Tuesday May 14 – Wednesday May 15, 2024

Canada’s Net-Zero Forum 2024: Accelerating Net-Zero Pathways

For more details on the event schedule, our sponsors, and to register, visit the official forum website.

Event Summary

On May 14 and 15, 2024, the Transition Accelerator is gathering industry, government, academic, Indigenous, and civil society leaders for Canada’s Net-Zero Forum, a unique event that presents a strategic, integrated, whole-of-society view of potential net-zero solutions.

Through two days of engaging, interactive sessions, we’re equipping participants with the latest understanding of what drives large-scale transitions, plus a practical and powerful framework for identifying the transition pathways that will drive better investment decisions, smarter policies, and equip Canada to succeed in emerging global value chains. We want you to join us! 

Tickets for this two-day event are $1,200, including breakfast and lunch on both days of the event and a dinner buffet on Day One.

Forum Attendees Will Gain:

Learning & Knowledge Expansion

  • Awareness of how transitions have happened in the past, and how we can use this experience to avoid past mistakes and speed progress.
  • Knowledge about how other jurisdictions are approaching similar challenges.
  • A practical, powerful approach to establishing strategic priorities and developing credible transition pathways based on the latest understanding of large-scale transitions and solutions.
  • Expertise in applying the latest net-zero pathways decision support tools.

 

Networking & Connections

  • Opportunities to connect with other leaders from across sectors and across Canada. See list below for an example of the organizations that will be attending this year’s forum.

 

Actionable Strategy & Implementation

  • A framework to make strategic investment decisions.
  • The ability to create more effective policies that will work in the real world.
  • Positioning to lead their organization’s development of an emissions reduction plan aligned with a net-zero outcome.
  • Leading intelligence to help position their organization to succeed in new global net-zero value chains.

 

It’s time to focus diffuse efforts, integrate siloed approaches, and position Canada to win in the future. It’s time for Canada’s Net-Zero Forum.

 

Event Schedule

Day 1: Tuesday, May 14

8:00 – 8:45 Registration and Breakfast

8:45 – 10:15 Opening Plenary: Understanding the Transition
This session focuses on the nature of the net zero transition, an assessment of where we are today, and the identification of critical tasks moving forward.

  • Introductory remarks
    Dan Wicklum, CEO, Transition Accelerator
  • Keynote address: Understanding Transition
    James Meadowcroft, Carleton University, Transition Accelerator Principal
  • Keynote address: Where are we now?
    Adair Turner, Chair, Energy Transition Commission

 

10:15 – 10:45 Networking Break

10:45-12:15 Breakout Session: Identifying Priority Pathways 1
Five parallel workshops exploring the net zero transition in Electricity, Transport, Buildings, Energy Systems and Energy Carriers, and The Future Economy.
Participants join a cohort which moves from topic to topic as the conference progresses. See more details below.

12:15 – 13:30 Lunch

13:30 – 15:00 Breakout Session: Identifying Priority Pathways 2

15:00 -15:30  Networking Break

15:30 – 17:00 Breakout Session: Identifying priority pathways 3

18:00 – 22:00 Reception and Dinner

 

Day 2: Wednesday, May 15

8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast and Registration

9:00 – 10:00 Second Plenary: Acting Strategically
This session explores how to take strategic action to make progress towards a net-zero future. How do we move from analysis and discussion to actually getting things done?

  • Keynote Address: Building the Electricity System of Tomorrow
    Michael Sabia, President and CEO, Hydro Quebec
  • Keynote Address: Mobilizing Capital
    Andrée Lise Methot, Founder and Managing Partner, Cycle Capital
  • Fireside Chat with Michael Sabia and Andrée Lise Methot
    Hosted by Bruce Lourie, President, Ivey Foundation

 

10:00 – 10:30 Networking Break

10:30 – 12:00 Breakout Session: Identifying Priority Pathways 4

12:00 – 13:30 Lunch

13:30 – 15:00 Breakout Session: Identifying Priority Pathways 5

15:00 – 15:30 Networking Break

15:30 – 17:00 Final Plenary: Pulling It All Together
This session draws together discussion from across the two days, exploring interconnections across different sectors and fields of intervention, and examining barriers and opportunities for advancing the transition to net zero.

