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Ontario’s Greenbelt is an extraordinary achievement that is under attack and must be defended – or it will be effectively destroyed. The Greenbelt provides protection and vitality to our farmlands, forests and waterways as well as opportunities for our local economies and the quality of our community life.

The attacks on the Greenbelt are both direct and indirect. Direct attacks come from government actions in concert with the ambitions of land development and land speculation businesses to simply “carve out chunks of land from the Greenbelt”, to quote the Premier of Ontario.

Indirect attacks come from a continuing flow of Bills in the Legislature, revisions in official Public Policy Statements and inappropriate Ministerial Zoning Orders. These also include changes in democratic public processes and protections provided by institutional mandates, like the hobbling of our Conservation Authorities.

Step by step, through these actions the Provincial Government continues to weaken and place in jeopardy not only the Greenbelt but as well, our agricultural productivity, real housing affordability and our struggle to deal with climate change.

With less than two per cent of Canadians now actively living and working on farms, the questions being asked about how food is produced will only increase as people become further distanced from their farming ancestors.

Consumers care about the cost of food, climate change, animal care, sustainability and food related to their health and want straight answers – but often don’t know where to go for them.

This presentation will delve into some of the most common questions asked about food and farming in this country, the technologies being introduced into modern agriculture and what farmers are currently doing to produce food that is environmentally sustainable, healthy and safe.

Dr. Samantha Winemaker works as a community palliative care physician in Hamilton.

She is passionate about taking the “scary” out of the topic and about communicating the importance of a “palliative care” approach in all areas of medicine.  Sammy is the co-author of the new book ‘Hope for the Best, Plan for the Rest’ and co-host of the podcast ‘The Waiting Room Revolution‘. Both are designed to empower patients and families facing a life-changing diagnosis.

Based on researching and caring for thousands of patients, she will share 7 keys that can activate patients, families, and providers to have a better illness journey.

Housing is both a human right and a speculative commodity and therein lies the crux of the problem. Everyone’s talking about it and there is no shortage of ideas about how solve the housing crisis.

But what if we aren’t asking the right questions? What if it’s not just a question of how much housing, but what kind of housing and for whom?  What if we need to think beyond what the market can do, both in terms of adding new supply, and protecting existing affordable housing.

In this talk, Dr. Brian Doucet will take you on a journey from coast to coast to learn about projects, policies and programs that are already making a difference. He will argue that we already have the knowledge and tools in place to deal with the housing crisis. And what’s more, we don’t need to look to Sweden or Singapore. Instead, we need to learn about what works here, scale up those ideas and roll them out across the country. The examples already happening are a source of inspiration and gives us hope that maybe the solutions to the housing crisis are hiding in plain sight!

Shining the Spotlight on the Wilson College of Leadership and Civic Engagement.

There is no doubt that some people are born to be leaders, but it is critical not to lose sight of countless others who may not see themselves in leadership roles because they have never been given a chance.

At a time when public trust in our elected and appointed officials is continuing to erode, it is necessary to think seriously about the qualities leaders must possess. At the very least, leaders must abandon the notion that leadership is about popularity. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Leadership is about the desire to make a difference, to improve the life of the country, and to instil in its policies a deep and abiding respect for all people. The health of our democracy and democratic institutions relies heavily on those who possess and exhibit these attributes.