Workshop Theme: Building the Modern Grid: Infrastructure, Investment, and Growth
Canada is undertaking energy infrastructure development at a pace and scale not seen in decades. This expansion requires critical decisions about governance, risk allocation, and asset ownership across diverse projects, from megaprojects and distributed energy resources to grid connections serving growing data centre demand. This workshop examines how these decisions are being made and explores emerging models across the energy sector, from financing and megaproject governance to the future of distributed generation.
Date: November 19, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:15 PM
Location: 100 King Street W (Entrance located on Adelaide St. W.) Toronto, Ontario
The Ivey Energy Policy and Management Centre gratefully acknowledges continued financial support from the Ivey Energy Consortium and Ted Kernaghan, HBA '65; as well as the following organizations for their financial support of this particular event: The Alberta Electric System Operator, The Canadian Association for Energy Economics, The Independent Electricity Systems Operator, Alberta’s Market Surveillance Administrator, and London Economics.
Current Agenda:
| Time | Function | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| 7:45 a.m. |
Registration Opens |
|
| 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. |
Breakfast Keynote Keynote begins at 8:30 a.m. |
Hon. Matthew Rae, Associate Minister of Energy and Intensive Industries |
| 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. |
Session 1: Models for Data Centre Integration |
Moderator: Daniel Johnson, MSA Speakers: John Vellone, BLG Ahmed Maria, IESO Jacquelyn Pless, Rotman Nicole LeBlanc, AESO |
| 10:30 - 10:50 a.m. |
Morning Refreshments |
|
| 10:50 a.m. - 12:20 p.m. |
Session 2: Governance of Energy Megaprojects |
Moderator: Guy Holburn, Ivey Business School Speakers: Eric Gould, Partner, Modus David Hay, EPCOR and Hydro One Carrie Vokes, Bruce Power
|
| 12:20 - 1:55 p.m. |
Lunch Keynote: "What do the Data Tell Us about the Costs of Connecting to the Grid?" |
Sarah Johnston, University of Calgary |
| 1:55 - 3:25 p.m. |
Session 3: Who Should Manage Distributed Generation?
|
Moderator: Ted Wigdor, Electricity Distributors Association Speakers: Matt Sachs, Calyx Home Energy Tom Chapman, Brattle Spencer Gill, Hydro One |
| 3:25 - 3:45 p.m. |
Afternoon Refreshments |
|
| 3:45 - 5:15 p.m. |
Session 4: Financing Energy Infrastructure: Balancing Risk and Return |
Moderator: Ben Dachis, Clean Prosperity Speakers: George Vegh, Munk School, University of Toronto Indy J. Butany, Atrium Economics Lawrie Gluck, Northend Consulting |
| 5:15 - 5:20 p.m. |
Closing Remarks |
Brandon Schaufele, Ivey Business School |
| 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. |
Cocktail Reception and Dinner Keynote at Ivey's DKJ Centre |
Amanda Klein, President & CEO of Elexicon Energy |