Orange Shirt Day / National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

To recognize and commemorate the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools, Thursday, September 30 has been declared the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by the Government of Canada.

September 30 coincides with Orange Shirt Day, which began in 2013 to honour Indigenous children forced to leave their families to attend residential schools. Orange Shirt Day recalls the experience of residential school Survivor Phyllis Webstad, a member of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, who at six was stripped of her shiny new orange shirt on her first day attending the St. Joseph Mission Residential School near Williams Lake, BC.

On Thursday, September 30, we invite all conference attendees to wear an orange shirt to reflect on the history and ongoing legacy of the Indian residential school system, to remember those who lost their lives and to commemorate survivors. Orange Shirt Day is a time for us all to come together in the spirit of truth and reconciliation and honour the experiences of Indigenous peoples and just as importantly, their continuing strength and resilience.

Exhibit Viewing Over Breakfast

in Van Horne C

Sponsored by Integrity Waste Solutions

Welcome to Wonderland - Conference Opening and Welcome

in Van Horne Room

Corrie DiManno (Mayor of Town of Banff)

PLENARY SESSION: "Every adventure requires a first step" (The Cheshire Cat) - Innovation

in Van Horne Room

Despite living with the challenges of a climate crisis and global pandemic, groups and individuals are rising above adversity with new and innovative ways to adapt and evolve. Join us as we feature innovative organizations and individuals that are challenging the status quo.

Moderator: Mikhael Metauro (Cascades Recovery+)

• Kirk Zembal (Blindman Brewing)
• Sarah Janzen (Blenderz)
• Corey Saban (Re-Waste)
• Lauren Nottebrock (Red Leaf Pulp) – Wheat Straw Pulp Mill
• Anne Auriat (Edson & District Recycling Society) – Recycling Depot provides emergency shelter
• Benjamin Stone (Curbtender) – Is my fleet ready to electrify?
• Katrine Gouron (Nespresso Canada) – The positive cup: Because coffee can be a force for good
• Shane Price (Green Circle Salons)
• Victor Cheng (Alberta Agriculture & Forestry) – How bioplastics can be integrated into the plastics circular economy

Sponsored by Claystone Waste Ltd.

Exhibit Viewing & Refreshments

in Van Horne C

Sponsored by Alberta Environmental Rubber Products and General Recycling Industries Ltd.

KEYNOTE: The Cheshire Cat’s Perspective - Peter von Tiesenhausen

in Van Horne Room

Moderator: Jason London (City of Calgary)

Peter von Tiesenhausen is a multidisciplinary artist based in Demmitt, Alberta. Over the course of his more than thirty years as a full-time artist, his practice has continuously eluded categorization.

von Tiesenhausen’s work contends with diverse matters including time, the spirit, birth and death, nature and artifice, decay and regrowth, and the environment. His methodology is characterized by an intent pursuit of ecological sustainability, and an attempt to understand time and substance. Though often large in scale and sometimes imposing in form, von Tiesenhausen’s artworks yield varied meanings, and undermine the singularity often associated with interpretations of the monolithic.

Site-specificity and site-responsivity play integral parts in the production of meaning in von Tiesenhausen’s practice; the materials he employs often engineer decay rather than impose permanence, transforming over time and in conversation with their environment. von Tiesenhausen’s subtle interventions on the land where he lives formed the basis for his 1996 copyright claim over that land, a claim which has since protected it from resource exploration by extractive industries and forced pipeline developers to do expensive rerouting around it.

From 2007 to 2011, von Tiesenhausen spearheaded the construction of a LEED platinum-equivalent timber frame community centre in Demmitt, Alberta, which now hosts community and performing arts events. This work within his community reflects an interest in unpretentious dialogue about art in general, and a respect for the manifold experiences and perspectives of his audience.

von Tiesenhausen has presented numerous lectures on his work and ideas in museums, universities, and public institutions throughout Canada, as well as in the United States, Mexico, and Europe. He has had over fifty-two solo exhibitions and has participated in over sixty-five group exhibitions. von Tiesenhausen was the 2015 recipient of the prestigious Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Distinguished Artists Award.

Sponsored by The City of Calgary

Lunch

in Van Horne Foyer

Sponsored by Alberta Recycling Management Authority

CONCURRENT SESSION: Zero Waste Tea Party - Reusables

in President’s Hall

Hear first-hand how communities and businesses are tackling the growing issue of single-use packaging with reusable solutions. What barriers have they faced and where do they see opportunities to advance their reuse programs?

