Event Schedule

PRE-EVENT NETWORKING MIXER

Tue, Feb 20, 2024

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Delegates for the 2024 Growing the North Conference are welcome to join us for a Pre-Event Networking Mixer presented by Neil & Associates and hosted by the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 from 5:00-7:00 PM in the TARA Centre at Evergreen Park in the County of Grande Prairie. No cost to attend. Admission is included in your conference registration. You will also be able to pick up your badge for the conference to avoid lineups!

Join us for an evening of networking, appetizers, refreshments and door prizes as well as meeting some of the members of the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce. 

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DAY ONE (* subject to change)

Wed, Feb 21, 2024

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8:30 AM: Welcome; Land Acknowledgement; Greetings; Opening Blessing; Indigenous Drumming Performance by Clinton and Vanessa Soto

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9:00 AM: KEYNOTE – Gregg Brown “The Future of Work: A Roadmap for Change-Ready Leaders to Succeed in a World Reeling from Disruption”

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10:15 AM: Networking Break

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10:40 AM: Hon. Ric McIver, Minister of Municipal Affairs – Department Priorities and Activities

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10:50 AM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Stream 1: Oil & Gas Energy – Martin King, Managing Director, North America Energy Market Analysis, RBN Energy LLC

Stream 2: Minerals/Mining – Barry Caplan, Neolithica: Entre Chien et Loup – Transitioning to a Clean Energy World

Stream 3: Access to Markets – Rail, Pipelines and Ports – Cole Thomsen, Community Relations Manager, TC Energy; Kevin Moraes, Director, Government and External Relations, Prince Rupert Port Authority; Karen Jensen, Senior Manager Business Development, CN Rail

Stream 4: Community Co-Design: Collaborative Social Innovation for Economic Change – PART 1 – Kelsey Brown and Monique Blough

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11:45 AM: Lunch

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12:30 PM: Hon. Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy & Trade – Department Priorities and Activities

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1:00 PM: Mark Parsons, Vice President and Chief Economist, ATB Financial 

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1:45 PM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Stream 1: Jack Weeks, Investment Director, Agriculture, InvestAlberta; Sagar Trivedi, Investment Attraction Coordinator, InvestAlberta; Sandra Dufresne, Economic Development Lethbridge  – How InvestAlberta Connects and Assists Communities

Stream 2: Connecting Northern Communities – Jodi Bloomer Kaput and Arjen Kaput, Co-Owners, Canadian Fiber Optics

Stream 3 – Courtney Elliott, Foresight; Pamela Goertzen, SSRIA (Smart Sustainable Resilient Infrastructure Association) – Growing the Green Economy: Cleantech Opportunities for the Built Environment

Stream 4 – Healthcare Priorities for the North – Mayor Jackie Clayton, City of Grande Prairie Healthcare Strategy; Tab Pollock – Maskwa Medical Centre; Kate Potter – SPARC; Dr. Vanessa Sheane – Northwestern Polytechnic

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2:45 PM: Networking Break

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3:00 PM: Municipal Government Leaders Roundtable – Moderator Jackie Clayton, Mayor, City of Grande Prairie; Panel – Tyler Olsen, Reeve, Municipal District of Greenview; Bob Marshall, Reeve, County of Grande Prairie; Kate Potter, Mayor, Sexsmith; Crystal McAteer, Mayor, High Level; Elaine Manzer, Mayor, Peace River; Corinna Williams, Reeve, Northern Sunrise County; Sheila Gilmour, Mayor, Fox Creek; presented by Alberta Municipalities

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4:15 PM: IFS Announcement

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4:30 PM: Closing

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Day 2 (* subject to change)

Thu, Feb 22, 2024

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8:30 AM: Welcome; Greetings; Michele Evans, Assistant Deputy Minister for the Alberta Region, Prairies Economic Development Canada

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8:50 AM: KEYNOTE – Eric Termuende – Leadership and AI: Building High-Performing Teams in the New World of Work

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10:00 AM: Edmonton International Airport Prize Draw

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10:10 AM: Networking Break

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10:20 AM: Hon. Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks – Department Priorities and Activities

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10:50 AM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Stream 1: Forestry and Value Added Forestry – Brock Mulligan, Senior Vice President, Alberta Forest Products Association

Stream 2: Trends in Agriculture – Andre Harpe, Chair, Grain Growers of Canada

Stream 3: Workforce – Jennifer Ireson, Balanced Perspectives – Aligning Generations: Harnessing Employee Engagement in the Multi-Generational Workforce

Stream 4: Community Co-Design: Collaborative Social Innovation for Economic Change – PART 2 – Kelsey Brown and Monique Blough

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11:45 AM: Lunch and Networking

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12:30 PM: Hon. Dan Williams, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction – Department Priorities and Activities

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1:00 PM: Navigating the Era of Megafires – Jennifer Gray Thompson, Founder & CEO, After the Fire USA – presented by Economic Developers Alberta

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1:45 PM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Stream 1: Business AI and Automation – Wendy Muise

Stream 2: Business Resilience and Preparedness through the Lens of Branding and Digital Marketing – Ryan Blais, nine10 Inc.

Stream 3: Real Estate and Development Trends and Opportunities – Ken Williamson, Principal, Avison Young; Jeff McCammon, Cushman & Wakefield; Cord Spero, ReMax Grande Prairie

Stream 4: Rethink and Reimagine: Three Keys to Business – The Key to Resilience – Cecilia Mzvondiwa, OnPoint Law

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2:45 PM: Networking Break

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3:00 PM: KEYNOTE – Brock Dickinson, University of Waterloo – “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”

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4:15 PM: Closing, Prize Draws, Indigenous Performance – Bluebird Dancers, Blessing

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Economic Developers Alberta Resilience and Recovery Workshop for Communities

Fri, Feb 23, 2024

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8:30 AM-3:30 PM in Clarkson Hall at Evergreen Park

NOT included in Growing the North BUT delegates of the Conference can access special discount rates for the Workshop.

For more information, visit the EDA website https://edaalberta.ca/event-5512999