2025 OTE Conference Schedule
Organizing associations: Ontario Motor Coach Association (OMCA), Ontario Public Transit Association (OPTA), and School Bus Ontario (SBO)
This schedule is subject to change without notice
Sunday, March 30
| START | END | SESSION/AGENDA TITLE | SPEAKER(S) | ASSOCIATION | ROOM LOCATION | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3:00pm | 6:00pm | Registration Open | International Foyer | |||
| 3:00pm | 5:00pm | SBO Board of Directors Meeting | SBO | New York |
Monday, March 31
| DATE | START | END | TITLE | SPEAKER(S) | ASSOCIATION | ROOM LOCATION | SESSION DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, March 31 | 7:30am | 5:30pm | Registration Open | International Foyer | |||
| Monday, March 31 | 7:00am | 12:00pm | Trade Show: Vehicle Move-in | Toronto Congress Centre | |||
| Monday, March 31 | 8:30am | 9:30am | Breakfast and Opening Plenary | Khalil Lamrabet, Chief Operating Officer, Greater Toronto Airports Authority | ALL | International C | Hear from GTAA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Khalil Lamrabet about the global airline and airport industry's vision and path to decarbonize and alternative fuels. |
| Monday, March 31 | 9:45am | 10:45am | OPTA Leadership Stream: Transit Analytics - It's a journey | Lucas Braun - Grand River Transit Karen Wesner - Durham Region Transit Jessica Hanson - CUTRIC Brendon Hemily (Moderator) | OPTA | International AB | GRT - How GRTs APC and fare card system enable their level of analysis, how analytics influence decision making, powerful data tools to save time and improve consistency, and next steps for GRT DRT - Come along Durham Region Transit’s journey of establishing and growing a strong Data and Analytics team. We’ll look at the What, Why and How of Data Analytics, pacing yourself, and adapting as you go. |
| Monday, March 31 | 9:45am | 10:45am | OPTA Operations Stream: Digital Transformation | Mike Spicer, Brantford Transit Jenn Van Geem, Swiftly | OPTA | Mississauga | |
| Monday, March 31 | 9:45am | 10:45am | How dash cams and other Technology keep you safer on the road | OMCA | Halton | Dash cams can offer drivers more control over collision reporting and liability. This technology can capture images and videos of crashes and near misses, offering views that were once limited to drivers alone. In addition to helping determine fault after a collision, dash cam videos even supply information about underlying habits before any damage is done. | |
| Monday, March 31 | 9:45am | 10:45am | SBO Annual General Meeting (SBO Members Only) | SBO | New York | ||
| Monday, March 31 | 10:45am | 11:00am | BREAK | International Foyer | Coffee provided | ||
| Monday, March 31 | 11:00am | 12:00pm | OPTA Leadership Stream: Benchmarking Performance & Using Data to Proactively Improve Service | Francois Quirouette - OC Transpo Matthew Wolstenholme - OC Transpo Eddy Ionescu - Transify Mike McConnell - Barrie Transit | OPTA | International AB | |
| Monday, March 31 | 11:00am | 12:00pm | OPTA Operations Stream: Rural Transit Innovation | Matthew Lattavo - Left Turn Right Turn Hillary Geneau - NorthGrenvile Sophie LeBlanc - Blaise Transit | OPTA | Mississauga | |
| Monday, March 31 | 11:00am | 12:00pm | Leverage the Power of AI for Coach Bus Remote & Predictive Maintenance | PRETECKT-Jean Pare | OMCA | Halton | Predictive Maintenance for Motor Coach, School Bus and Transit fleets. Avoid vehicle breakdowns with AI-powered predictive maintenance. Detect early, increase uptime and empower technicians. |
| Monday, March 32 | 11:00am | 12:00pm | Cyber Security-Best Practices for protecting your business from Cyber Threats | Jack Vanderheyden | SBO | New York | |
| Monday, March 31 | 12:00pm | 1:00pm | LUNCH | International C/Paris | |||
| Monday, March 31 | 1:00pm | 6:00pm | Trade Show: Exhibitor Booth Move-in | Toronto Congress Centre | |||
| Monday, March 31 | 1:15pm | 2:15pm | OPTA Leadership Stream: Transit Fare Innovation | Yuval Grinspun - Left Turn Right Turn | OPTA | International AB | |