Moderator: Isabelle Couture (Plastic-Free YYC)

• Georgia Sherwin (Closed Loop Partners) – The Growth of Reuse: Case Studies
• Clarissa Morawski (ReLoop Platform) – Reusable vs Single Use Packaging
• Megan Takeda-Tully (Suppli) – Takeout without the waste
• Luna Kawano, Naia Noyes-West & Audrey – Banff Isn’t Disposable

Sponsored by Tetra Tech Canada Inc.

CONCURRENT SESSION: "It’s no use in going back to yesterday…" (Alice) - Making the Built Environment Circular

in Van Horne Room

There are many opportunities to advance a circular economy in the construction and demolition sector through reuse, recycling and deconstruction. Speakers at this session will highlight specific projects including a zero-waste building project in Calgary and policies and practices to help the sector advance circularity.

Moderator: Dan Zembal (Alberta Waste & Recycling)

• Paul Shorthouse (Circular Economy Leaders)
• Tamara Streefland (Metabolic) – Urban Mining in the Built Environment
• Adam Corneil (Unbuilders Deconstruction) – Deconstructing the Demolition Industry
• Willie Tran (Eton West) – Zero Waste OfficeSpace

Sponsored by Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association

Exhibit Viewing & Refreshments

in Van Horne C

Sponsored by Canadian Electrical Stewardship Association

PLENARY SESSION: It would be so nice, if something made sense for a change - Building a Plastics Circular Economy

in Van Horne Room

Plastics continue to be front and center on the policy agendas of international, federal and provincial governments. This session highlights the work of organizations who are advancing plastics circularity to reduce pollution and unnecessary plastics generation, while creating better management practices and innovative approaches to enhanced reuse and recycling.

Moderator: Elena Mantagaris (CIAC)

• Keynote Remarks: Hon. Dale Nally (Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity)
• Chelsea Rochman (University of Toronto) – The Story of Microplastic Pollution: from the distant ocean gyres to the global policy stage
• George Roter (Canada Plastics Pact)
• Brooke Donnelly (Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation) – Our Packaging Future
• Anna Rajkovic (Nova Chemicals)
• Tim Buwalda (Circular Matters) – The Complementary Role of Chemical Recycling
• Lilly Woodbury (Surfrider Foundation) – Federal Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act
• Barbra Korol (Alberta Energy)

Sponsored by Chemistry Industry Association of Canada

The Red Queen's Reception

in Van Horne Foyer

Mad Hatter Tea Party (Gala Banquet)

in Van Horne Room

Gala Banquet sponsored by Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation

Wine sponsored by Quantum Lifecycle Partners

Rs of Excellence Awards – presented by Hon. Jason Nixon (Minister of Environment and Parks)

MC: Donovan Workun

Dance Party featuring Bradley James Entertainment – Sponsored by Cascades Recovery+

Exhibit Viewing & Breakfast

in Van Horne C

PLENARY SESSION: What an idea. A crazy, mad wonderful idea.

in Van Horne Room

As we build circular systems in Canada, it’s critical that we reflect and learn from leaders advancing the circular economy around the world.

Moderator:

• Clarissa Morawski (Reloop Platform) – European Commission Circular Economy Action Plan
• Carlos Fiorentino (U of A) – Lessons from nature: biocentered reflexions on the pandemic
• Rita Farkas (National Zero Waste Council) – Environmental and Economic Benefits of Waste Prevention
• Gena McKinley (City of Austin) – Austin’s Circular Economy

Sponsored by Beverage Container Management Board

Exhibit Viewing & Refreshments

in Van Horne C

Sponsored by Nespresso Canada

PLENARY SESSION: If you don’t know where you are going, any road can take you there.

in Van Horne Room

Communities across Canada are increasingly implementing initiatives with the potential to build Circular Economy. This session will explore some of these progressive approaches.

Moderator: Craig Bartlett (GFL Environmental Inc.)

• Teresa Conner (BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy) – Clean BC Plastics Action Plan
• Denis Jubinville and Sarah Wilmot (City of Edmonton) – Mapping Edmonton’s Road to Waste Reduction
• Paula Urra and Sylvain Boissonnier (City of Montréal) – Montréal’s Zero Waste Plan

Sponsored by GFL Environmental Inc.

Leaving Wonderland - Working Lunch

in Van Horne Foyer

Sponsored by City of Edmonton