Climate Economy Summit: Achieving Net-Zero

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Speakers:

• Jan De Silva, President and CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade

• Meric Gertler, President, University of Toronto

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Bios:

Jan De Silva, President and CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade

Jan De Silva is President and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, one of the largest and most influential business organizations in North America. She is spearheading efforts to make Toronto one of the most competitive and sought-after business regions in the world.   

Jan brings to the role more than 14 years of international CEO experience building ambitious, high-growth organizations. Anchored in her leadership is her belief in the power of economic development to lift communities. 

Prior to joining the Board, she served as CEO of Sun Life Financial’s Hong Kong and Mainland China businesses and co-founded and later sold Retail China Limited. Jan also served as Dean of Ivey Asia for Ivey Business School of Western University.

Highly respected for her business advocacy and government engagement, Jan has been Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Chair of the Canada China Business Council in Beijing and served on the Board of the Asian Corporate Governance Association. In 2019, she was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to represent Canada on the APEC Business Advisory Council. Jan also sits on the board of Intact Financial Corporation, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.   

Meric Gertler, President, University of Toronto

Meric S. Gertler began his term as the 16th President of the University of Toronto on November 1, 2013. Prior to that, he served as Dean of Arts & Science—the largest faculty at the University—from 2008 to 2013, where he championed many important innovations in undergraduate teaching and learning. He is Professor of Geography and Planning, the Goldring Chair in Canadian Studies, and a member of the Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. His research investigates the role of city-regions as sites of innovation in the global economy, and the foundations for local economic success and prosperity. 

Professor Gertler has advised local, regional and national governments in Canada, the United States, Singapore and Europe, as well as international agencies such as the OECD and the European Union. He has authored or edited nine books, including The New Oxford Handbook of Economic Geography. He has held visiting appointments at Oxford, University College London, UCLA, and the University of Oslo. 

Professor Gertler is a director of the MaRS Discovery District and a trustee of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. He chairs Universities Canada and the Academic Committee of the China Institute for Urban Governance. He previously served on the International Advisory Board of Uppsala University in Sweden and on the Expert Panel on Business Innovation in Canada for the Council of Canadian Academies; the Ontario government’s Highly Skilled Workforce Planning and Partnership Table; the Singapore Ministry of Education’s 11th International Academic Advisory Panel; and as past chair of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities. 

A graduate of McMaster University (BA), the University of California, Berkeley (MCP) and Harvard University (PhD), Professor Gertler holds honorary doctorates from Lund University, Sweden, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, and Université de Montréal. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Academy of Social Sciences (UK), the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and a Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy. He has received the Award for Scholarly Distinction in Geography from the Canadian Association of Geographers, the Distinguished Scholarship Honor from the Association of American Geographers, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in December 2015. 

Bio:

Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources and Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Government of Canada

Julie Dabrusin was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Toronto—Danforth in 2015. 

Ms. Dabrusin has previously served as the Chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage and the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. She was also a member of various other committees, parliamentary associations, and interparliamentary groups. 

Ms. Dabrusin grew up in Montréal and completed her undergraduate degree in Near and Middle East Studies at McGill University, before attending law school at the University of Toronto. She then practised litigation, including for a time as commission counsel to the Toronto External Contracts Inquiry, which reviews municipal government procurement. 

Ms. Dabrusin was an active volunteer in her community. She founded Friends of Withrow Park, served on the Board of Directors of Park People, and started initiatives such as the local Second Harvest Hunger Squad. In 2012, she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her community service. 

Ms. Dabrusin has been a strong advocate for her community on issues of gun control, healthy eating, and banning single-use plastics. She is also a champion of Canada’s creative and cultural industries. 

She and her family have lived in Toronto for over 20 years. 

This fireside chat will highlight the journey of a Canadian entrepreneur who successfully scaled their cleantech business across North America. Hear insights on how ecobee overcame many of the known hurdles scaling companies face in Canada and what their ambitious plans are for the future.

Speakers:

• Stuart Lombard, CEO, ecobee

• Yung Wu, CEO, MaRS Discovery District

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Bios:

Stuart Lombard, CEO, ecobee

A born innovator, Stuart Lombard’s destiny was set by the age of 12 when he began building a foldable canoe that could be carried around in a briefcase. After leading two successful technology companies to acquisition and after eight years as a partner at a venture capital firm, Stuart found himself on a mission to reduce his own environmental footprint. He co-founded ecobee in 2007 with the mission to improve everyday life while creating a more sustainable world. Since launching the world’s first Wi-Fi connected smart thermostat in 2009, ecobee has helped customers across North America save more than 27.8 TWh of energy, which is the equivalent of taking all the homes in Los Angeles and Chicago off the grid for a year. In late 2021, ecobee was acquired by Generac for $770 million USD, with Stuart remaining CEO. Today, Stuart continues to empower people to transform their lives, homes, communities, and planet with innovative and accessible solutions.

Yung Wu, CEO, MaRS Discovery District

This expert panel will explore financial innovations in the Toronto Region and debate what tools and next steps are required to connect companies with the capital required to enable major emissions reduction projects.

Speakers: 

• Sandra Odendahl, SVP and Head of Sustainability and Diversity, BDC

• Tom Rand, Managing Partner, ArcTern Ventures

• Kris Depencier, Regional President, Greater Toronto Region, RBC Royal Bank

• Moderator – Andy Chisholm, Board Director, RBC Royal Bank

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Bios:

Sandra Odendahl, SVP and Head of Sustainability and Diversity, BDC

Sandra Odendahl is Senior Vice President and Head, Sustainability and Diversity at BDC.  A trailblazer in sustainable finance, Sandra believes that business can and should be a force for good— contributing to economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and vibrant, inclusive communities.

Sandra leads all facets of BDC’s Corporate Sustainability and ESG strategy and programs, including the bank’s renewed and enhanced focus on the environment as well as its diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.   She is also responsible for overseeing BDC’s strategic partnerships with organizations that help deliver economic, social and environmental impact in communities across Canada.   A respected and well-known voice in promoting sustainability and clean capitalism in Canada, Sandra has previously led enterprise-wide sustainability, community investment and social finance programs and strategies at Scotiabank and RBC.  Early in her career, before entering the banking sector, she worked in the natural resources sector, specializing in environmental and social impact assessments of development projects. 

