CCHL National Conference 2026

• Provide a purpose-built community gathering of health leaders;
• Develop essential skills and behaviors to enhance leadership;
• Connect health leaders with their peers, community, and system;
• Inspire participants to lead the future of healthcare collaboratively; and
• Present world-class cutting-edge knowledge, focused on solutions and workplace application.

Theme

Courage

In an era marked by rapid transformation, systemic challenges, and profound societal shifts, courage has emerged as a defining trait of effective health leadership. The 2026 CCHL National Conference invites leaders from across Canada to explore the multifaceted nature of courage (moral, strategic, relational, and innovative) as the cornerstone of resilient and compassionate leadership.

Whether confronting inequities in patient care, advocating for policy reform, or navigating the emotional toll of everyday decision-making, health leaders are called to act with integrity, empathy, and boldness. In this environment, courage becomes not only a personal quality but a shared necessity, sustained by community, collaboration, and partnership with patients and families. This conference will celebrate those who dare to lead differently, challenge the status quo, and inspire collective action toward a more equitable and sustainable health system.

Why “Courage”?

The theme “Courage” builds on the legacy of past CCHL conferences that have spotlighted transformation, resilience, and innovation. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, leaders are facing unprecedented pressures, from workforce burnout and digital disruption to climate-related health risks and systemic inequities. This CCHL National Conference celebrates the unifying spirit that empowers health leaders to navigate uncertainty, embrace diverse perspectives, amplify patient experiences, and act boldly in service of those who give and receive care. Courage is found in standing together, in strengthening patient voices, and in fostering trust across disciplines, organizations, and communities. Courage is no longer optional; it is essential.

This theme resonates deeply with the College’s mission to cultivate leadership that is not only competent but also compassionate and visionary. By focusing on courage, the conference will explore how the LEADS framework can be reflected:

• Lead Self: Empower leaders to make values-driven decisions in complex environments.
• Engage Others: Highlight stories of bravery from diverse sectors and communities.
• Achieve Results: Explore the importance of bold action in achieving equitable and sustainable health outcomes.
• Develop Coalitions: Foster collaborative dialogue around ethical dilemmas, advocacy, and inclusive leadership.
• Systems Transformation: Encourage innovation that challenges norms and embraces uncertainty.

Through plenary sessions, workshops, and networking events, attendees will leave equipped not just with tools, but with the conviction to lead boldly, even when the path forward is unclear. Join us as we explore what it means to lead with courage, not alone but together in collaboration with patients and families, to shape a healthcare system that reflects our shared values of equity, compassion, and collaboration.

Registration

Registrations will open in 2026.

Your conference registration includes breakfast, lunch, two snacks, and unlimited beverages each day. It also includes canapés and beverages at the Monday afternoon networking reception, along with access to all plenary and concurrent sessions.

Any events labelled as "optional" may have an additional cost to include in your registration. For any questions or clarifications, please contact conference@cchl-ccls.ca.

Registration Deadlines

Early bird registration deadline: May 1, 2026
Regular registration deadline: June 12, 2026

Member Rate

The CCHL National Conference member registration rates are available to members of both CCHL and the Canadian Nurses Association. Join the College today for only $195 for the first year and get reduced rates on CCHL events. CCHL membership details available here.

Discounted Rates

Students and Patient Representatives are eligible for a 50% discount on registration rates. To access the discount, please send information on your current full-time student enrollment or the patient organization you represent to conference@cchl-ccls.ca.

Registration Rebate

New this year, CCHL is offering a $50 registration rebate to any attendee staying at the official conference hotel, the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth. Enter your Fairmont Queen Elizabeth reservation number in your conference registration and save $50 on your registration fee!

By reserving a room at the host hotel, you are supporting CCHL and its ability to host conferences. This incentive is limited to one rebate per confirmation number for paying attendees, does not apply to complimentary registrations, and is only available for the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel.

Program-at-a-glance

In collaboration with the Canadian Nurses Association

*Program is subject to change without notice. 

Keynote Sessions

Mike Downie
Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker | Co-Founder, Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund

Mike Downie is a celebrated documentary filmmaker and philanthropist. Most recently, he directed and produced The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal, a powerful exploration of the band’s legacy and its deep connection to Canada’s cultural identity. It premiered at TIFF 2024, where it won the prestigious People’s Choice Award for Documentary, and recently won seven Canadian Screen Awards. Downie is also the co-founder of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, the largest reconciliation fund in the country, and, along with his brother, Gord, created Secret Path, the groundbreaking multimedia project that tells the tragic story of Chanie Wenjack. Through his work and speaking engagements, he inspires audiences to embrace storytelling as a means of connection, change, and creating cultural identity.

