2021 Events

Part 7 – Sustainable, Attainable, Affordable Housing – it affects us all!

Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 4:30-6pm

About this event

The Our Sustainable Future seven-part series is continuing to focus on developing a regional vision in line with Sustainable Development Goal 11 – Make communities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Housing is at the top of the milestone list for reaching this goal.

We need an “all hands-on deck” regional approach to tackle the lack of housing in broad segments of our population. Young people working in the service industry, professionals trying to buy their first home, seniors needing rental accommodations, cannot find a place to live which they can afford.

A challenge for too long, the question for all of us is: Where do we want to be in 5 years on this issue? The housing crisis is impacting the vitality of our communities, now.

Panellists:

Marg Scheben-Edey, Vice Chair, Collingwood Affordable Housing Task Force and Chair, Regional Housing Committee, Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness. Marg will present on housing needs in the region and data from the recently published reports from these two committees, emphasizing the need across the population.

Robert Voigt, Director, Development Services, Meaford will highlight planning processes, challenges and opportunities for municipal and builder communities, benefits of a regional approach, what needs to change and what levers are available.

Andrea Nemtin, Executive Director, Social Innovation Canada will present on Financial Strategies from the recently published report on the Financialization of Housing, done with CHMC, MaRS Discovery District, and Centre for Social Innovation.

Shirley Keaveney, Deputy Mayor, Meaford will talk about Social Finance tools including community loan funds, community bonds, and land trusts, which can help to increase the housing supply. She will also highlight our region’s participation in a national housing lab, where innovative ideas are being developed and tested across the county to accelerate progress.

Audience: Municipal leaders and staff, business owners, service providers, investors, developers, and residents from across the region. Lack of housing is not a special interest issue – it is affecting us all.

Lead Partners: The Municipalities of: Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, Meaford, Grey Highlands and Wasaga Beach; The Institute of Southern Georgian Bay

Supporting Partners: Community Futures, Greenland Consulting Engineers, and Julia White/Cooperators

Our Sustainable Future: Get Inspired, Get Informed, Get to Work!

Our Sustainable Future: Get Inspired, Get Informed, Get to Work! Part 6 of our 7-part online discussion series.

About this event

We believe that Southern Georgian Bay can meet today’s needs of the planet, its people, and economic vitality…without compromising the needs of future generations.

Part Six – The Impact of Innovation on Building Resilient, Sustainable Economies
November 17, 2021, 4:30-6:00pm

If the outcomes of Sustainable Development Goal #11 are what we want – including progress on housing, environmental challenges, transportation, integrated planning and protecting our cultural and natural heritage – Innovation offers a process to achieve them.

Moderator:

Gillian Fairley, General Manager, Community Futures South Georgian Bay

Panellists:

Tonya Kraan, Co-founder and COO of SHCG
Linda Swanston, Manager, Climate Change Initiatives, Grey County
Melissa Gerrard, National Expansion Director, Green Economy Canada

Event Details:

These innovators will discuss how we can nurture the new thinking required and build communities of innovation to act as catalysts for integrated planning and sustainable economic development. Speakers will share examples of how the transition to sustainable economies is happening in their sectors, highlighting successful examples of processes and projects, which are nurturing innovation, new enterprises, and new technologies.

We will learn more about the elements of innovation:

– Defining problems in a more robust way
– Engaging more than the “usual suspects”
– Acknowledging multi-dimensions and shifting variables affecting problems
– Taking experimental approaches
– Developing protoype concepts
– Testing ideas
– Investing in projects

Speakers and audience participants will discuss the elements of innovation and look at the culture of business, government, not-for-profit, and philanthropic sectors. Together, we will explore:

– How can we encourage the cross-sector dialogue that innovation requires?
– How can we enable innovation between sectors?
– How are you mobilizing innovation in your sector?
– How can economic development be integrated with social and environmental considerations?
– What do we still need in our region to be successful?

Lead Partners: The Municipalities of: Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, Meaford, Grey Highlands and Wasaga Beach; The Institute of Southern Georgian Bay

Supporting Partners: Community Futures, Greenland Consulting Engineers, and Julia White/Cooperators

Investing in a Healthy Planet

Thursday, June 24, 7:00pm – 8:30pm

The Climate Action Team is hosting a community panel presentation followed by a moderated Q&A with the aim to inspire us all to take action for the climate with our investments.

