WPAC Conference, Sept. 17-18,
Delta Hotel, Victoria BC
WPAC Conference & Trade Show
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
The Wood Pellet Association of Canada Conference is Canada’s largest gathering of the Canadian wood pellet industry. Each year, the event attracts hundreds of wood pellet, biomass and bioenergy professionals from across the country, as well the U.S., Europe and Asia, to discuss the issues that are having an impact on the industry here in Canada. The WPAC Conference is your opportunity to learn about the most important issues from industry experts around the globe.
Golf, Monday, Sept. 16
Opening Reception, Monday, Sept. 16
Working Together to Advance the Value of the Pellet Sector With Full and Meaningful Participation of First Nations
Together, the Wood Pellet Association of Canada and the BC First Nations Forestry Council (FNFC) will host a pre-conference workshop with dialogue and breakout sessions designed to create a realistic path forward for the pellet sector to achieve this important goal.
WPAC AGM & Conference 2024
Speakers
Brad Coady
Brad Coady, Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, NB Power
Fahimeh Yazdan Panah
Director Research and Technical Development, WPAC and Research Associate, University of British Columbia
Julie Griffiths
Quality, Sustainability & Environmental Program Coordinator, Shaw Renewables
Kenichi Kishi
Executive Manager, Biomass Power Sector, Power Business Unit, Daigas Gas and Power Solution Co., Ltd.
Yoshihiro Miyazaki
Manager, Biomass Power Sector, Power Business Unit, Daigas Gas and Power Solution Co., Ltd.
Yves-Marc Schade
Application Manager of Industrial Drying Systems, North America Division, Stela Laxhuber Drying Technology
WPAC AGM & Conference 2024
2024 Conference Schedule
Across Canada and around the globe there’s an electrification revolution. Powering the shift from fossil fuels to clean, renewable and responsible energy will require new innovations and solutions. Biomass and wood pellets have a critical role to play in the transition to a greener and brighter future.
Pre-Conference
Monday, September 16, 2024
7:30am to 4:45pm
For our pre-conference event on Monday September 16, register for a full day of golf and hit the greens with industry colleagues at the Bear Mountain Golf Club, Canada's only golf resort with 36 holes of Nicklaus Design golf.
Registration includes round trip transportation from the Delta Hotel in Victoria, green fees, cart, club rentals—if necessary, prizes and post-golf lunch.
Format: Scramble Best Ball
8:30 am – 9:15 am Bus from Hotel to Golf Club
9:15 am – 10:00 am Coffee and Rules explanation
10:00 am – 3:00 pm Golf – 8 Flights
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Lunch and Awards
4:00 pm – 4:45 pm Bus back to Delta Hotel
Cost: $180.
Pre-registration is required for golf.
10:00am to 3:00pm
Together, the Wood Pellet Association of Canada and the BC First Nations Forestry Council (FNFC) will host a pre-conference workshop with dialogue and breakout sessions designed to create a realistic path forward for the pellet sector to achieve this important goal.
- The role of wood pellets in FNFC’S strategic plan – First Nations Forestry Council
- Pellets & Our Commitment to a Better World – WPAC
- A European Perspective – Sustainable Biomass Program
- Advancing the value of the pellet sector for the benefit of everyone:
- Working Session #1: What opportunities are there for
- First Nations involvement?
- Working Session #2: What are the obstacles for advancing
- First Nations participation in the sector?
- Working Session #3: What are the steps required to realize our goals?
- The FNFC Opportunities Register
- Wrap up and the path ahead
6:00pm to 8:30pm
Join us at LURE Restaurant and Patio to kick off the 2024 WPAC Conference! The opening reception is the grand entrance to the conference where the vibe is fun and welcoming.
Listen to the music of Victoria’s Roland Barrett and catch up with old friends and make new ones. Some of the most meaningful business partnerships have been forged at this event! The reception is included with your conference pass.