| Monday, March 31 | 1:15pm | 2:15pm | OPTA Operations Stream: Applying AI to Transit Operations - Case Studies | Igor Zaslavsky- York Region Transit Jiahao Wang - University of Toronto - Transit App Christian Dodier - GIRO (Moderator) | OPTA | Mississauga | Transit Pulse: Utilizing Social Media as a Source for Customer Feedback and Information Extraction with Large Language Model |
| Monday, March 31 | 1:15pm | 2:15pm | Train the Trainer Session-Part A | Pride Instructors - Adam Arbour and Kathie Hayworth | OMCA/SBO | New York | The Professional Instructor in Driver Education (P.R.I.D.E.) Program is a joint venture of the Ontario Motor Coach Association (OMCA), Ontario Public Transit Association (OPTA) and School Bus Ontario (SBO). This one-of-a-kind program teaches fleet driver instructors how to properly train new and seasoned drivers. If a passing grade is achieved, a certificate is issued, thus providing one of the prerequisites for “Signing Authority” under the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s “Driver Certification Program”. |
| Monday, March 31 | 2:15pm | 2:30pm | BREAK | International Foyer | Coffee provided | ||
| Monday, March 31 | 2:30pm | 3:15pm | OPTA Leadership Stream: ZEB's International Experience - Lessons from Australia, Europe, and the Middle East | Derek Hanson - Direx Solutions Chris Lowe - Bus Association Victoria Inc. | OPTA | International AB | |
| Monday, March 31 | 2:30pm | 3:15pm | OPTA Operations Stream: From Vision to Service: Planning Ontario’s Transit Future | OPTA | Mississauga | ||
| Monday, March 31 | 2:30pm | 3:15pm | Train the Trainer Session-Part B | Pride Instructors - Adam Arbour and Kathie Hayworth | OMCA/SBO | New York | |
| Monday, March 31 | 3:15pm | 3:30pm | BREAK | International Foyer | Coffee provided | ||
| Monday, March 31 | 3:30pm | 4:30pm | How eco-driving can benefit your fleet and enhance safety | Bonnie Learn-Northbridge | OMCA/SBO | New York | In today’s fast-paced and competitive market, fleet managers are always looking for ways to save on operational costs and improve efficiency. One strategy that often gets overlooked is eco-driving — a technique that merges fuel-efficient driving practices with defensive driving principles. By implementing eco-driving into business operations, transportation companies can significantly extend vehicle lifespan and can achieve sustainable improvements in efficiency, fleet safety, and overall operational performance. |
| Monday, March 31 | 3:30pm | 5:00pm | OPTA Leadership Stream: State of the Industry | OPTA | International AB | ||
| Monday, March 31 | 3:30pm | 5:00pm | OPTA Operations Stream: Customer Experience - The Latest in Wayfinding | OPTA | Mississauga | ||
| Monday, March 31 | 5:00pm | 6:00pm | Welcome Reception | International Foyer | Snacks provided, cash bar | ||
| Monday, March 31 | Evening | Dine-Around | Offsite | Invite your clients and partners out to dinner |
Tuesday, April 1
| DATE | START | END | TITLE | SPEAKER(S) | ASSOCIATION | ROOM LOCATION | SESSION DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, April 01 | 7:30am | 5:00pm | Conference Registration Open | International Foyer | |||
| Tuesday, April 01 | 7:30am | 3:00pm | Trade Show: Exhibitor Registration Open | Toronto Congress Centre | |||
| Tuesday, April 01 | 8:00am | 9:00am | CUTA Ontario Regional Committee Meeting | OPTA | New York | ||
| Tuesday, April 01 | 9:00am | 12:00pm | Planning & Scheduling Committee Meeting (Joint with HR/Ops) | Michel Courval - CSched Blair Allen - Grand River Transit Garth Rowland - MiWay Andrew Portwine - Grand River Transit | OPTA | International AB | 9:00-10:30 - Scheduling Unleashed: Turning a Technical Function into a Strategic Driver and Unlocking the Benefits of Modern Transit Technology 10:30-10:45 - Break 10:45-11:30 - The Strategic Role of Schedulers in Collective Bargaining 11:30-12:00 - Round table topics, breakouts, open forum |
| Tuesday, April 01 | 9:00am | 12:00pm | HR/Ops Committee Meeting (Joint with P&S) | Michel Courval - CSched Blair Allen - Grand River Transit Garth Rowland - MiWay Andrew Portwine - Grand River Transit | OPTA | International AB | 9:00-10:30 - Scheduling Unleashed: Turning a Technical Function into a Strategic Driver and Unlocking the Benefits of Modern Transit Technology 10:30-10:45 - Break 10:45-11:30 - The Strategic Role of Schedulers in Collective Bargaining 11:30-12:00 - Round table topics, breakouts, open forum |