  • Roundtable Discussion: Realizing our collective visions
    Session Moderator: Dan Wicklum, CEO Transition Accelerator
    Jolene Mclaughlin, Vice President Climate and Sustainability, EllisDon
    Mihskakwan James Harper – Business Development Manager at NRStor, and Member of the Board of Indigenous Clean Energy
    Sarah Lazarovic – Vice President, Communications and Creative Strategy, Rewiring America
  • Closing Address: Key Takeaways: What Will Tomorrow Bring?
    Moe Kabbara, Vice president, Transition Accelerator

 

About the Breakout Sessions

Participants will join a cohort which moves across these five topics as the conference progresses. Each workshop will explore the challenges associated with the net zero transition in a particular area. These cohorts will allow more detailed discussion as each group progresses through the topics.

Electricity
Led by Nick Martin – Director of Electrification, Transition Accelerator

Electricity will form the backbone of the net zero energy system We know lots of ways to produce GHG emission-free electricity, and Canada’s electricity system is already 80% decarbonized. But there are many challenges if we want to build the clean electricity grid we require over the next 30 years. Can we really get by without fossil energy? How does the situation vary province to province? How can we get the infrastructure built in time? What about peak loads? What will be the impact on electricity rates?

Transport
Led by Moe Kabbara, Vice President, Transition Accelerator

Transport produces a quarter of Canada’s GHG emissions, with the largest share coming from gasoline and diesel-powered road vehicles. How can we get to a net-zero transport system? What are the obstacles preventing wider electric vehicle adoption? Do EVs make sense when grids are not yet clean, batteries require mining and processing of rare earth minerals, and the steel, plastics, glass, and other materials required for automotive construction are GHG intensive?

Buildings
Led by Bryan Flannigan, Executive Director, Building Decarbonization Alliance

Much of Canada’s building stock is heated with natural gas, and we are constructing tens of thousands of new structures every year. What pathways are available to decarbonize buildings? What role can electricity, hydrogen, or biogas play in this sector? How can policy take account of upward pressures on household budgets and equity? Can we really decarbonize building heating in the middle of a housing crisis?

Energy Systems and Energy Carriers
Led by Phil Horacek, Director of Net-Zero Fuels, Transition Accelerator

Electricity will not meet all energy needs in a net-zero future. Other carriers like hydrogen and biofuels will also have a role in areas where electricity is impractical or prohibitively expensive. What role can we anticipate for hydrogen and biofuels? What about carbon capture and storage and negative emissions technologies such as direct air capture? Is talk of hydrogen or carbon capture just a way to prop up the fossil fuel industry? What can we say with confidence today about the parameters of the emerging net zero energy system?

The Future Economy
Led by Bentley Allan, Transition Pathway Principal, Transition Accelerator/Assistant Professor of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University

Countries around the world are striving to attract the clean industries that will dominate a net zero future. For example, the Biden administration is pouring hundreds of billions of dollars of investment into renewable power, battery manufacture, electric vehicles, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage. How should Canada respond to this rush to dominate zero emission technologies? What should low carbon industrial policy look like for Canada? Should the government really be in the business of ‘picking winners’ (technologies, sectors, etc)? What role is there for target setting, road mapping and intermediary organizations in coordinating public and private sector strategies?

 

Selected Attendee List

The following list includes a selection of organizations who will be attending our inaugural forum in May 2024. This list is subject to change based on attendees’ availability, and is for illustrative purposes only.

