The two-day Municipal Political Action Conference, co-hosted by the Broadbent Institute and the Toronto York Region Labour Council, focused on learning campaign skills to elect a progressive and effective mayor and council in Toronto.

Day One (Saturday, November 16) featured a keynote address and training delivered by Jeremy Bird, Barack Obama's National Field Director during the 2012 presidential election. He helped to build a people-powered election campaign based on strong volunteer organizing that propelled Barack Obama back to the White House. The day also included training sessions for people of all experience and skill levels, including:

• campaign fundamentals
• data management
• fundraising
• communications
• campaign planning
• activating union members
• building a feminist municipal agenda

Day 2 (Saturday, December 7) included full-day concurrent training sessions for key campaign roles. This day was designed for potential candidates, campaign staff, organizers, and volunteers looking to upgrade their skills and get more involved in a municipal election campaign. Sessions included:

• campaign manager
• voter contact officer 
• Election Day organizer

Photo: bensonkua. Used under a Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0 licence.