Sandra holds a Master of Applied Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Toronto and is a CFA charter holder.  A committed community volunteer, she currently serves as a board director at the Canadian Climate Institute, the Transition Accelerator, the National Ballet of Canada and NEXT Canada.  She has been recognized with several awards for volunteerism and in May 2022, she received the Engineers Canada Meritorious Service Award for Community Service.

Sandra lives in Toronto with her husband and two children.   

Tom Rand, Managing Partner, ArcTern Ventures

Tom started his career as a software renegade in high school. Then, still baby-faced, he went legit and founded Voice Courier Inc. (VCi) to service the emerging Interactive Voice Response market. Tom led VCi’s expansion to over 100 employees in three countries. (The VCi Group of Companies was successfully sold in 2005.) In the past, Tom co-developed Planet Traveller, a low-carbon hotel project in downtown Toronto. Today, Tom focuses his efforts on carbon mitigation and is active in cleantech venture capital, technology incubation and commercialization, and public advocacy. 

Tom is an Action Canada Fellow and has a BASc (University of Waterloo), an MSc (University of London), and an MA and Phd (University of Toronto), and is the author of three acclaimed books. 

Kris Depencier, Regional President, Greater Toronto Region, RBC Royal Bank

As Regional President, Kris leads a team of 4,000 employees in providing financial advice and services to RBC’s personal, small business and commercial clients in Greater Toronto.

Since joining RBC in 1993, Kris has worked in numerous sales leadership roles in both commercial and retail banking. She’s also held a number of senior leadership and executive positions in both Canada and the US during her career, leading teams responsible for several businesses and client segments. In each role, Kris thrives at enabling her team to be their best and is committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace.

Born and raised in London, Ontario, she’s a graduate of Western University and completed her MBA at Schulich School of Business. Kris is passionate about helping youth; she sits on the Board of the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada and is also a Board Member at the Toronto Region Board of Trade. She lives in Toronto with her family and likes to spend time at her cottage in Bruce County.

Andy Chisholm, Board Director, RBC Royal Bank

Andy is a member of the Board of Directors of Royal Bank of Canada, as well as that of its US Holding Company. He spent most of his career at Goldman Sachs & Co, which he joined in 1985 in New York. He served Goldman in a variety of progressively more senior leadership roles in both London and New York during his 30-year career including as Senior Strategy Officer of the firm globally from 2012 - 2014, as Head or co-Head of the Global Financial Institutions Group from 2002 - 2012, and as co- Chair of the Firmwide Commitments Committee (primarily overseeing the firm's equity underwriting activities) from 2011 - 2015. He was a partner there for 16 years. 

He acted as a member of the Canadian Federal government’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance and subsequently of the Task Force for Resilient Recovery. He is a member of the Advisory Boards for the Institute for Sustainable Finance at Queen’s University and the Centre for Building Sustainable Value at the Ivey Business School. 

He is a Board Member of MaRS Discovery District, a Canadian innovation hub, and sits on the Investment Committee of ArcTern Ventures, a cleantech Venture Capital firm. He also sits on the Board of Evergreen Brickworks, which is focused on sustainable placemaking and urban innovation. 

He holds a B. Comm from Queens University (1981) and graduated with an MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University in 1985 where he is now Chair of the Advisory Board. He lives in Toronto with his family. 

Session A: Developing a Hydrogen Hub

After years of starts and stops, an action-oriented Ontario strategy and a new alliance between Canada and Germany are positioning hydrogen to finally break through as a clean fuel. This session will focus on the next steps required to grow hydrogen production in the Toronto region, and the best opportunities to kick-start demand and scale up supply.

Speakers:

• Shelley Babin, CEO, Atura Power

• Todd Ernst, Director of Aviation Infrastructure, Energy & Environment, GTAA

• Carl Daniel, Vice-President and Chief Nuclear Engineer, AECOM

• Moderator – Robert Statsko, Principal and CEO, Science Concepts International and Executive Director, Hydrogen Business Council

 

Session B: Building Retrofit Challenge

Buildings are the largest source of carbon emissions in the GTHA, and will require massive levels of investment to reach net zero. What are the solutions needed to retrofit our buildings, operate them smarter, and ensure that new construction is built sustainably? This expert panel will explore these questions and more.

Speakers:

• Dr. Shoshanna Saxe, Professor, University of Toronto

• Theresa Warnaar, Senior Vice President, Retail & Asset Resilience, KingSett Capital

• Ben Almond, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Engineering Services in Canada, SNC-Lavalin

• Moderator – Daryl Chow, Director, Business Development, GeoSource Energy 

 

Session C: Insights from COP27

This year’s global climate summit is happening in early November in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt. Hear from participants and observers who were in attendance about what we can expect to see next for global action and what sectors are emerging as the leaders in climate action. What partnerships are needed to drive the net zero transition, and what is the role that each sector can play?

Speakers:

• Michael Kelly, Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer, OMERS

• Lisa DeMarco, Senior Partner and CEO, Resilient LLP

• Moderator – Michael Berends, Co-Founder and CEO, ClearBlue Markets

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Bios:

Session A: Developing a Hydrogen Hub

Shelley Babin, CEO, Atura Power

Shelley is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Atura Power. A strategic and visionary leader, she heads a dedicated team of about 150 employees in the safe and reliable operation of Ontario’s largest fleet of combined cycle natural gas turbine powerplants, and the development of low-carbon hydrogen production and battery energy storage centres.

Prior to her appointment at Atura Power, Shelley was Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Chief Legal and Ethics Officer, and led the company’s Environment, Social and Governancework. In 2021, under her leadership, OPG’s Law Division was named the Energy and Resources Law Department of the Year by the Canadian Law Awards, and Shelley was awarded Tomorrow’s Leader by the Canadian General Counsel Awards in 2018. She practised commercial litigation at a large national Bay Street law firm prior to joining OPG.

Shelley earned an LLB from the University of Windsor and a BBA at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Shelley holds her ICD.D designation and sits on the board of Global First Power, a joint venture between OPG and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation with a mandate to construct and operate a small modular nuclear reactor in Ontario. While practicing law, Shelley was an active volunteer at the Pro Bono Ontario Free Legal Advice Hotline and a member of the Lawyers for Possibility Fundraising Cabinet for the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

During her personal time, Shelley enjoys spending time with her husband and two children on the lake and ski hill.