Our Sustainable Future: Get Inspired, Get Informed, Get to Work!

Part Five – Envisioning a Low Carbon Future
June 16, 2021, 4:30pm – 6pm

We believe that Southern Georgian Bay can meet today’s needs of the planet, its people, and economic vitality…without compromising the needs of future generations.

The need for a collective community response to climate change mitigation is now. With an ever-growing number of cities and towns across Canada already committing to meaningful GHG emission reduction targets and proactive low carbon efforts, Southern Georgian Bay has a valuable opportunity to follow suit with its own regional approach. Now more than ever, we need to work together to engage our municipal, business, non-profit, philanthropic, and grassroot organization assets in taking a united stance for a resilient, sustainable, and equitable future.

Tova Davidson

Tova Davidson, Executive Director, Sustainable Waterloo Region (SWR) will share the SWR journey and its ambitious vision of supporting an environmentally and economically resilient community. Tova was selected by The Guelph Mercury for Top 40 Under 40, and is the recipient of the Mayor’s Award of Excellence.

On June 16, learn more, participate in breakout sessions, and help take the collective sustainability of our community to the next level.

Tova leads SWR under the Board of Directors, by developing their strategic direction, supporting team members, and building key relationships. She brings her experience in public relations and communications to creatively approach sustainability opportunities. Paired with her business background she is primed to collaborate with top organizations in Waterloo Region to drive change locally and provincially.

She will discuss the evolution and success of SWR and its flagship program, the Regional Carbon Initiative, and how this fully integrated environmental sustainability program evolved to meet the needs of the community, unify the Region in addressing climate change mitigation, and facilitate the net reduction of over 69,471 tonnes of GHG emissions as of 2019.

Tova will also share lessons learned in the development of SWR, the value of grassroots efforts, requisite community culture shifts, and how such insights could apply to the implementation of a similar initiative here in our own backyard.

Let’s imagine a regional Climate Action Plan inspired by leaders in the field and our own creativity to create a low carbon future!

Our Sustainable Future: Get Inspired, Get Informed, Get to Work!

Photo by Shane Rounce on Unsplash

Our Sustainable Future: Get Inspired, Get Informed, Get to Work!

 

 

Southern Georgian Bay can meet today’s needs of the planet, its people, and economic vitality…without compromising the needs of future generations.

Part Four – The Changing Role of Municipalities
May 12, 2021, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

About this Event

Southern Georgian Bay can meet today’s needs of the planet, its people, and economic vitality…without compromising the needs of future generations.

Building on previous discussions in this series, municipal leaders will discuss the changing role of municipalities post-pandemic, potential alignment on the top three issues facing our region, and how we can accelerate learning, knowledge-sharing, and action on projects ensuring a sustainable future.

Speakers Include:

  • Mayor Barb Clumpus, Meaford
  • Mayor Paul McQueen, Grey Highlands
  • Deputy Mayor Rob Potter, The Blue Mountains
  • Mayor Brian Saunderson, Collingwood
  • Mayor Nina Bifolchi, Wasaga Beach

Part Four

Our Sustainable Future: Get Inspired, Get Informed, Get to Work!

Join us for our seven-part Sustainability Series. We believe that Southern Georgian Bay can meet today’s needs of the planet, its people, and economic vitality…without compromising the needs of future generations.

Part Three – Building the Next Economy
April 14, 2021, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

About this Event

Many communities are facing the same issues and lots of people are talking about redesigning our economies to meet sustainable development goals. Now more than ever we need to work together to build our local economies for a resilient, sustainable, and equitable future.

Let’s imagine a regional economy framework inspired by leaders in the field, case studies, tools, and strategies, which will help Southern Georgian Bay build healthier communities.

Learn more, participate in breakout sessions, and help design our next economy.

What do you want the next economy to look like?

Speakers will share their “Why, What, and How” real world experiences and best practices for the Next Economy.

Participant break-out sessions will explore emerging economies including:

  • Next economy
  • Green Economy
  • Knowledge Economy
  • Arts Economy
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship

“Thrive!” Regional Arts Check-In

 

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“Thrive!” Regional Arts Check-In – final event in this series Wednesday, March 17, 4:30-5:30pm via Zoom

About this Event

“Thrive!”

