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June 19-21 2023
Mulroney Institute of Government
The Atlantic Economic Forum

Register today


Monday, June 19, 2023

3:00 pm

Arrival at StFX

  • Hotel/residence check in & registration
  • Tours of Mulroney Hall
5:00 pm MULRONEY HALL - JOYCE FAMILY ATRIUM
Cocktail reception & networking
Mistress of Ceremonies: Cynthia Dorrington: President, Vale & Associates
5:45 pm
Welcoming remarks & Indigenous land acknowledgement
  • Dr. Andy Hakin, President of StFX

Indigenous Ceremonial Opening

  • Smudging/Dance/Drumming
6:00 pm

Introduction of Keynote Speaker

  • Rt. Hon Brian Mulroney

TAKING STALK OF THIS MOMENT: Global Change & Inclusive Regional Economic Growth Opportunities for Atlantic Canada
Keynote speaker to be announced

6:45 pm
Thank you & presentation to keynote speaker
7:30 pm Charles V. Keating Centre
Dinner
8:00 pm
Welcoming Remarks
  • Hon. Tim Houston, Premier of Nova Scotia
  • Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship and MP for Central Nova
9:00-10:00 pm
Post-dinner reception & networking

 

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

8:00-8:45 am MULRONEY HALL
Breakfast
8:45-10:15 am MULRONEY HALL - BARRICK AUDITORIUM

Opening plenary session:
Sponsored by MITACS

Inclusive Employment, Youth Skills Entry & Innovative Job Markets
Keynote Speaker:

  • Tashmia Ismail-Saville, Chief Business Development Officer, MITACS

KEY TRENDS & DEVELOPMENTS IN ATLANTIC CANADA'S ECONOMY SINCE 2010: Demographic Change, Trade, & Productivity, Emerging Strengths & Weaknesses
Keynote Speaker:

  • Dr. Herb Emery, Vaughan Chair in Regional Economics, University of New Brunswick

Additional keynote speakers for the opening plenary session to be announced

10:15-10:45 am
Networking Break
10:45 am-12:00 pm MULRONEY HALL

Concurrent Panel Sessions
Atlantic Canada's Economic Challenges and Opportunities

A TRANSFORMING LABOUR FORCE: diversity, immigration, workplace culture, skills shortages.
Sponsored by JD Irving Ltd.

URBAN GROWTH & HOUSING CHALLENGES IN ATLANTIC CANADA: urban and rural dynamics in Atlantic economic development - risks and opportunities.

PUBLIC FINANCES & SUSTAINABLE SERVICES: post-pandemic prospects and choices.

Moderator: Chris MacDonald, Vice President, Government Relations, JD Irving Ltd.
Panelists:

  • Andrew Parkin
    Executive Director, Environics Institute
  • Kelly Lendsay
    CEO, Indigenous Works
  • Christiane Fox
    Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

 

Moderator: Glenn Horne, Chief Administrative Officer, Municipality of the County of Antigonish
Panelists:

  • Dr. Robert Greenwood
    Director of the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development at Memorial University of Newfoundland
  • Amanda McDougall-Merrill
    Mayor, Cape Breton Regional Municipality
  • Wendy Luther
    President & CEO, Halifax Partnership

Moderator: Dr. Bobbi Morrison, Schwartz School of Business, StFX University
Panelists:

  • Karen Oldfield
    CEO, NS Health
  • Patricia Hearn
    NL Deputy Minister - Department of Immigration, Population Growth and Skills + Intergovernmental Affairs
12:00-1:15 pm

Lunch
Sponsored by Sodexo

1:15-2:30 pm MULRONEY HALL

Concurrent Panel Sessions:
Atlantic Canada's Economic Challenges and Opportunities

NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGY SECTORS: start-ups, education, finance, infrastructure.

AGRI-FOOD, FISHERIES, & FOOD SECURITY: new markets, new products, new players.