Todd Ernst, Director of Aviation Infrastructure, Energy & Environment, GTAA

Todd’s is Director Aviation Infrastructure, Energy and Environment at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA). His responsibilities include the environment and climate change programs as well operation and maintenance of the airport utilities and 117MW cogeneration facility. He is also responsible for the maintenance of the airfield electrical systems and vehicle fleet. Prior to joining the GTAA Todd’s career has spanned roles in environment, energy and finance in both industry and consulting.

Carl Daniel, Vice-President and Chief Nuclear Engineer, AECOM

Carl has 35+ years of experience in Canada’s nuclear industry. He brings significant leadership, knowledge, and a proven program management track record. A foremost expert in Canada’s Nuclear Industry, He has taught and mentored many training programs, including the Senior Nuclear Plant Management. His extensive portfolio includes management of capital programs for nuclear facilities, including the management of engineering, staff, subcontractors, inspection, and finance for projects in excess of $150 Million.

Robert Statsko, Principal and CEO, Science Concepts International and Executive Director, Hydrogen Business Council

Robert is a business development professional with a successful track record in the electricity sector where he has a wide body of experience in Canada and internationally. He is also an energy technology specialist who has worked in a wide range of management positions involving energy systems R&D, product development, market assessment and project implementation. Robert has worked in nuclear plants, designed systems for fusion demo projects, and has managed pilot projects in solar, wind and hydrogen technologies. 

In addition to commercialization of emerging clean energy solutions, he has worked with the Ontario government to assist in the development and delivery of major energy policy and project initiatives. He was one of the early champions and first Executive Director of a non-profit industry association – Energy Storage Ontario (now Energy Storage Canada). At present Robert is focused on developments in the ‘Clean Technology’ and electrification arena through his position as Executive Director of the Hydrogen Business Council of Canada.

 

Session B: Building Retrofit Challenge

Dr. Shoshanna Saxe, Professor, University of Toronto

Dr. Shoshanna Saxe is an Associate Professor in the University of Toronto’s Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering, and Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Sustainable Infrastructure.  She investigates the relationship between the infrastructure we build and the society we create to identify opportunities – and pathways – to better align infrastructure provision with sustainability. Her research focuses on two main questions: 1) What should we build? and 2) how should we build it? 
   
Saxe is a former Action Canada fellow, a Royal Academy of Engineering Distinguished International Associate, a member of Waterfront Toronto’s Capital Peer Review Panel and Metrolinx Project Evaluation Advisory Panel. She was awarded the 2019 OPEA Engineering Medal – Young Engineer. Her research and commentary have been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Toronto Star, The Financial Post, and Wired, including “What We Really Need Are Good ‘Dumb’ Cities” (New York Times, July 2019). 

Theresa Warnaar, Senior Vice President, Retail & Asset Resilience, KingSett Capital

Theresa is Senior Vice President, Retail & Asset Resilience at KingSett Capital, Canada’s leading private equity real estate investment business co-investing with institutional and ultra high net worth clients through a series of growth, mortgage, urban and income funds. Theresa is responsible for the operations, execution and value creation strategies across KingSett's Real Estate portfolio, primarily focusing on the retail assets. In addition, her responsibilities include oversight of KingSett’s ESG, decarbonization and building technology strategies across the portfolio. In 2014 and 2015, Theresa co-chaired the International Council of Shopping Centres’ Canadian Convention held in Toronto. Since 2015, Theresa has been a board member with BOMA Toronto since 2015 and is currently serving as the Chair Elect. Theresa is also the Chair of the Board of Governors with Junior Achievement Central Ontario for the 2022-2024 term. 

Prior to joining KingSett Capital in 2013, Theresa spent 17 years at Ivanhoé Cambridge, most recently as Vice President, National Asset Management and Operations Information. Theresa's asset management experience includes retail and office investments in Canada, the western United States, Germany and Spain. 

KingSett Capital is a Canadian private equity real estate investment business which creates and co-invests in real estate investment solutions to deliver sustainable premium risk weighted returns. 

Founded in 2002, KingSett has raised $13.4 billion of equity for its Growth, Income, Urban, Mortgage and Affordable Housing strategies.  KingSett has $17 billion of assets under management in a portfolio of $19 billion. 

Theresa holds a Bachelors of Environmental Studies in Honours Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Waterloo. 

Ben Almond, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Engineering Services in Canada, SNC-Lavalin

Ben Almond joined SNC-Lavalin in 2021 as the Chief Executive Officer, Engineering Services Canada and leads a 3,500 strong team to drive sustainable, long-term growth across the Transportation, Cities and Development, Power and Renewables, Life Sciences and Industrial markets. He is based in Montreal, Canada.

Prior to joining SNC-Lavalin, Mr. Almond was the Regional Managing Director for the combined Jacobs and CH2M Hill team in Canada. He also held several senior positions at Suncor Energy and Imperial Oil.

Mr. Almond has demonstrated ability in managing a wide variety of services, including consulting, design, build, design for design-build, operations and maintenance. With more than 25 years of experience in the industry, he has led strategy development that resulted in sustained and significant growth.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Manitoba. In 2017, he was honoured with Canada’s Top 40 under 40 Award, and currently serves as the vice-chair of the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute board of directors.

Daryl Chow, Director, Business Development, GeoSource Energy 

A partnership development specialist, Darryl has dedicated his career working for purpose-driven organizations for over 20 years. Prior to his current role, Darryl worked in the higher-education and not-for-profit sectors where he helped private sector companies develop strategic interactions to deepen their social accountabilities. 

Since joining Geosource in 2019, his passionate drive to make our future cities more sustainable and livable has had an impactful effect on the company’s transformation and growth. Privileged to be guiding a remarkable team of North America’s top technical geo-exchange experts, he draws inspiration from their creative approach to innovation and the entire team’s relentless pursuit to change the way energy is delivered. 

As a champion for Geosource, his current responsibilities include Sales Development, Account Management, Marketing Strategy, Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement, and building on the company’s Corporate Culture.  He holds a degree in Political Science and spends most his free time playing with his wife and kids - whether fishing at the cottage, carving turns on the ski hill, throwing frisbees, travelling to hot beachy places, or snuggling with their two adorable shih-tzus – Kiki and Mr. Ossington. 

 

Session C: Insights from COP27

Michael Kelly, Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer, OMERS

Michael Kelly is the Chief Legal & Corporate Affairs Officer of OMERS. He oversees OMERS Legal Division and is involved in various matters relating to pension and investment law, regulatory affairs and corporate governance. Mr. Kelly is actively involved in Board and Committee functions and is Chair of the Sustainable Investing Committee, having developed OMERS Sustainable Investing Framework.

