CUE's Clean Energy Expo

Brian Gallant

In 2014, Brian Gallant was sworn in as the 33rd Premier of New Brunswick at the age of 32, making him the youngest elected First Minister in Canada in a century. 

Recognizing climate change as the greatest challenge facing humanity, Gallant’s government took concrete action to protect the environment including creating the  (PDF file) Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy (external link, opens in new window)  plan which committed the province to historic measures to fight climate change, including eliminating coal generated electricity by 2030; putting a price on carbon pollution; doubling investments in energy efficiency; implementing measures for climate change adaption; and investing in renewable energy sources and new green technologies. In addition, his government announced a plan to grow the amount of non-emitting energy of the province’s utility to 75 per cent by using new renewable energy projects on the electricity grid and invested in the development of smart grid technology coupled with fostering a cybersecurity cluster which includes the protection of critical infrastructure.

In 2015, Gallant co-lead the development of the Council of the Federation’s Canadian Energy Strategy. As a member of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers meetings and as co-chair of the meeting in 2018 held in Vermont, Gallant was able to help advance important initiatives such as collaboration on energy and fighting climate change between the jurisdictions of New England and Eastern Canada.

Prior to entering politics, Gallant worked as a corporate commercial lawyer. He has university degrees in business and law as well as a Master’s degree in law from McGill University. 

In 2015, Gallant was the only Canadian named as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

In addition to Gallant being a Special Advisor on Innovation, Cybersecurity, and Law to the President of Ryerson University, he is also currently an Entrepreneur in Residence for the DMZ. 

Moreover, as Global Canada’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Gallant is working on strengthening the relationship between business and society, promoting sustainable development, and ensuring corporate social responsibility is at the forefront of our country’s private sector.

Joe Bilé

Joe is Manager of Business Development within the Engineering group at Toronto Hydro. Prior to that he was Manager of Conservation Demand Management (CDM) Program Delivery and Business Development.

With over 30 years of experience in the energy management industry Joe’s career has spanned such roles as HVAC design engineer, energy engineer, project manager, energy performance contractor, national portfolio energy manager for a major Canadian facility management organization, key account management and business development.

Joe graduated as a mechanical engineer from the University of Waterloo in 1986 and received a MBA with Distinction from the Schulich School of Business in 2004. He is a Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario and a LEED Accredited Professional. In 2019, Joe was named one of Canada’s “Clean 16”.

Katherine Sparkes

Katherine Sparkes is the Director of the Innovation, Research and Development team within the IESO where she is responsible for driving initiatives in support of grid modernization and the removal of barriers to private sector investment in solutions that support the reliability, adequacy and affordability of Ontario’s electricity supply.  Her team works with partners across the energy sector and beyond to understand emerging technologies, services, practices and policies that will help meet Ontario’s current and future electricity needs. 

Katherine previously held various leadership roles in Conservation and Demand Management leading the design of award-winning Conservation & Demand Management (CDM) programs.

Katherine has worked in the consulting and non-profit sectors and taught at the Energy & Infrastructure Program at Osgoode Hall Law School. Katherine is an Urban Planner by training.