Organization Seniority
Accelerate President
Advanced Biofuels Canada Director
Airex Energy Vice President
Akonovia Vice President
Alberta Innovates Associate Vice President
Alectra Senior Policy Advisor
Armour Valve President
Autocase (Carbonsight) CPO
B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy Chief Operating Officer
Battery Metals Association of Canada Executive Director
BDC Senior Vice President and Head
Bird Construction Project Coordinator
BNP Paribas CEO
British High Commission Head of Climate and Energy
Building Decarbonization Alliance Executive Director
Canada Green Building Council President and CEO
Canada Infrastructure Bank Director
Canadian Nuclear Association Senior Advisor
CanREA Director
Cement Association of Canada President & CEO
Centre for Climate Change Management at Mohawk College General Manager
Centre for Integrated Transportation & Mobility Director
Chamber of Shipping Vice President
Chemistry Industry Association of Canada CEO and President
City of Kitchener Senior Strategist
Clean Air Partnership Executive Director
Clean Economy Fund Manager
Clean Energy BC Executive Director
Clean Energy Canada / Simon Fraser University Executive Director
Clean Foundation President & CEO
Cleantech Academy and Innovation Centre Director
Climate and Nature Solutions Vice President
Climate Catalyst Head
Climate Change Secretariat, Government of New Brunswick Senior Policy Advisor
Climate Positive Energy Executive Director
Concordia University Strategic Advisor to the President
ConocoPhillips Canada Sr. Director
Corporate Knights CEO
Cycle Capital Founder and Managing Partner
Delphi Director
Douville Consulting Principal
Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors Associate Consultant
Eastward Energy Vice President
Electricity Canada President and CEO
Electricity Human Resources Canada Vice President
Elexicon Energy Advisor
EllisDon Corporation Vice President
Enbridge Gas Inc. Director
Energy Futures Lab Managing Director
Energy Modelling Hub Energy Modelling Specialist
Energy Transitions Commission Chair
Enmax Power Coordinator
Environment and Climate Change Canada Senior Policy Advisor
Fertilizer Canada Policy Analyst
FortisBC Director
Future Skills Centre Associate Director
Global Climate Finance Accelerator Managing Partner
GLOBE Series Senior Manager
Green Budget Coalition Manager
Green Municipal Fund-FCM Advisor
Hydro-Québec President and CEO
IESO Senior Manager
Imperial Business Development Lead
Institut de l’énergie Trottier – Polytechnique Montréal Directeur exécutif
Ivey Foundation President
Kiwetinohk Energy Chief Sustainability Officer
Low Carbon Economy Sector Director
Manitoba Hydro Director
National Research Council Canada Program Director
Natural Resources Canada Director
Navius Research Managing Director
New Economy Canada President
NRCan Director General
NRStor Inc. Manager
Nuclear Waste Management Organization Associate
NunatuKavut Community Council Senior Advisor
OEC Director
Ontario Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks Director
Ontario Power Generation Senior Manager
Ontario Sustainable Energy Association Board Chair
Ottawa Climate Action Fund Executive Director
Partners in Performance Expert Partner
Passmore Group Inc. / Scaling Up Bio conference CEO
Pembina Institute Senior Director
Power Sustainable Partner
Prairies Economic Development Canada Director
QUEST Canada Executive Director
Rewiring America Head
Sapo’nuk Sustainability Principal & Founder
Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership Officer
SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC Senior Director
Scotiabank Director
Sun Life Manager
SysEne Consulting Senior Consultant
Teal Maker Principal
Temple Scott Associates Senior Counsel
The Atmospheric Fund VP
The J. W. McConnell Foundation Chief Executive Officer/ President
The Society of United Professionals Officer
Toronto Hydro Senior Manager
Torys LLP Counsel
Trottier Family Foundation Senior Director
University of Alberta Assistant Professor
Windfall Ecology Centre Program Manager

 

Speakers

Adair Turner

Chairman, Energy Transitions Commission

Lord Turner chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of companies, NGOs and experts working to achieve a net zero economy by 2040. 

He is also Chairman of insurer group Chubb Europe; Adviser to the Board of energy group Envision and a board member of Envision AESC, the battery production company headquartered in Japan. More recently, he was appointed adviser to the board of Watershed Technologies Inc. and Chairman of Oaknorth Bank Ltd. 

