AGM & Education
Conference 2025
September 15 & 16, 2025
Connect. Learn. Celebrate.
Join funeral professionals from across Ontario for an enriching experience filled with continuing education, networking opportunities, and a celebration of excellence in funeral service.
This year, we’re gathering at the Crowne Plaza in Niagara Falls for an unforgettable event. We’ll kick off the conference at the Hard Rock Club, where you can connect with peers, have a laugh, and then immerse yourself in a full day of professional development, continuing education, and recognition awards honoring outstanding contributions to the profession.
More details coming soon—stay tuned!
SPONSORED BY
Join funeral professionals from across Ontario for an enriching experience that combines educational insights, networking opportunities, and celebrates funeral service professionals. This year’s conference is set amidst the breathtaking landscape of Blue Mountains where you can explore the scenic caves, take in the view on a hiking trail, head to the spa to relax, or catch the sunrise on Georgian Bay, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
WESTIN TRILLIUM HOUSE, BLUE MOUNTAIN RESORT
September 16-18, 2024
Nestled in the corner of the Niagara Region just beyond Niagara Falls, the picturesque Niagara-on-the-Lake epitomizes old town charm. Beyond the quaint old town, explore the area’s several wineries, breweries and distilleries, world class theatre at the Shaw Festival, important historical landmarks, and stunning waterfront views.
LINKS TO ATTRACTIONS
Local Restaurants | SHAW Festival Tickets | Wineries | Breweries | Spas | Bicycle Share
- Location: Westin Trillium House, Blue Mountain
- Website: Westin Trillium House
- Parking: $
- Pool: Year-round outdoor heated
- Pet Friendly: Yes
- Member Early Bird Registration
- Non-member Registration
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Hotel Rooms Rate: $259.00 + resort fee
Booking code: (651263) Book Here
CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE
Monday September 16, 2024 |
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| 4:PM - 10PM | Opening Keynote & Welcome Social |
Tuesday Sept 17, 2024 |
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| 9:00AM – 11:00PM | AGM - Education Sessions – Presidents Banquet |
Wednesday Sept 18, 2024 |
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| 9:00AM – 10:00AM | Bon Voyage Breakfast |
Conference Highlights
Educational Sessions: Engage in discussions and presentations led by funeral experts, learn about professional products and services, and earn up to six hours of continuing education.
Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded professionals, exchange ideas, and foster collaborations while building lasting relationships.
Discounts for First-Time Attendees: We value new perspectives and fresh voices. As a gesture of appreciation, we offer a special discount to licensed funeral directors & pre-planners joining the conference for the first time. To take advantage of this opportunity and to kickstart your journey with OFSA you can register HERE or contact us at the office: 905-637-3371 I info@ofsa.org
Local Activities
Strategies for Taking Your Communication to
The Next Level
September 26th @ 11:30AM & 1:30PM (2 part session)
Communication is the single contributor to an engaged workplace, and engaged workforces perform 20% better and are 87% less likely to leave your employment.
If communication is central to such success, having optimized and effective communication as a central focus of your organization is critical!
Communication Elevation is a program designed to help leaders and their teams discover their unique communication protocol, and the styles of those around them, and to take their communication to the next
level! All participants will receive an individual assessment.
Presenter
CODI SHEWAN, CFSP, CCP | Speaker – Author – Consultant
Codi is the President & Founder of EverLearn Associates, a full service, comprehensive management consulting firm, for the funeral and cemetery profession – aimed at engaging and building dynamic teams and successful businesses. Operating across North America, EverLearn Associates is known for aligning closely with clients to provide tailored solutions, which overcome their operational challenges and align their business goals with success. Working with some of the profession’s finest operators, EverLearn Associates focuses on their principle tenet of ‘People first; always.’ and has enveloped that philosophy in all of their consulting lines of business; leadership and organizational development, training, HR, marketing, business strategy, and digital solutions.