Downie’s work has earned multiple Canadian Screen Awards, including the prestigious Donald Brittain Award for Best Social/Political Documentary. His other award-winning documentaries include Invasion of the Brain Snatchers, The Hockey Nomad, One Ocean, and The Covid Cruise, all of which showcase his ability to tell compelling, wide-ranging stories.

Downie’s keynotes weave personal storytelling with powerful insights, drawing from his experiences growing up in a small town, working in a northern mine, and traveling the world as a filmmaker. His talks resonate with audiences looking for inspiration, authenticity, and a deeper understanding of the stories that shape us.

With a background spanning science, economics, and adventure — including time as a deep shaft miner, medical researcher, and windsurfing instructor — Downie brings a unique perspective to every stage. He holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours from Queen’s University, and an MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business.

Amie Archibald-Varley
Nurse, Author, Advocate | Transforming healthcare through compassion

Amie Archibald-Varley is an award-winning healthcare and political thought leader, nationally bestselling author, and sought-after keynote speaker represented by the National Speakers Bureau. She currently serves as a Knowledge Mobilization Consultant with the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), where she works to translate evidence, lived experience, and policy into meaningful action that advances health equity and system change.

Amie is the co-creator and host of The Gritty Nurse, Canada’s #1 nursing podcast, launched to amplify the voices of more than 400,000 nurses across Canada and nurses worldwide. Born from the lessons of the pandemic, the podcast has become a trusted platform for courageous conversations about mental health, social justice, women’s health, and the realities of working within complex healthcare systems.

A former CBC journalist and frequent media contributor, Amie has written for The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, and the Toronto Star. She is the author of The Wisdom of Nurses, which brings readers to the front lines of care through stories of compassion, resilience, and moral courage. Across all her work, Amie is driven by one core belief: storytelling is essential to building empathy, trust, and meaningful systems transformation.

Michael Rossi
President & Founder⏐Voce Leadership & Former CEO, Adidas Canada

Driven by the belief that everyone has a voice, Michael Rossi left his role as President of adidas Canada to launch Voce Leadership in 2021, pursuing his passion to help others grow through speaking and executive coaching. He loves inspiring leaders to discover and use their own voices to achieve meaning and fulfillment in their own lives, and helping those they lead to do the same.

Appointed President of adidas Canada before turning 40, Michael understands the unique pressures and demands placed on business leaders and executives. Throughout his career, Michael successfully led teams through acquisitions, reorganizations and transformations, all while building empowered cultures. His belief that everyone has a voice and a unique contribution to make has helped to unlock amazing potential and create highly engaged, loyal employee bases.

Relevant for audiences across industries, ages, geographies and experience levels, Michael’s keynotes offer real-life examples and learnings that leaders can use to navigate change, transform culture and create meaning in their lives. With a unique blend of humor, humility and transparency, a speaking engagement with Michael serves as an inspiration for any leader, no matter where they are on their own leadership journey.

Michael is the Chair of the Terry Fox Foundation Board, helping to further Terry Fox’s vision of a world without cancer. In addition to his work as a speaker, Michael is an ICF Certified Coach and loves leading team-building workshops with global leadership teams.

Concurrent Sessions

Monday, June 15, 2026

10:45 - 12:15

1. The best of LEADS at all levels, a CYOA experience

Presented in English

The purpose of this highly customized and interactive session is to guide participants to identify outstanding leadership capabilities at their level and commit to practical applications.

The LEADS Framework has been proven to support effective leadership practice, but what separates the best of the best leaders from all the rest? For example, all positional leaders build teams (Engage Others), but what’s different about the teams the most outstanding leaders build?

Cracking this question could have game-changing implications for leaders at all levels regarding:

• How they lead,
• What they focus on for their own professional development and that of their direct reports,
• What they look for in high-potentials and external collaborators, and
• Informing standards of leadership excellence informally and in various talent functions.

Along with tackling this exciting topic, participants will be immersed in a unique approach to conferences: Dr. Geerts’s patented Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) experience. At several key points, the audience collectively selects the topic or illustrative examples and their choices instantly determine the course of the discussion, resulting in a journey unique to that audience.

This session will be informed by CCHL’s international academic and cutting-edge rapid research, as well as by conference participants through a pre-survey and in-session discussion.

The structure begins with distinguishing leadership from management before delving into the LEADS Framework.

Each participant will then choose their focus: frontline, middle, senior, executive leaders or generic leadership behaviours. From there, the discussion will highlight outstanding leadership capabilities and behaviours within 3 domains: Engage Others, Achieve Results, and Develop Coalitions. We will touch on differences among levels, as well as implications for development and talent strategies. Finally, participants will create an action plan with practical next steps to apply at work.

