Alberta Rural Connectivity Forum Agenda
Day 1 - March 23 {Community Broadband Updates}
11:00am MST
Pre-Forum Workshop
Broadband 101
Michael B. McNally - Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta
12:30pm MST
Pre-conference networking
12:55pm MST
Welcome to Day 1 of the Alberta Rural Connectivity Forum
1:00pm MST
Building community broadband in the Town of Viking
Don R. McLeod - Chief Administrative Officer, Town of Viking
1:45pm MST
Building community broadband in the Town of Vermilion
Caroline McAuley - Mayor, Town of Vermilion
2:30pm MST
Networking Break
2:45pm MST
Building community broadband in Sturgeon County
Rob Schneider - Information Services Manager, Sturgeon County
3:30pm MST
Panel Discussion
The crisis of connectivity within First Nations communities
Dr. Rob McMahon - Associate Professor, Media & Technology Studies Unit and the Department of Political Science, University of Alberta
Ron Minks - COO, Enoch Cree Nation
Vaughn Paul - CEO, First Nations Technical Services Advisory Group (TSAG)
Ula Shirt - Communications Specialist, Piikani Youth & Education Foundation
Penny Carpenter - Network Business Manager, K-Net Kuhkenah
4:30pm MST
Closing Remarks to Day 1 of the Alberta Rural Connectivity Forum
Day 2 - March 24 {Regulatory and Technical}
11:00am MST
Pre-Forum Workshop
The current state of Alberta's connectivity: infrastructure, demand, and technological developments
Erwin Loewen - Former Director of Technology, Alberta SuperNet
12:30pm MST
Pre-conference networking
12:55pm MST
Welcome to Day 2 of the Alberta Rural Connectivity Forum
1:00pm MST
Meet the new CRTC Commissioner for Alberta and NWT
Nirmala Naidoo - CRTC Commissioner, Alberta & NWT
1:30pm MST
Mapping rural broadband with Rural Municipalities of Alberta
Paul McLauchlin - President, Board of Directors, Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA)
2:00pm MST
The importance of technology and innovation
Tom Mansfield - Executive Director, Industry and Regional Relations, Government of Alberta
2:15pm MST
Networking Break
2:30pm MST
Panel Discussion
Are Low Earth Orbit satellites coming to our rescue?
Mark Wolff - Chief Technology Officer, CANARIE
Michele Beck - Vice President of North American Sales, Telesat
Joel Templeman - Executive Director at Internet Society Manitoba Chapter
Jaymon Lefebvre - Director, Information Technology Services, Wild Rose School Division
3:30pm MST
A federal government perspective on rural connectivity
Gudie Hutchings - Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, Government of Canada
4:15pm MST
Closing Remarks to Day 2 of the Alberta Rural Connectivity Forum