2023 Program

Sunday, November 5, 2023 | 5:00-6:00 pm

Storytelling Gathering

Join us and Stephen Kakfwi, residential school survivor and former Premier of the Northwest Territories, to hear how he transforms politics into philosophy and sheds light on a history that too many Canadians have long ignored, in the deeply personal and unapologetic memoir, Stoneface.

“In Stoneface quiet waters run deep. Stephen Kakfwi stares down the past, doing equal justice to the evil and the good. The remarkable result is something important and rare: a passionately even-handed memoir packed with great storytelling and hard-won wisdom.”

—Elizabeth Hay, author of All Things Consoled

Pipestone Room, Chateau Lake Louise

All Welcome, No Registration Required

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2023

Mount Temple Room

8:00 AM | Breakfast

Breakfast and networking.

9:00 AM | Welcome

Brian Keating, Master of Ceremonies

Tim Carwell, Dene-Zaa Beaver First Nation, Acknowledging the Land

9:15 AM | Opening Keynote

Anouk Kendall, President, Decentralised Energy Canada

We don’t know what we don’t know. Many are not yet aware of the deep and rapid transformation our energy systems are undergoing. Energy systems that are integrated into buildings and communities are paving the way to a resilient and affordable energy future but many are getting lost in the deluge of new terminology, new business models, and ever-increasing diversity of energy ownership models. The Forum will open with an overview of our changing energy landscape.

9:30 AM | The Rise of Prosumers

Prosumers generate energy onsite to meet some or all of their needs. Grid-connected prosumers are becoming more prevalent as more jurisdictions design and adopt new tariff structures that reward electrical energy systems located closer to the consumer, especially if they demonstrate reduced congestion on the grid. Microgrids, battery-to-grid, demand response and efficiency valuation innovations are empowering prosumers.

Panellists:

  • Jana Gerber, Microgrid President – North America, Schneider Electric

  • Glen Gordon, CEO, Unico Power

  • Jesse Row, Executive Director, Alberta Energy Efficiency Alliance

  • Denis Tanguay, Executive Director, Efficiency Valuation Organization

10:30 AM | Coffee Break

Join your peers for coffee and networking.

11:00 AM | Virtual Power Plants

A Virtual Power Plant (VPP) is a network of decentralised electrical energy systems (e.g., generation and storage) that are aggregated and managed through a cloud- based controller but remain independent in operation and ownership. Emerging incentives and revenue opportunities are driving adoption of VPPs.

Panellists:

  • Brent Harris, Founder & Executive VP, Eguana Technologies

  • Julie Kennett, Director General, IRAP Prairies Region, National Research Council

  • Hamid Zareipour, Professor, Department  of Electrical and Software Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, the University of Calgary

  • Han Stegeman, Head of Grid Innovation, TenneT

12:00 PM | Lunch & Nature Walk

Enjoy lunch followed by a nature walk through beautiful Lake Louise, led by Brian Keating, Head Naturalist at Going Wild. 

1:30 PM | Game Changer Pitch Competition

Hear about breakthrough innovations and entrepreneurs. 

2:30 PM | The Workforce Revolution

By 2050, Canada is looking to double or even triple electricity generation to meet the needs of the energy transition. There is an urgent need to develop a highly skilled workforce to meet this unprecedented change for the industry and this requires close collaboration between educational and industry stakeholders.

Keynote: Kristin Baetz, Dean of Science, University of Calgary

Panellists:

  • Mark Chapeskie, VP of Program Development, Electricity Human Resources Canada

  • Tamara Connell, Chief Executive Officer, Academy for Sustainable Innovation

  • Luisa Da Silva, Executive Director, Iron and Earth

  • Kristin Baetz, Dean of Science, University of Calgary

3:30 PM | Sustaining Innovation

Climate instability is the biggest challenge of this generation… and the next. Navigating this challenge starts by acknowledging that our economy needs high-impact and deeply transformative innovation that values sustainability. Corporations in the microgrid space don’t always effectively communicate their sustainability value proposition. We can improve this communication and leverage the unique and powerful role that sustainable tourism plays in leading by example. This session explores how technology developers and prosumers are collaborating to enable energy security, reliability and affordability.

Keynote: Frederick Morency, VP Sustainability, Strategic Initiatives & Innovation, Schneider Electric 

Panellists:

  • Nancy Foran, President & Founder, ESG Partners

  • Loreto Duffy-Mayers, Project Manager, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association

  • Frederick Morency, VP Sustainability, Schneider Electric

4:30 PM | Business to Business Matchmaking

Meet every person at the event at this dynamic matchmaking session.

