APCO Canada understands that the economy is impacting a number of emergency services travel and training budgets. These budgets are either being reduced or eliminated. Regardless of the merits of a conference, we understand that you may need to justify the expense. We have provided some guidance to help you with that process:

• Use the Justification Toolkit and the Making the Case Letter to present to your supervisor outlining the costs and benefits of participating in the conference.  

1. You can advance your knowledge in a concentrated amount of time.
2. Networking among others in your field to gain different perspectives on your job.
3. After the conference you will bring valuable knowledge home with you. When you return you can offer to share that knowledge with others in your unit.
   • Offer to prepare and deliver a short presentation and Q&A to your colleagues to share what you learned.  That way others in your unit will get the benefits of your attendance, too.
   • Share the syllabus and speaker handouts with your colleagues. As an attendee, you have unlimited access to materials posted by speakers.
   • If needed, be ready with a plan that shows who will cover for you while you are attending the conference.

Be sure to check out the registration page where all the various rates are listed to see if you qualify for any of the lower rates or discounts.