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AMO's Signature Projects

Healthy Democracy Project

Promotes the value and importance of municipal governments in Ontario's political system, including the importance of diversity of leadership and perspectives.
Focused on providing supports to our members on some of the biggest challenges facing your leadership including: incivility and harassment, improving understanding of and engagement in municipal government and providing practical tools and resources to support you in these areas.

Workforce Development Project

Develop resources and initiatives that support municipal employee recruitment and retention while positioning Ontario's municipal sector as a place to build a meaningful and lasting career.
Guided by a Project Charter and an Advisory Group with deep knowledge of the challenges related to municipal employee recruitment and retention, the Project is committed to ensuring municipalities have the human resources to deliver the essential services and infrastructure Ontarians rely on, now and into the future

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AMO's Civility and Anti-Harassment Strategy

The Healthy Democracy and Workforce Development Projects found that growing incivility and incidents of harassment were increasingly cited as barriers to attracting and retaining both elected officials and municipal staff.
The two projects came together to tackle this through a comprehensive approach aimed at providing municipalities with practical tools and resources.
Research and engagement were undertaken in summer 2025, then AMO's Leading with Respect Handguides were released February 2026.
Shared challenges identified through research include:

A shrinking pipeline of leadership
A workforce under pressure
Erosion of public engagement
Diminished municipal efficacy
Mental health and well-being

A shrinking pipeline of leadership: A decline in the number, diversity, and caliber of candidates running for municipal office with an accompanying rise in acclamations
A workforce under pressure: Municipalities are facing profound challenges in recruiting and retaining staff, particularly in senior leadership roles.
Erosion of public engagement: Public confidence and interest in municipal affairs are declining, evidenced by downward trends in voter turnout and the changing nature of public engagement.
Diminished municipal efficacy: When councils become consumed by conflict and dysfunction, their ability to make strategic decisions and work in a timely and efficient way becomes compromised.
Mental health and well-being: Perhaps most urgently, we must acknowledge the corrosive effect of harassment on the mental health and well-being of elected officials and staff.

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What we heard through engagememt

The paradox of proximity: high risk, low protection
A crisis of understanding: role confusion and scope creep
Structural Strain: Under-Resourcing and Provincial Powers
The Information Vacuum: Collapse of Local Media and Rise of Social Media
Erosion of Social Capital and the "Customer Service" Mindset
The Import of Polarization and "Culture Wars"
Looking Ahead: The 2026 Election Crisis

The paradox of proximity: high risk, low protection—being closest to the people is a vulnerability. The councillor's "office" is the grocery store, rink or parking lot. Councillors aren't employees and often aren't protected and supported when dealing with harassment.
A crisis of understanding: role confusion and scope creep—A significant driver of friction within councils, and between councils and staff, is a fundamental misunderstanding of roles. We heard consistently that many candidates run for office with a desire to "fix" specific operational issues—potholes, snow plowing, or individual permits—rather than to provide strategic governance. This role confusion extends to the public.
Structural Strain: Under-Resourcing and Provincial Powers—Incivility does not happen in a vacuum; it flourishes in environments under stress. We heard clearly that the municipal sector is facing chronic under-resourcing that makes it difficult to meet rising public expectations.
The Information Vacuum: Collapse of Local Media and Rise of Social Media—Another frequently cited accelerant of incivility is the transformation of the media landscape. The collapse of local journalism has left many communities in "news deserts," where there is no independent, objective reporting on council decisions. This shift has two damaging effects. First, it dehumanizes public officials. Second, it creates an echo chamber where misinformation spreads unchecked.
Erosion of Social Capital and the "Customer Service" Mindset—Beyond technology, there has been a shift in the nature of citizenship itself. Interviewees described a decline in "social capital,” the networks of trust and reciprocity that bind a community together. As participation in service clubs and civic organizations dwindles, the relationship between the resident and the municipality has becomeincreasingly transactional.
The Import of Polarization and "Culture Wars"--While municipalities deal with local issues, they are not immune to global trends. We heard that the tone of local governance is being heavily influenced by polarization at the provincial, federal, and international levels.
Looking Ahead: The 2026 Election Crisis—Finally, a thread running through almost every conversation was a deep concern for the future of the sector. The cumulative weight of these challenges may drive good people out of office. We heard from numerous seasoned leaders who stated they may not run again in 2026 because the personal cost has become too high. Even more concerning is the impact onpotential new candidates. The visibility of harassment is deterring women, racialized individuals, and young people from considering municipal service.

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The project was aimed at supporting members who are:

Avoiding and/or coping with harassing behaviour
Supporting individuals who experience toxic and harassing behaviour
Supporting a culture shift where incivility and harassment are not acceptable
Promoting and celebrating positive relationships

AMO's new Leading with Respect Handguides are designed�to support elected officials and municipal staff managing �challenging dynamics across the following relationships:

Council member to Council member
Council member (or candidate)—municipal staff
Council member (or candidate)—residents

AMO's Leading with Respect Handguides

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Handguide Chapters

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Responding to Constituents Handguide

Practical ways to reduce escalation while maintaining accessibility and fairness

Core principles that reduce escalation
Guidance for setting boundaries
Sample response language
Foundational policies: the rules that protect you

Example:

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Chairing Meetings Effectively Handguide

From theory to practical, how to chair and participate in civil meetings

Principles for civil and orderly meetings
Participation standards
The role of the chair: responsibilities & tactics
Proactive conflict Management
De-escalation principles and structured models