During his public policy career, Lord Turner chaired the UK Financial Services Authority (2008-2013); was first chairman (2008-2012) of the Climate Change Committee, the advisory body to the UK Government; chaired the UK Pensions Commission (2003-2006), the Low Pay Commission (2002-2006), and was Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (1995-2000). He was appointed to the House of Lords in 2005.

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Andrée-Lise Méthot

Founder and Managing Partner, Cycle Capital

Andrée-Lise is the Founder and Managing Partner of the largest investment platform in climate technologies in Canada, Cycle Capital. She is an engineer by training and an active member of l’Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec, with a master’s degree in science and training in physics of the atmosphere and climate science. Her venture firm, Cycle Capital, went through exponential growth since its foundation in 2009, now including 6 funds and the Cycle Momentum accelerator. She believes that the key to facing the climate crisis is through funding breakthrough technological innovations.  

She sat on many boards in sciences, philanthropic and cultural wealth. She sits on different boards, including boards of Cycle Capital’s portfolio companies, the Infrastructure Bank of Canada, the Montréal Heart Institute and the Pointe-à-Callière museum. She also sat on many advisory boards for her expertise; for example, she co-chaired the Task Force under the United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) from 2004 to 2009. She is currently the ambassador in clean technologies for Investissement Québec. She received numerous awards, such as being Officière de l’Ordre du Québec in 2018 and receiving the 2019 Grand Prix d’excellence from the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. She is still recognized for her amazing work in private equity by receiving the Trailblazer Honor from With Intelligence no later than October 2023. 

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Bruce Lourie

Chair

Bruce is president of the Ivey Foundation, an Adjunct Professor at the School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, and a Board director of several organizations including the new Canadian Institute for Clean Growth and Climate Change. He is a former Director of the Independent Electricity System Operator, the Ontario Power Authority, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and many others. He is a founding Advisory Board member of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, an Advisory Board member of the Canadian Energy Research Institute and visiting faculty at the University of Oxford Social Finance Programme.

Bruce is well known for his work in convening collaborative efforts among businesses, NGOs and government. He played a pioneering role in connecting environmental issues to human health, most notably with his leadership in the phase-out of coal-fired power plants in Ontario, the single largest climate action in North America. And also as the co-author of two best-selling books, including the internationally acclaimed Slow Death by Rubber Duck. He is the founder of Summerhill Group, one of Canada’s leading energy efficiency consultancies.

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Dan Wicklum, PhD

CEO

Dr. Dan Wicklum has spent more than 25 years performing and managing research, driving innovation, and fostering collaboration between industry, government, academia, and civil society. He is the CEO of the Transition Accelerator, a pan-Canadian charity that works with groups across the country to solve business and social challenges while building in net zero emission solutions. Dan was also the inaugural co-chair of Canada’s Net-Zero Advisory Body (NZAB), the statutory independent body that advises the federal government on setting interim emission reduction targets on the way to a net-zero emission Canada by 2050 and on the most likely pathways to net zero.

Prior to joining the Transition Accelerator, Dan was the CEO of Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance, Executive Director of the Canadian Forest Innovation Council, and a senior manager at Environment and Climate Change Canada and at Natural Resources Canada. He was a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Montana, and holds a PhD in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Montana. His initial career was in professional football, as a linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

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James Meadowcroft, PhD

Transition Pathway Principal

James Meadowcroft, PhD, is a professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University where he has held a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Governance for Sustainable Development. He has written widely on environmental politics and policy, democratic participation and deliberative democracy, national sustainable development strategies and socio-technical transitions. Recent work focuses on energy and the transition to a low-carbon society and includes publications on carbon capture and storage (CCS), smart grids, the development of Ontario’s electricity system, the politics of socio-technical transitions and negative carbon emissions.

