Tickets Online: http://www.tinyurl.com/craftingthefuture
Women must support one another - Together we are powerful and can truly affect change. The Global Cannabis Women’s Summit in Toronto will galvanize women to bring feminist principles into their business and redefine the future of the cannabis industry. By bringing women from all around the world together to collaborate and learn from each other, we’ll create diverse visions of the future to challenge and inspire us to find agency today in creating the industry of tomorrow.
The Green Tent will kick off the event with a networking session. Host Irie Selkirk will explain why The Green Tent is a destination for women-led businesses to connect in the cannabis industry, and why providing the space for meaningful networking, exchanging relevant info, promoting one another, and hosting workshops and retreats is so important. #UnderTheGreenTent women support one another with professional and community skill-building, offering platforms for go-to market launches, mentorship, and more. Ultimately, building bridges that build better companies.
Lightning Talks will be short inspiration talks featuring feminist business leaders, leading into a panel discussion hosted by High Friends, a podcast hosted by Rachel Colic and Gill Pollard featuring diverse industry perspectives. During the event catering will be provided by up and coming Canadian Chef Charlotte Langley, as well as hemp cocktails infused with Token bitters. Hempster will also be doing an infused cooking demo, so this event is not to be missed!
6pm Networking with The Green Tent
7pm Lightning Talks
8pm High Friends Panel
9pm Token Hemp Cocktails
Sponsorship opportunities are still available, so email lisac@lifford.com for a copy of our sponsorship deck.
Sponsors
TerrAscend
Aqualitas
Jones Brown
The Guarantee Company of North America
Featured Speakers
One day, as Colorado prepared to roll out its recreational cannabis program, a career woman and suburban mom had an idea. Why not incorporate the substance she enjoyed into the dinner parties she hosted for her friends? In a matter of months, Jane West was hosting cannabis events that put the plant in a sophisticated, social setting. The events started selling out, and the national and international media were soon writing about this exciting new idea as a reflection of Colorado's closely watched, fledgling legalization program. Prior to launching her consumption-friendly cannabis events company Edible Events in 2014, Jane was a working mother rising through the management ranks as a corporate event planner. After her employer spotted her vaping on CNBC, she was quickly fired. Jane took this opportunity to fully immerse and invest herself in the cannabis industry full time. She founded Women Grow, the cannabis industry’s largest professional networking organization, and is now the CEO of her eponymous cannabis lifestyle brand Jane West. At Jane West, she develops accessories and home goods that invite mainstream women to experience the benefits of cannabis and take part in the legal lifestyle. Jane is a voice for mainstream consumers and women like her who stand to benefit greatly from an alternative to alcohol and pharmaceuticals. She believes that cannabis is the best alternative, and invites consumers to elevate their experience and #takeflight.
Vicki Saunders is an entrepreneur, award-winning mentor, advisor to the next generation of changemakers and leading advocate for entrepreneurship as a way of creating positive transformation in the world. Vicki is Founder of SheEO and #radical generosity a global initiative to radically transform how we support finance and celebrate female entrepreneurs.
Vicki has co-founded and run ventures in Europe, Toronto and Silicon Valley and taken a company public on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Vicki was recently named as 1 of 30 “World-Changing Women in Conscious Business” by Conscious Company Magazine and one of the 100 most influential leaders of 2015 from “EBW – Empowering A Billion Women”, In 2001, Vicki was selected as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum.
Reena Rampersad is a cultural foodie and cannabis connaisseur, originally born in Toronto but of Trinidadian descent. She spent all of her 20’s earning a living as a social worker in the city of Detroit, Michigan but her interest in food culture would eventually steer her into a permanent career as a Restauranteur. She is currently the owner / operator of two catering and private dinner companies, The Limin Coconut and High Society Supper Club. As an open supporter of Cannabis, Reena has been advocating the benefits for years and utilises her culinary skills and influence to help shift the negative perceptions and stigmas that exist regarding it’s use. As a young girl, Reena witnessed her grandmother using Cannabis in the making of various salves and remedies while her father battled the law and society for his choice to partake. Many of her family members were victims to the War on Drugs so her participation in the industry is both personal and political and she sees it as one of the greatest and most ignored civil rights violations of all time. As a result, both of her companies have strong social justice ties and involvement and Reena is also the Volunteer Coordinator for The Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty, a campaign that is currently drafting legislation and asking the federal government to provide blanket pardons to those with previous non violent cannabis convictions in an effort to promote an equitable industry. Reena has been featured on the CBC’s The Current, Episode “Cooking With Cannabis”, in a Zoomer Media spot on the ONE Network alongside a few other articles in The Globe and Mail, Now Magazine and other smaller publications focused on cannabis and cooking. Reena currently resides in Hamilton, Ontario with her husband, Louic and their cat Buddy.