In 2020, he became the best-selling author of the critically acclaimed, Everyday Legacy: Lessons For Living With Purpose, Right Now. His passion for empowering others to see the best in themselves and to redefine their legacy – from something they leave to something they personify personally and professionally, every day – is the driving
Learning Objectives
| 1. Improve communication | 6. Improve relationships through understanding |
| 2. Identify Strengths and increase productivity | 7. Develop amazing people skills |
| 3. Reduce communication stress and identify communication blind spots | 8. Unlock your leadership potential and that of prospective leaders in your organization |
| 4. Learn how you come across to others | 9. Quickly identify personality/communication traits in others |
| 5. Be more motivated to consider others communication styles |
Keynote Speaker
Complaint Free Business
September 16th, 2024 @ 5PM
Executives, employees, and staff deal with hundreds of complaints on a daily basis from both complaining customers and complaining coworkers. In a fast-paced and funny presentation you’ll learn:•What’s wrong with complaining? (Complaining’s destructive effects on health, happiness, relationships, and career)•What is (and isn’t) a complaint?•The 5 reasons people complain (as remembered by the acronym G.R.I.P.E.)•How to get other people (and ourselves) to stop complaining Positive leadership in a negative world. You’ll leave inspired, mindful of own complaints, and motivated to approach complainers with new, simple and effective strategies.
Presenter
Will Bowen is the founder of the Complaint Free Movement.
More than15 million people worldwide having taken Will’s 21Day Complaint Free challenge.
Will’s been featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, NBC’s, Todayshow, People, Forbes, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, and Chicken Soup for the Soul.
OFSA Annual General Meeting
Tuesday, September 16th @ 9:00AM
Hosted by the OFSA Board of Management:
John Cunningham, President, Rebecca Steckly, Vice President, David LaPlante, Treasurer, Brett Denning, Past President, and Directors: Michelle Glendinning, Melanie MacDonald, Brad Jones, Drew Gauthier.
Brett Denning, President, John Cunningham, Vice President, Erin Hogle, Treasurer, Scott MacCoubrey, Past President, and Directors: Michelle Glendinning, David LaPlante, Melanie MacDonald, and Rebecca Steckly
Keynote Speaker
LEVEL UP
September 17th 2024
LEVEL UP™ is more than a presentation; it’s a journey into the heart of what makes teams excel. If you’re poised to elevate your results and ready to experience the transformative power of vision and resilience.
Are you ready to propel your organization into a realm of unprecedented success? In a world where change is relentless and the stakes are sky-high, the secret to soaring success lies in a compelling vision and unwavering team commitment.
Mark’s journey is a testament to human resilience and determination. Battling a life-threatening disease, triumphing over a heart and double-lung transplant, and conquering four marathons – his story is nothing short of awe-inspiring. In Level Up™, Mark doesn’t just share his story; he connects it to the heart of your organization, igniting powerful vision for your future.
Presenter
Mark Black is a Heart and Double-Lung Transplant Recipient – turned – 4- Time Marathon Runner.
Mark doesn’t just teach resilience, he embodies it. Born with a life-threatening heart defect, Mark underwent two open-heart surgeries before the age of one. He battled his condition and its limitations for twenty-two years until he was forced to deal with the biggest obstacle of his young life. His doctor informed him that his heart was failing, and without a rare and dangerous heart and double-lung transplant, he would not see his 25th birthday.
He not only survived the surgery, but less than 3 years later, Mark became the only man in history to run a marathon with someone else’s heart and lungs. Then he did it three more times.
Mark lives in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada where he spends as much time as possible with the most important people in his life, his family.
Your Take Aways
- Discover what is holding your team back from higher levels of achievement
- How to cultivate REAL motivation that lasts
- How to help your people understand their internal drivers and how to leverage them for better performance
- Stretch your team’s vision of what is possible and create an action plan for creating meaningful results
Service & Philanthropic Recognition
OFSA has invited the Funeral Service class of 1975 to celebrate their remarkable journey of dedication, achievements, and invaluable commitments to the professions and their communities. This momentous occasion allows us to reflect on their 50-year journey and the impact they have made on the funeral sector. Join us at the Presidents Banquet to honor your legacy and celebrate this significant milestone with them.
Bereaved Families of Ontario is a province-wide organization dedicated to no cost bereavement care through peer support and mutual aid. BFO has eleven affiliates across Ontario where in-person and virtual programs are facilitated by trained volunteers who are themselves bereaved. Please join OFSA in recognizing their volunteer efforts and supporting the families we serve. Donations can be made when registering.
