Conference & AGM

2023 College Conference & AGM

2023 College Conference logo

The College’s 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Conference was held on April 13-14, 2023 at the Hotel Eldorado in Kelowna, BC on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the syilx/Okanagan people.

The theme of the College of Applied Biology's 2023 Conference was "20 Years Strong: Ready to Lead Change!" Read on for more information about the speakers and panels.

Registrants had the opportunity to participate in both the AGM and Conference through a live web broadcast. Details on registration for the virtual broadcast is below. Registrants who attended the AGM will be eligible to claim to 1 Continuing Professional Development point and participation in the Conference was valued at 14 points. More information about CPD can be found here. Conference registration was non-refundable and non-transferable after April 10, 2023.

Registration

Registering for the College's 2023 AGM & Conference is easy. Simply navigate to the College's portal, log-in, and select the 2023 Conference from the Events section.

You'll be able to select your ticket, choose add-ons for additional opportunities to participate, and checkout -- all within the portal! If you don't have a profile on the College's portal, that's ok. You can quickly sign up with just your name and email and then access the event registration as normal.

Registration for the AGM and Conference is open. Registration for the AGM -- both in-person and virtual -- is free of charge. If you want to participate in the 2023 AGM online, you will sign up separately through GoToWebinar. Click the button below to register. Please note that you must register for the AGM in order to receive the link to join the session. Please contact the College office if you have any questions about accessing the broadcasts.

Pricing Information

Pass	Regular Price	Total Price (GST incl.)
Online pass	$165.00	$173.50
Welcome reception ticket (Wed. April 12)	$25.00	$26.50
20th Anniversary celebration ticket (Thu. April 13)	$50.00	$52.50

Please note Conference registration is non-refundable and non-transferable after April 10, 2023.

2023 Annual General Meeting

The 2023 Annual General Meeting occured on April 13, 2023 at 4pm. The AGM was in-person at the Manteo (Eldorado) Resort in Kelowna, BC in the Waterfront Ballroom. To register for a free, online broadcast of the AGM, follow this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7509519710583361888. To register to attend the AGM in person, use the College registrant portal.

The 2022 AGM minutes and Audited Financial Statements and other materials were reviewed during the meeting.

AGM Materials

Keynote Speakers:

New for 2023, the College is very pleased to present two keynote addresses as part of the 2023 conference program. Our keynotes will be delivered by accomplished media and professional figures who will provide their unique perspectives on the environment and well-being.

Day 1 Keynote Speaker -- Art Napoleon

The keynote speaker on Thursday, Day 1 of the Conference will be Art Napoleon, host and co-producer of APTN’s popular show Moosemeat & Marmalade, an international food series that showcases Indigenous foods, Traditional Knowledge and outdoor cooking techniques.

Art Napoleon, a former Chief of the Saulteau First Nation in Treaty 8 BC, is a conservationist, faith-keeper and educator who interprets life through the holistic lens of Cree worldview. Walking in “two worlds” Art is as comfortable on a big city stage or boardroom as he is skinning a moose in a hailstorm with a pocketknife. Ancestral knowledge and the desire to create sustainable and ethical alternatives are the foundations that guide him in the many projects he is involved with. Art is also a budding TV personality with a growing resume in the Film industry and is known as an on-stage humorist with an uncanny ability to improvise and engage audiences of all ages. Art remains connected to his home territory and his Cree and Dane Zaa roots. He tours regularly as a performer and speaker and also serves as a juror on many organizations across Canada.

Art holds an MA degree from the University of Victoria in Indigenous Language Revitalization, where one of his goals is to help communities revitalize endangered languages and in the wisdom imbedded in these ancient languages. He has spent much of his life learning to interpret traditional Indigenous tribal principles and philosophies and translate these holistic worldviews and paradigms for practical applications to modern realities. In doing so, he shares the podium with some high profile public figures. Unlike motivational speakers who advise people to follow their dreams and work harder, Napoleon uses his wry, self-deprecating wit and folksy wisdom to invite people to find their individual callings, work smarter, and tap into holistic worldviews to face the realities of a rapidly changing world.

Day 2 Keynote Speaker -- Melissa Lem

The keynote speaker on Friday, Day 2 of the Conference will be Dr. Melissa Lem, MD, CCFP, FCFP, PaRx Director at the BC Parks Foundation.

Dr. Melissa Lem is a Vancouver family physician who also works in rural and northern communities within Canada. President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and Director of PaRx, Canada’s national nature prescription program powered by the BC Parks Foundation, she is an internationally recognized leader in the field of nature and health. She has also engaged in advocacy and policy work on a broad range of other issues, from climate change and hydraulic fracturing to sustainable health care and low-carbon transportation.

A widely published writer, her work has appeared in media including the CBC, Vancouver Sun, Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette, The Narwhal and National Observer. As a regular climate change panellist on CBC Radio's Early Edition and in-house medical columnist for CBC TV Vancouver, one of her major priorities is knowledge translation.

Dr. Lem was the inaugural winner of University College’s Young Alumni of Influence Award at the University of Toronto and the 2022 Adult Nature Inspiration Award from the Canadian Museum of Nature, a 2021 World Parks Week Ambassador, sits on the Advisory Committee of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Health and Well-being Specialist Group, and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia.

2023 AGM & Conference Agenda

*Conference program subject to change closer to event dates

April 12th, 2023

Welcome Reception

7-9pm: Welcome Reception -- Sponsored by DWB Consulting

April 13th, 2023

Conference Day 1

8:00am-9:30am: Light Breakfast and Opening Remarks
9:30-10:45am: Session A -- How professionals stay out of trouble
- Networking Break (15 min.)
11:00am-1pm: Keynote and Lunch speaker
- 11-12pm: Day 1 Keynote Address: Art Napoleon, Host and Co-Producer, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
- 12-1pm: Linda Michaluk Scholarship Fund Presentation by 2022 Recipient Jenelle McCuaig sponsored by BC Forest Practices Board
  - Conference Lunch sponsored by BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, Environmental Protection Division
1-2:15pm: Session B -- Environmental assessments in BC
- Networking Break (30 min.) -- Sponsored by WSP
2:45-4pm: Session C -- Demystifying the Riparian Areas Protection Regulation

Annual General Meeting

4-5pm: The College of Applied Biologists' 20th Annual General Meeting

20th Anniversary Celebration

7-9pm: 20th Anniversary Celebration (SPECIAL RECEPTION) -- Co-sponsored by Dynamic Ocean Consulting Ltd. and Associated Environmental Consultants Inc.
- A gathering to celebrate the 20th year of applied biology as a regulated profession

April 14th, 2023

Conference Day 2

8:00am: Breakfast
8:30-9:15am: Special Speaker Tessa Terbasket, Syilx Nation member, on the Syilx siwɬkʷ (Water) Strategy
9:30-10:45am: Session 1 -- Building resiliency in aquatic ecosystems
- Networking Break (45 min.) -- Sponsored by Ecoscape Environmental Consultants Ltd.
11:30am-12:45pm: Lunch
- Day 2 Keynote Address: Dr. Melissa Lem, PaRx Director, BC Parks Foundation
  - Conference Lunch sponsored by BC Ministry of Water, Lands and Natural Resource Stewardship, Land Use Policy, Planning and Ecosystems Division
12:45-2:00pm: Session 2 -- Diversity, equity and inclusion in the natural resource sector
- Networking Break (45 min.)
2:45-4pm: Session 3 -- Two Years of the Professional Governance Act: What have we learned so far?

Committed Speakers:

Corinna Hoodicoff, M.Sc., RPBio, Manager, BC / Northern Division, Associated Environmental Consultants Inc.
Lisa Poier, Acting Regional Director, Pacific and Yukon Regional Office, Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
Angela Cameron, RPBio, Riparian Management Coordinator, BC Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship
Kate Haines, Superintendent, Office of the Superintendent of Professional Governance, BC Ministry of Post-Secondary Education & Future Skills
Stefan Gronsdahl, M.Sc., P.Geo., Hydrologist, Palmer Environmental Consulting Group
Jennifer Anthony, Executive Lead, Permitting, BC Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship
Heather Taylor, P.Ag., RPBio, Specialist, Regulatory Advisor, Associated Environmental Consultants Inc.
Julianna Alexander, Splatsin
Robyn Laubman, RPBio, Territorial Water Manager, Splatsin
Mel Kotyk, RPBio, Chair, Investigations Committee, College of Applied Biologists
Craig Nichol, Ph.D, P.Geo., Associate Head, Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, University of British Columbia Okanagan
Ailene Lim, Associate Director of Programs and Professional Development, Engineers and Geoscientists BC
Mike Engelsjord, Director of Practice, College of Applied Biologists
Lyle Thompson, Senior Manager, Environmental Impact Assessment & Associate Partner, Hatfield Group
Bethany Thiessen, Senior Policy Analyst, BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy
Thomas Lutes, General Counsel, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Architectural Institute of British Columbia
Dave Gill, RPF, General Manager of Forestry, Ntityix Resources LP
Jing Niu, Environmental Planner, Regional District of Central Okanagan
Eben Watt, Director, Credential Recognition Improvement, BC Ministry of Post-Secondary Education & Future Skills

Read more about all our conference panelists on the Speakers page.

Tradeshow

Returning in 2023 is the College of Applied Biologists' Conference Tradeshow. Within the foyer of the Manteo (Eldorado) Resort you will find a number of exhibitors with useful information, products and services. The exhibitor roster is below.

Confirmed Vendors:

Forest Practices Board -- Board staff will be available to discuss its mandate to conduct audits and investigations and issue public reports on how well industry and government are meeting the intent of British Columbia’s forest and range practices legislation. Booth 1
DWB Consulting Services -- DWB Consulting Services Ltd (DWB) is a dynamic, multidisciplinary consulting firm that specializes in offering a full suite of value-added environmental, engineering and forestry services to our clients in Western Canada. Since 1990, DWB has grown from a small family run business to a multi-faceted company with over 200 experienced staff in offices throughout British Columbia, including several key Indigenous led partnerships. Booth 2
Ecoscape Environmental Consultants Ltd -- Ecoscape Environmental Consultants Ltd. is a full-service environmental consulting company with an extensive background in natural resource management, data analyses, interpretation, and production of high quality deliverables. Drop by their booth to hear more about their offered services, including plants and ecosystems, fisheries and aquatic sciences, wildlife, geomatics and more. Booth 3
WSP -- WSP will be aiming to showcase our environmental services including: Marine services, Environmental monitoring (erosion, sediment control, environmental management), Terrestrial Biology (vegetation/wildlife), Aquatic Biology (fisheries, water quality), Socio-community / economics, Indigenous relations, and the potential for new hire positions. Booth 4

PREMIER SPONSORS:

Friendship SPONSORS:

Accommodation & Venue

The Hotel Eldorado is the event venue and offers a variety of accommodation options (including pet-friendly options). Accommodation at the property is now based on availability at walk-up rates.

To make reservations guests can book online, via phone or email.
https://www.hoteleldoradokelowna.com/
Phone: Toll free – 1-877-734-3184
Local – 250-860-1031
Email: [email protected]