2025 Registration will open in Fall 2024
2024 Registration Fees:
Full Conference: $445 (HST included)
Student Full Conference $200 (HST included - must show valid student ID and be 19+ as alcohol is served)
Payment options: credit card or cheques are accepted. Payment details are available when you register. You do not need a paypal account to pay via credit card.
Included in registration fee:
Wednesday, February 21st - Wine and Cheese
Thursday, February 22nd - Light Breakfast, Buffet Lunch, Networking Reception (drinks and snacks provided)
Friday, February 23rd - Full Buffet Breakfast, Refreshments and Snacks
Cancellation Policy
The COYO Conference does not provide refunds. However, if you are unable to attend, you may transfer your registration to another individual. All transfer requests must be made to kdugas@drps.ca no later than one week prior to the conference date.
Sheraton on the Falls ( 5875 Falls Ave), Niagara Falls, ON L2G 3K7
City-view room: $129/night + applicable taxes (resort fee included)
Fallsview room: $149/night + applicable taxes (resort fee included)
Self Parking: $29/night
Hotel Reservations: 1-905-374-4445 (quote "COYO conference") or online
Early bird rate ends February 1st, 2024
**PLEASE NOTE: when you book your hotel online, the initial online price includes the complementary $15 resort fee. Upon checkout, this $15 will be removed and you will see the correct prices. This is also noted at the top of the booking page.
As the host of Canada’s longest running talk show, Off the Record, Michael Landsberg was both liked and disliked for his candid, aggressive and sometimes unrelenting pursuit of the truth. In 2009, many people who held negative views of Michael changed. While interviewing a star athlete who had battled depression, Michael shared his own battles. This changed not only his life, but also the lives of many Canadians who suddenly felt that they had a voice in Michael.
Michael is funny, irreverent, and totally committed to sharing as deeply as he can. His talks are not sanitized, not corporatized, and definitely not stigmatized. The rawness of Michael is exactly what people need to fortify their belief in themselves. Michael talks about everything and anything mental illness related- including suicide. As he says, "I will fight this enemy to the day of my death - but the enemy will not be the cause of my death.”
In Michael's words: I talk about mental illness. I talk about my illness. I speak about what it feels like and what it does to me. The real power to change another person’s view of mental illness is to speak about my own and to share the experience in the most raw, personal, and non-boring way possible. The deeper I dig, the more effective I can be. My goal is to engender one of three reactions: 1. “OMG, I think he’s talking about me!” 2. “Wow. I actually feel understood!” 3.” I understand how to be a better caregiver to my partner (sister, son, parent, friend) who is struggling with a mental illness.
Dr. Jody Carrington is a renowned psychologist sought after for her expertise, energy and approach to helping people solve their most complex human-centred challenges. Jody focuses much of her work around reconnection – the key to healthy relationships and productive teams.
A speaker, author, and leader of Carrington & Company, she uses all she has been taught in her twenty-year career as a psychologist to empower everyone she connects with. Jody has worked with kids, families, business leaders, first responders, teachers, farmers and has spoken in church basements and world-class stages; the message remains the same – our power lies in our ability to acknowledge each other first.
Her approach is authentic, honest and often hilarious. She speaks passionately about resilience, mental health, leadership, burnout, grief and trauma – and how reconnection is the answer to so many of the root problems we face. Her wildly popular book, Kids These Days, was published in 2019 and has sold 150,000 copies worldwide. Jody’s message is as simple as it is complex: we are wired to do the hard things, but we were never meant to do any of this alone.
With a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, work with major institutions and thriving clinical practice, she brings a depth of experience and insight that is unmatched in the industry.
Jody lives in small-town Olds, Alberta, with her husband and three children (she had three kids in 2 years to test her own resilience) and leads the amazing team at Carrington & Company.
Michael D DeGagné is the President & CEO of Indspire, an Indigenous national charity which supports and invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people across Turtle Island.
He was appointed Nipissing University President and Vice Chancellor in 2013, becoming one of the first Indigenous presidents of a Canadian public university. While President of Nipissing, Dr. DeGagné dedicated much of his work to Indigenous issues and ensuring that Nipissing University took a leading role in the Indigenization of the post-secondary education sector. He later served as the first President of Yukon University, a new hybrid post-secondary institution in Whitehorse, Yukon.
His career includes working with the federal government in management of Indigenous programs and as a negotiator of comprehensive land claims. In 1998, Dr. DeGagné became the founding Executive Director of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, a national Indigenous organization dedicated to addressing the legacy of Canada’s Indian Residential School System.
Dr. DeGagné holds a PhD from Michigan State University, focusing on Indigenous post-secondary success, and Masters degrees in Administration, Law, and Public Ethics. Since 2001, Dr. DeGagné has given numerous presentations across Canada on issues of Indigenous health, residential schools, law, reconciliation, and governance. Internationally, he has brought the same message to the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. He has co-edited and co-authored several publications in Canada and Australia on reconciliation and healing, including the “Speaking My Truth” series.
He has served on numerous boards of directors in the health and university sectors including as Chairman of Ottawa’s Queensway Carleton Hospital and Chairman of the Child Welfare League of Canada. He currently serves as the Chair of the Federation for Humanities and Social Sciences. He is a recipient of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. Most recently, he received an Indspire Award for Public Service and was inducted into the Nipissing District Human Rights Hall of Fame. He has an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Dalhousie University.
Dr. DeGagné is a member of the Animakee Wa Zhing 37 First Nation, and is also Professor of Sociology at University of Toronto Scarborough, his alma mater.
Frederick Dryden was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica. He migrated to Collingwood, ON when he was 11 years old. After experiencing abuse as a teen, Frederick started Liberty For Youth in 2004. For his work, Frederick received the National Award 'Canada’s 2011 Top 40 Under
40'.
In 2016, Frederick completed a 21-day 'Run For Youth' marathon between Ottawa to Hamilton, ON; with the goal of raising awareness and funding for youth. Frederick ran over 700 kms & conducted over 72 speaking engagements along the route. In 2018, Frederick released his first book entitled "Running For Their Lives". Which captures
his at-risk teen years, along with his ‘Run For Youth’ journey. All proceeds from the run were directed to the purchase of our 7R’s Ranch, which allows for year-round, outdoor programming, with a large focus on mental wellness.
Fredrick will lead a youth panel that will focus on the 3 E’s – Engagement, Encouragement & Empowerment - 3 principles that transformed his life:
Engagement: a high school teacher inspired Frederick to not drop out of school.
Encouragement: a police officer encouraged Frederick to use his past to create change.
Empowerment: a youth pastor empowered Frederick to forgive those who abused him, in order to move forward.
Engagement, Encouragement and Empowerment are the keys to break through ignorance, break through despair, build hope, and equip youth with tools that results in real, lasting “change”.
This session will provide participants with an overview of toxic stress, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), early brain development, and the role intergenerational trauma plays in Indigenous Youth high-risk and criminal behaviours. Decolonizing approaches to supporting Indigenous youth will also be explored through the session.
We all experience mental health challenges in our lives. Many people experience these hardships without any understanding of how to navigate their thoughts, their feeling, or their approach to what they are negatively experiencing.
My Blueprint to Resilience is based on my lived experience in navigating and overcoming 8 years of debilitating P.T.S.D, as well as working in a policing mental health support role over the last 4 years. My Blueprint, which applies to anyone going through life’s challenges, will have you reflecting inward and reformulating your life to form a resilient mindset and take on any challenge life has to offer.
Recognizing and Understanding Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and the social, health and financial ramifications for those and their families who are impacted from it. Best practices for law enforcement when engaging someone with FAS and what resources are available to them to provide a more meaningful and helpful interaction.
This presentation will provide information related to identifying signs of human trafficking, the methods used to traffic individuals in both sex trafficking and labour trafficking, and preventative measures. D/Sgt Hanlon will also provide information related to reporting human/labour trafficking, resources available, and the collaborative efforts used to combat these crimes.
This presentation will describe the responsibilities of the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) team, including the various crimes the team investigates, the partnerships we have, and the resources available to our victims. DS Adam will discuss the issues and ramifications surrounding child self-exploitation. This will include a discussion on the growing global problem of teenage sextortion, and how law enforcement agencies around the world are coming together to identify and arrest the offenders, and most importantly assist the child victims of these crimes.
Sergeant Pat Dietrich is in his 19th year of policing with the Brantford Police Service. Sgt. Dietrich will share his story through the eyes of an officer dealing with stress, depression and anxiety, but still working. The session will discuss the ups and downs of going through mental illness diagnoses at the work place and how to return to work in a productive and meaningful way. Sgt. Dietrich will talk about the trials and tribulations his family have had to endure and the ongoing issues of having a mentally ill stalker. Sgt. Dietrich will be open to all questions about having persons return to work after taking a leave of absence, as well as what has worked and not worked for him.
Sgt. Dietrich's policing career includes a five-year member of the Emergency Response Team and designated as a crisis negotiator in 2015. He is currently assigned to the Training Section as a Use of Force Trainer and is the Negotiator Team Coordinator. Pat is very passionate about crisis negotiation, and has significant knowledge and experience as a negotiator. He is certified in Mental Health First Aid and Crisis Intervention and is a strong advocate for mental health awareness.
Once it’s out there, you can’t take it back…now what???
The world of social Media is ever changing and evolving.
This session will cover social media for success and safety as well as discussing how the world of social media is impacting our youth, the current and hot apps that teens are using, cyberbullying, sextortion, digital footprints, mental health and how to capture open source/online evidence.
This session will inform participants about the current trends in violent extremism and youth violence in Canada. It will provide data form several prevention teams across the country, describe the main risk factors and needs of individuals, as well as some promising prevention initiatives. The session will also address practical solutions on how to help, mitigate, refer or address these issues when they arise.
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