Location: North York Central Library
5120 Yonge St, North York
We welcome you to join us at the 2025 Community Benefits Summit, an event that will engage you in learning, discussion and in embracing the possibilities. With the purchasing power of federal, provincial/territorial and municipal governments through public procurement and hundreds of billions of public taxpayers dollars towards diversifying our economies and building new and sustainable infrastructure, we envision a Canada in which everyone has equitable opportunities to contribute in building healthy communities and a prospering economy.
The expansion of infrastructure, housing and development enables good jobs close to home, opens up opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses and supports equitable development. This summit will highlight some of the best practices and emerging strategies that are critical for the social, environmental and economic wellbeing of communities across Canada today and into the future.
To register for the 2025 Community Benefits Summit, please purchase your tickets here:
This event is organized in collaboration with the following partners:
Toronto Community Benefits Network
Ottawa Community Benefits Network
Hamilton Community Benefits Network
Niagara Community Benefits Network
Ontario Non Profit Network
Buy Social Canada
Prince Edward County Learning Centre
British Columbia Infrastructure Benefits
Indigenous Skills Employment Apprenticeship and Development (ISEAD)
Diversity Institute
Keynote Speaker (11:30AM - 11:45AM)
Building Canada – Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Face of Backlash
Dr. Wendy Cukier
Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University; Founder and Academic Director, Diversity Institute; Academic Director of the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH); and Academic Research Director of the Future Skills Centre.
Dr. Wendy Cukier is a professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Founder and Academic Director of the Diversity Institute, and Academic Research Director of the Future Skills Centre. She co-authored the bestseller “Innovation Nation: Canadian Leadership from Java to Jurassic Park" and is a leader in disruptive technologies and innovation. Wendy leads Toronto Metropolitan University’s Diversity Institute which has 10 hubs across the country, over 80 research staff, 100 research associates from around the world, and more than 200 industry partners focused on future skills, entrepreneurship and inclusion. Her work on equity, diversity and inclusion includes developing strategies for more than 300 organizations across sectors as well as leading the development of tools and best practices to advance equity, diversity and inclusion. Wendy has been recognized with many community awards for her volunteer work including YWCA Woman of Distinction and two Harry Jerome Awards. She was named one of the "100 Alumni who shaped the Century" by the University of Toronto and has also received Canada’s Meritorious Service Cross, one of the country’s highest civilian honors. She holds a PhD in Information Systems from the Schulich School of Business, an MBA (Marketing and Information Systems), an MA, and honourary doctorates from Laval and Concordia universities.
Event Schedule
Session I - Best Practices and Learnings; Community benefits in new infrastructure and development (10:30AM-11:20AM)
Some of Canada's largest infrastructure and development projects have included commitments to community benefits, responding to the organizing and interest of impacted communities. This panel will feature public sector organizations who are advancing community benefits strategies and private sector companies who are at the forefront of this work. We will hear stories of impact and best practices that can help to shape the future of infrastructure and development across Canada.
April Lim
Manager, Community Benefits
City of Toronto
Beth Eshete
Senior Specialist, Community Engagement
Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto
Irene Kerr
President and CEO
BC Infrastructure Benefits
Session II - Social Procurement; Purchasing with a Local and Social Impact (11:50AM - 12:40PM)
Governments, anchor institutions, nonprofits and private sector companies across Canada have developed and implemented procurement policies, strategies and programs that include considerations for local and social impact in purchasing. Such initiatives have led to hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts for small and medium sized businesses and social enterprises through social procurement and supply chain diversity, money that is reinvested into our local communities generating community wealth. With the current trade and tariff impacts, such strategies have become ever more critical. This panel will feature speakers who are leading on this work within their organizations.
Diana Levy
Manager, Procurement Policy
City of Toronto
Session III - Jobs to Build Canada; Supporting underrepresented groups in apprenticeship training and construction sector careers (1:40PM - 2:30PM)
With unprecedented levels of public investments to build infrastructure, housing, clean energy and to diversify the Canadian economy, workers will need to be equipped with the training, skills and knowledge to support this growth. This panel will feature speakers from organizations who are supporting underrepresented groups in apprenticeship training and construction sector careers and discuss how infrastructure and development can enable inclusive local economic development, good green jobs and provide pathways to prosperity for all.
Ahmed Mohamed
Founder
Somali Canadian Engineering Society
Rokhaya Gueye
Carpenter, Community Partnership Coordinator at the Carpenters Regional Council and Ontario Chair of Sisters in the Brotherhood (SIB)
2:40PM Policy Perspectives - Policies and Programs to Support Sustainable Communities and Pathways to Green Jobs by Sarah Buchanan, Campaigns Director Toronto Environmental Alliance
2:50PM Policy Perspectives - From Policy to Impact: Building Community Wealth Through Community Benefits and Social Procurement by Candice Zhang, Policy Advisor at Ontario Nonprofit Network
Session IV - Equitable Development: Strategies and Partnerships for more affordable, inclusive and sustainable communities (2:50PM-3:40PM)
Across Canada, communities are organizing for equitable development that is responsible and meets the needs of their local community. During this panel we will hear from organizations who are developing innovative strategies and solutions for the development of affordable, inclusive and sustainable neighbourhoods.
Dina Graser
Social Innovation Canada
(Moderator)
Karl Andrus
Executive Director
Hamilton Community Benefits Network
Tom Clement
Executive Director
Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto
