Alberta Rural Connectivity Forum Agenda

Day 1 - March 23 {Community Broadband Updates}

11:00am MST

Pre-Forum Workshop

Broadband 101

Michael B. McNally - Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta

12:30pm MST

Pre-conference networking

12:55pm MST

Welcome to Day 1 of the Alberta Rural Connectivity Forum

1:00pm MST

Building community broadband in the Town of Viking

Don R. McLeod - Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Viking

1:45pm MST

Building community broadband in the Town of Vermilion

Caroline McAuley - Mayor, Town of Vermilion

2:30pm MST

Networking Break

2:45pm MST

Building community broadband in Sturgeon County

Rob Schneider - Information Services Manager, Sturgeon County

3:30pm MST

Panel Discussion
The crisis of connectivity within First Nations communities

Dr. Rob McMahon - Associate Professor, Media & Technology Studies Unitย and the Department of Political Science, University of Alberta

Ron Minks - COO, Enoch Cree Nation

Vaughn Paul - CEO, First Nations Technical Services Advisory Group (TSAG)

Ula Shirt - Communications Specialist, Piikani Youth & Education Foundation

Penny Carpenter - Network Business Manager, K-Net Kuhkenah

4:30pm MST

Closing Remarks to Day 1 of the Alberta Rural Connectivity Forum

Day 2 - March 24 {Regulatory and Technical}

11:00am MST

Pre-Forum Workshop

The current state of Alberta's connectivity: infrastructure, demand, and technological developments

Erwin Loewen - Former Director of Technology, Alberta SuperNet

12:30pm MST

Pre-conference networking

12:55pm MST

Welcome to Day 2 of the Alberta Rural Connectivity Forum

1:00pm MST

Meet the new CRTC Commissioner for Alberta and NWT

Nirmala Naidoo - CRTC Commissioner, Alberta & NWTย 

1:30pm MST

Mapping rural broadband with Rural Municipalities of Alberta

Paul McLauchlin - President, Board of Directors, Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA)

2:00pm MST

The importance of technology and innovation

Tom Mansfield - Executive Director, Industry and Regional Relations, Government of Alberta

2:15pm MST

Networking Break

2:30pm MST

Panel Discussion
Are Low Earth Orbit satellites coming to our rescue?

Mark Wolff - Chief Technology Officer, CANARIE

Michele Beck - Vice President of North American Sales, Telesat

Joel Templeman - Executive Director at Internet Society Manitoba Chapter

Jaymon Lefebvre - Director, Information Technology Services, Wild Rose School Division

3:30pm MST

A federal government perspective on rural connectivity

Gudie Hutchings - Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, Government of Canada

4:15pm MST

Closing Remarks to Day 2 of the Alberta Rural Connectivity Forum