6:00 PM | Cocktail Reception 

Held in the Fairview Lounge, enjoy networking, food & cocktails, and music performed by Peter and the Wolves.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Mount Temple Room

8:00 AM | Breakfast

Breakfast and networking.

9:00 AM | Welcome

Brian Keating, Master of Ceremonies

Stephen Kakfwi, Dene Leader, Prayer

9:05 AM | Opening Keynote

Stephen Kakfwi, President & CEO, Kakfwi & Associates

Stephen Kakfwi is one of Canada’s most visionary and accomplished indigenous leaders. He was born in Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories and was the ninth premier of the Northwest Territories. He was past president of the Dene Nation and is a lifelong Indigenous rights activist. Kakfwi has spent decades working to balance protection of the mostly pristine areas of this landscape with sustainable economic development for First Nations communities. In 2014, he founded Canadians for a New Partnership, a coalition with a goal to build a new partnership between First Peoples and all Canadians.

Fireside Chat:

Maureen Kolla, Co-Project Lead, Energy Futures Lab

Stephen Kakfwi, President & CEO, Kakfwi & Associates

9:30 AM | Energy Resilience

The ability to operate energy services, such as heating, cooling, ventilation, and critical loads during and in response to a major disruption is what defines a community’s energy resilience. The steps that are needed to create energy resilience varies depending on the unique challenges of each community. This panel will explore a diverse range of challenges faced by communities and the benefits that microgrids bring.

Panellists:

  • Maureen Kolla, Co-Project Lead, Energy Futures Lab

  • Desmond Bull, Grand Chief of Confederacy of Treaty No. 6, Chief and Council Member, Louis Bull Tribe

  • Owen Lewis, Operations Manager, Global South, RMI

  • Robert Tremblay, Policy Manager, Energy Storage Canada

10:30AM | Boozy Brunch

Enjoy a little something special with your coffee break.

10:45 AM | Rethinking Natural Resources

How will the energy transition affect the sustainability of natural resources on the planet? What practices and principles can we adopt to meet the energy demands of a growing global population using fewer resources and leaving a smaller footprint. Innovations in critical minerals procurement, renewable fuels, and heat pumps are just a few areas of active innovation.

Keynote: Jonathan Blundy, Royal Society Research Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University

Panellists:

  • Natasha Kostenuk, Founder & CEO, Ayrton Energy

  • James Bererton, Principal Energy Innovator, Stantec

  • Chris Perry, Founder, Grow the Energy Circle

  • Jonathan Blundy, Royal Society Research Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Oxford University

11:45 AM | Lunch 

Enjoy lunch and networking with your peers.

1:00 PM | Game Changer Pitch Competition

Hear about breakthrough innovations and entrepreneurs.

2:00 PM | The Power of Data

Digitalisation is critical to robust and reliable energy infrastructure. Extraordinary innovation opportunities are inherent in the generation, management and consumption of energy. The benefits that can be gained from digital solutions such as predictive analytics, controllers, and automation will create more connected, intelligent, efficient, reliable and sustainable energy systems.

Panellists:

  • Jonathan Neufeld, Partner, GNO-SYS

  • Myrna Bittner, CEO & Co-Founder, RWI Synthetics

  • Dan Erhardt, CEO Arcus Power Corp

3:00 PM | Investing in Sustainability

A net zero future offers one of the greatest economic and environmental opportunities for Alberta. Decentralised energy plays a pivotal role in expediting our transition to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future. In this session, we delve into the intricacies of funding within the province of Alberta and underscore the essential role of policy and regulatory frameworks in fostering the acceleration of decentralised energy initiatives. Our panel of experts will share their experiences, including the challenges they've overcome in their respective projects, shedding light on the path forward.

Panellists:

  • Justin Reimer, CEO, Emissions Reduction Alberta

  • Jan De Wolde, General Manager, Calgary District Heating

  • Kevin Noble, Director, Distribution Planning, Fortis Alberta

  • Ted Vogel, Governing Council, Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism

4:00 PM | Special Announcement

4:15 PM | Closing Remarks

CHANGES OR CANCELLATION OF OUR PROGRAM. Circumstances beyond our control may necessitate substitutions, alterations, postponements, or cancellations to the content, format, themes, name, hosts, moderators, venue, timing or dates of DEF. We reserve the right to do so at any time and will not be liable to you for any cost incurred by you as a result.