Program

Please click into each program item to learn further details. Program subject to change.

Click on rooms to filter the program by location.

Confederation BallroomProvinces BallroomLes Saisons StageNunavut Room (4th Floor)Twenty TwoOak RoomShaw CentreGovernor General BallroomFourth Floor Foyers
February 27, 2024
15:00 - 20:00
Conference and Trade Show Registration

If you are arriving to Ottawa early, CNA2024 registration will be open on the fourth floor so you can pick up your badge and sponsored delegate bag early.

Please note: for security reasons all attendees will be required to wear their badges throughout the event. Please ensure you bring it with you every day of CNA2024.

February 28, 2024
09:00 - 12:00
Indigenous Inclusion Seminar

The Indigenous Inclusion seminar will feature two unique private sector – Indigenous partnerships:

1. Moltex Energy Canada, ARC Clean Technology Canada, and the North Shore Mi’kmaq Tribal Council and 7 First Nation member communities (New Brunswick); and,

2. Denison Mines and English River First Nation – Shared Prosperity Agreement (Saskatchewan

Those involved in the agreement process will share the process that led to the signing of these agreements, and lessons learned along the way.

09:00 - 20:30
Conference and Trade Show Registration

Here you will pick up your name badge, which is required for entry and your conference kit. In an effort to reduce registration lines, registration will open on Tuesday, February 27 from 15:00 – 20:00.

Please note: for security reasons all attendees will be required to wear their badges throughout the event. Please ensure you bring it with you every day of CNA2024.

10:00 - 11:30
Communications Seminar

The nuclear sector in Canada is benefitting from significant and positive shifts in federal and provincial government policy and financial support for nuclear energy in Canada over the past few years. But to what degree has this government support influenced how Canadians feel about nuclear power? Has concern for climate overcome long-standing concerns about waste and security? How are questions of affordability impacting the priorities of Canadians in terms of energy, climate, and the economy? Are federal-provincial politics about energy projects shifting public opinion toward clean energy in general?

To explore these questions and more through a deep dive into recent polling data, join the CNA2024 Communications Seminar and hear from a panel of expert pollsters from across Canada. This session will also be an opportunity to ask questions about the CNA’s own public opinion research.

10:00 - 12:00
Regulatory Seminar

In a world with finite resources, whether natural, capital or human, legislation and regulation of the application of intricate science and technology valuable to a large population needs to be well suited, continuously improved, optimized and well understood by all parties directly or non-directly interested considering the interconnected facets inherent to intricacy. Peaceful use of nuclear energy has proven to be one of the early instances of the application of intricate science and technology with invaluable long-term benefit to humanity when well-integrated in our societies. While humanity’s use of nuclear energy is at its infancy, its understanding has greatly evolved, and explicitly echoing this evolution between institutions, regulators, industry, and all interested parties is a responsibility owed to future generations and could prove to be a blueprint useful to other science/tech intricate applications. For this purpose, and to ensure ownership and involvement by all interested parties, the CNA2024 Regulatory Affairs will focus on the following ongoing / upcoming regulatory related topics:

1. CNSC regulatory framework updates and intra-federal
consideration of bio cumulative effects
2. Regulation and phase-out of persistent chemicals
3. SMRs and nuclear liability
4. ICRP review process and all hazards approach

12:30 - 14:00
Government Affairs Seminar

This past year, the nuclear industry has seen an exponential level of global support clearly demonstrated as part of climate and energy security solutions. This level of success in shifting the political narrative, in Canada and beyond, is a result of the advocacy work led by the industry, students, academics, etc. The purpose of the workshop will be to visit advocacy strategies and advocacy successes this past year. We’ll begin the workshop with an overview of the political landscape, from a domestic and international lens, and the challenges within the field of government relations. We’ll follow with a conversation around the pathway forward for advocacy and emerging issues faced by the industry in this space.

12:30 - 14:00
Policy Seminar

Industrial projects in Canada, including nuclear, are highly dependent upon the policy atmosphere in which they are advanced. The governmental policies set the stage for developments by providing a range of tools such as subsidies, tax incentives, regulations and support for research and development. As nuclear activities are advancing quickly in Canada the policy environment is becoming increasingly important.  

This seminar will provide information regarding three different areas of policy work that CNA and the industry is tackling in 2024 and invite participants to engage with the experts working in each respective area. First, a discussion and update of potential pending changes on the federal Impact Assessment Act. Second, a presentation of early stages of work ongoing related to the nuclear labour force and human talent, along with policy research planned for the next year on this topic. And finally, a discussion regarding new work ongoing exploring the potential role of nuclear energy in the challenge of providing affordable, reliable solutions to the decarbonization of building heating. This last topic is exploratory at this stage, and we will provide a position paper in advance. The seminar will present the basis of the paper and focus on what policies may be necessary to advance this idea. 

