12/20/2024
On the eve of the State of Canada's Cities Summit, urban leaders gathered at the stunning allsaints event space in Ottawa for an intimate dinner and thought-provoking panel discussion to set the stage for the Summit.
The panel, moderated by Andrea C Barrack, Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Impact at RBC, featured dynamic speakers Ana Bailão, Frances Donald, and F***y Tremblay-Racicot. Together, four powerful women took the stage and tackled the issues and opportunities around Canada’s engines for growth with refreshing frankness and clarity.
Ana raised the need for urban leaders to stand up for that are overburdened and under resourced in supplying critical infrastructure and urged that we find new ways to fund these projects.
Frances called out Canadian for suggesting that “business is usual” in the economy and for omitting the significant inequities facing low-income Canadians.
F***y urged that cannot become a barrier to building the housing enabling infrastructure that is vital to closing the housing gap in Canada.
And as Andrea aptly put it: "Solving issues in our urban environments requires both hope and a plan. And that plan needs to engage collective action from across sectors to be successful."
A huge thank you to our panellists for their bold insights. Special thanks to our partners at RBC, the School of Cities, University of Toronto, Dream, and the City of Ottawa / Ville d’Ottawa, to the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition | Coalition de l'industrie musicale d'Ottawa for the live music presentation, and to many other partners for making this event possible.
Photos by Hot Shoe Productions.
