AI: Energy, Environment & Community
2026
2026
2026, Climate + Environment
AI infrastructure is being rapidly planned and built across Canada, and the federal government is promising billions in support for sovereign compute.
This unprecedented surge in a new industry has global-scale implications for climate change, the environment and communities where the physical buildout of AI is taking shape.
It’s resulting in both new economic opportunities and a widely accelerating backlash.
This panel event will bring together experts to tackle the impacts and opportunities of Canada’s AI datacentre buildout and ask what, if any, are the conditions that will decide social license to operate?
You'll hear from Paris Marx (Tech Won't Save Us, Hyperscale), Sean Mullin (Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy), Kate Harland (Canadian Climate Institute), Jeff Ward (Animikii Indigenous Technology) and moderator Isaac Phan Nay (The Tyee).
The event will include a moderated audience Q&A.
Can’t attend in person? You can register for a free livestream ticket.
This event is co-presented with support from , Â鶹ÊÓƵClimate Innovation, the Dialogue on Technology Project and the
Header Image: Kathryn Conrad & Rose Willis / /
Doors: 6:30 pm
Event: 7:00-8:30 pm
Location:
The Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema
Â鶹ÊÓƵGoldcorp Centre for the Arts
149 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1H4
Tickets:
Indigenous, Student & Senior Ticket: $5.00
General Admission: $10.00
On this page
Paris Marx
is a Canadian tech critic and host of the acclaimed Tech Won’t Save Us podcast. He speaks around the world about the politics of technology and writes the Disconnect newsletter. Paris is the author of Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech’s Data Empires.
Sean Mullin
Sean Mullin is an economist and policy leader with over 20 years of experience in technology, economic strategy, and public policy.
As a Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, his work focuses on AI, sovereignty, and economic competitiveness.
He previously served as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada for Economic Affairs, where he led the development of Canada’s Sovereign AI Compute Strategy and contributed to major economic initiatives. He also founded the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship and co-authored Sovereign by Design: Strategic Options for Canadian AI Sovereignty in 2026.
He holds an MBA from Oxford, an MA in Economics from McGill, and an Honours BSc from the University of Toronto.
Kate Harland
Kate Harland is the Director for Clean Growth at the Canadian Climate Institute. At the Institute, she has led pivotal projects on electricity and economic competitiveness, energy affordability and managing peak electricity demand.
She also served as an external energy advisor to the BC Hydro Task Force. With over 15 years of climate and policy experience spanning three continents, Kate brings a breadth of expertise to her work. Her previous roles include contributing to climate policy and economic analysis for the UK and EU governments and developing low-carbon vehicle strategies with Nissan.
She also served as Research Lead for the Chief Science Advisor to the New Zealand Prime Minister, covering both climate change and research and innovation policy. Kate holds a Master of Science from Cambridge University and a Master of Public Policy from Â鶹ÊÓƵ.
Jeff Ward
Jeff Ward is the founder and CEO of Animikii Indigenous Technology, a values-driven B Corp building ethical technology for a more equitable world. Since 2003, Jeff has grown Animikii into the company behind Niiwin, one of the world's first data platforms built with Indigenous-first design. Niiwin empowers organizations to control and use their data to benefit their communities, grounded in Indigenous data sovereignty principles like OCAP® and CARE.
Jeff is Ojibwe and Métis, originally from Manitoba, now living and working in Victoria, BC on Lekwungen territory. He's a software developer, product designer, author, and speaker.
He has served on the board of Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and its subsidiaries since 2018 and is a founding board member of the Indigenous Tech Circle. He also serves on the OECD Global Partnership on AI (GPAI) Experts Working Group on Responsible AI and is a Fellowship Leadership Judge for MIT Solve.
Jeff speaks and presents regularly at national and international conferences and is quoted widely in the media.
Isaac Phan Nay
Isaac Phan Nay is reporter at , where he covers labour and corporate responsibility. He previously worked at Canada's National Observer, the Toronto Star and CBC Vancouver, and has extensively covered business, labour and the environment.