Learning objectives and outcomes:

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Explain the difference between leadership and management and implications for practice;
• Identify characteristics of outstanding leadership at their chosen level;
• Apply their learning at work using the tools provided and their personalized action plans.

Speaker:
Dr. Jaason Geerts – Vice-President of Research and Leadership Development CCHL; Associate, Cambridge Judge Business School; Adjunct Professor, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa

2. Courage to Clarify: A Collaborative Review to Strengthen Workforce Readiness in Oral Health

Presented in English

Courage in health leadership often begins with the willingness to examine long-standing systems with honesty, humility, and curiosity. The College of Alberta Dental Assistants’ (CADA) Program Approval Review reflects this spirit by engaging educators, employers, students, and regulated members to explore how entry-to-practice education supports workforce wellbeing, team cohesion, and patient experience. Rather than redesigning programs, this initiative focuses on gaining a clearer, shared understanding of expectations, identifying variations that contribute to onboarding pressures, and illuminating opportunities to strengthen graduate confidence across Alberta’s oral health sector.

This session will explore three learning objectives:
(1) understand how a collaborative, evidence-informed review process can support workforce stability, reduce onboarding strain, and enhance clarity for both educators and employers;
(2) examine practical tools used in this initiative, including readiness indicators, environmental scanning, mixed-methods data collection, and facilitated engagement across diverse groups; and
(3) identify how insights from this review can be adapted to other professions experiencing recruitment, retention, and role clarity challenges.

Highly relevant to the HHR theme, the project highlights the relationship between educational variability, workplace burnout, and organizational resilience. Practical applications include approaches for engaging multiple partners in system review, structuring focus groups, analyzing workforce narratives, and mapping the connections between education quality and patient safety. Patient and family perspectives are reflected through themes of communication, continuity, and confidence, underscoring how graduate readiness contributes to people-centred care.

To model courageous learning, the session will include live polling, small-group scenario analysis, and a hands-on exercise comparing “patchwork fixes” to structured review. Leadership lessons emphasize moral courage, relational courage, and the bravery required to listen deeply, question assumptions, and navigate uncertainty while supporting those entering the health workforce.

This session offers a practical and compassionate path forward for leaders committed to strengthening workforce readiness and improving the experience of teams and patients.

Speakers:
Carmen Sheridan – Principal, CLS Consultancy INC
April Slotsve – Education & Practice Director, College of Alberta Dental Assistants

3. The Winds of Change: The development journey towards a National Standard for Cultural Humility and Safety

Presented in English

Health Standards Organization (HSO) is developing a new National Standard of Canada on Cultural Safety and Humility, CAN/HSO 75001:2026.

This standard responds to longstanding calls to action from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities, governing bodies and organizations from coast-to-coast and builds on the work done in partnership with the First Nations Health Authority in BC on the British Columbia Cultural Safety and Humility Standard.

This standard was developed as part of The Winds of Change, the HSO national cultural safety and humility initiative to support widespread calls to advance cultural safety and humility, address Indigenous-specific racism, and harmonize the design and delivery of health and social services with the rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

CAN/HSO 75001:2026 Cultural Safety and Humility sets out the requirements and accountabilities for governing bodies, organizational leaders and teams in health and social service organizations to collaboratively design, deliver and evaluate culturally safe services with and for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples and communities, and to address Indigenous-specific racism in service delivery.

This standard was developed by an Indigenous-led technical Committee that includes national representation from First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals with a diversity of professional and personal experience. This session will speak to the development process of the standard and provide participants with the opportunity to discuss and share how they can implement the standard to support culturally safe care and address Indigenous specific racism within their organizations.

Speaker:
Judith Eigenbrod - Sr. Program Manager, Healthcare Equity, Health Standards Organization

4. TBA

5. LTC-Acute Collaboration: leveraging Nurse Lead Outreach Team towards improving Long Term Care Staff Capacity, Toronto, Ontario

Presented in English and French

This session explores how purposeful collaboration, clinical innovation, and value-based strategies can improve care for long-term care (LTC) residents through the Nurse-Led Outreach Team (NLOT). It will demonstrate how partnerships between acute care and LTC strengthen workforce capacity, reduce avoidable emergency department (ED) transfers, and improve resident and family outcomes. The session will highlight how nurse-led outreach and shared clinical training models build sustainable, community-centered care.