Prior to assuming this role in 2014, Mr. Kelly served as Executive Vice President & General Counsel at Borealis Infrastructure (now OMERS Infrastructure), the infrastructure investment arm of OMERS, which he joined in 2006. Prior to joining OMERS, he practiced corporate, commercial and regulatory law, both in-house and with firms in Toronto, London, England and Ottawa.

Mr. Kelly also represents OMERS on the boards or committees of various domestic and international organizations including Canada’s Sustainable Finance Action Council, the Investor Leadership Network, the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance and the Climate Economy Strategic Council.

Mr. Kelly was called to the Bar in Ontario in 1994. He holds a BBA from Wilfrid Laurier University (1989), an LLB from the University of Toronto (1992), and an MA (International Relations) from the University of Toronto (2004). He also holds the designation of Chartered Director (C. Dir).

Lisa DeMarco, Senior Partner and CEO, Resilient LLP

Lisa De Marco is a Senior Partner and CEO at Resilient LLP, she is recognized as a Canadian and globa lexpert in climate and energy law.She has over 25 years of experience in all aspects of climate change and clean energy. Lisa also assists financial and energy companies and Indigenous business organizations on domestic and overseas renewable power project development, energy storage projects, sustainable and climate finance transactions, carbon capture and storage, climate-related financial disclosure, corporate climate risk, environmental and social governance (ESG), green bonds and sustainable business strategy. Lisa plays an active role for Fortune 500 companies in corporate ESG, climate change, and transition strategy, target setting and compliance. She also represents several governments and leading energy companies in a wide variety of natural gas, power, pipeline and energy storage matters before the Ontario and National Energy Boards. Lisa is a director of the boards of the Advanced Energy Centre at MaRS, Radicle Inc., the consultation group of the Carney Task Force on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets and is the Chair of the International Emissions Trading Association. Who’s Who Legal (WWL) has recognized Lisa as a “Global Elite Thought Leader” in Climate Change Law. She is ranked by Chambers Global as one of the world's leading climate change lawyers and regularly attends the United Nations climate negotiations.

Michael Berends, Co-Founder and CEO, ClearBlue Markets

Michael has two decades of experience in carbon markets, particularly in carbon pricing, strategy development and implementation, and offset development and trading. He has executed thousands of carbon market product deals, structuring transactions for offsets, allowances, and allowance-related products in the primary and secondary carbon markets in over fifty countries. Michael has been a key leader in ensuring ClearBlue clients feel confident in their voluntary emission reduction aims and net zero goals. 

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Bio:

Minister Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade of Ontario

Vic Fedeli was born and raised in North Bay. His grandparents chose to come to Ontario from Italy with ambitions of a far better life and more opportunity for their young families.

In his 20s he opened Fedeli Advertising, the first ad agency north of Toronto. As a young entrepreneur, he developed the company into a global agency doing work all over the world, from their base in Northern Ontario. One of the proudest moments of his business career was when Fedeli Advertising was named 34th in the Top 50 Best Places to Work in Canada.

In 1992, Vic sold the firm and devoted the next 11 years to managing three non-profit ventures. He founded Air Base Property Corporation, a local development agency that took over the airside assets of CFB North Bay. Vic used his business experience to write the business plan that attracted Voyageur Airways, which now employs over 350 people involved in repair and overhaul of aircraft from around the world.

In 2003, Vic ran for mayor of North Bay and as a first-time candidate was elected with 75% of the vote. He was re-elected in 2006 in another landslide. As mayor, Vic transformed the city, restoring both hope and solvency. Moody’s Investors Service took notice, increasing the city’s credit rating five times to their highest possible rating – substantially reducing the city’s debt interest payments.

Internationally, Vic was one of only two North American mayors invited to the prestigious Government Leaders Forum hosted by Bill Gates and had the pleasure to discuss a municipality’s role in governing, with former U.S. Secretary of State, Madeline Albright.

He made news on both sides of the border when he successfully launched a grassroots campaign to reverse the U.S. ‘Buy American’ provision, earning special acknowledgment from then U.S. Ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson.

In 2011, after keeping his promise to step down as mayor after serving two terms, Vic was elected to serve the people of Nipissing at Queen’s Park. In 2014, Vic was re-elected as Nipissing MPP. He served as Energy and Finance Critic in the Official Opposition shadow cabinet. He was re-elected in 2018 and was appointed as Ontario’s Finance Minister and Chair of Cabinet by Premier Doug Ford. In 2019, he was named Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Vic and his wife Patty live in North Bay.

How does Ontario build on the landmark investments that have been secured, and new U.S. climate legislation that is built on a North American EV industry? This expert panel of auto and auto parts manufacturers, innovators and service providers will unpack the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead on our region's road to building and adopting these vehicles here.

Speakers

• Lori Shalhoub, Vice President, General Counsel / External Affairs and Secretary, Stellantis (FCA Canada Inc.)

• Travis Allan, Chief Legal and Public Affairs Officer, FLO EV Charging

• Theresa Cooke, Vice President Smart Infrastructure Sales and Country Business Development, Siemens

• Moe Kabbara, Director of Electrification, Transition Accelerator

• Moderator – Raed Kadri, Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives, Business Development and Head of Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), Ontario Centre of Innovation

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Bios:

Lori Shalhoub, Vice President, General Counsel / External Affairs and Secretary, Stellantis (FCA Canada Inc.)

Lori Shalhoub was appointed Vice President, General Counsel / External Affairs and Secretary in April 2007.  In this position, Shalhoub is responsible for all legal activities for Stellantis as well as those of its subsidiaries.  In addition to her legal activities, she has responsibility for all External Affairs activities in Canada.

Shalhoub joined the Company in 1997.  Her professional experience includes:

• 2007 – Vice President, General Counsel / External Affairs and Secretary – FCA Canada

• 2002 – Director – External Affairs and Public Policy

• 1999 – Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary

• 1997 – Staff Counsel

Shalhoub is a member of the Ontario Bar Association, State Bar of Michigan, Law Society of Upper Canada, Essex Law Association and the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association. In 2010, she was recipient of the prestigious ZSA General Counsel of the Year award. In 2015 she was a Windsor Chamber of Commerce finalist for Professional of the Year.

She holds a Master of Law in Corporate Law from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and a Law Degree and Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Communication Studies from the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario.  In 2017, she obtained the ICD.D. from the Institute of Corporate Directors and in October 2020, she completed the Canadian Securities Course. 

