7:30am-8:15am

8:15am- 8:30am

15 Minutes

Welcome address

Jennefer Griffith, Executive Director of Food Processing Skills Canada

Mike Timani, President of Fancy Pokket and Chair of FPSC Board of Directors

Introduction of MC: Elliot Gauthier, Senior VP and National Director
Research and Analytics, H&K Strategies

8:30am- 8:45am

15 Minutes

Mark Patterson

Future Skills Centre

Preparing Canadians for the Jobs of Tomorrow

Mark Patterson, Executive Director of Magnet, will provide his perspective on "future Skills" that will be required in a rapidly changing labour market, and how we can ensure our investments in employment and training are responsive to the needs of employers. He will also discuss the vision of the new federally funded "Future Skills Centre" , a forward-thinking research centre with a focus on how best to prepare Canadians today for workforce opportunities of the future.

8:45am-9:30am

45 Minutes

Kathleen Sullivan (Moderator)

Skills & Labour Panel Discussion

Kathleen will be overseeing the panel discussion brought to you by Food and Beverage Canada. The challenge for the food and beverage sector is to maximize its “labour readiness” – with the Agri-food Economic Strategy table targeting a 30% increase in agri-food production and exports by 2025. The panelists will explore potential labour-force initiatives under the categories of talent attraction and workforce development.

Panelists:

Kathleen Sullivan, CEO (Moderator)
Food and Beverage Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

Ginette Brown, Manager People and Values
Riverside Natural Foods Ltd., Vaugan, Ontario

Ross Johnston, Executive Director, Co-operative Education,
University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario

Carson Walsh, Process Engineer
Mondelēz International

9:30am-10:00am

30 Minutes

Chris Thomas

Classic Business Consulting Group

“Recruitment and Retention in the Food Processing Industry: Everything New is Old Again”

Just when you thought technology was going to take over your office, learn how these ancient human resources practices are going to help you and your company in the coming years.

10:00am-10:15am

BREAK AND EXHIBITOR SHOWCASE

10:15am-10:45am

30 Minutes

Susan Grifone

Grifone Consulting Group

Trina Davies

TL Davies Consulting Group

"Long-Term Competitiveness Skills Strategy"

Panel from: Educator, LMI, Certified Professional, Training, HR Manager

Every house starts with a good foundation. In 2016, when FPSC (then FPHRC) launched its ground-breaking Master Competency Framework for the Food Processing Sector, the foundation was set for a future construction that would house all of the HR tools and materials that the sector has been needing. In a short three years, that foundation has been expanded upon to build an impressive structure. Sue Grifone of GCG Consulting Group and Trina Davies of TL Davies Consulting Group will open the door and walk you through this structure; explaining what FPSC has to offer now, how you can access it, and how you can use it to develop your work force. This structure exists to develop a world-class workforce for the food and beverage sector in Canada.

10:45am-11:15am

30 Minutes

Elliot Gauthier

Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Kevin Elder

Food Processing Skills Canada (FPSC)

“Labour Challenges and Pathways to Solutions”

Join Kevin and Elliott as they take you through a series of Labour Market Information (LMI) Studies. These recent FPSC studies outline in detail the labour challenges that exist in Canada for the Food Processing Industry, and position recommendations on how to address these challenges. In addition to the study of the labour tightness in the industry, Kevin’s research looks at the pool of potential new workers, with a focus on New Canadians, Indigenous Canadians and Millennials.

11:15am-11:45am

30 Minutes

Kelly Lendsay

Indigenous Works

“New Recipes for Indigenous Engagement”

Kelly is going to share with us his insights on the power of truth and reconciliation corporate calls to action and how people and organizations embrace a spirit of economic inclusion. He will share some new research insights that are reshaping the way we think about corporate-Indigenous partnerships in Canada. You are going to hear about some practical tools and strategies for creating better inclusive workplace designs and performance.

11:45am-12:15pm

Annual General Meeting

12:15-1:30pm

A Toast to Ten Years Awards Luncheon

Introduction of Darlene McDonald, Senior Director,
Maple Leaf Foods

We will celebrate Ten Years of our history while commemorating the companies and individuals who’ve helped us empower the food manufacturing industry.

1:30pm-2:15pm

45 Minutes

Kimberly Stuck

Allay Consulting

“Cannabis Edibles- Food Safety Stories from the States”

Kim will be telling us why food safety in cannabis is important, how consumers and sellers know what is safe. She will also explain the regulatory bodies that govern cannabis in the states and Canada, some of the big concerns found in cannabis food safety. Get ready to hear stories from the beginning of legalization in the states and what lies ahead for cannabis and food safety.

Amy Proulx

Canadian Food and Wine Institute at Niagara College

"The Next 10 Years of Food”

Canada's food industry is at a remarkable crossroads of innovation and leadership. Reflecting on trends in automation, in sustainability, environmental and climate change, transitioning diets and changing demographics, we will forecast where the Canadian food industry is heading, and how skills development and training will need to adapt to this new reality.

2:45pm-3:15pm

30 Minutes

Harrison Olajos

UP360

“The Innovation of VR and Experimental Training”

Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality have the potential to change the workplace as we know it. CEO and Founder of UP360, Harrison Olajos, is on the front line of this shift as his company develops a series of virtual reality tools designed to enhance the career decision-making process, better prepare people for the workforce and support front line workers.

3:15pm-3:30pm

BREAK AND CONTINUATION OF EXHIBITOR SHOWCASE

3:30pm-4:00pm

30 Minutes

TBC

4:00pm-4:45pm

45 Minutes

Chris Seals

Still Austin Whiskey Company

“Building Austin’s First Bourbon Distillery from Grain to Glass”

Chris Seals is an economist and was once a consultant to industries and companies in the food and beverage industry, giving advice on how to build business. Then he decided to put his own advice to work and put a business plan into action. Join Chris as he shared his successful “Still Austin” journey.

4:45pm-5:00pm

Closing Remarks

5:00pm

INDUSTRY RECEPTION