Ottawa, Ontario (August 29, 2024)– The Canadian Emergency Preparedness and Climate Adaptation Convention (CEPCA) will be hosted from September 24 to 26, 2024 at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. This is the largest scale event ever planned in the sector, with organizers targeting attendance of over 3,000 attendees and delegates, 100 exhibiting companies and 100+ expert speakers from across the nation. CEPCA will address Canada’s growing vulnerability to natural disasters by promoting a systematic, evidence-based approach to emergency management and climate adaptation on a national scale.
The convention is particularly timely given the fragmented nature of Canada’s emergency management ecosystem, and the growing costs and other key challenges of managing the frequency and severity of climate-related emergencies.
“dmg events is honoured to be chosen as the organizer of the Canadian Emergency Preparedness and Climate Adaptation Convention,” says Nick Samain, Senior Vice President of dmg events. “We take our role very seriously in creating a national-scale platform to unite stakeholders from across the country in their mission to create more resilient infrastructure for our communities, enhance our emergency response efforts and deploy new, innovative climate technologies.
Bringing together stakeholders from all levels of government, industry leaders, academia, private industry, community organizations and more, the event is designed to foster collaboration and break down silos in emergency management and response across the country.
“Until now, there has not been a truly, national scale meeting to convene municipal, provincial and federal governments alongside the private sector and our communities to focus on developing proactive strategies that safeguard our communities, strengthen our national supply chain and better communicate to Canadians what our country is doing to enhance emergency response now, and in the future,” says Samain.
Conference participants will engage in conversations on topics including policy and governance; public-private collaboration; community engagement and sustainable development; Indigenous knowledge; climate science; risk assessment; infrastructure resilience; and emergency response and recovery This conference allows individuals and companies to be better-equipped with the tools and knowledge needed to effectively respond to natural disasters.
“The damages and losses from disasters are increasing at a faster rate than our ability to address them. Inadequate infrastructure resilience and high maintenance costs play a significant role, as well as the losses suffered by the most marginalized, vulnerable, and unprotected communities. Investing in disaster risk reduction and fostering knowledge sharing is essential for achieving sustainable development goals and advancing climate adaptation efforts,” says Nahuel Arenas-Garcia Chief, Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and speaker at CEPCA. “In collaboration with ARISE Canada, we are actively promoting discussions and actions that enhance disaster prevention, adaptation, and preparedness through various platforms. I look forward to the keynote address at the upcoming CEPCA convention, which will be a privileged space to stimulate collaboration among public, private, and community sectors to strengthen resilience proactively”
The speaker line-up for this debut event includes:
- Adam McAllister, National Chair, UN-ARISE Canada
- Nahuel Arenas Garcia, Chief of the Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, UNDRR
- Brock Long, Executive Chairman of Hagerty Consulting and the former Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Sarah Sargent, Vice President, Canadian Operations Programming, Canadian Red Cross
- Bernie Derible, Deputy Minister and Commissioner Emergency Management Ontario, Ontario Public Service Leadership
- Brittany Seibert, Regional Emergency Manager, City of Kelowna
- Caitlin Buxton-Carr, Manager Health Emergency Management, First Nations Health Authority
- Derek Sutherland, General Manager, Community and Protective Services, Columbia Shuswap Regional District
- Elise Paré, National Practice Lead, Climate Risk and Resilience, WSP Canada
- Eustace (Sam) Roberts, President, International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Canada
- Eva Cohen, Founder & President, Civil Protection Youth Canada
- Henry Seywerd, Program Manager, Earthquake Early Warning, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
- Jason Wigton, Director, Technical & Emergency Services, Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council
- Kathryn Bakos, Managing Director, Finance and Resilience, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo
- Lisa MacTavish, Project Lead – Resilience, City of Toronto
- Michel Doré, Professor, Risk Management, Université du Québec à Montréal
- Nick Sealy-Thompson, General Manager, ATCO Frontec USA
- Russell Gray, Director, Corporate Services with CIRNAC (Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada)
- Ryan Ness, Director, Adaptation, Canadian Climate Institute
- Sean Strang, Director of Recovery and Mitigation, City of Merritt
- Susan Henry, Chief, Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA)
- Syzan Talo, Managing Director, Guy Carpenter
- Valérie Tremblay-Gravel, Head of the Riverbanks Section, Nature-Parks Management, Biodiversity and Riverbank Division, City of Montreal
To see the full list of conference speakers, please visit the conference website.
CEPCA will offer attendees and delegates a comprehensive platform for discussion and collaboration, including an exhibition showcasing the latest technologies and solutions in emergency preparedness and climate adaptation, and a strategic conference with high-level discussions on policy, governance and best practices. Additionally, technical theatres will offer in-depth sessions on emerging technologies and an exclusive, invite-only Canadian Journal of Emergency Management (CJEM) Workshop on September 24, 2024, will provide focused learning opportunities.
For more information on how to participate in the Canadian Emergency Preparedness and Climate Adaptation Convention, please visit www.emergencyexpo.com.
Media are requested to register for accreditation before September 24.
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