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Jolene Mclaughlin

VP Climate and Sustainability, EllisDon Corporation

As the Vice President Climate and Sustainability for EllisDon Corporation, Jolene McLaughlin works to build partnerships across the industry to support climate mitigation and adaptation strategies in the build environment. She has spent more than 12 years driving sustainability initiatives across various segments of the built environment from concept into execution. Working with project teams with a collaborative approach, in support of the identification, definition and implementation of practical strategies that result in more efficient, resilient and comfortable buildings.

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Michael Sabia

President and CEO, Hydro-Québec

Michael Sabia was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro-Québec effective August 1, 2023.

Mr. Sabia has extensive experience as an executive in both the public and private sectors. Prior to joining Hydro-Québec, he was Canada’s Deputy Minister of Finance (2020–2023). Previously, he held a number of executive positions, including at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Canadian National Railway and BCE (Bell Canada).

Over the course of his career, Mr. Sabia was involved in numerous global initiatives, including the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance convened by the United Nations and the G7’s Investor Leadership Network, set up to help drive the transition to a sustainable and inclusive global economy.

Mr. Sabia holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of Toronto and a master’s in those fields from Yale University, where he also pursued doctoral studies.

Deeply committed to community involvement, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Mastercard Foundation, one of the largest foundations in the world, whose mission is to advance learning and financial inclusion in Africa and to support Indigenous youth in Canada. Mr. Sabia is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

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Mihskakwan James Harper

Business Development Manager, NRStor Inc.

Mihskakwan James Harper is a proud citizen of Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 8, Alberta. He is currently the Business Development Manager at NRStor Inc., where he champions developing large-scale energy storage and clean microgrid projects in a way that empowers communities and contributes to meaningful climate action. He is a Board Member with Indigenous Clean Energy and the Pembina Institute. He holds a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from the University of Manitoba and has recently completed a Master of Science in Renewable Energy from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Ecole Polytechnique, and the ESADE Business School. He is the co-chair of the SevenGen council, an organization that develops and leads programs for Indigenous youth to lead in clean energy and climate action. He has co-hosted the podcast, Decolonizing Power, a series that aims to amplify voices worldwide on how clean energy enables authentic community empowerment. This experience combined with the 20/20 Catalyst program, he is passionate about the carbon free future, particularly within the power and mobility sectors. He loves his partner, family, and his community, who inspires him to work to build a future that is sustainable and empowers all.

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Moe Kabbara

Vice President

Moe Kabbara is an experienced energy and climate professional with close to a decade of experience working at the intersection of technology, policy, and markets. Moe brings expertise in the areas of transportation electrification, renewable energy, energy storage, and energy efficiency. He is also a sought-after voice on zero-emission vehicle supply chain issues and has spearheaded the establishment of Accelerate, Canada’s zero-emission vehicle supply chain alliance, bringing together private and public sector players to leverage Canada’s opportunity in global ZEV manufacturing.

Prior to joining the Accelerator, Moe was a Managing Consultant at Dunsky Energy + Climate. He was also a Senior Investment Officer at the Department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada. Moe also was the co-founder and CEO of a thermal energy storage start-up in Atlantic Canada.

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Sarah Lazarovic

Vice President, Communications + Creative Strategy at Rewiring America

Sarah Lazarovic is the Vice President of Communications + Creative Strategy. She is an artist, writer, creative director, and marketing strategist.

As VP of Marketing at Clean Prosperity, Sarah increased public support for carbon pricing and stronger climate policy. In 2021 she launched Talk Climate to Me, a free climate education experience that has trained thousands of women across NorthAmerica.

In 2014, her book A Bunch of Pretty Things I Did Not Buy, a visual essay about consumerism, was published by Penguin. She writes a sustainability column for Yes! Magazine and her climate comics and charts appear all over the world.

Sarah has created award-winning films for Canada’s National Film Board and been an artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre. In 2015, she was awarded a Massey Fellowship to study behavioral science and environmental policy at the University of Toronto. Sarah has taught communications and design at Humber College and frequently gives climate communications talks.

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