Building a Billion Tonne Blueprint

Join the carbon removal sector to determine what it takes to put Canada on a path to catalyzing a billion tonnes of carbon removal by 2050.

Event details:

Thursday, March 5, 2026
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM EST

National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin St.
The Canada Room
Ottawa, ON

Explore how we get from demonstration projects to massive commercial deployment, discover breakthrough partnerships driving real-world implementation, and shape the policies needed to rapidly and responsibly scale this critical climate solution.

Network with industry leaders and policymakers, while helping to build the blueprint for Canada’s leadership in the global carbon removal sector.

This year’s topics will explore:

We are grateful for the support from:

Presenting partners

Event partners

The agenda:

9:00AM – 9:30AM	Open Registration
9:30AM – 9:45AM	Opening Remarks
9:45AM – 10:00AM	ANNOUNCEMENT A New Initiative to Scale Carbon Removal Presenter: Ed Whittingham (Advance Carbon Removal), Na’im Merchant (Carbon REmoval Canada)
10:00AM – 10:30AM	FIRESIDE CHAT A Conversation with Minister Julie Dabrusin Canada is at an inflection point where climate ambition and economic opportunity are converging. In this fireside chat, we’ll discuss how Canada’s approach to carbon removal fits within its broader climate commitments, what it takes to attract and retain clean economy investment, and why carbon removal represents not just an obligation but a genuine economic opportunity for Canadian industry. From first-mover advantage to the co-benefits that are bringing new champions into the sector, this conversation will offer candid insight into where the government stands and what it sees ahead. Participants: Na’im Merchant (Carbon Removal Canada) & The honourable julie Dabrusin (Environment and Climate change Canada)
10:30AM – 11:00AM	Networking Break
11:00AM – 11:30AM	PANEL Perfect Partnerships: Carbon Removal as a Competitive Advantage Carbon removal companies can’t scale alone. They need partners. This panel features the partnerships that are shaping some of the most interesting work in carbon removal: tech startups teaming up with steel giants and Indigenous Nations co-owning carbon removal projects. Hear how these partnerships actually happened, what it took to say yes, and what they’ve learned about building relationships that accelerate the entire sector. Moderator: Ericka Rios (Alberta Innovates) SPEAKERS: Sarah Swim (Carbon Run), Season Brennan (Pictou county Rivers Association), Luke Rondel (Karbonetiq), John Naccarato (Algoma Steel)
11:30AM – 12:00PM	PANEL The New Mining Mandate: Integrating Carbon Removal Canada’s mining industry stands at the intersection of two massive opportunities: permanently storing carbon in mine waste while producing the critical minerals the world needs for net-zero. This panel features those that are making it happen. Hear why they’re betting on carbon mineralization, what’s standing in their way, and how turning old mines into climate solutions could reshape Canada’s economic future. Moderator: Sean Capstick (WSP) SPEAKERS: Alex Petre (Deep Sky), Sydney Oakes (Canada Nickel), Sara Rahmes (SE Advisory Services), Danny Broberg (Stripe)
12:00PM – 1:00PM	Lunch and Networking
1:00PM – 1:15PM	PRESENTATION Removals into Revenue: How Carbon Removal Rewrites Canada’s Economic Future Hear about Carbon Removal Canada’s strategic vision for transforming the carbon removal industry into a cornerstone of Canada’s climate competitiveness as we unveil new economic modeling that demonstrates the sector’s potential as critical enabling infrastructure. The presentation will showcase how strategic investments in carbon removal technologies can position Canada as a global leader while creating substantial economic opportunities. PRESENTER: Na’im Merchant (Carbon Removal Canada)
1:15PM – 1:45PM	PRESENTATION Leading Locally: How are we Making Carbon Removal Real? Every carbon removal facility needs a home, and increasingly municipal and provincial governments decide whether to roll out the welcome mat. These presentations are from officials actively bringing carbon removal to their regions, balancing community needs with economic opportunity. Hear how they work with companies on the ground, what real consultation looks like, and how they’re creating conditions where communities are respected and businesses can actually build. Presenters: Jean Barclay (Town of Innisfail), Heather Stephens (Emissions Reduction Alberta), DAVID BERTHIAUME (Kemitek)
1:45PM – 2:15PM	PANEL A Global Gigatonne Race The race to scale carbon removal is global, and many countries are going big. Governments are deploying hundreds of millions in funding, launching procurement programs, and creating carbon contracts for differences that de-risk deployment. This panel explores what’s working across different countries, challenges they’re facing along the way, and what we can all learn from each other’s playbooks. Moderator: NOAH DEICH (Columbia Center for Global Energy Policy) SPEAKERS: Frank Des Rosiers (Government of Canada), Erin Burns (Carbon180), Laura Jackson (Government of the United Kingdom)
2:15PM – 3:00PM	ACTIVITY Policy Roundtables We’re tackling the sector’s most challenging questions head-on. At roundtables, attendees will debate the pressing issues that everyone thinks about but rarely discusses openly. These aren’t just conversations for the sake of it: the insights from these discussions will be compiled into a “What We Heard” report that directly shapes our future advocacy priorities and policy recommendations. Moderator: Carson Fong (Carbon Removal Canada)
3:00PM – 3:30PM	Networking Break
3:30PM – 4:30PM	ACTIVITY Policy Pitch Arena: Bold Ideas for a Billion Tonnes A high-stakes policy pitch competition inspired by Dragon’s Den. Three carbon removal experts will present their most ambitious, next-generation policy proposals to accelerate the sector. They’ll face tough questions from a panel of expert judges who will evaluate each idea on economic viability, implementation feasibility, and potential for real-world impact. Judges: Jayen Veerapen (BMO), AJ Bird (Bird & McCrimmon), Hugo Lakin (Sylvera)
4:30PM – 5:00PM	PANEL Getting Shovels, and Carbon, in the Ground Carbon removal isn’t theoretical anymore. This panel features companies already operating at commercial scale with real projects in the ground right now. Hear how they made the jump from lab to field, what it actually took to build at scale, and the hard-won lessons they can share with companies trying to do the same. Moderator: GALITH LEVY (Climate solutions Prize) SPEAKERS: Michel Gagnon (airex Energie), Alex Johnson (CO280), Adrian Corless (Carbon Capture Inc), Colum Furey (Climeworks)
5:00PM	Closing Remarks
5:00PM – 6:00PM	Networking Reception