Icelandic Fisheries Expert Dr. Grímur Valimarsson at U of T Wed Oct 7
Discussion: 8:00 – 9:30 AM
Wrap up / informal discussion 9:30 – 10:00 AM
Cost: $29.00 plus HST.Venue: Torys LLP, 79 Wellington St. W., 30th Floor, TorontoEventbrite registration: http://www.
The University of Toronto’s Environmental Finance Advisory Committee invites you to join us for a lively discussion on Investment Opportunities in Canada’s Emerging Aquaculture Industry. The objective of this seminar is to build awareness of Canada’s aquaculture sector, and its responsible development, within Toronto’s investment community.
Discussion themes:
• Responsible natural resource development
• Is aquaculture a climate change solution?
• Risks and opportunities for investors, including emerging standards and associated costs, along with the industry’s growth potential.
Background:
Fish and seafood are increasingly recognized around the world as valuable sources of protein. As global demand for these products increases, Canada’s commercial fisheries and aquaculture sectors are positioned to reap substantial economic gains, creating opportunities for employment and innovation. As wild fish stocks stagnate or decline, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN suggests that the greatest opportunity to meet this growing demand is aquaculture. Growth, however, is not without its challenges, such as mounting pressure for improved environmental management, product safety, traceability and a still nascent legislative framework governing the sector. Ocean warming, acidification, pollution and contamination, and the lack of a national marine protected areas network present further risks.
Realizing this growth potential for Canadian seafood exports will require significant investment in the research and development of innovative technologies and processes, feed efficiency improvements, environmental risk management and protection, and strong marketing and branding. Such investment provides Canada with opportunities to export not only fish products, but also potential innovations in our harvesting, processing and technologies.
Join the discussion between highly specialized practitioners to assess the opportunities and risks associated with investing in this growth sector, and learn what the industry is doing to increase the economic value of Canada’s seafood in the global marketplace.
The Committee is delighted to announce that it has assembled five thought leaders with expertise in this rapidly emerging topic.
Panelists:
1. Dr. Grimur Valdimarsson, Senior Advisor to the Icelandic Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, former Director of the Fish Products and Industry Division, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). He will bring the perspective of activities relating to fish production, utilization and trade, safety of products, and appropriate technologies.
2. Doug Blair, an economist with RIAS Inc., which helps companies deal effectively with the many challenges that can arise in the field of regulation and government policy, and helps Canadian industries demonstrate the value and benefits of their activities, products and services to a broad range of stakeholders, including the Canadian public, consumers, politicians, regulators, the media, and other stakeholders. Doug has worked closely with the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance for the past four years to identify industry growth projections, and factors influencing the investment climate for aquaculture.
3. Leon Raubenheimer, Managing Partner and Founder of ZED Financial Partners, an Investment and Merchant Bank based in Toronto. Its main investment is in Akvatech AS, a company based in Norway, which is commercializing solid wall, closed contained salmon farming technology in Northern Europe. He will discuss opportunities and barriers to investment.
4. David Smith, Principal, Orion Consultants, a consulting firm advising NGOs and governments on driving engagement with large businesses, including for Canadian international trade development. Prior to founding Orion, David was the former VP of Retail Strategy and Sustainability for Sobeys, and was a VP of product marketing for Whole Foods. He will add to our panel discussion the perspective of managing environmental and social issues in the retail food industry supply chain as it pertained to seafood and aquaculture, as well as meat, agriculture and packaging.
5. Prof. Martin Krkosek, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto. He will bring practitioner perspectives from his work with Canada’s west coast aquaculture industry, as well as leading / desired practices through his collaboration with researchers in Norway.
Moderated by Susan McGeachie, Adjunct Professor, Environmental Finance and Sustainable Investing, School of the Environment, University of Toronto, and Market Leader, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, EY