Sustainable Communities Conference (SCC) 2023

Speakers

Alan DeSousa
Mayor of Saint-Laurent, QC, and chair of the Green Municipal Fund Council
Master of Ceremonies

 

Søren Hermansen
CEO and Director, SAMSO energy academy
Keynote: Decentralizing community energy: Samso and their journey to 100% renewable energy

Margaret Pfoh
Chief Executive Officer of the Aboriginal Housing Management Association
Keynote: Human rights and ReconciliACTION
 

Carole Saab
CEO, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Plenary Session: Local democracy for net-zero transitions

 

Laurence Lavigne Lalonde
Borough mayor of Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension, Montréal
Plenary Session: Local democracy for net-zero transitions

Aftab Erfan
Chief Equity Officer, City of Vancouver
Plenary session: Forging renewed relations for reconciliation & sustainability
 

Gabrielle Blatz
City Councillor and GMF Council Member, City of Wetaskiwin
Plenary session: The economic advantage of climate action
 

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi
Mayor of the City of Edmonton
Plenary session: The economic advantage of climate action

 

Why attend?

You’ll have the chance to:

• Build a valuable network of municipal sustainability champions across the country.
• Learn from other local leaders who are working to address climate change at the local level.
• Level up with tools, case studies and knowledge from our workshops, training sessions and study tours.
• Explore key trends in building climate-ready communities for elected officials, administrative tools and processes within City Hall, and citizen engagement at the local level.

What’s new?

• Pre-conference study tours and training sessions – Partake in live tours and training sessions that focus on sustainability projects in and around the National Capital Region.
• Curated Industry Showcase – All of our showcase vendors, suppliers and partners have been vetted to meet the GMF’s high performance standards and to align with our goals. Find solutions to support your community’s environmental goals.
• Hybrid registration options – Choose the conference format that works best for you:
  • Attend SCC 2023 in person: Get on-site training, enjoy inspiring study tours in the Ottawa-Gatineau area, join networking and social events to build relationships with other local leaders and explore our tradeshow of high performing private sector suppliers and vendors.
  • Or join us virtually: Join workshops, keynotes and plenaries from the comfort of your office or home.
• Group rates and refer-a-friend discount – Save on tickets when you attend the conference with a group, friend or colleague (For in-person delegates only).

Who will be there?

SCC 2023 brings together municipal staff, elected officials, federal officials, and private sector experts to discuss and share best practices for making Canadian communities more environmentally, socially and economically vibrant.

Conference themes

Climate-ready communities

City Hall toolbox: sustainable tools and processes

Elected officials as change agents

Featured training session

Intersectional environmentalism

In this full-day training session, participants will have the opportunity to develop a shared language around environmental racism, intersectionality and climate justice. Participants will leave the space with a deeper understanding of systemic racism and will explore case study examples of the manifestation of environmental racism in (what we currently know as) Canada. Facilitators will guide participants to reflect on why sustainability policies and programs must be intersectional and how social justice and equity movements can guide this work. During the session, participants can expect to engage in self-reflection, facilitated dialogue and interactive, practice-based activities.

Facilitators will engage participants in both French and English for the duration of the session, and all training materials will be provided in both official languages.

Guest presenters:

Samantha Matters, Founding Director, Future Ancestors Services Inc.

Chúk Odenigbo, Founding Director, Future Ancestors Services Inc.

Schedule

From inspiring speakers to expert panel discussions to interactive workshops to a variety of networking opportunities, the SCC 2023 schedule has something for everyone.

See our program details page for more information on each session and speaker

All session times are ET.

Subject to change without notice.

Plan your trip

We have all the details to help plan your trip to Ottawa for SCC 2023. Get started on your travel plans.

Conference Location: Westin Hotels & Resorts, 11 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1N 9H4

Dates: February 7-10, 2023

Sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities

Interested in connecting with municipalities from across Canada? Showcase your innovative sustainability solutions at our Industry Showcase! Our exclusive and highly vetted showcase brings together the best performers and most innovative private sector partners to demonstrate high performing environmental solutions. Learn more.

Industry Showcase

In person delegates can meet experts at our diverse Industry Showcase and leave with sustainability ideas they can champion and implement right away in their own municipality. 

"It makes me infinitely happy to be able to speak to other elected officials, NGO's and stakeholders to see what issues they have, what we have in common, and what approaches are taken to deal with them."
—Andrew J. Black, Councillor, Town of Sackville

"SCC was an enjoyable and informative conference that I would definitely recommend. I love hearing good news stories about other cities and what they’re doing to be more sustainable, and I felt invigorated and re-inspired!"
—Madeleine Myhill, Sustainable Transportation Coordinator, City of Guelph

 

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Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact us at events@fcm.ca.