Petra Kassun-Mutch is the Executive Director of Food Starter Toronto and is best known in the food industry as the founder/former CEO of the sustainable, artisan food enterprise, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Company in Prince Edward County. Fifth Town, a federally inspected and ISO 140001 certified dairy enterprise, won over 32 cheese product awards including five Grand Champion awards at the Royal Winter Fair and many others. The facility was also Canada’s first Platinum LEED manufacturing facility, and Canada’s 8Th BCorp. Powered by geothermal, wind and solar energy, and with an innovative bio-wetland for digesting whey, the facility won several architectural, design and sustainability awards including two GFTC Sustainable Company awards. Fifth Town won the Premiers Award for Agri-food Innovation. Petra was also the co-founder and long-time Chair of the Ontario Cheese Society, and founder of the Slow Food chapter in Prince Edward County. Petra’s most recent enterprise, Eve-Volution Inc, a startup incubator, accelerator, and innovation ecosystem consulting venture, was founded with a mission to advance inclusivity in the innovation economy. Eve-volution’s work extended to Jordan in the Middle East and the Yukon territory. In November 2017, Petra was profiled in the Canada 150 Women: Conversations with Leaders, Champions, and Luminaries book and was recently listed as one of Canada’s Inspiring 50 2018 as a top woman in tech and innovation sectors. Petra has an undergraduate degree from Carleton University in Journalism/Mass Comm, and an EMBA from the Rotman School of Management. Petra is mom to 17-year-old daughter, Augusta and continues to advance her interests in variety of creative pursuits including writing, collage and zine-making.
Robyn Rabinovich is the Vice President of Business Strategy at TerrAscend Corp., a vertically-integrated Canadian public cannabis company with subsidiaries in post production (Solace Health Inc.), clinical support (Solace Health Network Inc.) and drug preparation (Solace Rx Inc.). Robyn brings years of international cannabis experience having previously developed, implemented and managed the marketing department at one of the world’s largest licensed producers of cannabis. She has vast experience in the Canadian cannabis licensing process having successfully obtained licenses for the cultivation and sales of cannabis products and derivatives. Involved in the federally regulated Canadian cannabis landscape since inception, Robyn is deeply knowledgeable in regulatory compliance and product development. Robyn holds a Bachelor of Commerce in International Business from Dalhousie University.
Tricia Ryan’s primary practice areas are business and marketing strategy in the foods, beverages, OTC drug, and the hospitality industries. Tricia has a BA and BSc and MBA in wine and spirits. She has numerous post university certifications - is a Dietitian, Value Engineer, Integrative Coach and Regulatory Agent. She began her career in the food service hospitality industry, followed by a move to marketing with H.J. Heinz and advertising, as an Account Director with Grey Advertising. Tricia has owned and run for 20 years The Marketing Toolbox a division of Par Value Inc., specializing in strategic planning, market research and the application of Innovation and creative problem solving to product and concept development. Tricia studied creativity and has led at the University of Buffalo - Creativity Institute and has taken De Bono 6 Thinking Hats Workshop training. She also trained as a certified user of The Customer’s Mind, an online quantitative research technology with qualitative research benefits. Recently Tricia trained and became a Partner with Lego Serious Play giving her the rights to this innovative, experiential process which facilitates hands -on, minds -on learning that produces deeper, more meaningful understanding of organization opportunities. In the last two years, Tricia has evolved her food and beverage communications expertise as the Director of the Food and Innovation Research Studio (FIRSt)at George Brown College. FIRSt accelerates new food and beverage ideas “from concept to commercialization”, by offering industry access to strategic and technical resources, state of the art culinary research facilities, and high-value networking opportunities. With FIRSt the food and beverage industry can: Access food & beverage industry expertise, technology and equipment to enhance innovation, productivity, and competitiveness Take new-product ideas to market swiftly and cost-effectively Access creative culinary faculty and student talent, simultaneously the student talent will get real world, practical training and learning opportunities while working on FIRSt’s projects FIRSt is an experiential one-stop-shop of innovation resources that meets industry’s innovation needs.
Sabrina Ramkellawan is the VP of Clinical Affairs at TerrAscend Corp and is a researcher, patient advocate, speaker and professor. Sabrina has 15+ years of clinical trial experience in both early and late phase trials (including pharmacokinetic studies, bioequivalence/bioavailability, drug abuse liability studies, and device studies). Sabrina is a seasoned research professional with progressive industry experience in several therapeutic areas (Pain/CNS, Cardiology, Biologics, Immunology, Virology, Dermatology, Sleep Medicine, Gastrointestinal (GI), Reproductive Health and Oncology). She has worked on more than 10 novel/innovative drugs, 300+ generic drug studies, 4 vaccine drugs, and 5 medical device studies. In addition, she was a professor at Seneca College teaching as part of the clinical research program. She also does a number of speaking engagements and talks related to research including cannabis research and cannabis education for patients and health care providers.
Myrna Gillis LL.B, B.A., Chief Executive Officer of Aqualitas is a lawyer, mediator and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in business. As a labour and employment lawyer, she has advocated for persons with disabilities and represented public and private sector employers in the vulnerable persons sector, providing advice on regulatory compliance, corporate governance, human rights and leading industry standards and practices. She is peer-rated for practice excellence and high ethical standards. She has experience raising exempt market capital in Canada, and has led initiatives in research and development and innovation, including projects with grant funding from provincial and federal funding agencies. She has reliability security clearance and training through the federal Industrial Security Program. Myrna has served on the executive of various boards, including DASC, a social enterprise employer supporting persons with disabilities; For A Dream’s Sake, an endowment fund for women with terminal cancer; Dalhousie Law Alumni Association; Boys and Girls Clubs of Nova Scotia and Canada; and the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service Board of Trustees. She is a member and supporter of Women Grow, an organization supporting cannabis leaders in the sector. She also served on the Nova Scotia labour management review committee and received her Queen’s Counsel designation in 2014 for exceptional merit and contribution to the legal profession. Myrna volunteers with the debate program at Halifax Grammar School and enjoys wilderness camping and travel.
Home grown social influencer Barinder Rasode’s quintessential advocacy for Canadian values is nationally renowned. Her leadership, mastery of complex subjects and innovation guides a plethora of issues that impact the everyday life of Canadians. A strong believer in creating cohesion and synchronicity, Barinder leads by example to propel a team’s natural strengths to levels of exceptionality that help shape objectives, narratives and discourse. Currently, Barinder is the CEO of NICHE, an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides impartial and evidence-based research about cannabis production and use in Canada. Based in Vancouver with a national vision, NICHE was established in 2017 after discussions with the Federal and Provincial governments, industry, universities, patients, consumers, non-governmental organizations, law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders. Barinder has extensive experience working with senior levels of government, stakeholders and the private sector to find common ground to encourage respectful, informed dialogue on diverse issues to tackle emerging challenges facing BC’s future. A fierce advocate of women’s rights, Barinder is the co-founder and Advisory Committee Chair for a unique series of conferences, SheTalks, each featuring 16 inspirational women who share stories of leadership, transformation, innovation, and how to succeed in today’s rapidly changing world. To date SheTalks has produced 11 popular events, including SheTalks YVR, SheTalks Resources and SheTalks Technology, highlighting the stories of over 160 women. Barinder also hosts SheTalks Radio a weekly show on Roundhouse 98.3 FM. Previously, Barinder served two terms as an elected Councillor for the City of Surrey, taking leadership roles in public safety and transportation. She has also served on the Board of Directors for Fraser Health, which provides governance and vision for the largest health authority in British Columbia. In her appointed role, she worked with senior management to establish overall strategic direction, review long-term plans, and ensure appropriate community consultation. Among her many accolades, Vancouver Magazine ranked her as one of the 50 most powerful people in Vancouver.