2018 Conference Keynote - The Next Canada

2018-04-23 10:30 AM - 12:15 PM

The Next Canada with Jesse Brown

What does the future hold for this country? Are Canada’s institutions and economy at odds with rapid technological change? Are we keeping up? From business to government to education, disruption is coming. Jesse Brown draws on his experiences in technology and media to present this fast-paced and thought-provoking keynote about the exciting and challenging shifts ahead, and how to stay on top of them. 

Jesse Brown runs Canadaland, the crowd-funded news site that has disrupted the way the Canadian media works.  Its companion book is a #1 Globe and Mail bestseller, and the companion podcast is the #1 podcast in the country.  He launched his career at CBC Radio, creating and hosting two national programs.  He has contributed to such publications as The Guardian, The Toronto Star, and Business Insider, and his commentary has been broadcast on the BBC and on NPR.  He has won the National Magazine Award for Humour and the Hillman Prize for Investigative Reporting.

2018 Conference - Concurrent Session - Creating and Maintaining an Effective Mental Health Strategy

2018-04-23 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Creating and Maintaining an Effective Mental Health Strategy

Since the introduction of their Mental Health Strategy, Emera has been very proactive in their approach to managing employee health and disability benefits by addressing health issues before they manifest into a long-term illness.  Their short-term illness durations are tracking 2 weeks less than third party provides, their long-term disability plan has seen a steady decrease in the numbers of claims over the past two years, their LTD claims for mental health and musculoskeletal issues are below national comparative benchmarks, and EFAP utilization is well above national norms leading to a more preventative solution.

During this session, Leanne will provide a first-hand account of how Emera developed and implemented a Mental Health Strategy that has resulted in their ability to address health issues before they manifest into long term illness.  Emera supports a workplace environment where stigma is replaced with compassion.  Learn how Emera, through a shared commitment to safety and health, has armed its leaders to understand and care about the individual struggling and how it has created a positive ripple effect throughout their companies.

About the Facilitator

Leanne Dixon, CPHR - Senior Manager, Human Resources & Health, Emera

Leanne Dixon is a leader with a passion for workplace health and safety.  She is the Senior Manager, Human Resources & Health for Emera Inc, an international energy and services company with roots in Nova Scotia.  In this role Leanne is responsible for the delivery of programs and services for Emera employees, including their Mental Health Strategy.  Prior to joining Emera, Leanne managed Health, Wellness and Safety at the IWK Health Centre where she worked with Capital District Health Authority on the development of the provincial Mental Health Strategy for healthcare workers in Nova Scotia.  Leanne's career began in Human Resources where she specialized in Employee and Labour Relations.  The majority of her career has been spent working in large, unionized workplaces such as banking, government, healthcare and now the energy sector.  Leanne is a graduate of Dalhousie University and obtain her Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation in 2001.

2018 Conference - Roundtable Discussion - Immigration: Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities

2018-04-23 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Immigration Roundtable Discussion

This roundtable will be a knowledge-sharing discussion on the successes, challenges, and opportunities around hiring foreign workers as part of your workforce planning.

To facilitate effective knowledge sharing and discussion, this session is limited to 10 people including the table facilitator.   If you are interested in this session, be sure to select it when you register as it may fill quickly.

 

Table Facilitator:  Sarah McInnes, Lawyer, McInnes Cooper

Sarah is an Immigration and Labour & Employment Lawyer at McInnes Cooper.  Sarah can assist a wide-range of clientele with Canadian immigration issues, from individuals seeking temporary resident visas, study permits, work permits, and permanent residency to large corporations seeking labour market impact assessments and work permits to hire temporary foreign workers.

Sarah offers pro bono legal services to individuals through Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia and the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development.  She was a partner in implementing the Halifax Chapter of the Refugee Sponsorship Support Program and is also a member of the Prostate Cancer Canada Atlantic Region's Advisory Council.

2018 Conference - Roundtable Discussion - Strategic Hot Topics in HR (for individuals working at VP/Director Level and higher)

2018-04-23 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Strategic Hot Topics in HR Roundtable Discussion

This roundtable is for individuals working at the VP/Director Level (or higher) in their organization.

To facilitate effective knowledge sharing and discussion, this session is limited to 10 people including the table facilitator.   If you are working at the VP/Director level (or higher) and are interested in this session, be sure to select it when you register as it may fill quickly.

 

Table Facilitator: Layla Khalil, CPHR, Vice President, Human Resources with East Coast Credit Union

Layla Khalil comes from a diverse international background, having lived and worked in several countries.  Layla joined the Credit Union System in 2007 as a member of the senior management team and has been instrumental in successfully implementing organizational change and innovative HR programs and initiatives.  Layla has been recently involved in the amalgamation of two well-established credit unions in Nova Scotia.  In her current role of Vice President, Human Resources at East Coast Credit Union, the largest Credit Union in Atlantic Canada with over $750 million in assets, and 200 employees in 19 branch locations across Nova Scotia, Layla is responsible for building a culture of engagement and high performance and leading the organization's talent development and acquisition, workforce planning, employee and labour relations, compensation, benefits, wellness and diversity initiatives.  Layla holds a Master's in Business Administration from Dalhousie University, is a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) and was awarded the HR Award of Excellence for Nova Scotia and PEI in 2014.  Layla currently services on the Board of CPHR Canada and as Vice-Chair on the Board of CPHR Nova Scotia.

Networking Reception

2018-04-23 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM

2018 Conference Keynote - Set Your GPS for Success

2018-04-24 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Set Your GPS for Success with Wayne Lee

Wayne Lee will help participants to access and harness the power of their GPS (Great Programmable Subconscious) for optimal performance at work and at home. Wayne will show us how to Fix our Focus and reveal what is possible when we program our GPS for success. Deeply engaging, always down-to-earth, Wayne Lee delivers life-changing content and an exhilarating, one-of-a-kind experience.  

Over the last 20 years, Wayne has presented for over 4,000 audiences worldwide. He has appeared on national television shows, radio programs and has presented to clients such as IBM, General Motors and Princess Cruise Lines. Through his motivational presentations and comedic hypnosis shows, Wayne entertains, educates and shows his audiences how to wake up the power of their mind to perform like the champions they are.

2018 Conference - Concurrent Session - Maintaining and Increasing Your Resilience

2018-04-24 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM

Maintaining and Increasing Your Resilience

What is resilience, how do we assess it and how do we improve it?  Not just for your employees but for you!  The goal of this session is to have a consensus on what is resilience and learn skills on how to improve it in the moment and the long haul.

Many employers are hiring for the way a person's mind works, hoping for a creative and intelligent mind that will grow with experience.However, even the brightest minds will feel as though their battery is draining when placed in a stressful work environment without being taught how to use their stress effectively.

Our brain drives our body and our body drives our brain.  It is a two-way communication system.  The mental health experts say "change your brain and change your life", the physical health experts say "change your body and change your life".  It is starting to feel like a power struggle.  Physiologically, human beings have homeostatic mechanisms to foster resilience in the event of adversity such as stress.  Psychologically, human beings have the capacity to move on in a positive way from negative or stressful experiences.  So who is right?

About the Facilitator

Darren Steeves, MSc., CEP, Owner of Vendura Wellness, is a professional Exercise Physiologist and an adjunct professor in the school of health and human performance at Dalhousie University.  He has consulted within corporations, with top level executives, Olympic Medalists and World Champion athletes attending the most recent Rio games as a sport scientist for Team Canada. In the last year, Darren has been a lead author on research papers, published a book, and started a newspaper column.  Darren's most recent project is leading a 3 year study in partnership with Dalhousie University, looking at the links between resilience assessments and training in University students.

2018 Conference - Roundtable Discussion - Marijuana in the Workplace

2018-04-24 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM

Marijuana in the Workplace Roundtable Discussion (Tuesday at 10:30am)

This roundtable discussion will be a knowledge-sharing discussion on Marijuana in the Workplace.  

To facilitate effective knowledge sharing and discussion, this session is limited to 10 people including the table facilitator.   If you are interested in this session, be sure to select it when you register as it may fill quickly.

 

Table Facilitator:  Rick Dunlop, Partner, Stewart McKelvey

Rick Dunlop is a Partner with Stewart McKelvey's Nova Scotia Labour and Employment Group.  Rick has a diverse management side labour and employment law practice in which he provides practical solutions and representation on all workplace legal issues.  In particular, Rick often represents employers in human rights complaints, union certification applications in the construction and non-construction industry sectors, and wrongful dismissal actions.

Rick regularly appears before all Nova Scotia courts and labour and related tribunals including the Nova Scotia Labour Board, Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.  Rick has also successfully represented an employer before the Supreme Court of Canada in an employment law case.

Rick consistently speaks and writes on labour and employment law matters.  Rick has been externally rated as Best Lawyers: Labour and Employment Law in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.  Rick is a current member of the Canadian Association of Counsel for Employers (CACE).