Participants will learn how NLOT’s expansion—supported by targeted funding and guided by the Quintuple Aim—created a culture of collaboration across 11 LTC homes. Key learnings include strategies for co-designing solutions with LTC leaders and applying the “see one, do one, teach one” model of demonstration, performing with guidance, and then teaching it to someone else to build LTC nursing staff skill and confidence while respecting scopes of practice. This approach supported safe transitions, reduced acute care bed days, and strengthened coordination between acute and LTC sectors. Optimizing resources, improving resident and caregiver experiences, and reducing unnecessary ED transfers guided decision-making and evaluation.

The initiative’s relevance to collaboration and innovation is shown through NLOT’s proactive response to the provincial withdrawal of IV therapy services for LTC residents. Using training, simulation, and just-in-time support, NLOT enhanced LTC nurses’ competence in IV initiation and maintenance, ensuring continuity of care for residents requiring complex therapy. Practical applications include replicable training models, community-of-practice structures, and strategies to align clinical innovation with sector-wide needs.

Resident and family feedback informed priorities such as rapid assessment, fewer ED transfers, and ensuring care closer to home. Participant engagement will include discussion and scenario mapping to explore implementation challenges and opportunities.

Leadership lessons highlight the importance of trust-building, transparent communication, and shared accountability in advancing integrated, value-based care that supports system resilience and keeps teams moving forward.

Speakers:
Beatrise Edelstein, CHE – Vice President, Post Acute Care and Health System Partnerships, Humber River Health
Kathleen Kirk, CHE – Manager, Schulich Family Medicine Teaching Unit & Integrated Care Services, Humber River Hospital

6. TBA

7. TBA

13:45 - 15:15

8. Transforming Healthcare Culture: Putting People at the Center

Presented in English

This session explores how healthcare leaders can foster a culture that prioritizes the human experience in patients, family, and staff engagement. Participants will examine strategies to integrate dignity, compassion, and empathy into care delivery while addressing the critical role of organizational culture in shaping outcomes. Through evidence-based practices, and interactive reflection, learners will gain insight into the leadership competencies necessary to drive cultural transformation, support staff well-being, and enhance patient-centered care.

Topics include building a caring culture, staff engagement and burnout prevention, psychological safety, resilience and compassion in practice. Participants will leave with practical tools and strategies to promote meaningful connections, improve organizational performance, and create environments where patients, families, and staff thrive.

Speaker:
Mary-Ellen Piche - Healthcare Executive, consultant, and Senior Fellow, UAlbany’s Rockefeller College

9. When AI Challenges Our Integrity: Courageous Leadership for a New Era of Care

Presented in English

Statement of purpose:
Across Canada, health leaders are facing a new kind of pressure: AI is evolving faster than their ability to trust. Many feel caught between innovation and unease—uncertain about the limits of generative AI, the safety of automation, the protection of patient data, and whether digital tools respect cultural identity, equity, and Indigenous data sovereignty. As General Counsel and Privacy Officer, the presenter supports leaders when instinct signals risk before evidence is clear. This session helps leaders turn that discomfort into courageous action, offering tools to decide when AI should proceed, pause, or be sunset to protect patients, families, and the workforce.

Learning objectives and outcomes:
Through real scenarios and interactive decision labs, participants will learn to identify early warning signs; demonstrate the NO / NOT YET / STOP framework; and lead transparent conversations with patients, clinicians, boards, and vendors. The session strengthens Lead Self by grounding decisions in integrity; Engage Others through open dialogue; Develop Coalitions via interdisciplinary evaluation; and Systems Transformation by showing how values-based digital choices support safer, more equitable care.

Relevance to the AI & Digital Tech topic:
This session addresses a defining challenge in digital health: making complex AI decisions when certainty is limited and trust is essential.

Practical applications:
Participants receive a decision aid, communication scripts, and examples where courageous leadership reduced harm and strengthened privacy, equity, and cultural safety.

Patient and family involvement:
Co-designed patient scenarios show how AI affects autonomy, dignity, consent, and community values, positioning patient voice as a guide.

Engagement, originality, and innovation:
An AI Courage Simulation Lab, red-flag rounds, and “courage circles” immerse leaders in decision tension and build the courage required when integrity is challenged.

Leadership lessons learned:
Leaders leave with clarity, confidence, and a courage-based framework to protect those who rely on the system most.

Speaker:
James Hall - General Counsel & Privacy Officer, Niagara Health

10. Language barriers: Why it matters and where to start to address them

Presented in English and French

Objectives:
Knowledge transfer on the impact of language barriers Demonstrating that services in the patient’s chosen language is not simply a question of recruitment but the result of a rigorous and innovative process for planning and service delivery Showing participants the ‘how’ and ‘where to start’

Relevance:
Services in the client’s language matters because quality of care and patient safety are at the core of the healthcare value system. Where communication fails, there is tremendous risk to the patients’ health and well being, to the practitioners’ ability to effectively diagnose and prescribe, and to the health organisation’s operational and financial efficiencies.

