Speakers
The State of Canada's Cities Summit is the preeminent urban event in Canada for thought leaders, experts, community organizers and change makers. Explore our esteemed speakers, updated regularly.
Zoé Poirier Stephens
INTERACT Research Manager
Université de Montréal
Montreal, QC
Jedwin Mok
Transportation Planner
WSP
Toronto, ON
Mathew Gemmel
Director of Policy and Research
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Ottawa
Carol McClellan
Canada Discipline Lead, Digital & Geospatial
Arup
Toronto, ON
Lorina Hoxha
Senior Project Manager
Transportation Services Division, City of Toronto
Toronto, ON
Judy Farvolden
Board Member
Canadian Urban Institute
Toronto, ON
Leila Ghaffari
Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Planning & Environment
Concordia University
Montréal, QC
Simon Brascoupé
Anishinaabe/Haudenosaunee Artist
Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation (Ottawa in Algonquin Territory)
Jacquelyn West
Cultural Industries Strategist
Canadian Urban Institute
Montréal, QC
Zachary Mathurin
Coordonnateur de projets
Ville de Gatineau
Gatineau, QC
Liliane Le
Vice President, Public Affairs & Marketing
National Gallery of Canada
Ottawa, ON
Cynthia Dorrington
Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Canadian Urban Institute &
President, Vale & Associates
Halifax, NS
Carol Belanger
City Architect
City of Edmonton
Edmonton, AB
Margaux Weinrib
Cultural Planner
MASSIVart
Ewa Jackson
Managing Director
ICLEI Canada
Toronto, ON
Rupen Seoni
Chief Client Officer
Environics Analytics
Toronto, ON
Bon Woo Koo
Assistant Professor
School of Urban and Regional Planning, Toronto Metropolitan University
Toronto, ON
Kevin Radford
Partner, Deloitte &
Member, Strategic Advisory Council, Real Property Institute of Canada
Ottawa, ON
Frances Donald
Senior Vice President & Chief Economist
RBC
Tonya Davidson
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology & Anthropology
Carleton University
Ottawa, ON
Sarah Button
Executive Director
Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation
Ottawa, ON
Nadia De Santi
Practice Lead
WSP
Ottawa, ON
Mathieu Grondin
Nightlife Commissioner
City of Ottawa
Ottawa, ON
Jason Reyner
Partner
Lerners LLP
Toronto, ON
Jamie Bennett
Thought Leader
Lord Cultural Resources
New York, NY
Greg Spencer
Director of Research
Canadian Urban Institute
Toronto, ON
Brad Rogers
Director of Development
Dream Unlimited
Ottawa, ON
Mary W. Rowe
President & CEO
Canadian Urban Institute
Toronto, ON
Kwende Kefentse
Principal
Memetic Media Inc.
Ottawa, ON
Alain Miguelez
Vice President, Capital Planning & Chief Planner
National Capital Commission
Ottawa, ON
Kate Whitfield
Co-Founder and Principal
Take Consulting Ltd.
Ottawa, ON
Scott Butler
Executive Director
Good Roads
Oakville, ON
Christel Kjenner
Director, Housing Action Team
City of Edmonton
Edmonton, AB
Andrew Reeves
Principal Partner & Founder
Linebox Studio
Ottawa, ON
Jason Thorne
Urban Places Sector Lead
Stantec
Hamilton, ON
Claire Basinski
Co-Founder & Principal
Take Consulting Ltd.
