Conference Schedule and Tickets

Resilience is a "Contact" Sport: You Need an All-Star Network

Ryna's ability to bridge connection gaps across siloed organizations before and during emergency events was leveraged most recently during the 2023 Wildfires in Western Canada when a large portion of Northwest Alberta and the Northwest Territories forests were consumed by wildfire. This required ATCO to coordinate how multiple Incident Command Posts and Emergency Coordination Centres would interface with government and local leaders on response and recovery efforts, as ATCO restored the lifelines that supported community recovery. 

Join us as Ryna presents on the importance of connecting industry with communities in preparation for, response to, and especially recovery from, emergencies and disasters. A path often riddled with complexities, expectations and influences, achieving connections that build resilience requires foresight and fortitude. 

From Survivors to  Heroes – Their Road to Resiliency 

As one of the world’s leading emergency management authorities, Suzanne has worked with governments, communities and companies across the world to help them prepare for, respond to, and/or recover from some of the world’s most significant disasters, including the 9/11, San Bernardino, Manchester, and Brussels terror attacks and New Zealand mosque attacks, the Fort McMurray wildfire, Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, the 2003 Northeast Blackout, the 1998 ‘Ice Storm of the Century’ in Eastern Canada, SARS and the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.

Throughout that time, Suzanne has met, and continues to meet, everyday heroes and helpers who have saved lives, rebuilt communities, and helped complete strangers overcome incredible challenges, just because they felt it was the right thing to do. The presenter will share some of her personal stories and insights on the many “helpers” she has met throughout her career, including a few from her critically acclaimed book, Disaster Heroes. There may even be a surprise local hero or two featured!

While emergency response and business continuity plans, training and exercises are all must-haves for any company, government or agency, it’s the people behind those entities, including the many volunteers, “helpers” and survivors that really step up and shine through.

Specifically, this presentation will highlight ordinary people who have selflessly devoted their time and efforts to help respond and rebuild following some of the world’s most significant disasters. Suzanne will also share a tale or two about some local heroes.

Navigating the Complexities of Disaster Recovery from a Crisis Leadership Perspective

Rebecca Innes is a respected figure in the Disaster and Emergency Management sector with over 18 years of experience across various industries. Armed with a Master’s in Human Security and Peace Building and a range of diplomas and certificates in related fields, she brings a robust academic foundation to her work. 

Rebecca's career trajectory has seen her navigate through industrial, municipal, non-profit, and consulting realms, garnering rich insights into the complexities of emergency response and disaster recovery. As the founder and Principal of Rebecca Innes Consulting (RIC), Rebecca spearheads initiatives aimed at building stronger, more resilient communities. Her expertise in recovery planning and crisis leadership makes her a sought-after expert. 

 While communities have increased their ability to respond to hazards, little is said about recovery planning. Recovery phases can often be the most difficult on a community, creating dramatic psychological impacts, financial burdens, and community turmoil. Join us as we present Rebecca Innes who will speak about navigating the complexities of disaster recovery from a crisis leadership perspective. 

Preparing for a Changing Climate: Implementing Emergency Response Plans for Extreme Heat and Wildfire Smoke in Canmore 

Caitlin Miller is the Director of Emergency Management for the Town of Canmore. Caitlin has a Masters of Public Safety with a specialization in Emergency Management from Wilfrid Laurier University and has combined her education, experience working in other sectors, and local knowledge of the area to enhance Canmore’s emergency management plan.

The Town of Canmore declared a climate emergency in 2019, and Caitlin worked closely with the Town’s Supervisor of Environment and Sustainability on ways to continue to integrate and streamline climate adaptation and hazard mitigation work and preparedness.

Caitlin will discuss how integrating a climate change lens into the Town of Canmore’s emergency management program has led to greater inter-departmental collaboration and opportunities for grant funding while building capacity and resources to respond to hazard events. Caitlin will use the example of the Town of Canmore’s development and implementation of the extreme heat and wildfire smoke response plans to demonstrate this.

Torching the Tape:  Lessons in Crisis Leadership from Calgary’s EOC

Since 1993, Coby Duerr has held various positions in fire and emergency management, and now serves as Deputy Chief of Emergency Management Operations for the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, including the Canada Task Force 2 program.

He has served in leadership roles in numerous emergency events in Calgary and beyond. Coby will share lessons from his experience and academic background in crisis leadership and moving “beyond the speed of government” to collaboratively manage emergency situations. 

Health Equity and Equality in Pandemic Responses

Kevin is a Certified Emergency Manager and Advanced Care Paramedic. He has been involved in all phases of emergency management ranging from participating in legislative change in Alberta for the prevention of opioid overdose deaths, to pandemic preparedness, to wildfire response, to earthquake recovery volunteering at a hospital in Haiti.

