The Quay, 3rd Floor, 100 Queens Quay East, Toronto, ON
In Person
We’re pleased to be the 2024 host of the Great Lakes Sustainable Growth Forum in partnership with the Council of the Great Lakes Region.
This annual gathering, established in 2015, celebrates and examines the remarkable impact of the Great Lakes region – a 10,000-mile stretch of shoreline connecting vital economic regions across the U.S. and Canada.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region comprises eight states, from New York to Minnesota, as well as the provinces of Ontario and Québec. For millennia, this region has also been the traditional territory for many Indigenous Nations and Peoples and a vital ecological region. Today, it also serves as a vital region in the global economy.
The region is responsible for over 50% of two-way trade between the United States and Canada. With a staggering annual GDP of 6 trillion USD, it would place as the world’s third-largest national economy. It is home to 107 million residents and 51 million jobs, representing one-third of the combined US-Canadian workforce.
At the heart of the economic region is one of the largest freshwater systems on the planet, the five Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. Over 20% of the world’s surface freshwater flows through these lakes before reaching the Gulf of the St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean, and they are extremely sensitive to pollution and climate change.
Hosting this annual gathering in Toronto is an extraordinary opportunity for critical conversations aimed at fostering economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and long-term success. Join us, and the Council, in the critical conversations that will foster a new era of shared economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and individual success, across borders and sectors, in the years and decades to come.
Event Takeaways:
- Gain insights into the region's top sustainability issues, trends as well as cutting-edge research and solutions from leading experts.
- Connect with influential leaders from government, business, academia and the non-profit sector in the Great Lakes region.
- Engage in a regional agenda focused on fostering collaboration and driving systemic change for the long-term competitiveness and accelerated progress of sustainable development across the region.
Agenda
Day 1: Tuesday, June 24, 2024
Venue: Arcadia Earth, 486 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario
6:00 – 8:00 pm: Opening Reception and Registration
Day 2: Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Venue: The Quay - 100 Queens Quay East, Toronto, ON
7:00 – 8:00 am: Breakfast
8:10 – 8:30 am: Welcome Remarks from Mark Fisher, President and CEO, Council of the Great Lakes Region and Giles Gherson, President and CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade
8:30 – 9:00 am: Keynote: State of the Great Lakes Economy Outlook with Doug Porter, Chief Economist, BMO Capital Markets
9:00 – 11:00 am: Keynote Address (TBC) and Networking Break
11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Breakout Sessions
- Skilling Up
- Sustainable Infrastructure
- Easing Border Congestion
12:00 – 1:30 pm: Presentation: Moving Forward, Faster: The Future of Passenger Rail in the Great Lakes Region
1:30 – 2:30 pm: Breakout Sessions
- Great Lakes AI and Data Science
- USMCA+5
- Entrepreneurship
2:30 – 3:00 pm: Networking Break
3:00 – 4:00 pm: Panel: The Great Lakes Auto Sector
4:00 – 5:00 pm: Panel: The Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Seaway
6:00 – 9:00 pm: Reception, Dinner, and Great Lakes Changemaker Awards Ceremony
Day 3: Thursday, June 27, 2024
Venue: The Quay - 100 Queens Quay East, Toronto, ON
8:00 – 9:00 am: Tech Breakfast
9:00 – 9:25 am: Keynote (Speaker and Topic TBC)
9:25 – 9:50 am: Fireside Chat: The Business of Sustainability
9:50 – 10:30 am: Panel: Sustainable Finance
10:30 – 11:00 am: Networking Break
11:00 – 11:45 am: Breakout Sessions
Freshwater Future
Back to our Roots
A Fair and Just Future
11:45 am – 1:00 pm: Fireside Chat: Achieving Global Sustainable Development Goals in the U.S. / Canada Great Lakes Region
1:00 – 1:45 pm: Breakout Sessions
Nature Now
Accelerating Climate Ambitions
1:45 - 2:00pm: Networking Break
2:00 – 2:45 pm: Panel: Circular Great Lakes
2:45 – 3:05 pm: Presentation: Creating Change
3:05 – 3:45 pm: Fireside Chat: A Renewed U.S. / Canada Partnership: Leading the Way in the Great Lakes Region
3:45 – 4:00 pm: Concluding Remarks
Speakers
Tickets & Registration
Toronto Region Board of Trade / Council of the Great Lakes Region Members:
$650 CAD / $475 USD*
Non-Member:
$800 CAD / $585 USD*
Please note a single ticket will grant access to the full schedule of events on both June 26th and 27th, as well as the opening reception on June 25th.
*Exact USD pricing will be based on the daily exchange rate.