Honoring Innovation, Community Impact, and Professional Excellence: The EDAC National Awards Presentation 

Date: Wednesday, September 16
Time: 12:50pm
Room: Main Ballroom

Speakers:
John Perrott – Executive Director, EDAC
John Regan, Ec.D. – President, EDAC
Jeffery Wilson – Assistant Director, Economic Development, University of Waterloo

Description: Join us as we celebrate the best in Canadian economic development! This signature presentation honors outstanding marketing achievements, innovative community initiatives, and the ongoing commitment to professional education across our membership. 

First, we will unveil the winners of the EDAC National Awards. To ensure fair benchmarking across all community sizes, awards will be presented across both population categories:  

• Under 35,000 Population: Recognizing grassroots innovation, high-impact localized campaigns, and creative resourcefulness in Canada's small and rural communities.  

• Over 35,000 Population: Celebrating bold, data-driven, and transformative economic development strategies in urban and regional centers. 

Following the awards presentation, we will pause to recognize a major professional milestone: the latest cohort of graduates from the University of Waterloo's Economic Development Certificate Program. Please join us in celebrating these practitioners as they complete their foundational training and take a significant step toward their Certified Economic Developer designation (Ec.D.).