As of January 14, 2018, some 220 delegates have already registered to attend the fourth annual CatIQ Connect conference, taking place from February 4-6, 2019 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The overall themes of CatIQ Connect are on catastrophe preparedness and resiliency, risk management tools, and helping stakeholder and policy makers work together for the greater good of all Canadians.
David Phillips, Senior Climatologist of Environment and Climate Change Canada will open the workshop on February 4th and engage stakeholders with a review of 2018’s extreme weather events and what’s to come. The workshop will provide municipalities with insight on how to respond, recover and mitigate future disasters.
Phillips says, “Canada’s annual list of top ten weather stories has revealed an increasing trend to more destructive, expensive and impactful weather. Perhaps 2018 is a preview of what lies ahead, not as exceptional, but simply the norm mere decades from now. At the same time, we have become more vulnerable and at greater risk to extreme weather. Canadians must become more resilient – not only for what lies ahead but for the climate already here.”
The workshop has been developed in partnership with The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). FCM President Vicki-May Hamm added, “Through FCM’s Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, we encourage municipalities to better prepare for and adapt to the new realities of climate change. We welcome the opportunity at this year’s CatIQ Connect workshop to engage the stakeholders on this topic, and advance capacity-building resources for municipalities to help them address climate-related natural disasters.”
Conference sponsors are numerous organizations dedicated to mitigating and managing catastrophic loss, and include The Co-operators, CRU Group Adjusters, IBC, Wood, other technology and restoration companies, reinsurers, reinsurance brokers, and research networks. The conference agenda will provide diverse perspectives on various facets of Canadian catastrophes and session speakers include:
- Tania Caceres, Principal, Risk Nexus
- Dr. Lars Dyrud, Senior Vice President, Machine Learning, EagleView Technologies
- Dr. Blair Feltmate, Head, Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo
- Chad Nelson, Principal Advisor, Infrastructure Canada
- David McGown, Senior Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives, IBC
- Ian McPherson, CEO, Global RESP Corporation
- Shawna Peddle, Director, Disaster Risk Reduction, Canadian Red Cross
- David Phillips, Senior Climatologist, Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Philipp Wassenberg, President & CEO, Munich Reinsurance Company of Canada