Water Innovation Forum: A Competitive and Innovative Agriculture Sector

Sunday January 24th, 2011

5:00-7:00 pm    registration

6:00-9:00 pm    reception and buffet dinner

7:00 – 7:25 pm  welcome

Dianne cunningham, director, lawrence national centre for policy and management

Ted hewitt, Vice President, research, The university of western ontario

Joe Fontana, MAyor, city of london (invited)

Bette Jean Crews, president, ontario federation of agriculture

carol stephenson, dean, richard ivey school of business, the university of western ontario

7:30 – 8:30 PM   keynote address: New Worlds of water

margaret catley-carlson, Chair, Crop Diversity Trust and Vice Chair  Agenda Council for the World Economic Forum; member UN Secretary General Advisory Board on Water; Patron, Global Water Partnership

Monday January 24th, 2011

7:00 - 8:00 am           breakfast (registration)  

8:00 – 8:10 a.m.         opening remarks

John Burke, Deputy Minister, Ontario ministry of agriculture, food and rural affairs

session #1: setting the context, water realities

Chair: John kelly, VICE PRESIDENT, ERIE INNOVATION AND COMMERCIALIZATION

8:10-9:30 AM                       PANEL PRESENTATIONS

1.     The Water Reality in Canada Now &   Challenges for the Future
 Jill Baker, Senior Policy Advisor, National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy

2.     Drivers for Future Agricultural Water Policy and AAFC's Role
Richard Butts, Director, Agriculture and Agri-food Canada

3.     What is the Provincial response to balancing water needs?
Sharon Bailey, Director, Ontario Ministry of the Environment

4.     The Great Lakes, legislative changes and the effects on producers
Eric Boysen, Director, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

9:30-10:00 AM                    MODERATED DISCUSSION

10:00-10:15 AM                  Refreshment break

session #2: water and the Canadian agri-food economy

Chair: David Sparling, Chair of agri-food innovation and regulation, richard ivey school of business, the university of western ontario

10:15-11:15 AM                  PANEL PRESENTATIONS

1.     Water Innovation in Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities
Deb Stark, Assistant Deputy Minister, Food Safety and Environment, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

2.      What can we learn from an economic analysis of the value of water?
Steven Renzetti, Professor, Department of Economics, Brock University

3.     What is the importance of water to growers and the plant (the entire value chain), and how can environmental stewardship be promoted as a marketing tool?
Tom O’Neill, General Manager, Norfolk Fruit Growers

4.     How are Canadian industry strategies changing in response to water policies and how will they change in the future to new water demands? 
Helmi Ansari, Director of Sustainability and Productivity, Pepsico

11:15-11:45 PM                  MODERATED DISCUSSION

11:45-12:30 PM                  LUNCH – SPENCER LEADERSHIP CENTRE

session #3: sustainable water infrastructure and technological solutions

Chair: Maxine Kingston, technical director, agri-environmental service branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

12:30-1:30 PM                     PANEL PRESENTATIONS

1.     What are the new and emerging technologies to improve water efficiency?  Case study- crop irrigation
Wayne Palichuk, Chairman, Leamington Area Drip Irrigation Inc.

2.     Case study- livestock

Garry Fortune, Energy Consultant, Stanton Farms, Stanton Bros. Ltd.

3.     Innovative water technologies and waste water strategies
Alex Keen, Chief Executive Officer, ALTECH Technology Systems Inc, Algoma Orchards tech installation

 4.    Case study- irrigation and greenhouse technological solutions
Guido van het Hof, President and General Manager, Soave Agricultural Group

1:30-2:15 PM                       MODERATED DISCUSSION

2:15-2:30 PM                       Refreshments available at Spencer Leadership Centre

session #4: The Implementation Gap

Chair: john fitzgibbon, PROFESSOR, SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH

2:30-3:00 PM      

1.     The role of conservation and the need for collaboration between all levels of government
Don Pearson, General Manager, Conservation Ontario

2.     The Implementation Gap: From Policy to Action
Bruce Mitchell, Professor and Associate Provost, Resources, Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo

3:00-3:20 PM                       MODERATED DISCUSSION

3:20-4:20 PM                       discussion: the way forward for industry, academia and government

4:20-4:30 PM              Closing statements