Kevin works as an Emergency Management Officer with Alberta Health Services EMS, and he volunteers on a type 3 all-hazards incident management team. He is an internationally recognized speaker, most recently presenting at the Texas Emergency Management Conference and the International Public Safety Association annual conference in Arizona.

In this presentation, Kevin will examine health equity and equality in pandemic responses, focusing on urban versus rural populations and vulnerable populations.

The Importance of Scribes During Your Incident 

Chyenne Shaw has 15 years of experience in Municipal & First Nations Emergency Management and Occupational Health and Safety. She has been involved in over 15 emergency events in Alberta, including the Horse River fire of 2016 and the overland flooding of 2018. In addition to managing these events, she has witnessed the importance of proper documentation in the recovery process, as the lack of documentation can hinder in-depth reviews and financial recovery.

Chyenne has also worked on writing emergency management plans and developing and facilitating table and functional exercises. Most recently, she facilitated a human trafficking operational exercise with the Fort McMurray Airport management, staff and members of the RCMP.

Chyenne will be presenting on the Importance of Scribes During Your Incident, emphasizing the significance of accurate note-taking and documentation during emergencies. Scribes play a crucial role in the incident management team by providing a comprehensive record of actions taken and decisions made, which can be valuable for funding applications, resolving invoices, and conducting thorough reviews of lessons learned.

Chad Stacey and AJ Taillon are both senior members of Cenovus’ Emergency Management program, collectively supporting the

Lloydminster Upgrader, Refinery, Downstream Terminal, Upstream assets and Business Continuity services. Chad and AJ both bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion to Cenovus’ world class Emergency Management team.

Join us as we host Chad and Stacey co-presenting on the unprecedented 2023 wildfire season from an industrial perspective. Throughout 2023, Cenovus had major infrastructure become threatened by wildfire and impacted due to utility disruption via wildfire. These compounding effects required Cenovus’ Emergency Management team to provide swift and strong leadership to create a harmonized approach in dealing with the protection of their companies many assets, workers and reputation.

Function or Profession? The Next Generation of D&EM: Perspectives, Plans and Opportunities for the People and Practice

Disaster and Emergency Management (D&EM) has evolved significantly over the last several decades, from being primarily a response-focused function, to the management of an entire system that includes prevention, mitigation, preparedness, pre-disaster recovery, resilience building and adaptation. The lens through which we consider disaster events has been expanded to include the increased number of natural, human-induced, and technological hazards, compounded by the slow-burning stresses created by human development decisions and social vulnerability, all exacerbated by the risk accelerators of rapid urbanization, globalization, and climate change. The work that needs to be done in the future is different than the focus of the past, and similarly, the people tasked with the work need to change, to enable the creation of safer, more sustainable, and more resilient communities.  In this presentation, the speaker will provide an overview of some work being done to advance the professionalization of D&EM, to guide education, training, and job profiling for future professionals, in a field of practice and research recognized as a discipline of its own.  

Jodi is the President of the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network (CRHNet) and the Program Chair for both the Disaster and Emergency Management and Leadership in Health programs in the School of Health and Life Sciences at NAIT. A passionate educator and change leader, she has participated in several national think tanks and projects, including the National Risk Profile for Canada, multiple DRR Roundtables within Canada and abroad, and co-leading a national core competency working group with IAEM Canada. Jodi holds two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Calgary and a master's degree in Disaster and Emergency Management from Royal Roads University

Welcome to our City: How to be Successful Host Community to First Nation Evacuees

With an extensive background in researching the human dimensions of disasters and hazards specializing in wildfire evacuations, Dr. Tara McGee has been involved in the Emergency Management academic and educational fields for nearly 30 years. For more than 22 years, Dr. McGee has instructed at the University of Alberta’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences including a course on the Human Dimensions of Environmental Hazards which take students through a thought-provoking journey of environmental justice, vulnerability and resilience.

Over the last 7 years, Dr. McGee has contributed several research articles to peer-reviewed journals on the dynamics around First Nation-based evacuations from wildfire and co-leads the “First Nations Wildfire Evacuation Partnership”. This research project led to the creation and distribution of “First Nation Wildfire Evacuations: A Guide for Communities and External Agencies”, a book which guides significant success metrics for those hosting or conducting First Nation-based community evacuations.

Join us as we welcome Dr. McGee to speak on her extensive research, studies, and experiences on First Nation community evacuations, with key information on considerations a host community can take to ensure success.