SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE (Subject to Change)
Day 1: Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Venue: Arcadia Earth, 486 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario
6:00 – 8:00 pm: Opening Reception and Registration
Day 2: Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Venue: The Quay – 100 Queens Quay East, Toronto, ON
7:00 am – 5:00 pm: Registration
7:00 – 8:10 am: Breakfast
8:10 – 8:30 am: Welcome Remarks from Mark Fisher, President and CEO, Council of the Great Lakes Region and Giles Gherson, President and CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade
8:30 – 9:00 am: Keynote: State of the Great Lakes Economy Outlook with Doug Porter, Chief Economist, BMO Capital Markets
9:00 – 9:30 am: Plenary Keynote (Speaker and Topic TBC)
9:30 – 9:50 am: Networking Break
9:50 – 10:35 am: Fireside Chat: A Renewed U.S. – Canada Partnership – Leading the Way in the Great Lakes Region
- Tom Clark, Consul General – New York, Canadian Government
- Baxter Hunt, Consul General – Toronto, U.S. Government
10:35 – 11:00 am: Networking Break
11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Breakout Sessions
- Skilling Up: Tackling Labour Shortages in the Great Lakes Region
- Sustainable Infrastructure: Building Back Better; Delivering Long-Term ESG Benefits
- Easing Border Congestion: Growth Potential in the Great Lakes Region
12:00 – 1:30 pm: Presentation: Moving Forward, Faster: The Future of Passenger Rail in the Great Lakes Region
- Martin Imbleau, President and CEO, VIA High Frequency Rail
- Joseph Barr, Director of Network Development East, Amtrak
1:30 – 2:30 pm: Breakout Sessions
- Great Lakes AI and Data Science: Pushing the Boundaries of Global Research and Innovation
- USMCA+4: Future-Proofing Cross-Border Trade, Economic Integration and Supply Chains in the Great Lakes
- Entrepreneurship: Cultivating the Next Generation of Great Lakes Companies
2:30 – 3:00 pm: Networking Break
3:00 – 4:00 pm: Plenary Panel: The Great Lakes Auto Sector – Leading the Future of Mobility
4:00 – 5:00 pm: Plenary Panel: The Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway – Leveraging our Connected Waterways to Build Stronger Supply Chains and Improve our Competitiveness
6:00 – 9:00 pm: Reception, Dinner, and Great Lakes Changemaker Awards Ceremony
Day 3: Thursday, June 27, 2024
Venue: The Quay – 100 Queens Quay East, Toronto, ON
8:00 – 9:00 am: Tech Breakfast: Accelerating Sustainability in the Great Lakes Region Pitch Session
9:00 – 9:25 am: Plenary Keynote (Speaker and Topic TBC)
9:25 – 9:50 am: Plenary Fireside Chat: The Business of Sustainability – The Private Sector’s Role in a Sustainable Great Lakes Region
9:50 – 10:30 am: Plenary Panel: Sustainable Finance – Challenges and Opportunities in the Great Lakes Region
10:30 – 11:00 am: Networking Break
11:00 – 11:45 am: Breakout Sessions:
- Freshwater Future: Advancing Corporate Water Stewardship in the Great Lakes Region
- Back to our Roots: Global Regenerative Agriculture Revolution in the Great Lakes region
- A Fair and Just Future: Environmental Equity for Communities Across the Great Lakes Region
11:45 am – 1:00 pm: Fireside Chat: Achieving the Global Sustainable Development Goals in the U.S. – Canada Great Lakes Region
- His Excellency the Honourable Bob Rae, Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations
1:00 – 1:45 pm: Breakout Sessions:
- Nature Now: Confronting Biodiversity Loss; Rewilding the Great Lakes Region
- Accelerating Climate Ambitions: Achieving Net-Zero by 2050 in the Great Lakes Region
1:45 – 2:00 pm: Networking Break
2:00 – 2:45 pm: Plenary Panel: Circular Great Lakes – Forging a Future Without Plastic Waste and Litter
2:45 – 3:05 pm: Plenary Presentation: Creating Change – Bringing Everyone Along
3:05 – 3:45 pm: Keynote Address (Speaker and Topic TBC)
3:45 – 4:00 pm: Concluding Remarks
- Brian Ames, Chair of the Board, Council of the Great Lakes Region
- Giles Gherson, President and CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade
