Agenda
Day 1
July 14, 2025
Responding to the Topsy Turvy World of Tariffs and Supply Chain Risk: How to Make Healthcare Projects More Resilient in these Uncertain Times
Ryan FlinnProject DirectorBuild Nova Scotia
- Determining what materials, equipment and technology will be impacted by tariffs
- Assessing how this will impact progress on projects across the Maritimes
- Pivoting on procurement and anticipating the downstream impact on your clinical team and the project
- Finding storage solutions for materials ordered early in response to the tariffs
- Prioritizing transparency and open communication with stakeholders so that you can collectively overcome external pressures on the project
- Establishing project resiliency through new relationships domestically and internationally
Morning Coffee and Networking Break
Exploring Progressive Procurement Models Being Used Across Canada
Resourcing Realities for Healthcare Infrastructure: Developing Recruitment and Retention Strategies to Shore up the Skilled Trades Across the Maritimes
Trent SoholtExecutive DirectorNova Scotia Construction Sector Council
- Identifying current gaps in the skilled trades across the Maritimes
- Assessing projected needs for major capital projects across sectors and how this will impact the projects being planned and currently in flight
- Strengthening outreach to underrepresented communities about opportunities in the skilled trades
- Developing comprehensive education, support and mentorship
- Exploring opportunities to retain that expertise within the Atlantic provinces
Lunch Break
Sponsored by:
From Confection to Connection: Transforming a 100-year-old Candy Factory into a Mental Health Refuge for Young Adult
Deanna BrownPrincipalStantec
Join us for an inspiring session on the transformation of a derelict candy factory into a vibrant Mental Health space.
This ambitious adaptive reuse project showcases the innovative efforts of Stella’s Place Young Adult Mental Health, an organization revolutionizing mental health support in downtown Toronto. This session invites you to:
- Discover how young adult architects and engineers, guided by Stella’s co-design philosophy, collaborated closely with the organization’s Young Adult Council
- Understand how creative engagement led to a project charter and design uniquely tailored to the diverse needs of staff and participants
- Examine how this award-winning rehabilitation project preserved the building’s heritage features while enabling Stella’s Place to expand their programming for individuals aged 16-29
- Gain valuable insights into how thoughtful collaboration and inclusive design principles can create extraordinary spaces for mental health services
Project Focus: Promoting Recovery and Reducing Stigma at the New Mental Health and Addictions Centre in Newfoundland
Glenda WebberVice President - Mental Health & AddictionsCorrectional Health Services, NL Health Services
A new mental health and addictions centre opened its doors in St. John’s, Newfoundland this April. The 102-bed facility is a replacement for the 170-year-old Waterford Hospital. This new, modern building was designed in consultation with the community. The guiding principles driving the project were to create a space that reduces stigma, is client centered and recovery focused. This session will put a spotlight on these guiding principles informed planning and design.
Key points of discussion include:
- Creating an engagement plan to incorporate the insights and perspectives of community members into the planning process, including those with lived experiences and Indigenous partners
- Examining how the building was designed to serve populations with different care needs
- Moving away from the ward model to reduce stigma
- Capturing design elements that contribute to feelings of wellbeing including natural light, outdoor spaces and art
- Adding amenities that empower patients to engage in activities that support their mental health journey, including art, fitness, horticulture, and music therapy
Afternoon Networking Break
Designing Hospitals with Staff Safety in Mind: How to Enhance Security without Undermining the Care Environment
Martin Green, CHPASpecialist – HealthcareAthena Security
Violence against healthcare workers is a growing concern from coast to coast. There have been several high-profile incidents in recent months, where staff were seriously harmed at hospitals. Incorporating leading safety practices, tools and technology into the built environment helps ensure that staff can focus on providing care instead of fears over personal safety.
This panel will explore:
- Examining any notable trends in incidents of staff violence
- Enhancing security measures without impeding the ability to deliver care
- Exploring how the built environment can be designed to help facilitate safety in addition to wellbeing
- Determining whether new tools and technology should be incorporated into infrastructure
- Metal detectors
- Safety communication systems
- Biometrics
Access by Design 2030: Examining What the Standard Means for New and Existing Healthcare Infrastructure
Day One Concludes
Day 2
July 15, 2025
Registration & Continental Breakfast
Thought Leadership Panel
Designing for the Future of Healthcare: How to Prepare Infrastructure for Changing Demographics, Technology and Patient Expectations Over the Next 20 Years
David LandrySenior Director, Renal ProgramNova Scotia Health Authority
Margaret HawkinsPrincipalDRKR Architects
Marija Mojsilovic GovedaricaSenior Architect, Design Team Lead, Healthcare InfrastructureNova Scotia Department of Public Work
Modular construction is redefining the future of healthcare infrastructure, offering efficiency, adaptability, and speed in ways traditional building methods cannot. As the industry matures, it is becoming an increasingly viable and scalable solution for addressing urgent healthcare needs while enhancing construction timelines and patient accessibility.
A multidisciplinary team from Nova Scotia Health, the Department of Public Works, and DRKR Architects (DFMA Consultant Team) will explore the state of the industry by:
- Exploring how modular construction can deliver specialized healthcare services in within diverse communities
- Providing real-world insights from recent modular dialysis projects
- Examining opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned
- Offering a perspective on how modular solutions are shaping the future of healthcare environments
Morning Coffee & Networking Break
Realizing the Benefits of AI Across the Lifecycle of Healthcare Infrastructure Project: Perspectives in Opportunities for Planning, Design, Construction and Beyond
One Patient, One Record: Aligning People, Process and IT Infrastructure to Achieve Interoperability for an Improved Patient Experience in Nova Scotia
Jamey MartellSenior Director, One Patient, One RecordNova Scotia Health
Nova Scotia has embarked upon an interoperability journey that the province hopes will improve the delivery of healthcare for both providers and patients. This session will examine how One Patient, One Record initiative — expected to reach completion in 2026 — is transforming IT infrastructure at hospitals and across the province’s healthcare system. This undertaking will require significant collaboration, testing and training to be successful.
Our presenters will focus on:
- Delivering an overview of the One Patient, One Record project and related timelines
- Detailing how various teams and vendors are collaborating on this innovative project that will streamline access to patient data
- Identifying hurdles and lessons learned to date as it relates to achieving interoperability
- Examining how the implementation will affect new and existing infrastructure as well as workflows
- Preparing staff to work differently as technology changes
- Defining targeted outcomes
- Exploring how the project will support future digital tools/transformation