Summit program
Palais des congrès de Montréal, 5th floor, rooms 510 & 511
Day 1 | Tuesday, May 5
Day 1
Tuesday, May 5
7:30 – 8:30 | Foyer
Registration & breakfast
8:30 – 8:40 | Plenary room
Welcome address
Norman Hébert
Co-Chair, Electrify Society Summit; Chair, Advisory Board, Volt-Age
Tim Evans
Co-Chair, Electrify Society Summit; Vice-President, Research, Innovation and Impact,
Concordia University
Karim Zaghib
Co-Chair, Electrify Society Summit; CEO, Volt-Age
8:40 – 8:55 | Plenary room
Indigenous welcome
Chief Stephen McComber
Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke
9:00 – 9:25 | Plenary room
Speech
Graham Carr
President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University
9:30 – 10:00 | Plenary room
Plenary talk
Addressing energy transition through a theory of change
Markham Hislop
Energy journalist, CEO of Energi Media
10:00 – 10:30 | Plenary room
Fireside chat
Financing the Energy Transition – New Approaches, New Frameworks
MODERATORGraham Carr
President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University
SPEAKERGrégoire Baillargeon
President, BMO Financial Group
10:35 – 11:00 | Foyer
Break
11:00 – 12:00 | Plenary room
Panel
Harmonizing Science, Scale, and Sovereignty
MODERATORJennifer Garard
Director of Engagement, Living Labs and EDI, Volt-Age
PANELISTSVaitea Cowan
UK Lead at Fifty Years
Melina Laboucan-Massimo
Founder and Executive Director, Sacred Earth Solar & co-founder, Indigenous Climate Action
Ahmed Hanafy
Partner at Dunsky Energy and Climate Advisors
12:00 – 13:30 | Foyer
Poster session & lunch
13:30 – 14:00 | Plenary room
Plenary talk
Moe Kabbara
Chief Executive Officer, The Transition Accelerator
14:10 – 15:10
Breakout sessions, session 1
(See your badge for your assigned session)
Beyond the grid
Plenary room
Financing the energy transition: new approaches, new frameworks
510AC
Breakthroughs, barriers, and next steps in electrification research
510BD
15:10 – 15:25 | Foyer
Break
15:25 – 16:25
Breakout sessions, session 2
(See your badge for your assigned session)
Beyond the grid
Plenary room
Financing the energy transition: new approaches, new frameworks
510AC
Breakthroughs, barriers, and next steps in electrification research
510BD
16:30
End of programming at Palais des congrès,
day 1
17:30 – 22:00 | Théâtre St-James
265 rue St-Jacques, Montréal, QC H2Y 1M6
Cocktails & Gala Dinner
GUEST SPEAKERHenk Rogers
Founder of Blue Planet Alliance
Day 2 | Wednesday, May 6
Day 2
Wednesday, May 6
8:15 – 8:55 | Foyer
Registration & breakfast
8:55 – 9:00 | Plenary room
Introduction & announcement
Karim Zaghib
Chief Executive Officer, Volt-Age
Aniket Khade
Director of Technology, Volt-Age
Catherine Mwangi
Cohort Training Program Officer at Volt-Age
9:00 – 9:45 | Plenary room
Keynote address
Jeff Dahn
Professor Emeritus in Physics and Chemistry, Dalhousie University
9:45 – 10:45 | Plenary room
Panel
Climate and Energy Security
MODERATORMichèle Landry
Executive Director, Hydrogène Québec
PANELISTSDenis Faubert
Strategic Advisor, former General Manager of Hydro-Québec’s Research Institute (IREQ) and former Director general of Defense R&D Canada Valcartier Laboratory
Pauline Baudu
Program Director – Climate Security, CDA Institute
Alison McDermott
Assistant Deputy Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Canada’s Strategic Policy and International Affairs Branch
10:45 – 11:05 | Foyer
Break
11:05 – 12:20 | Plenary room
Panel & documentary
Indigenous Clean Energy Leadership
PANELISTSAphrodite Salas
Associate Professor, Journalism, Concordia University; Co-leader of Theme 3, Volt-Age
Tommy Palliser
Executive Director of the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board
Eric Atagotaaluk
Director of Pituvik Sarvaq Energie Inc.
Sarah-Lisa Kasudluak
Vice President of the Pituvik Landholding Corporation in Inukjuak
12:20 – 13:40 | Foyer
Poster Session & Lunch
13:40 – 14:40 | Plenary room
Panel
Securing Canada’s Energy Future Through Academic Leadership
MODERATORAmy Buckland
University Librarian at Concordia University
PANELISTSWilliam A. Ghali
Vice-President (Research) at the University of Calgary
Tim Evans
Vice-President, Research, Innovation and Impact, Concordia University
Graham Gagnon
VP research and innovation at Dalhousie University
Michelle Chrétien
Assistant Vice-President, Research Partnerships and Commercialization, Toronto Metropolitan University
14:40 – 15:10 | Plenary room
Closing remarks & poster awards
Themes guiding the Summit
The 2026 Electrify Society Summit’s program will be guided by four broad themes that are central topics in the electrification space today. These themes, which aim to include academia, industry, government, finance and community, will guide the Summit’s presentations and activities, although they will also be discussed as a larger whole.
Canada’s leadership in the energy transition: past, present, and future
Canada has long been a pioneer in clean energy, particularly through its historic development of hydropower. While the country has mastered clean energy production, it now faces the challenges of how to manage, store, and optimize it for a sustainable and equitable net-zero emissions future. How can Canada reclaim its leadership and close the loop from energy generation to intelligent consumption?
Beyond the grid
The electric grid remains at the heart of electrification, but it also represents a limiting structure. Today, new technologies are empowering decentralized energy systems, where communities and individuals can produce, store, and manage their own power through solar panels, electric vehicles, and local energy storage systems (ESS). As distributed generation expands, we must ask: do we still need a traditional grid, or do we need to reinvent it?
Financing the energy transition: new approaches, new frameworks
The global shift to clean energy requires innovative financial models. Around the world, new mechanisms are emerging that integrate carbon accounting, impact investment, and clean technology financing. These approaches redefine value by linking financial returns to climate performance. How can Canada align its financing frameworks with this global momentum and position clean tech as both an environmental and economic driver?
Breakthroughs, barriers, and next steps in electrification research
Research and innovation are essential to advancing electrification, but key gaps remain. What breakthroughs are shaping the field? Where are the barriers? Initiatives like Volt-Age are exploring co-creation approaches that connect researchers, industries, and policymakers to accelerate progress. Yet the challenge persists: research and industry often depend on each other in a “chicken and egg” dynamic. How can more inclusive and collaborative frameworks turn this interdependence into a strength?