Regional Arts Check-In – final event in this series

Wednesday, March 17, 4:30-5:30pm via Zoom

Special Guest – Collingwood’s Poet Laureate, Claudia Ferraro will perform a piece prepared especially for the occasion – all about thriving in the midst of these extra-challenging times.

The Regional Arts Action Network invites you to the final event in this four-part series designed to help artists and leaders of arts organizations in our region to Connect, Support, Survive, and Thrive!

Over the last few months we have been hosting this series of gatherings and accumulating some really great information provided by artists, makers, local businesses and organizations within the Southern Georgian Bay region. This input has given us the direction we need to create a strategy and foundational mission that will guide the development of a Network dedicated to fulfilling the needs identified throughout the series, and ultimately empower the arts and culture sector of Southern Georgian Bay.

We are at a really exciting point in the process, and this is where we need you! We want to hear your input on the Draft Regional Arts and Culture Strategy and develop a plan for moving forward. Let’s work together to create an agenda for this spring, summer, fall, winter, and let’s not stop there. This Network is all about growing, thriving, and becoming stronger together.

You don’t want to miss this – this is our chance to work together – move forward – and Thrive. We look forward to seeing you!

Our Sustainable Future: Get Inspired, Get Informed, Get to Work!


 

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About this Event

We believe that Southern Georgian Bay can meet today’s needs of the planet, its people, and economic vitality…without compromising the needs of future generations.

March 10, 4:30-6pm – the second event in a seven-part series

Chief Administration Officers from across the region highlight pressing issues, potential alignment for accelerating action, and the use of innovation and integrated planning.

Speakers:

  • Rob Armstrong, CAO, Meaford
  • Shawn Everitt, CAO, The Blue Mountains
  • Sonya Skinner, CAO, Collingwood
  • George Vadeboncoeur, CAO, Wasaga Beach

Lead Partners:
The Institute of Southern Georgian Bay, The Municipality of Meaford, Town of The Blue Mountains

Supporting Partners:
Centre for Business, The Co-operators

7-part online discussion series launching Wednesday, February 10 through November, 2021

We believe that Southern Georgian Bay can meet today’s needs of the planet, its people, and economic vitality…without compromising the needs of future generations.

The fragmented and siloed practices of the past will no longer suffice for today’s world.

It is evident, and accentuated with COVID-19, that change is constant and it is happening at a frenetic pace.

The Sustainability series is being implemented to ignite a regional sustainability vision, and facilitate the development of a guiding roadmap towards a more resilient, inclusive, safe, and sustainable Southern Georgian Bay.

Taking a regional and holistic approach, we will inspire and collaborate with community members to enable sustainable change in the region. This initiative will both create awareness of, and generate discussion about, what makes a vibrant sustainable community, as well as encourage citizens to learn more about their community and “become the change they want to see” via three key streams:

Regional speaker series
Learn from leaders across the province who are successfully integrating sustainable development initiatives into their respective communities. Participate in the community discussion.

A community of practice
Bring together individuals, from all sectors, for knowledge sharing, collaboration and driving lasting change in the region.

Transparent feedback loops
Enable the community to have more coordinated, collaborative, open and transparent communications to drive greater change, continuous improvement and adapt accordingly.

While a comprehensive understanding of community-based sustainability strategies is important, local action and measurable progress of sustainability are the long-term goals of this initiative. As such, key outcomes of this series will include the development of an action-oriented initiative roadmap to address current Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) related gaps in the region:

  • Mapping out sources of capital for key demonstration projects;
  • Capabilities to measure and track Regional progress; and,
  • Successfully develop and deliver SDG-focused projects beginning in 2021.

We are excited to help YOU envision a path forward to drive sustainable development in the Region. Let’s get to work!

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” – Robert Swan

Getting Through the Pandemic: Arts & Culture Check-in – Survive

 

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About this Event

Wednesday, February 17th, 4:30 to 5:30 pm.

Join us for the 3rd event of this 4-part series “Getting through the Pandemic: Arts & Culture Check-In”.

The reality of surviving:

What does that look like? What does it take? We’re checking in!

Through the continuing conversation in these events, common themes are emerging, and ideas for a Regional Strategy to support this sector are taking shape. We are moving forward and putting ideas into action with the creation of the Regional Arts Action Network (RAAN).

We invite you to join the conversation. Share your thoughts, have your say, and participate in what we can do together!

Our Sustainable Future: Get Inspired, Get Informed, Get to Work!

Register Now

Why Build a Case for a Sustainable Future?

About this Event

Speakers:

  • The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
  • Brian Saunderson, Mayor of Collingwood
  • Sonya Skinner, Chief Administrative Officer, Collingwood
  • Shawn Everitt, Chief Administrative Officer, The Blue Mountains

Community interactive session:

  1. What do we need to have in our communities to be sustainable?
  2. How will we know when we are successful?
  3. What data points should we be tracking on progress over the next ten years?

Opportunity: Building on the UN Habitat in Towns: Collingwood World Summit, held in 2020, we have a timely opportunity to learn more about Canada’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and how to build back better and create integrated, resilient and equitable transformations towards sustainability.

If not now, when? Let’s create collaborative solutions to our housing and environmental challenges and begin connecting innovative towns and districts to accelerate progress!

7-part online discussion series launching Wednesday, February 10 through November, 2021

We believe that Southern Georgian Bay can meet today’s needs of the planet, its people, and economic vitality…without compromising the needs of future generations.

The fragmented and siloed practices of the past will no longer suffice for today’s world.

It is evident, and accentuated with COVID-19, that change is constant and it is happening at a frenetic pace.

The Sustainability series is being implemented to ignite a regional sustainability vision, and facilitate the development of a guiding roadmap towards a more resilient, inclusive, safe, and sustainable Southern Georgian Bay.

Taking a regional and holistic approach, we will inspire and collaborate with community members to enable sustainable change in the region. This initiative will both create awareness of, and generate discussion about, what makes a vibrant sustainable community, as well as encourage citizens to learn more about their community and “become the change they want to see” via three key streams:

Regional speaker series

Learn from leaders across the province who are successfully integrating sustainable development initiatives into their respective communities. Participate in the community discussion.

A community of practice

Bring together individuals, from all sectors, for knowledge sharing, collaboration and driving lasting change in the region.

Transparent feedback loops

Enable the community to have more coordinated, collaborative, open and transparent communications to drive greater change, continuous improvement and adapt accordingly.

While a comprehensive understanding of community-based sustainability strategies is important, local action and measurable progress of sustainability are the long-term goals of this initiative. As such, key outcomes of this series will include the development of an action-oriented initiative roadmap to address current Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) related gaps in the region:

  • Mapping out sources of capital for key demonstration projects;
  • Capabilities to measure and track Regional progress; and,
  • Successfully develop and deliver SDG-focused projects beginning in 2021.

We are excited to help YOU envision a path forward to drive sustainable development in the Region. Let’s get to work!

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” – Robert Swan

Getting Through the Pandemic: Arts & Culture Check-in

 

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Artists, Makers, Writers, Performers: We know you have been hit hard by the pandemic. Join us to Connect – Support – Survive – Thrive

About this Event

Dean Hollin, Co-Chair, Regional Arts & Culture Strategy

How’s about grabbing your favourite libation, getting comfy, and joining us?!?

The next instalment of the RAAN’s “Getting Through the Pandemic: Arts and Culture Check-In” is fast-approaching – January 13th, 4:30 – 5:30pm.

Our first check-in back in November was all about starting valuable connections with all you art-loving individuals – our next step is to find ways to support each other during these rather tricky times.

It’ll be sixty or so minutes filled with arts-related chat, ideas, reflections, observations, special guests – even a bit of entertainment.

So… if you’re an artist of any discipline or a supporter of arts and culture in any way, shape or form — we’d love to have you there!

Tickets for the event are absolutely no-charge, of course. That wonderful, smiling face of yours – and your voice, too – is all that we’re hoping you’ll bring. And hey – you only have to be dressed from the waist up!

Please register for: Getting Through the Pandemic: Arts & Culture Check-in “Support”

This is the second of a four-part series for the Arts Community of Southern Georgian Bay: Connect, Support, Survive and Thrive. By working together to get through the pandemic we believe a robust strategy will emerge to support arts and culture in the region now and into the future.