2018 Awards & Recognition Luncheon with Unleashing Your Greatness Keynote

2018-04-24 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Join us for our Awards & Recognition Luncheon which will also feature a keynote presentation this year!

Unleashing Your Greatness - Unlock the Keys to Reaching Your True Potential! with Buhle Dlamini

In this inspirational sessions, participants will be helped to unleash their greatness by focussing on what sets you apart in a crowded marketplace.  It will help you to discover how to stand out and reach your full potential as an individual, team, and organization.  This session will cover keys to unleashing your greatness.  Greatness is not only the reserve of a few; individuals and teams who focus on the keys can unleash their greatness.  This will be an entertaining and inspirational session that will leave you completely motivated while giving you practical tools to be great!

"ENERGIZING, INSPIRING, LIFE-CHANGING, BEST-TALK-EVER, WOW!"

Some participants' responses to this presentation in Canada, USA and South Africa.

2018 Conference - Concurrent Session - Attendance Management

2018-04-24 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Attendance Management Concurrent Session

 

 

Facilitator:  Kyle MacIsaac, Partner, Mathews, Dinsdale & Clark

Kyle advises employers in all areas of workplace law.  He understands the realities of business and the issues facing employers and provides timely and practical advice and solutions to his clients.

Kyle represents provincially and federally regulated employers concerning both labour and employment matters, including those concerning human rights issues, employment standards and employment contracts, wrongful dismissal, occupational health and safety, union organizing, collective agreement interpretation, grievance handling, progressive discipline, and investigations into employee misconduct.  He has appeared before various courts and tribunals throughout Canada.

In addition to his litigation practice, Kyle provides managers with practical training in all manner of human resource management topics.

2018 Conference - Roundtable Discussion - Leveraging Cultural Intelligence

2018-04-24 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Leveraging Cultural Intelligence Roundtable Discussion

To facilitate effective knowledge sharing and discussion, this session is limited to 10 people including the table facilitator.   If you are interested in this session, be sure to select it when you register as it may fill quickly.

 

Table Facilitator:  Buhle Dlamini, South African based in Canada and South Africa, Buhle is a global business speaker, facilitator, author, and entrepreneur.

Buhle is an award-winning entrepreneur in South Africa where he ran his consulting business for more than 12 years and also runs his Canadian firm Mindgro Consulting.  As a global speaker and consultant, he brings a wealth of international experience having worked with clients in Australia, Scotland, England, Germany, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, China, Malaysia, Mexico, Canada, and USA.

Buhle has met and worked with leaders such as former SA president Nelson Mandela and received an award from Archbishop Desmond Tutu for Nation Building and is an author of six books.  He holds a certificate in Fundamentals of Strategy from Harvard University and is a fellow with the Cultural Intelligence Centre in Michigan.

Buhle's strategic input on business strategy and organizational development has been employed by the following clients: Deloitte, JP Morgan, Coca-Cola, Oprah Magazine, Unilever, Samsung, and many more.

2018 Conference Keynote - Mental Health in the Workplace

2018-04-24 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

New Paradigms: Mental Health in the Workplace with Stephane Grenier

Stephane Grenier has challenged society’s traditional outlook regarding mental health for much of his career by redefining how we should care for and support those affected by mental health issues. His body of work began in his very own workplace, the Canadian Military, where he created and managed numerous employee driven mental health programs that have proven effective over the years and have been sustained since his departure.  Grenier is a powerful speaker who provides a nice blend of evidence base, personal experiences and humour, allowing audiences a firm understanding of how we need to re-humanize the healing and recovery process.

Stephane Grenier is a Veteran of the Canadian Military who retired as a Lieutenant Colonel following 29 years of service and numerous overseas missions. Faced with undiagnosed PTSD upon return from Rwanda, he took a personal interest in the way the Canadian Forces was dealing with mental health issues; a mission he has now decided to broaden to the entire Canadian workforce through his work in developing non clinical mental health interventions as a complement to traditional clinical care. In 2010, he was seconded to the Mental Health Commission of Canada and since his retirement from the military in 2012, Grenier has founded a charity and created Mental Health Innovations, a social enterprise dedicated to re humanizing workplaces in Canada.  Throughout his career, Grenier has been recognized for his transformational leadership style and commended for his collaborative efforts and outstanding leadership.  He was awarded a Meritorious Service Cross by the Governor General of Canada, and in 2015 he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of Guelph for his contributions in the field of mental health.