2026 Regional Symposium - Vancouver

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Registration & Breakfast

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.

Welcome & Introductions

Dave Bhauruth | Executive Director, Reconciliation & EDI, Strategy, Governance & Reconciliation, BC College of Nurses & Midwives

9:15 – 10:15 a.m.

Regulation in a Changing Political Climate: Institutions, Pressures, & the Road Ahead

Kennedy Stewart, PhD | Associate Professor, School of Public Policy, Simon Fraser University; Former Mayor of Vancouver (2018-2022); Former MP, Burnaby (2011-2018)

10:15 – 10:30 a.m.

Break

10:30 – 12:00 p.m.

Panel Discussion: Governmental Relations in a Political World

Moderator: Louise Aerts | Chief Officer, Strategy, Governance & Reconciliation, BC College of Nurses & Midwives

Thomas Taller | Director, Policy and Regulatory Programs, Financial Professionals Department, BC Financial Services Authority

Will Morrison | Manager, Governance, Policy & Government Relations, Engineers & Geoscientists of BC

Kate Haines | Chief Compliance Officer & Deputy Registrar,  Forest Professionals of BC

Corinne de Bruin | Deputy Registrar, Licensing, College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC

12:00 – 1:15 p.m.

Lunch (provided) & Networking

1:15 – 1:45 p.m.

Beyond Regulation: Advancing Indigenous Cultural Safety in Professional Practice 

Len Pierre | Owner & CEO, Len Pierre Consulting 

1:45 – 2:45 p.m.  

Roundtable Discussion: Regulatory Transformation, Oversight, & Political Pressures in BC and Beyond
      Graeme Keirstead, K.C. | Deputy Registrar, BC College of Physicians & Surgeons

2:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Break

3:00 – 3:45 p.m.

Governing Through Change: Legislative Reform and the Evolution of Regulatory Mandates

Tamara Richter | Executive Officer of Business Services/Operational Integration, College of LPNs and HCAs of Alberta (CLHA)

Carin Plischke | Registrar & CEO, College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC (CCHPBC)

3:45 – 4:00 p.m.

Concluding Remarks

Dave Bhauruth | Executive Director, Reconciliation & EDI, Strategy, Governance & Reconciliation, BC College of Nurses & Midwives

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Registration & Breakfast

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.

Welcome & Introductions

Dave Bhauruth | Executive Director, Reconciliation & EDI, Strategy, Governance & Reconciliation, BC College of Nurses & Midwives

9:15 – 10:15 a.m.

Regulation in a Changing Political Climate: Institutions, Pressures, & the Road Ahead

Kennedy Stewart, PhD | Associate Professor, School of Public Policy, Simon Frasier University; Former Mayor of Vancouver (2018-2022); Former MP, Burnaby (2011-2018)

How do political cycles, shifting government priorities, and evolving public expectations shape the environment in which regulators operate? Drawing on experience at the federal and municipal levels, Dr. Stewart will examine how public institutions, including regulatory bodies, navigate moments of legislative change, heightened scrutiny, and policy transition without losing sight of their core mandates.

This session will offer practical frameworks for understanding how political pressures emerge, how they affect regulatory work, and how institutions adapt over time. The discussion will also look ahead to emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence, data governance, and technological disruption to consider what they mean for boards and colleges charged with protecting the public interest in an increasingly complex policy landscape.

10:15 – 10:30 a.m.

Break

10:30 – 12:00 p.m.

Panel Discussion: Governmental Relations in a Political World

Moderator: Louise Aerts | Chief Officer, Strategy, Governance & Reconciliation, BC College of Nurses & Midwives

Will Morrison | Manager, Governance, Policy & Government Relations, Engineers & Geoscientists of BC

Thomas Taller | Director, Policy and Regulatory Programs, Financial Professionals Department, BC Financial Services Authority

Kate Haines | Chief Compliance Officer & Deputy Registrar,  Forest Professionals of BC

As legislative reform, increased oversight, and shifting public expectations reshape the regulatory landscape, relationships between regulators and government are becoming more complex and consequential. In this moderated panel, regulatory leaders from across sectors will share how their organizations approach government relations in practice.

Panelists will explore what it takes to establish and sustain an effective government relations function—formal or informal—and reflect on lessons learned navigating legislative change, evolving accountability expectations, and government-driven transformation. The discussion will also examine how regulators balance independence with responsiveness and position themselves as credible partners within the broader public policy environment. Attendees will leave with practical insights into building, managing, and sustaining effective government relationships.

12:00 – 1:15 p.m.

Lunch (provided) & Networking

1:15 – 1:45 p.m.

Beyond Regulation: Advancing Indigenous Cultural Safety in Professional Practice 

Len Pierre | Owner & CEO, Len Pierre Consulting

This session explores the intersection of regulation, professional responsibility, and Indigenous rights within the Canadian context. Participants will gain a foundational understanding of how colonial systems shape regulatory environments and impact Indigenous Peoples. Moving beyond theory, this session offers practical tools and strategies to support culturally safe, ethical, and responsive practice in regulatory roles.  

1:45 – 2:45 p.m.  

Roundtable Discussion: Regulatory Transformation, Oversight, & Political Pressures in BC and Beyond
     Graeme Keirstead | Deputy Registrar, BC College of Physicians & Surgeons 

2:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Break

3:00 – 3:45 p.m.

Governing Through Change: Legislative Reform and the Evolution of Regulatory Mandates

Tamara Richter | Executive Officer of Business Services/Operational Integration, College of LPNs and HCAs of Alberta (CLHA)

Carin Plischke | Registrar & CEO, College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC (CCHPBC)

In this fireside conversation, regulatory leaders from an amalgamated health college and a nursing college that recently expanded its mandate to include health care aides will share insights into how legislative reform has altered governance structures, accountability expectations, professional identity, and operational strategy. This discussion will move beyond policy mechanics to examine how regulators adapt culture, communication, decision-making processes during periods of government-driven change, and what these experiences reveal about regulating in an increasingly political environment. Together, they will explore the challenges and opportunities that arise when new titles are brought under regulatory oversight, when organizations merge, and when public interest mandates are reframed through statute.

3:45 – 4:00 p.m.

Concluding Remarks

Dave Bhauruth | Executive Director, Reconciliation & EDI, Strategy, Governance & Reconciliation, BC College of Nurses & Midwives