| Tuesday, April 01 | 9:00am | 3:00pm | Trade Show Doors Open | Toronto Congress Centre, Hall D | |||
| Tuesday, April 01 | 12:00pm | 12:30 | OPTA Lunch | OPTA | International C | ||
| Tuesday, April 01 | 12:30pm | 3:00pm | CX, Marketing and Coms | OPTA | International AB | ||
| Tuesday, April 01 | 3:00pm | 5:00pm | Small Systems Round Table | OPTA | New York | ||
| Tuesday, April 01 | 3:00pm | 5:00pm | OMCA Board of Directors Meeting | OMCA | Halton | ||
| Tuesday, April 01 | 3:30pm | 5:00pm | Large System Round Table (By Invitation Only) | OPTA | Paris | ||
| Tuesday, April 01 | 3:30pm | 5:00pm | iROAM Digital Twin Demonstration | Jiahao Wang - University of Toronto | OPTA | Paris | |
| Tuesday, April 01 | 3:00pm | 5:00pm | HR/Ops Committee Round Table | International AB | |||
| Tuesday, April 01 | 3:00pm | 5:00pm | Transit Talent Career Fair | OPTA | International AB | ||
| Tuesday, April 01 | 3:00pm | 5:00pm | Maintenance Committee Meeting - Road to Electrification | Omar Rasheed - Brampton Transit | OPTA | Mississauga | |
| Tuesday, April 01 | 5:00pm | 7:00pm | Member Reception | International C | Members of OMCA, OPTA, and SBO only. Food and 2 drink tickets provided. |
Wednesday, April 2
| DATE | START | END | TITLE | SPEAKER(S) | ASSOCIATION | ROOM LOCATION | SESSION DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, April 02 | 8:00am | 8:30am | CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST | International Foyer | |||
| Wednesday, April 02 | 8:00am | 12:00pm | Conference Registration Open | International Foyer | |||
| Wednesday, April 02 | 8:30am | 9:30am | ZEB Committee, Session #1 | OPTA | International AB | ||
| Wednesday, April 02 | 8:30am | 9:30am | Specialized Transit Committee Session 1 | Amer Shalaby - University of Toronto | OPTA | Mississauga | |
| Wednesday, April 02 | 8:30am | 9:30am | Maintenance Committee Meeting Session 1 | OPTA | Int'l C/New York | ||
| Wednesday, April 02 | 8:30am | 9:30am | Exploring your CVOR Record – SBO/OMCA/OPTA Members only | ALL | International C | The Commercial Vehicle Operator Registration (CVOR) system is designed to monitor a carrier’s safety performance by capturing on-road event data and comparing it to key operational stats reported by the company. When certain non-compliance thresholds are exceeded, or when significant events occur, interventions such as warning letters or interviews can occur. This session will explore how to effectively monitor and interpret the information reported on your CVOR carrier record and understand how your violation rates are determined. | |
| Wednesday, April 02 | 8:30am | 9:30am | OMCA Coach Operator Council meeting (invite only) | OMCA | Paris | ||
| Wednesday, April 02 | 9:30am | 9:45am | BREAK | International Foyer | Coffee provided | ||
| Wednesday, April 02 | 9:45am | 10:45am | Maintenance Committee Meeting Session 2 | OPTA | New York | ||
| Wednesday, April 02 | 9:45am | 10:45am | Specialized Committee Session 2 | OPTA | Mississauga | ||
| Wednesday, April 02 | 9:45am | 10:45am | ZEB Committee | OPTA | International AB | ||
| Wednesday, April 02 | 9:45am | 10:45am | Reasonable Suspicion Required Training for Dispatch and Supervisors | SBO/OMCA | International C | Supervisors of commercial motor vehicle drivers who operate vehicles that require a commercial driver's license need to be trained on how to identify alcohol abuse or the symptoms of controlled substance use | |
| Wednesday, April 02 | 10:45am | 11:00am | BREAK | International Foyer | Coffee provided | ||
| Wednesday, April 02 | 11:00am | 12:00pm | OPTA ZEB and Maintenance Committees - Session 3 | Sasha Pejcic - Better Fleet Anaissia Franca - CIMA+ Jen Liang - TTC Lucia Fleith - TTC | OPTA | International AB | |
| Wednesday, April 02 | 11:00am | 12:30pm | Specialized Transit Committee Session 3 | OPTA | Mississauga | ||
| Wednesday, April 02 | 11:00am | 12:30pm | MTO Round Table | ALL | International C | Regulator’s Roundtable Updates from MTO on current issues and trends. We will hear updates from the Enforcement division as well as the CVOR team |