14:00 - 16:00
Bruce Power Supplier Forum

Suppliers already registered for CNA2024 will have access to the Bruce Power Supplier Forum which will take place prior to the Conference Welcome Reception. Suppliers not registered for CNA2024 can purchase a one-day registration package on the registration site. The one-day registration will provide access to the Bruce Power Supplier Forum, and the Welcome Reception and Trade Show for Wednesday, February 28 only.

14:00 - 17:30
Student Program Sessions

**The student sessions will take place at the Shaw Centre

Schedule is as follows:

14:00 – 15:30 SPP2024: Talent Collider Session

15:30 – 15:45 Break

15:45 – 16:30 SPP2024 Panel: Starting your nuclear career

16:30 – 16:45 Break

16:45 – 17:15 SPP2024: Human resourcing for next generation nuclear

15:00 - 20:30
Opening of the CNA Trade Show

The Trade Show will officially be open and we invite delegates to start visiting our valued exhibitors right away. We will be hosting a prize draw contest using the CNA2024 mobile app game on your devices. Don’t waste time, the draw takes place Thursday night at 6:15 PM sharp! Have your CNA2024 mobile app ready!

18:00 - 20:30
Welcome Reception

Consider this the official opening of the 2024 CNA Conference and Trade Show. The welcome reception, sponsored by Bruce Power, is the first major networking event. Make sure to come hungry!

February 29, 2024
07:30 - 08:30
Breakfast and Introductory Remarks
08:30 - 09:00
SpiritWolf Singers

SpiritWolf Signers followed by the Welcome to the Territory.

09:00 - 09:15
Welcome Remarks from CNA Board Chair & CNA President and CEO
09:15 - 10:00
Panel: Accelerating the Clean Energy Transition

The clean energy transition is well underway, but meeting Canada’s ambitious net zero targets will require industry, government, civil society, and Indigenous Nations and communities to work together to accelerate progress and avoid roadblocks. Expert panelists will discuss what’s standing in the way of achieving our objectives, and how we can overcome our shared challenges.

09:45 - 10:15
Canada’s Nuclear Industry – Milestones in Collaboration

The Canadian nuclear industry’s success over the past several decades can be attributed to many factors, including a strong history and culture of innovation and collaboration. Join the leaders of COG and OCNI for a reflection on the pivotal moments and strategic decisions that shaped their respective organizations’ success over the past 40 and 45 years, and how they are building on this experience to support the sector in bringing our collective clean energy future to fruition.

10:00 - 10:15
Keynote


Laurie Swami, President and CEO, Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO)

10:15 - 10:30
Government Announcement
10:30 - 11:00
Refreshment Break
11:00 - 11:45
Panel: Supporting Canada’s Next Generation Energy Workforce

While there are detailed and ambitious plans in place for how Canada’s energy system needs to evolve in the coming years and decades, none of it will be possible without having a skilled workforce. Experts from labour, industry, and academia will highlight existing initiatives and discuss innovative approaches to ensuring Canada and the nuclear industry has the workforce necessary to deliver on its ambitious goals.

11:15 - 11:45
Thermal Networks and Nuclear Energy: Opportunities for Clean Heat Infrastructure

Canada must reduce its carbon emissions, but Canadians also need to heat their homes, and there’s a way to do both: thermal networks of insulated underground pipes that distribute heat from residual process heat, renewable sources and even nuclear reactors, using infrastructure similar to that carrying electricity and natural gas.

11:45 - 12:15
In discussion with Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
12:15 - 14:00
Lunch and Keynote Speaker
14:00 - 14:45
McMaster’s Nuclear Net Zero Community Project

Experts around the world recognize there is no path to bringing the world’s carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050 without nuclear energy – and small modular reactors (SMRs) – as part of the solution.  Canada needs to make a critical step from construction of first-of-a-kind demonstrations at large nuclear sites, like Chalk River and Darlington- to SMR deployments that power smaller and remote communities.

A world-leader in nuclear research, innovation and education, McMaster University is working with industry partners to examine the feasibility of developing a livable community of the future powered by an energy network with an SMR at its heart. This Net Zero Community would demonstrate the transformative power of clean, reliable, abundant energy for small communities and provide a road map for communities in Canada, and around the world, to follow as they consider critical decisions about SMRs for their future. 