Kitchener, ON
Steven Farber
Professor
University of Toronto
Toronto, ON
Leanne Moussa
Founder & Chair
The Other Hill
Ottawa, ON
Alison Sidney
Programming & Events
allsaints Ottawa
Ottawa, ON
Alex Badzak
Director & CEO
Ottawa Art Gallery
Ottawa, ON
Patti Pon
President & CEO
Calgary Arts Development
Calgary, AB
Sueling Ching
President & CEO
Ottawa Board of Trade
Ottawa, ON
Farida Abu-Bakare
Director of Global Practice
WXY
Toronto, ON & Montréal, QC
Claire Weisz
Principal-in-Charge
WXY
New York, NY
Nicole Cooper
Deputy CAO
Town of Ajax
Ajax, ON
Sandra Austin
Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives
Region of Durham
Whitby, ON
Mohamed Bhamani
Partner, Municipal Government
Ernst & Young Canada
Toronto, ON
Matthew Shaw
Head, Accessibility Practice
Rick Hansen Foundation
Barrie, ON
Brian McBay
Executive Director
221A
Vancouver, BC
Cathie O'Toole
CAO
Halifax Regional Municipality
Halifax, NS
Adam Mongrain
Director, Housing
Vivre en Ville
Montréal, QC
Chris Chen
Manager, Environment & Infrastructure Policy Directorate
Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
Ottawa, ON
Irving Leblanc
Chair of the Board
Community Circle
Ottawa, ON
Mark Sutcliffe
Mayor
City of Ottawa
Ottawa, ON
Verna McGregor
Public Speaker
Algonquin Culture Institute
Ottawa, ON
Cameron Charlebois
Chair, Board of Directors
Canadian Urban Institute
Montréal, QC
Paul Johnson
City Manager
City of Toronto
Toronto, ON
Mark Garner
Executive Director
Calgary Downtown Association
Calgary, AB
Sarah Kennell
National Director, Public Policy
Canadian Mental Health Association
Toronto, ON
Prentiss Dantzler
Associate Professor & Director
Housing Justice Lab, School of Cities, University of Toronto
Toronto, ON
Janice Stein
Founding Director
Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Toronto, ON
Ariana Seferiades
Responsible AI Program Manager
Mila
Montréal, QC
Sadhu Johnston
Climate Lead
Climate Ready Infrastructure Service, Canadian Urban Institute
Mansons Landing, BC
Alexandra Flynn
Associate Professor
Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC
Robert Barnard
Founder
Toboggan Flats & Youthful Cities
Toronto, ON
Pino Di Mascio
Partner
SvN
Toronto, ON
Matti Siemiatycki
Director, Infrastructure Institute &
Professor, University of Toronto
Toronto, ON
Kelly Langgard
Director & CEO
Toronto Arts Council & Toronto Arts Foundation
Toronto, ON
Jen Angel
CEO
Evergreen
Toronto, ON
Gabriel Eidelman
Director, Urban Policy Lab
Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Toronto, ON
Drew Fagan
Professor
Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy
Toronto, ON
Dorian Moore
Vice President
Archive Design Studio
Detroit, MI & Toronto, ON
Carolyn Whitzman
Adjunct Professor & Housing Researcher
School of Cities, University of Toronto
Ottawa, ON
Alex Bozikovic
Columnist, Architecture Critic
The Globe and Mail
Toronto, ON
Isabelle Mondou
Deputy Minister
Heritage Canada
Ottawa ON
Tobi Nussbaum
CEO
National Capital Commission
Ottawa, ON
Deana Grinnell
Executive Vice President, Real Estate
Canada Lands Company
Vancouver, BC
Pedro Antunes
Chief Economist
Conference Board of Canada
Ottawa, ON
Diane Therrien-Hale
Senior Research Officer
Canadian Union of Public Employees
Peterborough, ON
Arianne Reza
Deputy Minister
Public Services and Procurement Canada
Ottawa, ON
Jeb Brugmann
Founding Principal, Resilient Cities Catalyst &
Climate Lead, Climate Ready Infrastructure Service, Canadian Urban Institute
Toronto, ON
Zita Cobb
Founder & CEO
Shorefast Foundation
Fogo Island, NL
Myrna Bittner
CEO & Founder
RUNWITHIT Synthetics
Sherwood Park, AB
Don Iveson
Principal
Civic Good
Edmonton, AB
Andre Corbould
Mental Health Fellow, Canadian Urban Institute &
Senior Advisor, Integrated Strategic Partners
Edmonton, AB
Benjamin de la Peña
CEO
Shared-Use Mobility Centre
Chicago, IL
Nadine Leblanc
Senior Vice President
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Ottawa, ON
Ana Bailão
Head of Affordable Housing & Public Affairs
Dream Unlimited Corp.
Toronto, ON
Andrea Barrack
Senior Vice President, Sustainability and Impact
Royal Bank of Canada
Toronto, ON
Karen Chapple
Director
School of Cities, University of Toronto
Toronto, ON
Sarah Rosen Wartell
President
Urban Institute
Washington, DC
Monique Simard
Chair of the Board
Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles
Montréal, QC
Tracy Hadden Loh
Fellow
Brookings Metro, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking
Washington, DC
Alain Resplandy-Bernard
CEO
Direction de l’immobilier de l’État
Paris, France
Eileen de Villa
Medical Officer of Health
Toronto Public Health
Toronto, ON
Fanny Tremblay-Racicot
Associate Professor
École nationale d'administration publique
Québec, QC
Steve Robins
Head of Strategy
Canada Infrastructure Bank
Toronto, ON