Agenda

Monday, February 10th

WELCOME

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Sign In Open | Exhibitor Set Up

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM Opening Reception Viking Room

Hosted by ThawiKayhiGan Group, light refreshments & cash bar

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Tuesday, February 11th

Builders & Leaders

8:00 AMBreakfast‍

9:00 AMOpening Ceremony & Welcoming Remarks
Emcee JP Gladu

Elder Martha Sturgeon

Chief Michele Solomon, Fort William First Nation

Deputy Grand Chief Bobby Narcisse, Nishnawbe Aski Nation

Frank McKay

The Honourable Patty Hajdu

10:00 AMOpening Keynote
Gordon J. Keesic, National Head, Indigenous Investment Services RBC Global Asset Management

10:30 AMAM Coffee & Tradeshow Break

11:00 AMPanel | Workforce Development
Heather WolfEar, Chris Manitowabi, Jim Jacobs, Aimee Sault, Kirsty Jackson
Moderated by Jason McBride‍

12:00 PMLunch

Sponsor Feature: Tom Meilleur, Vice President, Northstar Air

1:00 PM Afternoon Keynote
Tabatha Bull, Canada Council for Indigenous Business

1:30 PM Panel | Women's Experiences in Economic Development
Kathy Brady, Albalina Metatawabin, Tara Ingram
Moderated by Tabatha Bull

2:15 PM PM Coffee & Tradeshow Break

2:45 PMFireside with Firelight
In Conversation with Ginger Gibson, Derek Rice & Gabrielle Slowey.

Moderated by Geordie Hungerford.

3:45 PMClosing Remarks

6:00 PM Networking Drop In until 9:00PM, Icelandic Room

Hosted by First Mining Gold, light refreshments & cash bar

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Wednesday, February 12th

New Growth - Resources, Relationships & Renewability

8:00 AMBreakfast

9:00 AMRecap & Welcome
JP Gladu

Jamie Taylor, Thunder Bay Community Economic Development Corporation (CEDC)
Valerie Gideon, Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FEDNOR)

9:45 AM Panel | Access to Capital
Sebastien Labelle, Canada Development Investment Corporation (CDEV)
Shawn Sobush, Asiniikaa Mining
Geordie Hungerford
Moderated by Valerie Gideon

10:45 AM AM Coffee & Tradeshow Break

11:15 amTime to Grow
Wendy Landry, Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA)

11:30 aM Panel | Resourceful Retail & Community Store Success

Tabatha Jourdain, Miriam Cook, James Mamakwa, Cheryl Welke

Moderated by Mark Sevestre

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12:15 PM Lunch

1:00 PMPanel | Forestry & the Bioeconomy
Dr. Lauri Sikanen, Scott Rubin, Jordan Hatton

Moderated by JP Gladu

1:45 PM Community Project Open Mic

Does your community have an upcoming project, initiative, or news to share? Sign up for a five minute segment to give us the elevator pitch, and then enjoy some networking!

2:30 PM Close of Sessions for the Day
Tradeshow Open in Viking, Scandia, Ballroom Foyer until 3:30 PM

Gala Night

5:30 PM Doors Open | Cocktail Networking

6:00 PM Opening Remarks & Gala Keynote
Ken Coates, Director of Indigenous Affairs, MacDonald-Laurier Institute
Steve Berna, Managing Director, National Bank of Canada

6:30 PM Dinner Service

7:30 PM Entertainment
Comedy Night with Ron Kanutski

Thursday, February 13th

Youth & the Future

8:00 AMBreakfast

9:00 AMRecap & Welcome with JP Gladu

9:15 AMFire & The Whitefeather Forest
Alex Peters, Whitefeather Forest Management

9:40 AMEmergency Management through an Economic Development Lens

Darrin Spence, Spence Emergency Management and Associates

10:00 AM Panel | Climate Change Impacts
Gary Zed, Canada’s Forest Trust
David Pearson, Professor Emeritus (retired), Laurentian University School of Natural Sciences
Don Huff, Eco Strategy

Moderated by Jonathan Parenteau

10:45 AM Coffee & Tradeshow Break

11:15 AM Panel | Youth Empowerment and Voices in Economic Development
Ay'Den Abraham
Aubrey-Anne Laliberte-Pewapisconias
Ashley Johnson

Ajey Meekis

Ryan Fleming
Moderated by Jonathan Beardy

12:00 PM Closing Remarks
JP Gladu, John Beardy, Frank McKay