EDAC 2026 Agenda
*Please note: This agenda is subject to change.
Monday, September 14, 2026
- 4:00pm – 4:30pm: EDAC First Timer’s
Salon A
- 5:00pm – 7:00pm: Connecting Coast to Coast: The EDAC 2026 Opening Reception
Main Foyer - 7:15pm: Dine Around Downtown Moncton: Local Flavours & New Connections
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
- 7:30am – 8:30am –Registration Desk Opens and Breakfast
Main Ballroom - 8:10am – Official Opening & Welcome Remarks: Setting the Stage for EDAC 2026
Speakers: John Perrott, John Regan, Ec.D., & Elder Donna Augustine
Main Ballroom - 8:30am – From Resources to Results: New Brunswick's Next Economic Chapter
Speaker: Ken Carrier
Main Ballroom - 9:20am – Welcome Introduction from Mayor Maxime Bourgeois
Main Ballroom - 9:30am – Strengthening Opportunities with Italy
Speaker: His Excellency Alessandro Cattaneo
Main Ballroom - 10:20am – COFFEE SERVICE
- 10:40am – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A: The $178B Opportunity: Leveraging Tourism to Drive Economic Growth
Speaker: Johanna Griggs
Main Ballroom - TRACK B: Beyond Boundaries: Building a High-Impact Regional Economic Ecosystem
Speaker: Francesco Calazzo
Salon A - TRACK C: The State of Canadian Manufacturing: Trends, Challenges, and Economic Opportunities
Speaker: Scott McNeil-Smith
Salon B
- TRACK A: The $178B Opportunity: Leveraging Tourism to Drive Economic Growth
- 11:30am – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A: Beyond the Game: Unlocking the Real Economic Impact of Events for Your Community
Speakers: Chris Steele, Sean McCormick, Johanna Griggs & Hannah Parish
Main Ballroom - TRACK B: The Data Centre Frontier: Lessons from Sturgeon County's Historic FDI Win
Speaker: Mark Morrissey
Salon A - TRACK C: Building Local Business Capacity: How Airdrie Embedded Financial Capability into its Entrepreneur Ecosystem
Speakers: Jessica Williamson & Taunya Woods Richardson
Salon B
- TRACK A: Beyond the Game: Unlocking the Real Economic Impact of Events for Your Community
- 12:10pm – LUNCH
Main Ballroom - 1:00pm –Partner Introduction: Deloitte Economic Development Advisory
Speaker: Paul Blais
Main Ballroom - 1:10pm – The Pulse of the Canadian Consumer: Economic Updates & Spending Data for Community Growth
Speaker: Sean McCormick
Main Ballroom - 1:50pm – Navigator Sponsor Introduction – Co-operatives First
Speaker: TBD
Main Ballroom - 2:10pm – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A: The Power of Partnerships in Investment Attraction and Investor Services
Speaker: Tuhina Chatterjee
Main Ballroom - TRACK B: Do More With Less: A Hands-On AI Workshop for Canadian Economic Developers
Speakers: Lee Anderson & Alissa Sklar
Salon A - TRACK C: Unlocking European Investment: Insights from the Trade Commissioner Service
Speaker: Nicoletta D'Arcangelo – Senior Investment Officer, Consulate of Canada to Italy in Milan
Salon B
- TRACK A: The Power of Partnerships in Investment Attraction and Investor Services
- 2:50pm – COFFEE SERVICE
- 3:10pm – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A: Talent Beyond Borders: An EDO's Guide to IRCC Temporary and Permanent Immigration Streams
Speakers: Cindy-Lynn Frenette & Dylan LaVigne
Main Ballroom - TRACK B: OECD Breakout
Salon A - TRACK C: Best Practices of On-Farm Diversification/ Special Events in Niagara, Ontario
Speakers: Pamela Duesling & Matthew McGinty
Salon B
- TRACK A: Talent Beyond Borders: An EDO's Guide to IRCC Temporary and Permanent Immigration Streams
- 4:00pm – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A: Du talent au-delà des frontières : Le guide des EDO pour les volets d'immigration temporaire et permanente d'IRCC
Speakers: Cindy-Lynn Frenette & Dylan LaVigne
Main Ballroom - TRACK B: Unlocking Global Markets: How Your Community Can Leverage Trade Commissioner Service Support for Export Success
Speaker: Suzanne Drisdelle, Director, Atlantic Regional Office, Global Affairs Canada
Salon A - TRACK C: The City-Wide Business Walk: How Edmonton Reaches 10,000+ Businesses Every Summer
Speaker: Nolan Carter, Ec.D.
