Virtual Event Sessions

Elder Laureen (Blu) Waters/Istchii Nikamoon 

Nenookaasi Ochrym, Afro-Indigenous Singer and Activist 

In partnership with the University of Toronto’s Infrastructure Institute, Evergreen's Community Solutions Network will showcase how creative mixed-use projects convey the future of collaborative and intentional city building. This hybrid session and in-person exhibit focuses on the potential of creative development in public places, integrated with smart tools and technologies that support social infrastructure and climate resilience.

Speakers:

Matti Siemiatycki, Director, Infrastructure Institute, University of Toronto  

Phat Le, Architectural Designer, Infrastructure Insititute, University of Toronto 

Sarah Chan, Planning and Design Lead, School of Cities, University of Toronto

The school ground design at Irma Coulson Public School in Halton Region has set new standards in stormwater management, topography, vegetated landscapes, material usage, retainment, seating and outdoor learning.  Professionals in design, engineering and risk management will share the challenges, collaborative relationships and ideas that brought the Climate Ready Schools vision to life at Irma Coulson. 

Speaker:

Heidi Campbell, Sr. Program Manager, Evergreen

Zita Cobb is an eighth-generation Fogo Islander, Founder and CEO of the registered charity Shorefast, and Innkeeper of the award-winning Fogo Island Inn. Zita graduated high school on Fogo Island before studying business in Ottawa. Following a subsequent successful career in high-tech, Zita returned to Fogo Island and established Shorefast to put another leg on the Island’s struggling economy to complement its ever-important fishery. With an enduring commitment to Fogo Island, Shorefast is expanding its mission through its pan-Canadian Community Economies initiative to strengthen place-based economic development within the global economy.

Zita has been a Member of the Order of Canada since 2016 and was a 2020 inductee to Canada’s Business Hall of Fame. She holds honorary doctorates from McGill University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, the University of Ottawa, and Carleton University. She volunteers her full time and energy for Shorefast’s charitable initiatives and community businesses.

Speaker:

Zita Cobb, Founder and CEO, Shorefast  

The Canadian Urban Institute’s series of online, candid conversations brings together city builders of all stripes to discuss what’s working, what’s not and what’s next for urban communities across Canada. https://canurb.org/citytalk-canada/

Speaker:

Canadian Urban Institute

This session will offer examples of affordable and mixed-income housing that can also contribute to healthy, liveable, and inclusive communities. In conversation with our panelists and the audience, we’ll explore three unique projects and unpack what it takes to build vibrant communities while creating a powerful sense of place and belonging.

Speaker:

Dina Graser, Senior Project Advisor to Evergreen

The impact of a school ground renovation on a community can be challenging to capture through conventional evaluation methods. Principals, on the other hand, see and hear all. Irma Coulson’s Principal, Cheryl Hayles, sits down with Evergreen for an in-depth conversation to better understand how the Climate Ready School’s Pilot has impacted her students, staff and community.

Speakers:

Cheryl Hayles, Principal, Irma Coulson PS 

Cam Collyer, Executive Lead, Evergreen

The second of two sessions for urban Indigenous organizations and community organizers to share specific needs and challenges they face making meaningful urban spaces for Indigenous people. Open to all conference participants, this diverse panel of Indigenous voices will help guide the group into thoughtful conversations around supporting urban Indigenous inclusion in public places.

Speakers:

Gabrielle Fayant-Lewis, Co-Founder, Assembly of Seven Generations   

Ryan Besito, Kinship Support Worker, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto