Dear MCMA Members,
Happy New Year! As we step into 2025, I want to take a moment to reflect on our accomplishments in 2024 and express my gratitude for your continued support and dedication.
First and foremost, a heartfelt thank you to the City of Toronto and the Planning Committee for preparing and hosting another successful conference. The theme of “Connecting and Building Relationships” resonated deeply with all of us, and our keynote speaker’s insights on cultural mindfulness were truly inspiring. We look forward to this year’s conference in Thunder Bay, where we will continue to foster these important connections.
In collaboration with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), our advocacy work has been robust. We facilitated a remote session for small courts to discuss challenges and key issues, thanks to the efforts of our Education Committee. This session provided valuable insights and support for our smaller courts. Stephen Dimanno, the Education Committee Chair will be presenting at ROMA in collaboration with Bridget Cherry and speaking to some of the unique issues in small court.
Additionally, we have two important updates from our Collections Committee, led by Amy Rocha and Frank DelMedico. Firstly, a Collections Innovation Working Group has been established and will be prioritizing a variety of new collection initiatives in collaboration with MAG to identify smaller projects to advance, with a focus on larger projects to follow. Secondly, another group is evaluating whether to recommend to MAG to repeal or support the legislation under 69.2, also known as the cherry-picking legislation. We will be seeking your input on this matter very soon. Stay tuned for more details.
We are actively collaborating with the Ministry of the Attorney General’s (MAG) Courts Technology and Transformation Division (CTTD) and Courts Services Division to replace the ICON system, which is coming to its end of life and requires replacement. Each of the six regions is represented on a working group that meets weekly with CTTD to identify the key features of a new system that will serve all municipal partners. We will provide more updates about costing and timelines when we know more. Here are the MCMA representatives:
Co-Chair Dianne Kasias
Toronto: Daria Kotliar
East: Genevieve Beaudry
West: Suzanne Schmid
Central East: Joanne Lenze
Central West: Sheetal Jassal
North: Katelyn Svoboda
Our website has received significant improvements, making it faster and easier to navigate. Thank you to our new system administrator, Ashlie Hawkins, for leading this work. More communication will follow about updates to the website and seeking your help on how we can make better use of our discussion board. A big thank you to Rodger Bates, our long-standing previous system administrator, for his dedicated service.
Lastly, please note that the 2025 membership costs are set at $200 plus HST, for a total of $226. Prices will increase on April 1, so we encourage you to pay online before then to take advantage of the current rate. If you are a committee chair, you are entitled to a 50% waiver on the membership fee.
In 2025, the Board’s priorities will include the ICON replacement, continuing the discussion and support for small courts, collections innovations, and advocacy. I want to thank all the Committees for your hard work this past year. I am grateful for the support and hard work of the MCMA Board. We are here for you.
Wishing you all a successful and fulfilling year ahead.
Warm regards,
MCMA Board.
Board of Director Francesca Angheloni
Board of Director Shannon Hutchison
Board of Director Andre Couture
Vice President Dianne Kasias
Treasurer Elizabeth Gillingwater
Secretary Shelley Parker
President Barb Ryner