In 2025, we celebrated FCO's 10th anniversary by hosting our Annual Conference as a hybrid event over two days in Hamilton, Ontario. The lineup explored a diverse range of topics, including several new areas of focus for our organization. The event brought together local community members alongside attendees who travelled from across the province, making it a meaningful milestone for FCO and the communities we serve.
[ANNUAL CONFERENCE RECORDINGS]
In November, we took a different approach to our annual Innovation Summit, delivering it as a week-long series of four webinars — one session each day — rather than a single event. Participants heard from a range of speakers showcasing innovative resources, tools, and best practices, including several exhibitors who had also joined us at our r Annual Conference earlier in the year.
[INNOVATION SUMMIT RECORDINGS]
Alongside these signature events, we kept our regular webinar programming going and strengthened our collaborative partnerships, including a webinar series with CARP and new partnerships with s organizations across the sector. Together, these efforts helped bring timely and relevant learning opportunities and resources directly to councils.
[YOUTUBE CHANNEL LINK]
One of our clearest takeaways this year was that people value in-person events, while virtual programming consistently allows us to reach more of our service users.. Rather than treating that as a trade-off, we want to bring events physically closer to communities across the province — meeting people where they are, in whatever format works for them.
We're also broadening what we talk about. Beyond the traditional long-term care topics, we want to make room for conversations that matter to residents, families, and care partners but rarely get the attention they deserve in the sector.
[CTA] Want to Co-Host a Presentation?
Have a topic, resource, or expertise you think our community would benefit from? We're always looking for partners to co-host webinars and presentations with us. Whether you're a sector organization, subject matter expert, or community group, we’d love to explore how we bringl valuable learning and resources to Family Councils across Ontario together.
Reach out to us to explore co-hosting a presentation.
Celebrating FCO's 10th anniversary with a hybrid conference in Hamilton was the milestone of the year — a genuinely significant moment and a tremendous success. Our team also grew this year with the addition of Renee Ng to our Communications department, whose support has strengthened both our communications and event planning efforts. On top of that, we developed standardized templates and messaging that have made our events more consistent, efficient, and a better experience for the people attending them.
Throughout the year, we expanded our event offerings while maintaining a strong focus on quality.We continued to diversify the content, resources, and learning opportunities available to our community — all in service of programming that stays engaging, relevant, and responsive to what families, residents, and care partners actually need.
Next year, we're focused on increasing in-person engagement by bringing events directly into the cities and communities where our members live and work. Hosting smaller, recurring community events will help us strengthen relationships with Family Councils, build meaningful connections, and grow our network across the province.
We'll also continue creating space for conversations that reflect the real experiences of residents, families, and care partners. By broadening our programming and partnering with new speakers, experts, and organizations, we're hoping to bring fresh perspectives and practical resources to many councils and communities in the year ahead.