Travis Allan, Chief Legal and Public Affairs Officer, FLO EV Charging

Travis J. Allan is the Chief Legal and Public Affairs Officer at FLO, one of North America's leading electric vehicle charging networks and manufacturer of charging solutions. Travis works with and advises numerous governments across North America on electric vehicle (EV) and climate policy matters.

He is the Chair of Electric Mobility Canada's National Government Relations Committee and a member of the executive committee, a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Electric Autonomy, Chair of the Board at Project Neutral and he has been selected as one of Canada's leading energy lawyers by Who's Who Legal. He serves as a contributing editor at the International Energy Law Review (published by Sweet & Maxwell) and has previously served as adjunct faculty at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. 

Theresa Cooke, Vice President Smart Infrastructure Sales and Country Business Development, Siemens

Theresa leads Sales for the Smart Infrastructure business of Siemens in Canada and the country-level Business Development function, with a special focus on Siemens’ electric vehicle charging infrastructure business.

Her 15-year Siemens career started in management consulting in the US and Germany, led her to offshore wind in Denmark, and then back to Canada for strategy roles across Siemens’ energy-focused businesses.

She holds a degree in Systems Design Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Canada and a doctorate in neuroscience from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tuebingen, Germany.

Theresa sits on the boards of CUTRIC and Electric Mobility Canada.

Theresa is married with three young children and is a certified professional coach, yoga teacher, and musician with 4 original tracks on Soundcloud.

Moe Kabbara, Director of Electrification, Transition Accelerator

Moe Kabbara is an experienced energy and climate professional with close to a decade of experience working at the intersection of technology, policy, and markets. Moe brings expertise in the areas of transportation electrification, renewable energy, energy storage, and energy efficiency. He is also a sought-after voice on zero-emission vehicle supply chain issues and has spearheaded the establishment of Accelerate, Canada’s zero-emission vehicle supply chain alliance, bringing together private and public sector players to leverage Canada’s opportunity in global ZEV manufacturing. Moe has also led several projects supporting different organizations with their EV strategies, fleet electrification plans, and charging infrastructure strategies.

Prior to joining the Accelerator, Moe was a Managing Consultant at Dunsky Energy + Climate. He was also a Senior Investment Officer at the Department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada. Moe also was the co-founder and CEO of a thermal energy storage start-up in Atlantic Canada.

Raed Kadri, Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives, Business Development and Head of Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), Ontario Centre of Innovation

Raed Kadri is Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives for OCI and Head of the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), an initiative by the Government of Ontario to ensure Ontario’s leadership in the future of the automotive and mobility sector.

At the helm of OVIN, Raed drives Ontario’s presence on the global stage, leading programming that supports research and development (R&D) funding, talent development, technology acceleration, business and technical supports through testing and demonstration sites.

In addition to that, Raed leads province-wide coordination of activities and resources, publiceducation, research, analysis, and thought leadership.

Bringing together stakeholder groups and raising awareness around the opportunities for Ontario and for its partners, Raed is cementing Ontario’s leadership in the future of the automotive and mobility sector globally.

Session A: Greening Heavy Industry

Heavy industries like steel, cement, and chemical manufacturing face unique challenges on their pathway to decarbonize. How are these companies tracking against their net zero by 2050 commitments? And what are the future roadblocks where solutions need to start being developed now in order to reach those goals?

Speakers:

• Tony Valeri, Decarbonization Investment Project Team - Funding and Government Relations, ArcelorMittal Dofasco

• Eva Musso, Head of Sustainability and Government Relations, BASF Canada

• Katherine Arblaster, Vice President, Sustainability & Environmental, Social and Governance, Uranium Energy Corp

• Moderator – Dr. David Sinton, Professor and Canada Research Chair, University of Toronto

 

Session B: Innovation Launchpad

Canada is overweight in innovation, with 13 companies on the 2022 Global Cleantech 100 list. But too many of our firms are struggling to land major customers here at home and scale. What strategies are emerging to match leading innovators with deployment opportunities, and what more is needed to clear the way for their scale?

Speakers:

• Nicholas Bossé, Chief Energy Transition Officer, Brainbox.AI

• Annette Verschuren, Chair and CEO, NRStor

• Imran Noorani, Chief Strategy Officer and Late Founder, Peak Power Inc.

• Moderator – Matthew Lombardi, Managing Director, OneEleven

 

Session C: Resilient Energy Futures

Our economic competitiveness and quality of life depend on reliable energy – whether that means flicking a light switch, turning up the thermostat, or having backup generation that can keep a hospital running. How can we ensure our system is resilient as we pursue net-zero emissions? This discussion will unpack the challenges of developing an integrated pathway with both electricity and fuels, and explore how to make our energy systems work better together to build a more competitive economy.

Speakers:

• Cara-Lynn Wade, Director of Energy Transition Planning, Enbridge Gas

• Chuck Farmer, Vice President, Planning, Conservation and Resource Adequacy, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)

• Carol McAulay, Vice President, Finance and Administration, York University

• Moderator – Andrea Roszell, Director, Energy, Sustainability and Infrastructure, Guidehouse

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Bios:

Session A: Greening Heavy Industry

Tony Valeri, Decarbonization Investment Project Team - Funding and Government Relations, Dofasco

Tony joined ArcelorMittal Dofasco in June 2011 from his own firm, Ridge Strategy Group, a public affairs and management consulting company. From 2011 to April 2022, Tony was responsible for Communications, Sustainable Development and Government Relations and Trade. In May 2022, as a member of the Executive Team, he was appointed to his current role within the company’s Decarbonization Team, leading funding and government relations. As part of this, Tony is focused on the path to net-zero for ArcelorMittal’s Hamilton steelmaking complex. 

Tony was a Member of Parliament for four consecutive terms, beginning in 1993. During his terms in office, he served as Minister of Transport and subsequently led the Government's legislative program as Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. Prior to assuming public office, he was principal of a life and health benefits practice.

Tony is a graduate of McMaster University and is actively involved in the community. He is a Director on the Board of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and a Director on the St. Joseph's Health System Board.