Day 1
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
7:30am to 8:30am
Breakfast and Registration
8:30am to 9:00am
Opening Remarks
Moderator: Gordon Murray, Executive Director, WPAC
Rene Landry, President, WPAC
9:00am to 10:00am
Moderator: Gordon Murray, Executive Director, WPAC
The green revolution is well underway. This session will examine key drivers behind the revolution to those leading the charge and the solutions at hand.
9:00 AM – 9:25 AM
Revolution Drivers – Dr. William Strauss, President, FutureMetrics
9:25 AM – 9:50 AM
Project of the Century: A Blueprint for Growing Canada’s Clean Electricity Supply – and Fast – Janet Annesley, Chief Sustainability Officer, Kiwetinohk Energy Corp
9:50 AM – 10:00 AM
Q&A
10:00am to 10:30am
Coffee Break & Networking in Exhibit Areas
10:30am to 12:00pm
Moderator: Dr. Fahimeh Yazdan Panah, WPAC
Around the globe and in Canada, biomass is playing an important role in electrification. Join us as we hear from leading examples, the actions being taken and the challenges in ensuring biomass takes its rightful place in the clean energy transition.
10:30 AM – 10:50 AM
United Kingdom – Robie Webster Jr., Manager, Energy Transition, Argus Media Consulting
10:50 AM – 11:10 AM
Asia – Vaughan Bassett, Senior Vice President, Biomass Sales and Logistics, Drax Group
11:10 AM – 11:30 AM
New Brunswick – Brad Coady, Vice President, Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, NB Power
11:30 AM – 11:50 AM
Rural and Remote Solutions – David Dubois, Manager of Business Development, Fink Machine Inc.
11:50 AM – 12:00 PM
Q&A
12:00pm to 1:15pm
Lunch & Networking in Exhibit Areas
1:15pm to 2:15pm
Moderator: Vaughan Bassett, Senior Vice President, Biomass Sales and Logistics, Drax Group
Bob McDonald is one of Canada’s best-known science journalists, making science accessible to the public for more than 50 years. He is the host of CBC Radio’s award-winning science program, Quirks & Quarks, which has a national audience of nearly 500,000 people. McDonald is also a science correspondent for CBC Television’s The National; the Gemini-winning host and writer of the children’s series Head’s Up; and the host of The Great Canadian Invention, Wonderstruck, and the seven-part series, Water Under Fire.
McDonald has hosted and written numerous television documentaries and more than 100 educational videos in Canada and the United States. He has also authored six bestselling science books, with his latest being The Future is Now: Solving the Climate Crisis with Today’s Technology.
2:15pm to 2:45pm
Moderator: Vaughan Bassett, Senior VP, Sales and Logistics, Drax
Are we ready for the green revolution? Join us for this session as we take a deep dive into current and future market conditions, new opportunities and emerging markets, and potential headwinds.
2:15 PM – 2:45 PM
Supply and Demand – Hannah Adler, Senior Biomass Expert, Argus Media
2:45pm to 3:15pm
Coffee Break & Networking in Exhibit Areas
3:15pm to 4:30pm
Moderator: Bill Laturnus, Senior Safety Advisor, British Columbia Forest Safety Council
When it comes to safety, we all share in the responsibility. Both in Canada where we produce pellets and globally where our products are used, we all have a responsibility to keep our workforce safe and ensure we are walking the talk when it comes to safety. This panel will look at safety initiatives and lessons learned both in Canada and across the globe.
3:15 PM – 3:20 PM
Importance of Safety in Our Sector at Home and Abroad
– John Swaan, Operations and Project Development Expert, FutureMetrics.
3:20 PM – 4:00 PM
Review of Sodegaura Biomass Power Plant Silo Fire – Kenichi Kishi, Executive Manager and Yoshihiro Miyazaki, Manager, Daigas Gas and Power Solution Co., Ltd.
