Agenda
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Pre-Conference Workshops
November 18, 2026
Day 1 – Main Conference
November 19, 2026
Start the event with an exclusive meet and greet – where you can connect face-to-face with key speakers and fellow attendees. Seize this unique opportunity to meet some of our faculty of experts and make meaningful connections before the conference begins!
Opening Remarks from Canadian Institute
Brandon FoxPartnerDillon Consulting Limited
Ron StevensonCounselJuristes Power Law
George HegmannP. Eng., Vice President, Environmental ServicesStantec
Sonja KosutaSenior Director, Impact Assessment and Science CapacityNatural Resources Canada
With the creation of the Major Project Federal Office, Ottawa aims to cut major project approvals from five years to two. But what does that mean for your timelines, Indigenous engagement, and environmental integrity? Join this timely discussion on what’s coming, and how to prepare now.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Assessing how shorter timelines and faster approvals may increase cumulative effects, consultation, litigation, and implementation risk
- Protecting Indigenous rights and environmental safeguards in a faster process
- Reforming legislation to unlock quicker, more predictable project decisions
- Clarifying the ambiguity on how projects will be assessed
Networking Break and Refreshments
Merissa ReidEnvironmental Analyst, Energy AdjudicationsCanada Energy Regulator
As the oil and gas industry in Canada matures, a growing portion of pipeline infrastructure is approaching the end of its expected life span and will need to be abandoned safely. Companies seeking to abandon a federally regulated pipeline in Canada must apply to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER), Canada’s federal regulator of energy infrastructure for authorization, while at the same time complying with applicable legislation and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Z662 standards for oil and gas pipeline systems. The CER sets out the requirements for applications to abandon pipelines in its Filing Manual and reviews the applications to ensure that the requirements are met. The CER retains oversight of all abandoned pipelines that remain in place or until the pipeline has been completely removed, and the project area has been remediated and restored.
As the number of applications to abandon pipelines increases, the potential challenges associated with pipeline abandonments come more clearly into focus.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Providing context for the unique and emerging regulatory and environmental considerations and challenges around pipeline abandonment
- Prioritizing Indigenous engagement and involvement
- Examining land use and stakeholder considerations
- Sensitive wildlife habitat restoration
Networking Lunch
Sonja KosutaSenior Director, Impact Assessment and Science CapacityNatural Resources Canada
The lack of available and transparent data is a challenge identified by many environmental management practitioners, and magnified when undergoing impact assessments for major project submissions. Part of the Government of Canada’s Open Government Partnership, the Open Science and Data Platform (OSDP) is a single-window digital tool designed to share authoritative and location-based science, data and regulatory information. This presentation will discuss the platform’s dual role: in information dissemination as a tool to improve transparency, build trust in regulatory processes, and enable meaningful Indigenous and public participation in project impact assessment, and in advancing major projects in Canada.
Gary Pritchard Giniw (Golden Eagle)President4 Directions of Conservation Consulting Services
Emily JanzenSenior Indigenous Consultation OfficerCanadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Sharon G. K. SinghPartner, Co-Head - Environment and Indigenous PracticesMcMillan LLP
Meagan Kakwirayéntha HamiltonAssistant Professor of Indigenous Health and Ecology, Centre for Indigenous StudiesUniversity of Toronto
Suzy PurserIndigenous Procurement SpecialistMakwa Development - Bruce Power
Jeff RempelEnvironment Growth Lead- Impact Assessment and PermittingAECOM
This session will provide greater clarity of what the expectations are from Indigenous communities and industry in the project development process. Through real-world examples and guided discussion, you’ll be better equipped with how to approach consultation, stewardship, and development with cultural awareness and legal clarity.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Establishing and maintaining positive and mutually beneficial relationships with communities and regulators
- Addressing development plans and issues as they arise
- Examining funding opportunities available to assist with capacity building and economic development
- Providing greater clarity to proponents and government on Indigenous expectations and cultural practices
Networking Break and Refreshments
Dawn HoogeveenDirector of Cumulative Effects and Technical AdvisoryIndigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects (ICCE)
Christine HutchinsonIndigenous Cumulative Effects AdvisorIndigenous Centre for Cumulative Effects (ICCE)
A Call for Change – Why Strengthening Ontario’s Policy on Cumulative Air Pollution is Needed to Protect Communities
Ramani NadarajahCounselCanadian Environmental Law Association
Exposure to air pollutants is linked to a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, reproductive health problems, endocrine disruption, and cancer. In Ontario, air pollution is estimated to be responsible for approximately 7 percent of all deaths, corresponding to 6,580 premature deaths in 2016 alone. Unfortunately, the effects of air pollution are not shared equally, with lower-income households and Indigenous communities living near industrial facilities in Hamilton, Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury being disproportionately impacted.
Recognizing this disparity and the need for change, the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) has supported two individuals whose communities are impacted by cumulative air pollution in filing an Application for Review under subsection 61(1) of the EBR.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Sharing how a people-centred approach can better protect communities from cumulative exposure to pollution
- Examining how Ontario’s broad exemptions for industrial facilities are enabling greater exposure levels to air pollution for nearby communities
- Assessing the limitations of evaluating contaminates by a facility-by-facility approach instead of utilizing a cumualtive exposure approach
- Highlighting the importance of expanding the scope of Ontario’s Cumulative Effects Assessment in Air Approvals (CEA) policy to include existing sources of pollution and regions outside of Sarnia and Hamilton
Day One Closing Remarks and Conference Adjourns until Day 2
Day 2 – Main Conference
November 20, 2026
Registration and Breakfast
These interactive roundtables offer attendees the chance to dive deep into key topics, gain valuable insights, and exchange ideas with peers. With expert-led discussions, participants will uncover actionable strategies and best practices critical to environmental assessment and cumulative effects.