Eva Musso, Head of Sustainability and Government Relations, BASF Canada

As BASF Canada’s Head of Sustainability and Government Relations and a member of BASF’s Canadian Leadership Team, Eva Musso is responsible for designing and executing our sustainability strategy to help us achieve our ambitious targets, as well as for creating and implementing BASF Canada’s long-term government relations strategy for legislative and regulatory topics and advocate for BASF's business interest at the municipal, provincial, and federal level. Moreover, she serves as BASF Canada’s representative at multi-stakeholder sustainability and advocacy oriented technical groups, committees, and consortiums and drive key business partnerships with key partners, associations, customers and other public and private stakeholders. 

Prior to joining BASF, Eva has worked for Ontario Public Service (OPS), where she served in various ministries, including Environment, Transportation and most recently Economic Development, working on policies and programs related to environment and climate change, low carbon economy and entrepreneurship. Musso developed and led an award-winning sustainability program at the OPS, and she has worked closely with businesses both inside and outside of her government roles to help them with their sustainability plans.

Eva Musso holds a MA in Geography with a specialization in Environmental Health from University of Toronto and a Bachelors in Environmental Studies from York University.

Katherine Arblaster, Vice President, Sustainability & Environmental, Social and Governance, Uranium Energy Corp

Katherine Arblaster is the Vice President, Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) & Sustainability for Uranium Energy Corp, GoldMining Inc., Gold Royalty Corp. and Uranium royalty Corp, a set of investment and mining companies with ambitious sustainability goals. Katherine is responsible for developing and implementing the companies’ sustainability and decarbonization strategies.

Katherine joins these teams from Monitor Deloitte where she was a Senior Manager, leading the firm’s ESG and sustainability strategy offering. At Monitor Deloitte, Katherine supported some of Canada’s largest public and private organizations to redesign their corporate strategies and business models to be better poised for growth in the face of the energy transition.

Katherine graduated from the Telfer School of Management with an Honors Bachelor of Commerce in International Management and is a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Dr. David Sinton, Professor and Canada Research Chair, University of Toronto

David Sinton is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto and a Canada Research Chair. Prior to joining the University of Toronto, Dr. Sinton was an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Victoria, and a Visiting Associate Professor at Cornell University.

He received a BASc from the University of Toronto, MEng from McGill University and his PhD from the University of Toronto. The Sinton group develops fluid systems for applications in energy and analysis. The group is application-driven and is currently developing fluid systems to produce renewable fuels and chemicals from CO2. Dr. Sinton was selected to be an NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellow in 2016.

He is also a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

 

Session B: Innovation Launchpad

Nicholas Bossé, Chief Energy Transition Officer, Brainbox.AI

Nicolas Bossé leads the expansion and positioning of BrainBox AI’s pioneering  offering for the global energy markets. Nicolas has over 20 years of experience in the energy sector, with a deep understanding of the global competitive energy market dynamics and regulatory frameworks. He creates value through innovative transaction structures in the rapidly evolving energy sector. Nicolas has held roles in regulatory affairs, investments, as well as strategy and growth initiatives in companies such as Hydro Quebec and Brookfield Renewable.

Ahead of joining BrainBox AI, Nicolas was the Senior Vice President of Strategy and Growth Initiatives at Brookfield Renewable. He built and led a team of professionals who covered the North American wholesale energy market design along with the states, provincial, and federal energy policies. Nicolas studied economics and holds a BA from the Université Laval and a masters from the Université du Québec à Montréal. 

Annette Verschuren, Chair and CEO, NRStor

Annette Verschuren is Chair and Chief Executive Officer of NRStor Inc. The company develops and manages energy storage projects.

Prior to this, Ms. Verschuren was president of The Home Depot Canada. She oversaw the growth of the company’s Canadian operations from 19 to 179 stores from 1996-2011, increasing revenue from $600 million to $6 billion. 

After Home Depot, she took a year off and went around the world. In her travels, she saw energy as a global issue, with enormous business potential, and many benefits to developing economies. Back in Canada, Ms. Verschuren founded NRStor in 2012 with an investment from Northwater Capital. 

Her career began at the Cape Breton Development Corporation. She then worked with Canada Development Investment Corporation to help privatize crown corporations. Her next stop was as a Vice President of Corporate Development at Imasco Ltd., one of Canada’s largest holding companies. Ms. Verschuren then launched Michaels of Canada, a chain of arts and crafts stores before landing at the helm of Home Depot Canada. 

Ms. Verschuren has been appointed to numerous government advisory roles. Among them: Economic Advisory Council, during the economic crisis in 2008, the Canada-U.S. Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders and the Advisory Council for NAFTA. Recently, Ms. Verschuren participated in our Government’s Roundtable on Decarbonization. 

Ms. Verschuren sits on the corporate boards of Liberty Mutual, CNRL, Air Canada and Saputo.  She is Chair of the MaRS Discovery District Board and the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) on behalf of the Federal Government. Chair of the Ontario Energy Association and member of the IESO Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC). 

Ms. Verschuren is the Chancellor of Cape Breton University and is on the Board of the Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment, (VCSEE). 

Annette Verschuren has received several Honourary Doctorates from Canadian universities including her alma mater, St. Francis Xavier University. She supports many causes but focuses on mental health, education and indigenous programmes. She is a founding member of the Rideau Hall Foundation. She co-chairs the Smart Prosperity Initiative, which is mapping out a course to a stronger, cleaner economy for Canada. 

Annette Verschuren is a Companion of the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. She champions volunteerism and was named to the Order of Canada for her contributions to the retail industry and corporate social responsibility.  

Ms. Verschuren wrote the book Bet On Me, about succeeding in business and in life.  Annette Verschuren and her husband, Stan Shibinsky, often return to her home province of Nova Scotia and her family home.

Imran Noorani, Chief Strategy Officer and Late Founder, Peak Power Inc.

Imran Noorani is a clean technology and energy executive, with more than 20 years of experience navigating heavily regulated industries, growing organizations from start-up phases to IPO and numerous acquisitions. He is the Chief Strategy Officer and a Late Founder at Peak Power. Prior to joining Peak Power, Imran was a Divisional President in the Ozz Group of Companies, where he led the amalgamation and restructuring of energy companies. In addition to his private sector experience, Imran has also held positions in the utility and public sectors of energy. As a volunteer, Imran has held various Board positions at a local environmental charity, the Toronto Green Community (2008-2016). As an award-winning advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, he currently sits on the StepUp Board in Ontario, and the American Clean Power DEI Committee in the U.S. Imran has an MBA from the Schulich School of Business (2010), and a LLM in Energy & Infrastructure from Osgoode Hall Law School (2018). Imran is an avid scuba diver, a passionate home cook, and enjoys portaging through Canada in the summers.