4:00 PM – 4:15 PM
WPAC Commitment to Growing Safely – Julie Griffiths, Chair WPAC Safety Committee and Quality, Sustainability, Environmental Program Coordinator, Shaw Renewables
4:15 PM – 4:30 PM
WorkSafeBC, Trending Safety Initiatives – Mike Tasker, Occupational Safety Officer, WorkSafeBC
5:00pm to 7:00pm
Wood Pellet Barbecue and Sponsor Reception
John Swaan, the grandfather of wood pellets and FutureMetrics pellet expert, will be cooking his world-famous pellet-smoked ribs.
Day 2
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
7:30am to 8:30am
Breakfast
8:30am to 10:00am
Moderator: Karen Brandt, Brandt Strategy Inc.
It is estimated that tens of millions of cubic metres are left in Canada's forests after harvesting, left to be burned in slash piles or contribute to forest fires. In this session, we will explore the challenges of moving this waste from the forest to the pellet plant and beyond and how these actions will keep our communities safer, reduce emissions, protect our forests and provide clean energy. We will hear expert commentary on how Finland is addressing some of these challenges as well as learn from home-grown actions that are demonstrating the importance of government and industry partnerships in solving these challenges.
8:30 AM – 8:50 AM
Climate Change and Sustainable Forest Management in Canada – Bryan Bogdanski, Manager, Forest Research Economics, Pacific Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Services
8:50 AM – 9:05 AM
Lessons from Finland – Joe Nemeth, General Manager, BC Pulp and Paper Coalition
9:05 AM – 9:20 AM
The British Columbia Approach – Steve Kozuki, Executive Director, Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia
9:20 AM – 9:35 AM
Advances in Traceability & Geolocation – Carsten Huljus, CEO, Sustainable Biomass Program
9:35 AM – 10:00 AM
Q&A
10:00am to 10:30am
Coffee Break & Networking in Exhibit Areas
10:30am to 11:30am
Moderator: Dr. William Strauss, President, FutureMetrics
Achieving our sector's full potential will require large-scale applications of biomass products and complex problem-solving skills, tools and technology. Once considered a "thing of the future", today Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become mainstream. Join this engaging discussion as we look at the role technology and AI play in our sector, initiatives underway and the development of a world of possibilities.
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Using AI-Enhanced NIR Technology to Optimize Feedstock Sorting – Dr. Fahimeh Yazdan Panah, Director of Research and Technical Development, WPAC
10:45 AM – 10:52 AM
Optimizing Efficiency: Low-Temperature Drying with Waste Heat Utilization – Yves-Marc Schade, Application Manager, Industrial Drying Systems stela Laxhuber Drying Technology, North America Division, stela Laxhuber GmbH
10:52 AM – 10:59 AM
From Wet to Pellet: Efficient Material Preparation Techniques – Timo Müller, Business Development Director, SALMATEC GmbH
10:59 AM – 11:06 AM
Wood Waste to Energy: Efficient ORC Heat Solutions – Matthias Strauch, Project and Sales Engineer, INTEC Engineering GmbH
11:06 AM – 11:30 AM
Q&A
11:30am to 11:45am
Wrap-up and Adjournment
11:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Summary and Wrap-up – Rene Landry, President, WPAC
11:45 AM
Conference Adjourns
WPAC AGM & Conference 2024
Location & Accommodations
Location
Delta Hotels by Marriott Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort
Surpass your expectations for luxury at the Delta Hotel Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort, located on the waterfront within a short stroll to downtown Victoria. Nestled on Victoria’s Harbour, the resort places you near attractions such as Butchart Gardens and the Royal British Columbia Museum with short walks to the Fisherman's Wharf and British Columbia Parliament Buildings.
Hotel Accommodations
Hotel Information
Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort for 299 CAD to 359 CAD per night
WPAC AGM & Conference 2024
Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
Silver Sponsors
Opening Reception Sponsor
Pellet BBQ Sponsor
MEDIA SPONSOR
PRESENTED BY