Agendas
Monday September 16, 2024 |
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| 1:00 PM | Registration Desk Open | |
| 1:00 - 3:30 PM | Business Display Table Set-Up | Panorama Foyer |
| 2:00 - 4:00 PM | Past Presidents Meeting | Blue Mountain Board Room |
| 3:30 - 4:30 PM | Welcome Refreshments | Panorama Foyer |
| 3:30 - 4:30 PM | Delegates Check- In | Westin Trillium House Lobby |
| 4:30 - 5:00 PM | OFSA Welcome | Whistler Room |
| 5:00 - 6:30 PM | Will Bowen - A Complaint Free Workplace | Whistler Room |
| 6:30 - 7:30 PM | Business Cocktail Hour | Panorama Foyer |
| 7:30 - 9:30 PM | Food Stations | Panorama Foyer/Mill Pond Terrace |
| 9:30 - 12:00 PM | MJ Byrne's Irish Pub | Irish Pub |
Tuesday September 17, 2024 |
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| AM | Rise & Shine | |
| 7:30 - 8:30 AM | Breakfast | Blackcomb Meeting Room |
| 8:30 - 4:00 PM | Registration Desk Open | Panorama Foyer |
| 8:30 - 9:00 AM | Morning Stretch | Panorama Foyer |
| 9:00 - 10:00 AM | OFSA Members - AGM | Whistler Meeting Room |
| 10:00 - 11:00 AM | Mark Black - LEVEL UP | Whistler |
| 11:00 - 11:30 AM | Business Break | Panorama Foyer |
| 11:30 - 12:00 PM | Mark Black - Breakout Session | Whistler Meeting Room |
| PM | Energize | |
| 12:00 - 1:00 PM | Lunch is Served | Blackcomb Meeting Room |
| 1:00 - 1:30 PM | Business Spotlights | Whistler Meeting Room |
| 1:30 - 2:30 PM | Funeral Sector Discussion | Whistler Meeting Room |
| 2:30- 3:00 PM | Business Break | Panorama Foyer |
| 3:30 - 5:00 PM | Display Table take down | Panorama Foyer |
| 3:00 - 4:30 PM | Jump Start Your Team | Whistler / Mill Pond Terrace |
| 6:30 - 7:30 PM | Cocktails | Panorama Foyer |
| 7:30 - 9:30 PM | Dinner & Awards | Whistler Ballroom |
| 10:00 - ?:?? | After Party & Dancing | Kaytoo Bar |
Wednesday September 18, 2024 |
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| 8:00 - 9:30 AM | Bonvoyage Breakfast | Oliver & Bonacini |
| 11:00 AM | Check-out | Westin Trillium House Lobby |
Make the Impossible Possible
Lessons from an Improbable Olympic Journey
Keynote September 25th @ 2:30PM
What does it take to inspire your team and foster deep commitment? In this keynote, you’ll experience a rollercoaster journey full of insights on working through uncertainty, forging self-leadership, blasting through doubt, staying resilient, and building and inspiring team trust from one of the fastest Olympians ever to go from his parents’ couch to the Olympic podium. Jeremiah Brown challenges common notions of what it means to lead and be led in the pursuit of excellence, how to adapt to forces outside of one’s control and stay the committed when the pressure is on, all while encouraging a healthy dose of self-compassion and humility. Using vivid real-life Olympic setbacks, failures, and ultimate success, Jeremiah illuminates the true measures for success in the face of any competitive setting.
Jeremiah Brown: Olympian, Author, Creator
Jeremiah Brown won an Olympic silver medal as a member of the Canadian men’s eight rowing team at the London 2012 Olympic Games. A former commercial banker with a big dream, he is one of few Olympians ever to have started learning his sport only four years before winning a medal at the Olympics.
Jeremiah’s book, The 4 Year Olympian, spent five weeks as the #1 bestselling sports memoir in Canada. His story has been featured on CBC, CTV, Roger’s Sportsnet, the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and USA Today. A top keynote speaker, Jeremiah has helped thousands of people find the courage to reach their goals and overcome the psychological traps and emotional pitfalls that lie hidden along the way.