Matthew Lombardi, Managing Director, OneEleven

Matthew is the Managing Director of OneEleven, a post-seed accelerator in Toronto, working to help scale the next generation of Canadian tech companies. 
 
Prior to leading OneEleven, he co-founded the not-for-profit marketplace GroceryHero, and has previously worked for the United Nations, and in management consulting at Deloitte. 
 
He is an angel investor, advisor and mentor with multiple venture funds, member of the Board of Directors of the Toronto Zoo and Ontario Snowboard, and a frequent contributor to the Globe & Mail Report on Business, Financial Post, and Toronto Star.

 

Session C: Resilient Energy Futures

Cara-Lynn Wade, Director of Energy Transition Planning, Enbridge Gas

Cara-Lynne is the Director of Energy Transition Planning at Enbridge Gas Incorporated. Cara-Lynne has over 15 years of experience in the energy space, including leading the strategy, design and implementation of Ontario natural gas conservation programs, as well as leading Enbridge’s Marketing, Market Research and Customer Analytics teams. In Cara-Lynne’s current role, she is leading the utility’s long-term transition planning activity, including the implementation of natural gas integrated resource planning and oversight of Enbridge Gas’s emissions reduction strategy for its own operations. Cara-Lynne has an Honours Business Administration degree from the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western, and Masters in Business Administration, with a focus on strategy and sustainability, from the Schulich School of Business at York University.

Chuck Farmer, Vice-President, Planning, Conservation and Resource Adequacy, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO)

Chuck Farmer is the Vice-President of Planning, Conservation, and Resource Adequacy at the IESO. In this role, Mr. Farmer leads the planning of Ontario’s electricity system to ensure it is reliable, resilient and cost-efficient in the years ahead. This includes assessing the future adequacy of Ontario’s electricity supply and the transmission system, identifying system needs, and securing the resources needed to meet system needs, including through the advancement of conservation efforts.

Prior to his current position, Mr. Farmer has held a variety of senior roles at the IESO in the areas of Power System Planning, Conservation, and Corporate Relations. He first joined the Ontario Power Authority in 2006, which merged with the IESO in 2014.

Mr. Farmer’s career began when he joined Union Gas focusing on the residential and commercial markets, and in 2005 he was appointed as the Director for Market Knowledge and Demand Side Management.

Mr. Farmer graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

Carol McAulay, Vice President, Finance and Administration, York University

Carol McAulay is the Vice-President Finance and Administration at York University , a position she has held for the last five years. Carol is responsible for a portfolio of ten departments and programs; she plays an integral role in the achievement of the University’s vision and mission by overseeing the provision of responsive and accessible institutional services while ensuring that all York’s financial, capital, operational and physical resources are optimally deployed and effectively utilized. Carol is an experienced university executive with a reputation for aligning resources and activities with strategic direction, delivering results, and building responsive administrative organizations to support the institution’s academic mission.

Carol holds a Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) degree from the University of Guelph, a Master of Catholic Thought degree from St. Jerome's University, University of Waterloo, and is a Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA), and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

Andrea Roszell, Director, Energy, Sustainability and Infrastructure, Guidehouse

Andrea is the leader of Guidehouse’s Canadian Utilities team. Through her work with clients across North America, Andrea has developed an intimate knowledge of the electricity industry and the challenges relating to the evolution of business models for utilities, energy service companies and system operators which will be required during the transition to a more dynamic, intelligent and distributed future.

She has over 15 years’ experience in the energy industry and her clients have included utilities, governments, and private sector companies. Andrea’s areas of expertise include sustainability and decarbonization, asset management and investment planning, smart grid and grid modernization, transportation electrification, microgrid and renewable energy project assessments, non-wires alternative studies, energy transition strategy and business transformation, conservation and demand management program evaluation, and business case development and market assessment of emerging energy technologies.

Bio:

Dr. Ali Hooshayar, Assistant Professor, Energy Systems, University of Toronto

Ali Hooshyar is a Canada Research Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto. Before joining UofT, he was an Assistant Professor at the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, York University, Toronto, from 2015 to 2018. His research interests include grid integration of renewable energy sources. Dr. Hooshyar is an Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid and the IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery. He is also the Guest Editor-in-Chief of the Special Issue of the IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery on Resilience-Oriented Protection, Control, and Monitoring Systems for Power Grids. Dr. Hooshyar is an Associate Editor of the Wiley Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

After years of producing more power than we could use, Ontario is facing a looming electricity crunch from growing industrial demand, a surge of interest in electrification, and the reduction of nuclear power due to refurbishments and retirements. In this signature debate, two leading experts will face off on whether the future of our electricity generation should be more large, grid-scale facilities - or if small-scale, distributed energy resources like solar and storage are the better solution.

Speakers:

• Go Big: Pat Dalzell, Head of Corporate Affairs, Bruce Power

• Go Home: Andrew Sasso, Director, Climate Action Plan, Toronto Hydro

• Moderator – Bonnie Hiltz, Vice President and Energy Practice Group Lead, Sussex Strategy Group

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Bios:

Pat Dalzell, Head of Corporate Affairs, Bruce Power

Pat Dalzell is the Head of Corporate Affairs at Bruce Power, a role primarily focused on the development and growth of the corporate identity through government and stakeholder engagement; corporate and community communications; and promoting areas of energy innovation and the use of nuclear isotopes in the fight against cancer. Previous to this, he held the role of Director of Government and Stakeholder relations coordinating partnerships with all levels of government along with key member associations, economic development groups, the electricity system operator and labour representatives.

Pat started his career at Bruce Power in 2011 as a Senior Financial Trader where he worked on the Geographic Diversification Initiative to develop new trading strategies and optimize regional diversification. In 2015, he embarked on a new position with Bruce Power working alongside the Chief Investment Officer helping to oversee the investment and risk management of Bruce Power’s defined benefit pension plan. Prior to working for Bruce Power, Patrick worked as a hedge fund derivatives trader at Aquilon Power.

Pat holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Finance from Concordia University. He is a charter holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program and completed the Leading the Business Program at the IVEY Academy at Western University.

Andrew Sasso, Director, Climate Action Plan, Toronto Hydro

For over 15 years, Andrew has served in a number of senior regulatory, legal, and government relations leadership roles at Ontario electricity distribution utilities.  A business grad and lawyer, Andrew has a history of leading major projects that require a combination of organizational awareness, financial acumen, analytical sophistication, and legal nuance.  These include major rate applications to the Ontario Energy Board, an organizational restructuring and refinancing, and most recently Toronto Hydro’s Climate Action Plan.

