COVID-19 – What it Means for AMO and LAS

With the Premier declaring a state of emergency in Ontario COVID-19 has changed the focus in Ontario. As people across Ontario are adapting to this temporary change in daily life, we wanted to provide a quick update to let you know how AMO/LAS will be continuing our work in coming the weeks.

AMO’s Leadership team has been closely monitoring the situation and have implemented several protocols to ensure the safety of staff and visitors at this time. At this point, the AMO office is closed to the public. Staff travel to meet with others outside the organization has also been stopped. Where possible, these meetings will now take place by phone or online. The AMO Board has been advised that the March Executive and Board Meetings will be held virtually.

Social distancing is critical to slow the spread of COVID-19, and we will be doing out part to prevent situations where the virus would have opportunity to spread. For additional information on how to respond effectively to COVID-19, please refer to the Government of Ontario or Government of Canada websites. For relevant information from AMO, follow this link to our dedicated web page and e-mail address.

We are employing systems to allow our staff to work from home where possible. Some AMO/LAS staff already regularly work remotely, and we are expanding this ability to other staff. This capability gives greater flexibility to ensure that AMO/LAS staff will be able to stay healthy and continue our work as the situation evolves.

The OSUM, FONOM and NOMA conferences will not proceed as scheduled. The AMO Conference in August is intending to go ahead as planned, but our coordination team is closely monitoring the situation to determine if changes will be required.

AMO has the capacity to continue our operations in the days and weeks ahead, and to respond flexibly in a rapidly evolving environment. We will continue to advocate for municipal government, who will be key in responding to COVID-19 in their communities.

We wish you and your communities all the best in this challenging time.