Salon B
- TRACK A: Du talent au-delà des frontières : Le guide des EDO pour les volets d'immigration temporaire et permanente d'IRCC
- 5:30pm Networking – Tuesday Evening Social: A Taste of Southeast New Brunswick
Resurgo Place (20 Mountain Road, Downtown Moncton)
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
- 7:30am – 8:30am – Registration Desk Opens and Breakfast
- 8:10am – Day 2 Kickoff: Recapping Highlights & Setting the Day's Agenda
Speaker: John Perrott & John Regan, Ec.D.
Main Ballroom - 8:20am – International Perspectives: A Special Address from IEDC's Incoming Chair
Speaker: Clyde Higgs, IEDC Incoming Chair
Main Ballroom - 8:30am – Setting the Stage: The Genesis and Vision of the OECD Atlantic Canada Project
Speaker: Francesco Calazzo
Main Ballroom - 8:40am – Special Keynote: OECD Regional Economic Report Preview
Speaker: Michael Flood
Main Ballroom - 9:20am – Partner Introduction: Research FDI
Speaker: Amber Hunter - 9:40am – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A: Unlocking Accommodation: Demystifying Hotel Development to Attract New Investment
Speakers: Johanna Griggs
Main Ballroom - TRACK B: From Insights to Implementation: Harnessing AI for Daily Economic Development Success
Speakers: Rocky Gill & John Perrott
Salon A - TRACK C: Building Resilient Digital Communities: Leveraging CIRA Tools for Economic Growth
Speaker: Jeff Buell
Salon B
- TRACK A: Unlocking Accommodation: Demystifying Hotel Development to Attract New Investment
- 10:20am – COFFEE SERVICE
- 10:40am – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A: What Communities May Not Know about the Economics of Short-Term Rentals
Speaker: Alex Howell
Main Ballroom - TRACK B: Leading Through the Smoke: Rapid Response and Economic Resilience in Action
Speakers: Andrew Kemp & Schaun Goodeve
Salon A - TRACK C: Unlocking Latin American Investment: Insights from the Trade Commissioner Service
Speaker: Marcelo Tavares, Senior Investment Officer, Consulate General of Canada in São Paulo, Brazil
Salon B
- TRACK A: What Communities May Not Know about the Economics of Short-Term Rentals
- 11:30am – Partner Introduction: Airbnb
Speaker: TBD
Main Ballroom - 11:40am – From Local Strength to Global Success: How Canadian Communities Can Drive Trade, Investment and Growth
Speaker: Sara Wilshaw – Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, International Trade and Chief Trade Commissioner of Canada
Main Ballroom - 12:20pm – LUNCH
Main Ballroom - 12:50pm – Honoring Innovation, Community Impact, and Professional Excellence: The EDAC National Awards Presentation
Main Ballroom - 2:00pm – Navigator Partner Introduction: Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC)
Speaker: TBD
Main Ballroom - 2:20pm – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A – Meet the Trade Commissioner Service: Speed Networking Session
Main Ballroom
- TRACK B: Speaking the Same Language: How EDOs and Planners Collaborate to Accelerate Local Investment
Speaker: Schaun Goodeve
Salon A
- TRACK A – Meet the Trade Commissioner Service: Speed Networking Session
- 3:00pm – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A – Meet the Trade Commissioner Service: Speed Networking Session
Main Ballroom - TRACK B: Playing the Long Game: How Rural Communities Can Build Sustainable International Trade Programs
Speaker: Darren Brewer, Ec.D.