14:00 - 15:00
View from the Top: Utility CEO Roundtable

Provinces across Canada are embarking on ambitious journeys to electrification and net zero. Join CEOs from some of the country’s largest utilities as they discuss the challenges and opportunities they face as they make decisions that will shape the future of Canada’s energy system for generations to come.

15:00 - 15:30
Refreshment Break
15:30 - 16:15
Advanced reactors and hydrogen production at the Port of Belledune (NB) Green Energy Hub

This fireside chat will showcase the planned 2GW of advanced reactors planned for the Green Energy Hub at the Port of Belledune, NB, and discuss how advanced nuclear + hydrogen production is an economically attractive model for new nuclear.

15:30 - 16:30
Panel: Countdown to SMRs

With multiple SMR projects underway in Canada, it is only a few short years until the country’s first of these promising new reactors comes online. In the years that follow, multiple units and designs will be tested and deployed across the country. Following a presentation of the NEA SMR Dashboard, an expert panel of SMR vendors will highlight their ongoing projects and discuss shared challenges and opportunities.

16:15 - 17:00
Greening Steel: How nuclear energy and electrification can power the future of steel

In 2023, the Nuclear Innovation Institute (NII) and Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) worked collaboratively to produce a joint report titled Greening Steel: How nuclear energy and electrification can power the future of steel which  outlines the critical role that clean, reliable, and affordable electricity will play in decarbonizing steel production and the corresponding increased demand for this electricity from steel producers across Canada. The report also demonstrates how nuclear energy is set to play a critical in meeting that increased demand.

Join NII’s Chad Richards, Director of Policy and Partnerships, and CSPA’s President & CEO, Catherine Cobden, for a discussion of the work undertaken by NII and CSPA to prepare this report and the shared challenges and opportunities ahead for Canada’s nuclear and steel sectors

16:30 - 17:00
Canada’s Hidden Superpower: Medical Isotopes

Whether from purpose-built research reactors or Canada’s CANDU fleet, Canada’s medical isotopes have become vitally important for global health and research. Learn more about advances in this exciting field from some of the country’s top voices in isotope production and distribution.

17:00 - 19:30
Trade Show Reception and Prize Draw

This reception will be held among the exhibitors area of the trade show. Food will be served at many stations throughout the floor with the CNA2024 prize draw will be held promptly at 6:15 PM. Have your CNA2024 mobile app ready!

March 1, 2024
08:00 - 09:00
Breakfast
08:45 - 09:30
Panel Session
09:30 - 10:00
Stronger Together: The Importance of International Collaboration

Canada and the United Sates have both long recognized their role as exporters of nuclear fuel, technology, and expertise, helping to contribute to global climate action and energy security. Together, these two countries are finding new ways to cooperate and collaborate for mutual, and global, benefit.

09:30 - 10:15
Cluff Lake: Successful Closure of a Canadian Uranium Mine

The Cluff Lake mine produced uranium from 1980 through 2022 and was subsequently decommissioned.   Orano has demonstrated remediation and reclamation were successful in achieving an end-state that is safe, stable and requires no access restrictions for traditional site uses.  CLuff Lake has been released from CNSC licensing.  The session will tell the story of uranium mining at Cluff Lake, with discussion focused on decommissioning.

10:00 - 10:15
Keynote

Jay Wileman, President and CEO, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy delivers remarks

10:15 - 10:45
Refreshment Break
10:45 - 11:15
Next Frontiers for SMRs in Canada

Much of the focus on SMRs for the near future in Canada has focused on on-grid reactors intended to supplement other forms of low-carbon power generation. However Canada is working on a range of promising innovations in SMR applications that are set to dramatically impact the way that we deploy, produce, and use nuclear heat and power including on grid, off grid, and far beyond. Join us for a discussion on the next frontier for SMRs in Canada.

10:45 - 11:30
Panel: Solving Tomorrow’s Problems Today: Accelerating Research and Innovation

While Canada’s existing nuclear technology has played a critically important role in reducing emissions and ensuring our domestic energy security, research and innovations are opening new opportunities for new technologies and applications of nuclear science. Explore the latest news and developments in innovation with experts from some of the country’s top nuclear technology and science companies and organizations.

11:30 - 12:00
Together on Nuclear: Provincial Ministers Panel 

As Alberta and Saskatchewan explore a future with nuclear power, and Ontario and New Brunswick build out their existing nuclear fleets with new projects and technologies, there is much that Canada’s provinces can learn from each other. Join Ministers from Alberta, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Saskatchewan as they discuss how they can work together to deliver on the full potential of nuclear across Canada.

12:00 - 13:00
Lunch