Canada’s Resilience is Community Resilience (Webinar)
Join us November 26, 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET,for our upcoming discussion on community resilience and economic transformations.
Communities across Canada are experiencing major headwinds, including the global energy transition, U.S. tariffs and the rise of artificial intelligence. At the same time, key federal policy decisions are anticipated before the end of 2025. For example, the federal government is scheduled to release its Sustainable Jobs Action Plan and announce the next set of “nation-building” projects it intends to support.
In the context of these developments, we will discuss the latest research from the Institute for Research on Public Policy’s (IRPP’s) Community Transformations Project. We will feature speakers that bring a community-centred perspective on the importance of building resilience to future-proof Canada.
Panellists include:
Tamara Krawchenko, Associate Professor of Public Administration at the University of Victoria and expert on placed-based policies that help communities meet their development goals.
Gordon More, Executive Director of the Southeast Techhub in Estevan, Saskatchewan, and a leading voice on rural innovation.
Troy Dungate, President of Community Futures Network of Canada, which operates 267 non-profit offices across Canada that provide small business services to people living in rural and remote communities.
Ricardo Chejfec, Research Director at the Institute for Research on Public Policy, and lead author of the data analysis behind the Community Transformations Project and community workforce exposure to tariffs.
The discussion will be moderated by Rachel Samson, Vice-President, Research at the Institute for Research on Public Policy.
Dr. Tamara Krawchenko, Associate Professor in Public Administration at the University of Victoria, is an internationally recognized scholar whose work spans the fields of comparative public policy, regional development and sustainability transitions. She serves as the Research Area Lead for Policy and Planning with the Accelerating Community Energy Transformation (ACET), an initiative supported by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF). She also serves as Chair of the Local Governance Hub and as a core team member of the Coastal Climate Solutions Leaders program. Over 2025-2026, she joins the Institute for Research on Public Policy as a Visiting Scholar, contributing to its work on regional development and community transformations.
Troy Dungate is the President of the Community Futures Network of Canada, a non-profit community economic development network with 267 offices in rural and remote communities from coast to coast to coast. Community Futures prioritizes using local knowledge to make local decisions for the betterment of rural communities. Troy personably engages with staff and volunteers from all parts of the country and has a one-of-a-kind understanding of the challenges and opportunities that exist at the community level. In addition to his passionate commitment to grassroots community economic development, Troy is a practising lawyer based in northern B.C. Previous professional experience includes managing business development offices for TD Waterhouse in Prince George, Vancouver and Victoria.
Ricardo Chejfec is a research director at the IRPP, leading the Empowering Canada’s Workforce program. He also helps lead the Community Transformations Project, aimed at supporting workers and communities through the low-carbon workforce transformation, is involved in research examining the role of industrial policy in Canada’s next economic transformation, and is part of the secretariat of the Affordability Action Council.
As the former Lead Data Analyst, Ricardo spearheaded research and analysis for IRPP-authored publications, including Building a Package of Compromise Solutions for EI Reform and others in a series on Employment Insurance, as well as several policy briefs related to housing, transportation and food as part of the work of the Affordability Action Council. He also advises the research team on artificial intelligence, technology adoption, data analysis and visualization. He previously worked as a research associate and business analyst and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Science in cognitive science and a Master of Public Policy from McGill University.
Rachel Samson is a policy research executive with 25 years of experience providing evidence-based policy advice. As vice-president of research at the IRPP, Rachel has directed policy research and analysis relating to Employment Insurance, long-term care, child care, digital-technology adoption and industrial policy. She also led the IRPP’s role as the research and knowledge mobilization partner of the Affordability Action Council.
Prior to joining the IRPP in 2022, Rachel was research director for clean growth at the Canadian Climate Institute, where she led multiple in-depth research reports, including Sink or Swim: Transforming Canada’s Economy for a Global Low-Carbon Future. Before that, Rachel worked as a consultant, undertaking policy research and writing for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission and the Smart Prosperity Institute. Rachel also spent 15 years as an economist and executive with the federal government, with roles at Environment Canada, Finance Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the Privy Council Office, the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. Rachel holds a master’s degree in economics from Queen’s University.
