Recreation Facilities Symposium: Emergency Management

The Ontario Recreation Facilities Association (ORFA) is pleased to announce that the 2026 Recreation Facilities Symposium with a focus on Emergency Management is taking place as a hybrid event October 26-27, 2026 at Toronto/Markham Hilton Suites & Conference Centre in Markham, Ontario.

Recreation facility professionals play a vital role in their local communities by ensuring that infrastructure under their care and control is managed to ensure a safe environment for both patrons and staff. However, over the past many years, these facility operations experts’ knowledge and skills in safety awareness are being tasked to a new level of comprehension and application given increasingly alarming instances of varied emergencies impacting communities and the recreation facilities within them.

The ORFA Recreation Facilities Emergency Management Symposium is designed to provide an overview of the four integrated functions of emergency management (prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery) within the context of the recreation facility sector. The program, through two days of educational sessions, will highlight current industry issues, events, and real-life case studies related to emergency management. The goal of the Symposium is to inform and inspire recreation facility professionals to improve what they already do best: helping to sustain healthy and safe communities.

• Provincial Emergency Preparedness Support
• Emergency Management in Canada 
• Homelessness Crisis- Impacts on Community Spaces 
• Changing Forecast- The Impacts of Significant Weather Events   
• Designing & Retrofitting Community Facilities for Emergency Response
• Covid-19-Post Pandemic Learnings in Public Health 
• Case Study- 2025 Ice Storm in Ontario 
• Emergency Planning for Refrigeration and Aquatics Facilities   
• Mental Health Support in the Workplace 
• The New Era of Crisis Communications 
• Digital Risks: AI and Cybersecurity  
• Crowd Safety- Community Events 
• Post Recovery: Insurance, Litigation, Consolation 

EXPO TRADESHOW

Leading Canadian and international product and services suppliers will be showcasing their brands at the Symposium. 

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

The ORFA invites corporate and affiliate members to be event sponsors:

• Connect with key recreation facilities decision makers and influencers
• Showcase your unique brand's portfolio of products and services
• Build and strengthen relationships with current and prospective clients
• Secure quality leads