GREEN ECONOMY, CARBON REDUCTION, & ENERGY FUTURES

Moderator: Daryl Genge, CEO Springboard Atlantic
Panelists:

  • Dr. Dhirendra Shukla
    Dr. J. Herbert Smith ACOA Chair, University of New Brunswick
  • Michelle Simms
    President & CEO, Genesis
  • Julia Rivard Dexter
    Co-Founder Shoelace Learning

 

Moderator: Dr. Marcia English, Associate Professor Human Nutrition, StFX University
Panelists:

 

  • Dr. Sylvain Charlebois
    Director, Agri-food Analytics Lab, Dalhousie University
  • Chief Terry Paul
    Membertou First Nation, Clearwater
  • Sue Coueslan
    Vice President, Natural Products Canada


 

 

Moderator: Alisdair McLean: Executive Director, NetZero Atlantic
Panelists:

 

  • Jennifer Wagner
    Breakthrough Energy Fellow
  • Trent Vichie
    CEO Everwind Fuels
  • Dr. Larry Hughes
    MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance, Dalhousie University

 

2:30-3:00 pm
Networking Break
3:00-4:30 pm MULRONEY HALL - BARRICK AUDITORIUM

Plenary Session:
Sponsored by Business Council of Canada

Opening Remarks:

  • Goldy Hyder, CEO Business Council of Canada

Realizing Economic Potential in Atlantic Canada:
An Investor's Perspective - A Discussion with KEN LANGONE: CEO, Invemed

Interviewer:

  • Annette Verschuren, Chair and CEO, NRSton Inc.
6:00 pm CHARLES V. KEATING CENTRE
Cocktails
6:30-9:00 pm

Dinner & fireside chat
Sponsored by Emera
Master of Ceremonies: Dr. Don Abelson, Director Brian Mulroney Institute of Government

COALITION FOR A BETTER FUTURE:
Emerging Economic Opportunities for Atlantic Canada & the CFB Scorecard

  • Hon. Lisa Raitt
  • Hon. Anne McLellan

Moderator to be announced

9:00-10:00 pm CHARLES V. KEATING CENTRE
Post-dinner reception & networking

 

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

7:30-8:30 am MULRONEY HALL
Breakfast
8:30-10:00 am MULRONEY HALL - BARRICK AUDITORIUM

Closing plenary session
Indigenous Business & Economic Development Opportunities for Atlantic Canada

Moderator: Jarvis Googoo, Director, Atlantic Indigenous Economic Development Integrated Research Program

Panelists:

  • Rose Paul, CEO & President Bayside Corporation
  • Mary Beth Doucett, Assistant Professor and Purdy Crawford Chair in Aboriginal Business Studies, Shannon School of Business, Cape Breton University
  • Kelly Lendsay, CEO, Indigenous Works
  • Chris Googoo, We'koqma'q First Nation & CEO, Ulnooweg
10:00-10:30 am
Networking Break
10:30 am-12:15 pm

Policy Leaders Panel:
Strategic Direction & Next Steps for Economic Development in Atlantic Canada
Sponsored by Saltwire Network

Moderator: Mark Lever, President & CEO, Saltwire Network
Panelists:

  • Hon. Blaine Higgs, Premier of New Brunswick
  • Hon. Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland & Labrador
  • Hon. Dennis King, Premier of Prince Edward Island
  • Hon. Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Panelists to be announced.

12:15-12:30 pm

Rapporteur's Summary & Concluding Remarks:

Rapporteur:

Charles McMillan, Author, Professor of Strategic Managment and International Business, York University

12:30-1:00 pm
Media scrum/press conferences
12:30 pm
Lunch
12:30-3:00 pm
Breakout spaces available for further discussions

 

  • The Hon. Tim Houston
  • The Hon. Andrew Furey
  • The Hon. Blain Higgs
  • The Hon. Sean Fraser
  • The Hon. Anne McLellan
  • Ken Langone
  • The Hon. Frank Mckenna
  • The Hon. Frank Mckenna
  • Dr. Herb Emery
  • Andrew Parkin, Ph.D.
  • Kelly J. Lendsay
  • Dr. Robert Greenwood
  • Michelle Simms
  • Chief Terry Paul
  • Shelly King
  • The Hon, Lisa Raitt

Atlantic Canada is entering an exciting period of growth and opportunity, and the inaugural Atlantic Economic Forum will bring together local, national, and global leaders in business, government, and economic development together to help build a more prosperous future for our region.
This forum is purposefully designed for leaders to connect and strategize ways to take action, focusing on the challenges facing Atlantic Canada and the many opportunities for renewed growth.

Featuring keynotes, discussions, and debates on our most pressing market-related topics, the Forum will inspire, accelerate, and create tangible economic progress for our region.

We hope you will join us.

 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

ACOA
Invest Nova Scotia
National PR
Saltwire
Emera
Springboard
Business Council of Canada
Everwind
Mitacs
Irving
Sodexo