Salon A
- TRACK A – Meet the Trade Commissioner Service: Speed Networking Session
- 3:40pm – COFFEE SERVICE
- 4:00pm – EDAC 2026 Annual General Meeting
Main Ballroom - 7:30pm – East Coast Pub Night: EDAC's Takeover of Gallagher's Irish Pub
Thursday, September 17, 2026
- 7:30am – 8:30am – Registration Desk Opens and Breakfast
- 8:30am – Day 3 Kickoff: Key Takeaways & The Final Stretch
Speakers: John Perrott & John Regan, Ec.D.
Main Ballroom - 8:40am – Unlocking Canada's Growth Engine: AI, Productivity and the Next Frontier for Economic Developers
Speaker: Greg Landry, Ec.D. (F)
Main Ballroom - 9:20am – Partner Introduction: EcoStrat
Speaker: TBD
Main Ballroom
- 9:30am – The Catalyst: Driving Community, Continuity, and Business Transformation
Speaker: James Grieve
Main Ballroom - 10:10am – Partner Introduction: EBP-US
Speaker: Chris Steele
Main Ballroom - 10:20am – COFFEE SERVICE
- 10:40am – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A: Attracting Global Investment: Leveraging CanExport for Communities
Matthew McCracken, Deputy Director, CanExport Community Investments, Global Affairs Canada
Main Ballroom - TRACK B: Inside the Pipeline: Capitalizing on Provincial Lead Generation and Investment Pipelines
Speaker: Frederic Doire
Salon A - TRACK C: Launching Your FDI Strategy: From Ground Zero to Global Investment
Speaker: Adam Solomon
Salon B
- TRACK A: Attracting Global Investment: Leveraging CanExport for Communities
- 11:30am – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A: Forget FDI: How About Local Direct Investment (LDI)?
Speaker: TJ Misra
Main Ballroom - TRACK B: From Procurement to Partnership: Crafting RFPs That Drive Result
Speaker: Paul Blais & Rebecca Taylor
Salon A - TRACK C: Elevate Your Expertise: Professional Development Pathways for Canadian EDOs
Speakers: John Perrott, John Regan, Ec.D., & Adam Solomon
Salon B
- TRACK A: Forget FDI: How About Local Direct Investment (LDI)?
- 12:10pm – LUNCH
Main Ballroom - 12:50pm – Navigator Partner Introduction: LocalIntel
Speaker: Lee Anderson
Main Ballroom - 1:00pm – Transatlantic Economic Development: European Insights, Shared Challenges, and Collaborative Horizons
Speakers: Giamcomo Frisanco & Theo Follings
Main Ballroom - 1:40pm – Special Presentation: EDAC–EURADA MOU Signing
Speakers: Giamcomo Frisanco, Theo Follings, John Regan, Ec.D., & John Perrott - 2:00pm – BREAKOUT SESSIONS
- TRACK A: The Standout Community Pitch: Deloitte's Hands-On Workshop for Winning Investment
Speaker: Paul Blais & Rebecca Taylor
Main Ballrooom - TRACK B: Closing the Loop: Building Resilient Local Economies Through Circular Solutions
Speaker: Georgia Lavender & Mitchel Edgar
Salon A - TRACK C: Unlocking Asian Investment: Insights from the Trade Commissioner Service
Speaker: Archie Mochizuki, Investment Officer, Embassy of Canada to Japan, in Tokyo
Salon B
- TRACK A: The Standout Community Pitch: Deloitte's Hands-On Workshop for Winning Investment
- 2:40pm – COFFEE SERVICE
- 3:00pm – My EDAC: Your Voice, Your Association, Your Profession
Speaker: Dr. Alissa Sklar
Main Ballroom
President's Dinner
- 5:30 – 6:20pm: Cocktail Reception
Main Ballroom Foyer - 6:30pm: Dinner and Awards Gala
Main Ballroom