Webinar: building sustainable communities with the bioeconomy

On Nov. 26, 2020, from 8:00-10:00 a.m. PST, the Canadian Bioeconomy Conference and Exhibition will host a webinar called ‘Building Sustainable Communities with the Bioeconomy.”

This webinar will explore the development of the bioeconomy from the perspective of communities.

The forest is at the foundation of a circular bioeconomy, providing sustainable products, chemicals, and energy that can be substituted for fossil fuels, store carbon, and reduce waste. What does this mean for the hundreds of communities across Canada that are reliant on the forest industry? It can mean new opportunities for communities to capture as much value as possible from their adjacent resources and translating these opportunities into jobs and know-how, energy security, a reduced carbon footprint, diverse products, and confidence in their futures.

This is a new opportunity for the governments that work to preserve forest sustainability, for the companies that have invested billions in manufacturing capacity and distribution, and for the hundreds of communities across Canada that are home to the people with exceptional skills and experience in the sector.

Webinar program

Introduction: Prince George

This British Columbia city has hosted our conference since its inception in 2004. It is also a fantastic example of the many components of a modern bioeconomy that can flourish in a single community.

• Garth Frizzell, Prince George city councillor and president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
• Rob van Adrichem, chair of the Canadian Bioeconomy Conference and Exhibition

Panel 1: Seizing opportunities and leading the way

• Dominik Roeser, professor, UBC Forestry
• Sebnem Madrali, research engineer, CanMet Energy – NRCan
• Jamie Stephen, managing director, TorchLight Bioresources

Learn about the role that communities across Canada and around the globe are playing in the bioeconomy of today, and the opportunities that exist to play an even greater role in the bioeconomy of tomorrow. Through development of community-based bioenergy systems and biomass supply chains, communities can become energy self-sufficient, stimulate the local economy, reduce their carbon footprint, and build the capacity required to enhance resilience and adapt to changes that are sometimes beyond their control.

Moderator – Jean Blair, postdoctoral research fellow in the Renewable Energy Development and Implementation Lab at Queen’s University

Panel 2: Real successes from real communities

• Leslie Groulx, chief administrative officer, District of Clearwater
• Chris Kalesnikoff, chief operating officer, Kalesnikoff Lumber Company
• Gord Chipman, forest manager, Alkali Resource Management
• Trevor Fourmeaux, director of plant services, Interior Health

The diverse examples of community-based projects outlined by the panelists will demonstrate what’s achievable for indigenous communities, local governments, forest companies, and other public sector organizations when they collaborate and work to realize the community benefits of the bioeconomy.

Moderator: David Dubois, Fink Machine Inc.

To register for the conference, click here.

This webinar is the second to be presented by the Canadian Bioeconomy Conference and Exhibition, which is the largest and longest-running event of its type in Canada. The next conference will be digital and occur in June 2021. In the meantime, our webinars are helping to keep the bioeconomy front-and-centre and fostering dialogue between communities, governments, industry, First Nations, academia, and youth.