Andrew was the principal architect of the Climate Action Plan.  He led a team in developing and expanding the concept into a nationally-leading, customer-oriented, and economy-stimulating product.  The Climate Action Plan was endorsed by the Toronto Region Board of Trade and the Pembina Institute, and attracted support from a diversity of additional stakeholders.  In July 2022, it was endorsed by Toronto City Council, and recognized as an important means of enabling and advancing the City’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy.

In announcing its 2021 annual award recipients, the Ontario Energy Association stated, “Andrew Sasso is a major contributor to the OEA policy development process. The OEA relies heavily on Andrew's thoughtful and detailed input to progress its missions and advocate for its members. Andrew's opinion is highly respected amongst his peers, and he frequently helps the OEA drive to consensus positions.”

Andrew was a member of the inaugural graduating class of Osgoode Hall Law School’s Masters (LLM) in Energy and Infrastructure Law program in 2014.  Since 2017, Andrew has served as a part-time instructor in the program.

Bonnie Hiltz, Vice President and Energy Practice Group Lead, Sussex Strategy Group

Bonnie Hiltz has over 15 years experience working in Ontario’s electricity sector.

Since 2005, Bonnie has been intimately involved with the evolution of electricity supply policies, having worked at both the Ministry of Energy and the Ontario Power Authority (now the IESO).  She has contributed to the design and implementation of the coal phase-out strategy and multiple supply procurements. She was also involved in contract management functions, overseeing billions of dollars of supply agreements with the OPA/IESO.

Bonnie left the public sector in 2014 to oversee Government and Regulatory Affairs for a major international utility and energy services provider.  In this role she advised on supply and de-carbonization policies and assisted business development efforts across Canada.

In her current role Bonnie serves a number of clients in the energy sector as they navigate the complex government and regulatory environment.  Her areas of expertise include generation, procurement and contracts, and energy markets. 

Bonnie currently serves on the Board of the Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) and has previously served on the Boards of the Canadian Solar Industries Association and the Canadian Wind Energy Association (now merged as the Canadian Renewable Energy Association).  She has served as a mentor for young professionals and has volunteered her time for a variety of organizations focused on topics ranging from renewable energy education to newcomer services. 

Bonnie has an M.A. in International Relations and Political Science from the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. She is fluent in French and Spanish and has lived in the United States, France, Switzerland and Costa Rica.

Bio:

Julianne den Decker, Senior Vice President - Project Delivery, SNC-Lavalin

As Senior Vice-President, Project Delivery, Julianne den Decker is responsible for all Canadian Nuclear Major EPC Projects and New Reactors.  This includes SNC’s role in the refurbishment projects at Bruce Power and OPG and new reactor design and delivery. She leads the sector’s project managers and project controls personnel.   Julianne is a board member of the Canadian Nuclear Association, a member of Women in Nuclear and the Chair of SNC’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion network.

Before joining SNC-Lavalin in 2019, Julianne was a Project Director at Aecon supporting the major Ontario Refurbishment Programs at OPG and Bruce Power.  From 2009-2016, Julianne worked for Chicago Bridge & Iron (CB&I) as the Engineering Manager responsible for the AP1000 design for projects at VC Summer and Vogtle.  Prior to that, Julianne spent 9 years with Areva/Framatome performing Steam Generator replacements at 13 different nuclear facilities in the USA and supporting the EPR project in Okiluoto, Finland.

Julianne is a licenced Professional Civil Engineer in North Carolina. Throughout her career she was named Engineer of the Year at Areva, graduated from Aecon’s Next Generation Leaders Program, CB&I’s Advanced Leadership Program and Shaw’s Developing Leaders Program.  

She holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Princeton University. 

Julianne has 3 young boys and spends a lot of time in her driveway shooting pucks, losing basketball games and doling out Band-Aids. 

This fireside chat with Ontario’s Minister of Energy will highlight how the Ontario Government is leading the way on growing the province’s supply of clean electricity to meet increasing demand from industry and the energy transition, while also supporting innovative policies and technologies to keep the system reliable and affordable.

Speakers:

• The Hon. Todd Smith, Minister of Energy, Government of Ontario

• Giles Gherson, EVP and Chair, Economic Blueprint Institute, Toronto Region Board of Trade

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Bios:

The Hon. Todd Smith, Minister of Energy, Government of Ontario

For over 25 years, Todd Smith has been a trusted voice in the Quinte region.A graduate of Loyalist College, he embarked on a 16-year career in radio broadcasting, serving as the voice of Belleville Bulls hockey and rising to News Director at Quinte Broadcasting.

Todd was first elected in 2011 in the riding of Prince Edward—Hastings.While in Opposition, he served as the PC Critic forseveral portfolios including the energy file.

In 2022, he was re-elected in the Bay of Quinte riding as part of the Doug Ford governmentandhe was reappointed to serve as Minister of Energy –a file he has held since 2021. Previously, he hasserved as Government House Leader, Minister of Government and Consumer Services, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade, and Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Born and raised in Riverview, N.B., Toddhas lived in the Belleville area since the early 1990s. He lives therewith his wife Tawnya and daughters Payton and Reagan.   

Giles Gherson, EVP and Chair, Economic Blueprint Institute, Toronto Region Board of Trade

Giles Gherson is the Executive Vice President & Chair of the Economic Blueprint Institute at the Toronto Region Board of Trade.  He is charged with maximizing the Board’s economic development and competitiveness impact for members, advancing policy initiatives by leveraging the data-driven power of the Board’s Economic Blueprint Institute, and driving strategy across the organization.

Giles brings to the Board more than 25 years of experience, including 15 years with the Province of Ontario, where he held multiple influential Deputy Minister roles – most extensively and recently as Deputy Minister, Economic Development. Previously, Giles has led the government’s economic growth and competitiveness policy, overseen the recent creation of two new agencies, Invest Ontario and IP Ontario, and worked to attract a wave of technology and manufacturing investments, including the retooling of the Province’s auto sector for next generation battery electric vehicles.

Prior to his role in government, Giles worked as editor-in-chief of the Toronto Star, political editor of the National Post and editor of the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business.

‎ Giles Gherson, EVP and Chair, Economic Blueprint Institute, Toronto Region Board of Trade

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