Niagara Economic Summit 2021

Niagara’s Competitiveness

Everything has changed, and Niagara’s traditional picture of itself may no longer hold true. Our panel of local, provincial and federal experts will convene to discuss Niagara’s place in the bigger picture and how Niagara can position itself to move forward in the 2020s.

The Long Game

There are many new opportunities that will appear this decade, and also new challenges. There are also existing barriers that will take a long time to fix. This panel will look at the long-term opportunities and problems that Niagara faces and tease out plans to start addressing both.

Our Ethical Future

Consumers, workers, and businesses are more concerned with ethics than ever before. This panel will examine how the appetite for gender equality, LGBTQ rights, truth and reconciliation, living wages, climate change mitigation, diversity and inclusion, and other issues of ethics and fairness are impacting the business world, and how we can navigate them.

The Honourable Perrin Beatty

The Honourable Perrin Beatty has been CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce since 2007, and is a fomer federal member of Parliament and cabinet minister.

The Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy

The Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy is Ontario’s Minister of Finance, before which he served as President of the Treasury Board.

Jim Bradley

Jim Bradley has served as Niagara Regional Chair since 2018, is a former Member of Provincial Parliament, and served as a Minister in the cabinets of three Premiers of Ontario.

The Honourable Steve Clark

The Honourable Steve Clark is Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and has served as a Member of Provincial Parliament since 2010.

Pierre Cleroux

Pierre Cleroux is the Vice-President of Research and Chief Economist at the Business Development Bank of Canada, a post he has held since 2012.

Rafiq Dhanji

Rafiq Dhanji is Executive Director of Sustainability Leadership from Sustainable Hamilton Burlington, and works with organizations across Hamilton, Burlington, and Niagara to develop a resilient, low-carbon economy.

Kim de Laat

Kim de Laat is a postdoctoral fellow at Brock University whose research examines gender and racial inequalities in work.

Robin Garrett

Robin Garrett is an independent consultant, Chair of the Niagara District Airport and former CEO of the Tourism Partnership of Niagara.

Mia Huntington

Mia Huntington is Executive Vice-President at Elavon Canada, an international company consistently rated one of the world’s most ethical.

Sean Kennedy

Sean Kennedy is the sixth President of Niagara College, joining in 2020, and a member of the College’s senior management team from 2006.

Emily Kovacs

Emily Kovacs is CEO of the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre, an advocate for newcomers, and a champion for inclusion.

Dr. Mike Moffatt

Dr. Mike Moffatt is the Senior Director of Policy and Innovation at the Smart Prosperity Institute, a Professor of Business, Economics and Public Policy at the Ivey Business School, and a former economic advisor to Justin Trudeau.

Matthias Oppenlænder

Matthias Oppenlænder is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Grape Growers of Ontario.

George Spezza

George Spezza is the Director of Economic Development at Niagara Region, and recently served in a number of business- and economic-development roles in Toronto.

Michael Sutherland

Michael Sutherland is Director of Urban Solutions at Hatch, developing projects around infrastructure, transportation, and energy for cities across Canada.

Sean Vanderklis

Sean Vanderklis is a journalist who co-founded the One Dish, One Mic podcast and is the current host of CBC Radio One’s Superior Morning show.

Dr. Lynn Wells

Dr. Lynn Wells is the Provost and Vice-President, Academic of Brock University, currently serving as Interim President.

Jay Wright

Jay Wright is President of Arterra Wines, Canada’s leading wine company, a post he has held since 2016.

Debbie Zimmerman

Debbie Zimmerman is CEO of Grape Growers of Ontario, and served as Niagara Regional Chair from 1997 to 2003.

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau is the 23rd and current Prime Minister of Canada, first elected as national leader in 2015, and has led Canada’s Liberal Party since 2013.