Ottawa is experiencing unprecedented growth and disruption.
The city’s population is topping one million residents, the $2.1-billion LRT system is almost ready to launch and development in the urban core is intensifying.
To get a perspective on these changes, OBJ and the new Ottawa Board of Trade have planned a conference that will feature many of the key decision-makers shaping the future of Ottawa.
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The City-Building Summit will launch with a cocktail event atop the Westin Hotel in its spectacular TwentyTwo rooftop space on June 11. The results of the 2019 Ottawa Business Growth Survey will be unveiled and analyzed by several speakers, including David Coletto of Abacus Data.
The next day, June 12, the conference will convene at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park with several keynotes.
The new CEO of the National Capital Commission, Tobi Nussbaum, will speak about LeBreton Flats.
Steven MacKinnon, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada, will explore federal infrastructure plans for Ottawa – a particularly timely topic, given that the Liberal government’s most recent budget included funds to revive studies for a new interprovincial crossing for the National Capital Region.
Later, Aaron Zifkin – a Toronto-based executive who introduced both Airbnb and Lyft to Canada – will discuss how the sharing economy is affecting cities. “At Lyft, our vision is to create cities built around people, not cars,” he says. “We’re working towards this by implementing initiatives related to sustainability, social impact, and smart cities across North America, including Ottawa.”
Finally, Mayor Jim Watson, Coun. Jan Harder and city planning boss Stephen Willis will address infrastructure and planning.
Ticket sales are still open. Visit the Board of Trade website for full details. OBJ readers can use promo code “obj” to save $45 off single tickets.