CLIMATE CHANGE FORUM: Reducing Carbon Footprint in the GTA

On March 23rd, 2010, OCETA presented "Reducing Carbon Footprint in the GTA" - a highly successful Climate Change Forum for stakeholders in the Greater Toronto Area at the Ajax Convention Centre.

>> UPDATE: Forum Presentations Now Available <<

The purpose of the Forum was to achieve increased understanding and awareness on climate change issues and highlight the opportunities to implement best energy efficiency practices to reduce carbon footprint among GTA-based stakeholders.

Regional Councillor Don Mitchell, Chair of the Durham Region Roundtable on Climate Change brought welcoming remarks, and a highly engaging program of dynamic speakers and sessions followed.

Keynote speakers:

Bob Willard
Author, The Sustainability Champion's Guidebook
Bob is a leading expert on the business value of corporate sustainability strategies and has given hundreds of keynote presentations to corporate, government, university, and NGO audiences. Bob applies business and leadership development experience from his 34-year career at IBM Canada to engage the business community in proactively avoiding risks and capturing opportunities associated with sustainability issues. He is the author of The Sustainability Advantage,The Next Sustainability Wave and The Sustainability Champion's Guidebook.

David Phillips
Senior Climatologist, Environment Canada
David has been employed with Environment Canada's weather service for over 40 years. His work activities relate to the study of the climate of Canada and to promote awareness and understanding of weather and climate in Canada. He has published several books, papers and reports on the climate of Canada, including several essays in The Canadian Encyclopedia, a book on The Climates of Canada, and two bestsellers: The Day Niagara Falls Ran Dry and Blame It On The Weather.

Dr. Quentin Chiotti
Science Advisor, Pollution Probe
Dr. Chiotti has a Ph. D. in Geography from the University of Western Ontario, and has worked extensively in the area of climate change, including working for the Adaptation and Impacts Research Group of the Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada. He was the scientific authority for an Environment Canada led multi-stakeholder study on atmospheric change in the Toronto-Niagara Region. He has published over 40 articles in scholarly journals and books, and was a contributor to the Canada Country Study, the first national assessment on climate change impacts and adaptation.

Glenn McGillivray
Managing Director, Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction
Prior to joining ICLR, Glenn served as Assistant Vice President of Corporate Communications for Swiss Reinsurance Company Canada and was Corporate Secretary for three Swiss Re operations in the country. He began his insurance career at Toronto-based the Personal Insurance Company of Canada and went on to work for a major Canadian corporate law firm before joining Swiss Re in 1994 and the ICLR in November, 2005. As an award-winning insurance writer his work has been widely disseminated across Canada.

Break-out session presenters:

Cher Brethour, Director, Sustainability Services,
Guelph Food Technology Centre
Krista Friesen, Program Director, Summerhill
Kelly Hagen, Vice President, Operations, Zerofootprint
Harold Hayashi, Program Manager, Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc.
Doug Hietkamp, Director of Sustainable Development Programs, Teknion
Gabriella Kalapos, Director, Outreach Programs, Clean Air Partnership
Gail Lawlor, Board Member, Durham Sustain Ability
Thomas Melymuk, Director, Office of Sustainability, City of Pickering
Paul Rak, VeriForm Inc.
Jacob Rodenburg, Executive Director, Camp Kawartha