Miriam ClarkVP Global Strategy & Business GrowthOkane Consultants
Even when a mine site follows the required steps in its closure and land-use transition plans, not all risks are eliminated, especially those that emerge from post-closure. Understanding and managing residual risk is critical for addressing the long-term liabilities that may persist at a mine site during closure and post-closure. Effective residual risk management helps facilitate sustainable land use that benefits the surrounding communities and ecosystems.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Integrating a strategy for evaluating and managing residual risks
- Discussing the importance of managing residual risks to maximize value in post-mining transitions
- Developing a knowledge base focused on approaches, practices, and methods to identify, quantify, and manage residual risk for after operations.
Networking Break and Refreshments
Alanna BurtonDirector of Indigenous and Community Resiliency ProgramsNikaanii Consulting Inc.
Dr. Elikem TsamenyiPolitical Scientist – Comparative Politics & Institutional Design
Scott RitzerPresident and CEONikaanii Consulting Inc.
Tara HowseSocial Scientist & ConsultantEquitable Resource Impacts
Cumulative effects are a sophisticated science, with the missing link often being how to govern cumulative effects across different knowledge systems and longer-term cycles. As Canada aims to accelerate major project development, shortened timelines may cause challenges as the timelines indicated in the Building Canada Act do not often align with common Indigenous Council election cycles.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Determining who is responsible for overseeing cumulative effects once a regional assessment has been completed
- Creating governance models for the long-term that are applicable across multiple jurisdictions and election cycles
- Including process for changes with structures that can be followed irrespective of governance
- Examining the advantages of incorporating a more holistic approach instead of a project-by-project perspective
- Reviewing co-governance models that are consistent with UNDRIP legislation
Dr. Effah AntwiResearch Scientist, Ecosystems Ecology, Great Lakes Forestry CentreNatural Resources Canada
Dr. Akua DarkoInterdisciplinary Research AnalystNatural Resources Canada
As project development in Canada increases, understanding environmental changes, and the impacts to prioritize can be challenging. To add to the challenge, commonly agreed upon frameworks or methods to conduct a regional assessment are not prevalent in Canada.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Creating a roadmap for more inclusive assessments that empower Indigenous communities
- Identifying which cumulative effects to prioritize
- Utilizing capacity building software to prioritize environmental assessments
- Demonstrating how regional cumulative effects issues can be addressed in response to disturbance resulting from the development of natural resources
Networking Luncheon
Niki AngelisSenior Communications and Community Engagement SpecialistAECOM
Lawrence BaxterSenior Community Member AdvisorMarten Falls First Nation
Rowena MooniasCommunity CoordinatorMarten Falls First Nation
Ingrid TrimbleSenior Environmental EngineerAECOM
Kathryn RossSenior Communications and Community Engagement SpecialistAECOM
The Marten Falls First Nation Community Access Road will be an all-season 184-km road. The proposed road triggered the need for both a provincial environmental assessment and a federal impact statement, as well as consultation and engagement with 23 Indigenous communities and tribal councils. This was a large complex assessment process that was unique in that it was community-led. Topics of discussion will include:
- Defining what community-led means
- Reviewing how MFFN as the proponent guided the project
- Assessing how consultants considered MFFN’s guidance into their work
- Sharing lessons learned to support future community-led projects
Hugh ClarkExecutive Director, Housing Development OfficeCity of Toronto
Maintaining critical infrastructure during population growth has been challenging for municipal leaders as evidenced by Calgary’s Bearspaw South Feeder Main replacement project. However, environmental impacts from wildfires, flooding, and droughts have also posed great challenges as municipal leaders seek to maintain environmental standards while their municipalities increase population.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Utilizing nature-based solutions to reduce emissions and capital expenditures
- Incorporating Indigenous inclusion in city planning, development, and procurement
- Creating Natural Asset Inventories (NAI) to inform planning decisions and provide best practices to consultants and practitioners
- Balancing growth and investment with ageing infrastructure
Networking Break and Refreshments
Regional and strategic assessments (RAs/SAs) can facilitate a planning approach for addressing complex issues that are difficult to assess and manage through project-scale assessments alone. Coastal and marine environments can be especially challenging to create cumulative effects decisions due to the multiple activities and natural processes that have occurred over time.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Assessing the limits of project-scale cumulative effects assessment methodologies
- Developing methodologies to track major changes to impacts and determine where mitigation, monitoring, or planning be prioritized
- Determining how multiple activities interact across a whole region and what that means for environmental management
Paul BellPlace and Community Lead, Senior PlannerNarratives Inc.
Chemawawin Cree Nation (CCN) is located approximately 400 kilometres north of Winnipeg, on the shores of Cedar Lake Manitoba. In 2010, the Nation ratified its Land Code under the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management. This gave the Nation the authority to govern its own lands leading to the creation of a new Land Use Relations Plan. The Land Use Relation Plan’s intention was to honour its’ history and the connection between people and territory while helping address some of the nation’s biggest challenges: remote geography, shallow bedrock, overcrowded housing, and a population where 58 percent of members are under 25. One June 24th, 2026, the Land Relations Plan has received the 2026 Award for Planning Excellence from the Canadian Institute of Planners.
Topics of discussion will include:
- Developing a multi-phase community engagement process, including workshops, story-sharing sessions, digital mapping, and surveys to reach on-reserve and off-reserve members.
- Braiding traditional Cree knowledge with Western environmental science to ensure that Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community members guide how the land is cared for alongside modern technical experts.
- Reviewing the transformative community progress that has transpired since CCN’s Land Use and Environmental Management Plans have been implemented