Ontario Public Buyers Association

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Ontario Public Buyers Association

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Representing, supporting, promoting and providing leadership to public procurement professionals in

Our volunteer-driven organization includes purchasing professionals from local, regional and provincial government, as well as from school boards, universities, public safety agencies and other entities entrusted with the prudent and responsible spending of public funds. Our members manage and/or authorize the expenditure of millions of tax dollars on behalf of these agencies and work at all levels of responsibility in the public sector.

11/02/2026

Working Smarter in Procurement: Practical Approaches to Efficiency

Procurement teams are constantly being asked to do more with limited time and resources. How can we work more efficiently without compromising accountability or sound procurement practices?

Join us for OPBA's upcoming Fall Workshop featuring Dorris Fiander (Quantum Growth AI), Tanya Davio (LCBO) and Michelle Trudel (Town of Ajax).

Through real-world examples, explore how AI, streamlined processes and operational improvements can help reduce administrative effort, improve workflows and support better decision-making.

📅 Thursday, November 5, 2026
🕐 1:00–3:00 PM ET | Live Virtual Workshop
💻 FREE for OPBA members | $35 + HST for non-members

Registration closes November 4 at noon ET.

🔗 Register: https://ow.ly/3ta95102YRM

10/22/2026

Thank you for joining us at the 2026 OPBA Reverse Vendor Tradeshow!

A big thank you to all our public agency exhibitors and the vendors and suppliers who attended! It was great to see so many connections being made and ideas exchanged throughout the day.

A special thank you to our event partners and sponsors for their generous support, and to our presenters, panelists and moderators for sharing their expertise: Laura Case, Olga Smirnova, Jung Ah Kwon, Tanya Davio, Jennifer Johnson, Maria Belfry, Sandy Pillon, Michelle Trudel, Jamil Dibe and Danielle Demeyere.

Thank you for making this year's RVT a success. We look forward to seeing you next year!

10/08/2026

OPBA is pleased to be exhibiting at Civic Ontario's Executive Exchange Fall 2026, taking place October 7–9 at Blue Mountain!

It's a great opportunity to connect with municipal leaders from across Ontario and share how OPBA supports public procurement education and leadership development.

A special thank you to Serena Wilgress, OPBA Board Member, for representing and supporting OPBA at the event!

We're also showcasing our Public Procurement Leadership Essentials for Elected Officials and Senior Leaders, a self-paced online course designed to build a strategic understanding of public procurement governance, oversight and accountability.

🔗 Learn more: https://ow.ly/iHho50ZVSYF

09/30/2026

📣 Calling all vendors and suppliers!

Join us at the OPBA Reverse Vendor Tradeshow on October 21 at Pearson Convention Centre in Brampton. Public procurement professionals from 34 public agencies are looking forward to connecting with you!

Build relationships, learn about public-sector procurement, and join our Information Talks and Supplier Education session for practical insights to strengthen your approach to public-sector bidding.

📅 Register by October 13 to be eligible to book 1:1 Speed Networking meetings with participating public agencies.

👉 View event details and register: https://ow.ly/sXhr50ZT7Wu

Thank you to our partners, bids&tenders, Canoe Procurement, Kinetic GPO and OECM, for supporting this opportunity to connect suppliers and public procurement professionals.

09/28/2026

Celebrating excellence at the 2026 OPBA Conference Awards Dinner last week!

Congratulations to Kim Froats of The Regional Municipality of York, recipient of the Judy Wilson Emerging Leader Award, proudly sponsored by Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP.

We also congratulate the recipients of the Dick Brimmel Award for Best Article:

🏆 Best Article: Katie Walton, City of Barrie
⭐ Honourable Mention: Joseph Adekele, Toronto Transit Commission

These awards recognize leadership, professional achievement and valuable contributions to Ontario’s public procurement community.

Congratulations to all our deserving recipients!

09/25/2026

Last Friday, we closed out the 68th Annual OPBA Conference with three timely sessions:

🔹 “Fairness in Procurement” with Marianne Smith, Alyssa Shivji, Stephanie Console and Meaghan Parry of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, together with independent consultant Doreen Wong

🔹 “Model AI Clauses for Public Sector Institutions” with James Kosa and Vipal Jain of WeirFoulds LLP

🔹 “Supply Ontario Update” with Fatema Valji of Supply Ontario

These sessions provided practical insights into fairness, responsible AI adoption and Ontario’s evolving public procurement landscape—a thoughtful conclusion to three days of learning and discussion.

Thank you to our presenters and everyone who joined us in London for this year’s conference!

09/25/2026

Thank you to all our speakers and participants for sharing their knowledge, experiences and thoughtful perspectives. The conversations continued well beyond the sessions—one of the things that makes the OPBA Conference such a valuable opportunity to learn from one another.

We’re energized and ready for the final day of OPBA Conference 2026!

09/24/2026

What a fantastic evening on the tradeshow floor!

Last night’s Welcome Reception brought the OPBA conference community together for conversation, connection and networking with our 46 exhibitors.

Thank you to all our exhibitors for sharing their expertise, solutions and ideas with attendees—and to Kinetic GPO for sponsoring the Welcome Reception.

Here are a few highlights from the day!

09/23/2026

Day 1 of the 2026 OPBA Conference is underway!

This afternoon’s program featured two timely sessions:

🔹 “Progressive Procurement: Moving Away From ‘Lowest Compliant Bid’” with Paul Conrod of Construct Legal

🔹 “Buy Ontario: Practical Strategies for Implementation” with Rosslyn Young of Edilex

Thank you to our speakers for sharing their insights and practical guidance with attendees.

09/23/2026

The 2026 OPBA Conference is underway!

Yesterday, attendees kicked off the week with our pre-conference workshops, exploring contract management and navigating AI contracts.

Thank you to our presenters, Michelle Rasiulis and the Info-Tech team—Cole Cioran, Trisha Kent and Scott Bickley—for sharing their knowledge and expertise. Thank you as well to everyone who joined us for a great day of learning, discussion and connection.

We’re looking forward to continuing the momentum as the main conference begins today!

Address

Oshawa, ON
L1J8N5

Website

http://opba.ca/

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