Program

7:00 AM
Breakfast
 
 
Registration
 
 
8:00 AM
Opening Ceremony & Welcome Remarks
 
 
8:45 AM
Keynote Session
 
 
10:00 AM
Refreshment Break
 
 
APCO Canada Trade Show
 
 
1:00 PM
Balancing Hierarchical and Relational Leadership Practices within Emergency Services
Jennifer Barron
Jennifer Barron - City of Calgary Deputy Chief, Calgary 9-1-1
Broadband Interoperability - Where Are We in 2026?
 
John Kelly - Catalyst Communications
Project 25 Technology Interest Group - P25 Standards Update
 
Ron Williscroft - APCO Canada Director
Failing Centers or Failing Bosses
Stephan Bunker
Stephan Bunker - State Legislator State Representative
2:00 PM
Refreshment Break
 
 
2:15 PM
From Evidence to Action: How CIPSRT Supports Your Mental Health
 
Kimberly Bitz - CIPSRT
What can 9-8-8 do for your PSAP?
Tracy Ward Karen Vander Sluis
Tracy Ward - Federal Engineering Senior Consultant
Karen Vander Sluis - CAMH Senior Manager
The AI Frontier: Industrialized Cyber Threats to Canadian Public Safety Agencies
Jay Kaine Tyler Brodbeck Andy Ayo
Jay Kaine - Motorola Solutions Director, Threat Intelligence
Tyler Brodbeck - Motorola Solutions Threat Intelligence Manager
Andy Ayo - Motorola Solutions rofessional Services Penetration Testing Team Lead
3:15 PM
Refreshment Break
 
 
3:30 PM
Turning the Tide: Effective Strategies for Managing Toxic Team Members
Halcyon Frank
Halcyon Frank - GovWorx Director of 9-1-1 Education
Resilient Operations: Risk-Based Business Continuity for 911 Communication Centers Protecting Critical Emergency Services Through Proactive Preparedness
 
 
PSPNET: A Cost-free Digital Mental Health Service for Public Safety Personnel in Canada
 
Luke Schneider - University of Regina Registered Clinical Psychologist
Business as Usual When Business Isn't Usual: How PSAPs Can Scale Pp and Continue Operations After Disruptions
Magni Magnason
Andrew Renfree - Canadian NG9-1-1 Coalition Chairperson
Magni Magnason - Loft Group
7:00 AM
Registration
 
 
7:30 AM
Giving Back Breakfast
 
 
9:00 AM
Keynote Session
 
 
10:00 AM
Refreshment Break
 
 
APCO Canada Trade Show
 
 
12:00 PM
Lunch in the Tradeshow
 
 
1:00 PM
The Un-Invited Guest and Self-Advocacy
Gavin Hayes
Gavin Hayes - APCO Canada Director/National Events Coordinator
What happens to a PSAP during a cyber attack?
 
Rachel Chinchilla - Barrie Fire and Emergency Service Assistant Deputy Chief - Technology and Communications
To NG9-1-1 and Beyond!
Kimberley Sauter
Kimberley Sauter - Calgary 9-1-1 Business Analyst
Lisbeth Garcia - City of Calgary Project Manager
The Unbreakable Spirit: Reigniting Your "Why"
 
Christopher Bradford - Priority Dispatch Corporation Medical/Fire/QA Protocol Expert
2:00 PM
Refreshment Break
 
 
2:15 PM
Behind the Headset: The Hidden Mental Health Toll of 911 Communications
 
Rachelle Gruber - Regina Police Service 911 Communications Officer
Elevating 9-1-1: Strategic Planning in a Dynamic Environment
 
Anita Blackstaffe - The City of Calgary Business Strategist
Center Directors as "Risk Managers"
Stephan Bunker
Stephan Bunker - State Legislator State Representative
3:15 PM
Refreshment Break
 
 
3:30 PM
Getting Unstuck: How a Winter Bucket List Can Transform Your (or your centre’s) World
Sharon Koch
Sharon Koch - Esri Canada Senior Consultant
Rewiring the System: Positioning 911 Expertise at the Core of Multi-Agency Planning.
 
Peggy Giesbrecht - E-Comm 911 Manager, Strategic Initiatives
Don’t Touch My Buttons: Leading Change in a “100 Years of Tradition” PSAP
Alfred Klein
Wes Bogdane - Federal Engineering Senior 911 Systems Consultant
Alfred Klein - Federal Engineering Independent Management Consultant
6:00 PM
APCO Canada 2026 Awards Reception
 
 
7:00 PM
APCO Canada 2026 Awards Gala Dinner
 
 
7:00 AM
Registration
 
 
7:30 AM
Breakfast
 
 
8:00 AM
GIS-based call routing: filling the gap or a bridge too far?
Robert Harris, ENP, GISP Sharon Koch
Robert Harris, ENP, GISP - Esri Canada NG9-1-1 Data & Solutions Manager
Sharon Koch - Esri Canada Senior Consultant
Day One: When Self-Care Tools Become a Culture Signal, Not a Crisis Response
Chris Spence Renee Thornton
Jocelyn James - Saskatchewan RCMP Operational Communications Centre Manager
Chris Spence - RCMP
Renee Thornton - Pathfinder Resilience Founder and CEO
The AI-Assisted Emergency Communications Center: Beyond the Call
 
Andy Horn - Axon Solutions Consultant
Let Them: The Skill 9-1-1 Professionals Didn’t Know They Needed
 
Kelly Kelley - Virtual Academy Vice President of Sales & Marketing
9:00 AM
Dispatching Differently: How Community Paramedicine is Reshaping the 911 Response Model
Shawn Naraine
Shawn Naraine - Toronto Paramedic Services Superintendent of Special Projects
Erin Harrison - Toronto Paramedic Services
When Every Hour Counts: Deploying Province-Wide Emergency Information in 36 Hours
 
Brenda Dhillon - Genvis Canada Country Manager
Broadband Interoperability - Where Are We in 2026?
 
 
Don't Keep It Under Your Headset - How to have fun in the Comm Centre to Build Mental Health Resilience
Kimberley Sauter
Suzanne Teubner - Nova Scotia Department of Emergency Management 911 Training & Quality Assurance Supervisor
Kimberley Sauter - Calgary 9-1-1 Business Analyst
10:00 AM
Refreshment Break
 
 
10:30 AM
How Evidence-Based Sleep Interventions can Support Individuals Recovering from Trauma
Dr. Cynthia Carney, Ph.D, CPsych
JaCorey Glaude, ENP RPL - Omni Public Safety Group Training and Technology Consultant
Dr. Cynthia Carney, Ph.D, CPsych - Toronto Metropolitan University Professor and Director of the Sleep and Depression Laboratory
12:00 PM
APCO Canada 2026 Annual General Meeting
 
 

** Program is subject to minor changes.

Pre-Conference Workshops: Coming Soon

Workshops take place Sunday and Monday before the conference.