoting coexistence between people
and wildlife, especially in common situations where tolerance and understanding are essential to keeping
animals safe. The presentation will also explain why wildlife should be directed to trained and licensed
rehabilitators, and how these partnerships improve outcomes. Examples of common bad practices will be
discussed to help participants avoid unintended harm and improve community-based wildlife response.
1:35 PM - 2:30 PM
Animal Services Track
Westney Ballroom
Julie Speyer and Amanda Barrett - Canine Foundations
MANAGING HIGH-RISK DOG ENCOUNTERS IN THE FIELD (PART 1)
Encounters with aggressive or highly emotionally aroused dogs can create significant safety concerns for
municipal officers, shelter staff, and field personnel working in unpredictable environments. This
presentation focuses on rapid canine risk assessment, reading behavioural indicators, reducing escalation,
and improving decision-making during high-risk dog encounters. Participants will learn practical field
concepts including flash assessment techniques, risk evaluation, preventative safety strategies, and the
Canine Incident Management Continuum to help guide safe, humane, and effective responses. Drawing
from real-world field experience in canine behaviour, municipal enforcement, and dangerous dog
management, this session is designed to help professionals improve safety outcomes for both officers
and animals during volatile encounters.
1:35 PM - 2:30 PM
Leadership Track
Harwood Room
Rick Besteman and Perri Termine, Lake and Associates Canada Inc.
The Performance Pendulum® : for Leaders on a Mission
Nonprofit leadership is evolving under resource strain, mission complexity, and rapidly shifting expectations.
Broadly speaking, leadership as a practice within the sector has been underserved by traditional leadership models, interventions and approaches with very little attention paid to the nuances of nonprofit and
social impact organizations and what this might mean for leaders operating within this context. The Performance Pendulum® leadership framework has been specifically designed to address this shortfall.
Developed by Lake and Associates through qualitative research, and by reflecting upon several years of experience working closely with a wide range of Canadian nonprofit and social-profit organizations, the Performance Pendulum®
is a strategically designed leadership framework shaped by skilled leaders within the sector.
Through an examination of the research-based Performance Pendulum® leadership framework, conference
participants will gain practical, actionable insights into the success factors required to meet the contemporary
leadership demands.
2:35 PM - 3:20 PM
Animal Care & Operations Track
Bayly Ballroom
Carol Tinga, University of Guelph
ASPIRING TO BETTER RABBIT WELFARE: ADVANCING SHELTER RABBIT HOUSING WITH THE ASV GUIDELINES
This presentation will introduce participants to The Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Guidelines for
Humane Rabbit Housing in Animal Shelters (2025). These expert-written, evidence-based guidelines are
meant to inform ongoing, incremental improvements in the care of rabbits in shelters, rescues, and foster
homes. To provide needed background, we will examine motivators of domestic rabbit behaviour, and then
dive into the guidelines’ contents (e.g., identifying key areas and algorithms for co-housing and RHDV2
quarantine decisions) and focus on the primary housing enclosure.
2:35 PM - 3:20 PM
Animal Services Track
Westney Ballroom
Julie Speyer and Amanda Barrett, Canine Foundations
MANAGING HIGH-RISK DOG ENCOUNTERS IN THE FIELD (PART 1)
Encounters with aggressive or highly emotionally aroused dogs can create significant safety concerns for
municipal officers, shelter staff, and field personnel working in unpredictable environments. This
presentation focuses on rapid canine risk assessment, reading behavioural indicators, reducing escalation,
and improving decision-making during high-risk dog encounters. Participants will learn practical field
concepts including flash assessment techniques, risk evaluation, preventative safety strategies, and the
Canine Incident Management Continuum to help guide safe, humane, and effective responses. Drawing
from real-world field experience in canine behaviour, municipal enforcement, and dangerous dog
management, this session is designed to help professionals improve safety outcomes for both officers
and animals during volatile encounters.
2:35 PM - 3:20 PM
Leadership Track
Harwood Room
Calla James, Humane Society of Oakville, Milton & Halton
WORDS MATTER: RETHINKING THE LANGUAGE OF ANIMAL WELFARE
We care deeply about animals, but sometimes the language we use to advocate for them can create the very barriers we’re trying to break down. Words like “dumped,” “failed adoption,” “irresponsible owner” and even “forever home” have become commonplace in animal welfare marketing. But what happens when the language intended to inspire compassion instead creates judgment, shame or an “us versus them” mentality?
This session explores the hidden impact of the words we use to talk about animals, adopters, owners, fosters and the community. We’ll look at how familiar animal welfare terminology can reinforce assumptions, influence public perception and unintentionally make people less likely to engage with our organizations. Most importantly, we’ll explore how shelters and animal welfare organizations can shift from language that assigns blame or creates division toward language that builds empathy, invites participation and recognizes that people and pets are part of the same community.
This isn’t about finding the “perfect” words. It’s about becoming more intentional about the stories we tell - and asking whether our language is helping people move closer to animal welfare or pushing them away.
3:25 PM - 3:55 PM
BREAK - EXHIBITOR BOOTHS
3:55 PM - 4:40 PM
Bayly/Kingston Ballroom
Dillon Dodson, Toronto Humane Society
MEETING PEOPLE AND PETS WHERE THEY ARE: UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS IN ONTARIO THROUGH TRAUMA-INFORMED, TRUST-BASED CARE
This session explores why homelessness exists in Ontario, the systemic and structural factors that make
it difficult to exit homelessness, and how these realities shape access to care. Participants will examine
the complex role pets play in the lives of people who are unhoused—serving as vital sources of trust,
safety, and emotional support, while also creating additional barriers within traditional housing, health, and
social service systems. The presentation will highlight how conventional service models often fail to
account for both the human–animal bond and the cumulative impacts of trauma, stigma, and exclusion.
Attendees will learn trauma-informed, trust-based approaches, inclusive language, and practical strategies
for meeting people and their pets where they are, both literally and relationally, through outreach and low-
barrier supports. The session will also emphasize the importance of cross-sector partnerships in
addressing these barriers and improving coordinated care outcomes for people and their animals.
4:45 PM - 5:00 PM
DAY ONE WRAP UP and PRIZE DRAW
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
EVENING SOCIAL IN THE BAYLY BALLROOM - Join us for cocktail hour, dinner, awards ceremony and see comedian Graham Chittenden!
MANY THANKS TO ROYAL CANIN FOR SPONSORING THE EVENING MEAL!
Click Here To Register!
Thanks to our Sponsors.
