Theme: RE:DESIGN

Imagine Kanata and Ottawa’s most fascinating and engaging presenters, artists and thinkers coming together to share their passions and discuss their visions for the world all within an underlying theme. Well, it’s happening at TEDxKanata! Join us for inspiration, innovation and, of course, ideas worth spreading— featuring some of Canada’s most interesting and challenging speakers.

Our theme for 2018 is “RE:DESIGN“, there are many ways to interpret this title, however we imagine it is a look at ways we are building the future in our society, in our culture, and in our relationships. It is an exploration of how we can redesign ideas and processes, making way for new opportunities and approaches where disruptive new technologies lead us to create variations on what was, what is, and what will be.

Brookstreet Hotel
525 Legget Dirve
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Ottawa, Ontario, K2K2W2
Canada

Catherine Cano

Catherine Cano, President and General Manager of the Cable Public Affairs Channel, has more than 20 years of executive leadership experience in broadcasting across all platforms, in Canada, the United States, and internationally. Among her many awards and distinctions are two Geminis and the Michener Prize, one of Canadian journalism’s most distinguished honours. In November 2017, Catherine was honoured as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful by the Women’s Executive Network – an honour she also received in 2012. In 2017, Catherine was honoured with the highly regarded Women in Communications & Technology Innovator of the Year Award.

Emily De Sousa

Emily is the founder and owner of the sustainable travel blog “Airplanes and Avocados” which discusses sustainable travel options and marine conservation issues. Her academic focus is within environmental policy and governance, working towards better regulation of our oceans – specifically the high seas – to combat pollution, overfishing, and other illegal practices putting our oceans at risk. When Emily is not studying, she spends her time traveling around the globe, especially ecotourism destinations, and capturing plastic pollution in coastal communities.

Emily DeSousa

Let’s talk “Airplanes and Avocados” with Emily De Sousa, a 22-year-old environmental activist and passionate ocean lover. Emily is the founder and owner of the sustainable travel blog “Airplanes and Avocados” which discusses sustainable travel options and marine conservation issues. Her academic focus is within environmental policy and governance, working towards better regulation of our oceans – specifically the high seas – to combat pollution, overfishing, and other illegal practices putting our oceans at risk. When Emily is not studying, she spends her time traveling around the globe, especially ecotourism destinations, and capturing plastic pollution in coastal communities.

Jay Gosselin

"Create a life that feels good on the inside, not one that just looks good on the outside." Jay Gosselin, the founder of MentorU and the Discover Year Program is striving for significance. Jay uses his own non-traditional career path to demonstrate how action, openness, and authenticity are foundational principles when building a purposeful career and life. Jay has travelled to 51 countries, held 19 different jobs, and lived in 7 Canadian cities. His greatest lessons have come through dozens of job rejections, being cut from competitive sports teams, and an abandoned wedding engagement. The combination of insights Jay has gathered from meeting over 13,000 students, conducting research in psychology and education, and his own experiences, enable him to create meaningful programming for young adults striving to build purposeful lives. To pursue his passion for helping others reach their potential, Jay returned to school at the age of 30, and is currently completing a Master’s degree in educational counselling in his spare time.

Jim Provost

Jim Provost spends his days predicting the future at Lixar IT. As the Lead Data Scientist, Machine Learning, Jim understands the multifaceted landscape of Deep Learning technology, distributed LAMP applications, SharePoint farms and managing an agile development team. He is a self-proclaimed math nerd who specializes in areas like data sciences, software development and business analysis, to name just a few. Jim’s background and experience spans across a spectrum of business areas, like product and project management, testing cycles, overseeing large-application architectures, as well as SEO and online marketing. A veteran of start-ups, non-profits, and large enterprises, Jim is happiest when things just work like they’re supposed to. “I’m lucky to have a ridiculously cool job and work with amazing people” is Jim’s take on his career status quo. Jim holds a M.Sc, Computer Sciences from Queen’s University and a B.Eng, in Software Engineering from McMaster University.

Marianne Gee

From federal government employee to beekeeper? Meet the Bee Gal! Marianne Gee worked as a Ph.D. epidemiologist and science policy advisor for the federal government before finding her true calling as a beekeeper. After discovering a colony of honeybees in the wall of their home, Marianne and her husband Matt cofounded Gees Bees Honey Company, which brings beehives to rooftops and backyards across Ottawa. Today they care for more than 200 beehives around the city and are revitalizing an urban farm for local organic food production.

Mark Sutcliffe

Mark Sutcliffe is an award-winning broadcaster, columnist, author, blogger, podcaster, entrepreneur, volunteer, community activist, and runner who has played a leadership role in several distinct fields throughout his 30-year career. He is the host of Ottawa Today, a daily four-hour talk show on 1310 NEWS and Rogers TV. He has also contributed columns to the National Post, the Globe and Mail, and other newspapers. Mark has been a regular presence on CPAC, Canada’s Parliamentary channel, for almost 10 years and currently hosts the daily podcast CPAC Today in Politics. Mark has founded several media properties and written four books: Why I Run, Canada’s Magnificent Marathon, the children’s book Big Joe and the Return of Football, and most recently, Long Road to Boston.

Scott Brison

Scott Brison is happiest when thinking ahead, driving change and breaking boundaries. Dazzled by digital as an investment banker during the dot.com boom, Scott was befuddled as Paul Martin’s Public Works minister when asked to approve unnecessarily complex, multi-million-dollar government IT projects that seemed unrelated to user needs. A decade later, named Treasury Board President by the Honourable Justin Trudeau in 2015, he was disappointed by how little had changed in the murky world of government IT planning and procurement. There’s got to be a better way. Scott Brison leads the Government of Canada Service Strategy, strategic IT/IM policy, drives the government’s focus on results, ensures the efficient functioning of the federal government through government expenditure management, and is the employer of the Public Service. He’s not a technologist, but has championed a more robust Government of Canada CIO and creation of the new Canadian Digital Service, while promoting a Public Service ethos of experimentation.

Scott Bulbrook

Meet Scott Bulbrook, a technical innovator and co-founder of DA-Integrated. Scott is recognized as a knowledgeable businessman with a deep understanding of start-up, semiconductor, and small businesses. He is a coach, mentor, family man, philanthropist, musician, inventor, and sports enthusiast. He is known for his straightforward and honest communication style, as well as his love of innovation and his result-oriented attitude. A successful entrepreneur and an internationally recognized maven in the semiconductor industry, Scott holds a B.A.Sc. in Engineering Physics from Queen’s University and has over 30 years experience in the semiconductor industry.