In the words of patients, it matters because “When I am sick, I am not bilingual”

Practical applications:
Using the planning and application model developed by Société Santé en français and French Health Networks, we created online tools that health managers and teams can use at their own pace, supported by experienced teams and communities of practice. Although the session focuses on services for francophone populations, this service model can also guide services in other languages and cultures.

Patient and family involvement:
Patient and family experiences will be shared through storytelling and video clips. The suggested strategy provides tools and knowledge to help organisations understand the needs of francophone populations in minority settings. It recommends including a representative from the francophone or Acadian community on the implementation team and creating meaningful ways to involve the target population in decision-making.

Engagement:
The session will involve storytelling, in-session online survey quizzes and group discussions specific to the implementation principles and practical tools.

Leadership lessons:

• Embedding language of service in the organisation values to promote equitable, high quality care.
• Equipping and empowering staff through training, evidence-based improvement, and recognition.
• Promoting collaboration across the organisation and with the community.

Speaker:
Lise Richard – Program Manager, Société Santé en français

11. Redefining Value Through Courage and Kindness: The Edmonton Zone Integrated Operations Centre as a Model for Value-Based Healthcare

Presented in English

This interactive workshop explores how the Edmonton Zone Integrated Operations Centre (IOC) translated Michael Porter’s Value-Based Healthcare framework into a real-world leadership model that redefined value, coordination, and collaboration across a health system. The purpose of the session is to demonstrate how courageous, compassionate leadership transformed operational processes to address rising EMS volumes, prolonged offload delays, and hospital crowding. Participants will learn how the IOC’s clinician-led command structure integrated EMS, Emergency Departments, and inpatient capacity management to improve patient flow, preserve tertiary capacity, and enhance system resilience.

Learning objectives include analyzing how IOC principles can operationalize value-based healthcare in diverse settings, applying courageous and compassionate leadership to real-time operational decisions, and designing adaptable escalation structures such as the Edmonton Zone STEP framework. Outcomes reviewed - including a 12‑minute reduction in EMS offload times, a 42% decline in Red Alert events, and $6.3 million in avoided EMS expansion costs—illustrate measurable improvements in efficiency, quality, and cost.

The relevance of this workshop to the conference theme of collaboration, innovation, and values-based health care is clear.  The IOC exemplifies collaboration by aligning hospitals, EMS, and inpatient teams around shared definitions and transparent data. It advanced leadership development by equipping physician leaders with the skills and confidence to guide system-wide change. It reinforced patient centred care by prioritizing timely access to emergency services, reducing delays, and ensuring equitable distribution of risk across the system. Practical applications include tools such as service-level occupancy metrics, shared-visibility dashboards, and escalation pathways that participants can adapt to their own organizations.

Engagement activities include interactive case simulations of EMS routing and capacity decisions, small group exercises, live polling, and reflective dialogue on leadership behaviours. Leadership lessons learned emphasize that courage is required to challenge entrenched processes, while kindness builds trust and collaboration—together enabling leaders to drive sustainable, system-wide improvement.

Speakers:
Warren Ma – Associate Zone Medical Director, Alberta Health Services
Kirstie McLelland – Associate Clinical Professor, University of Alberta

12. Hosting CNA's 1st Anti-Indigenous Racism Knowledge Sharing Event

Presented in English

Anti-Indigenous racism (AIR) is a direct result of the dark legacy of colonization in Canada. Experiences of AIR results in significant health and social disparities, harm, and is some cases, death. Reconciliation is everyone’s responsibility, and it is foundational to first have the courage to sit with the truth.

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) recognizes the professional and personal responsibility nurses have to uphold the health-related Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada’s Calls to Action, and the United Nations (U.N.) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. As part of CNA’s journey to Reconciliation, on the 10th anniversary for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and in partnership with First Nation, Inuit, and Métis (FNIM) health leaders across the country, we hosted our 1st AIR Knowledge Sharing Event.

Co-created with our Indigenous Steering Committee, CNA’s AIR Knowledge Sharing Event elevated the voices of diverse Indigenous health leaders from all three FNIM communities, including student nurses, nurses in clinical practice, nurses in academia, and nurses in senior leadership (e.g., CEO’s).  Speakers facilitated further understanding of the ongoing legacy of colonization from a distinctions-based perspective, lived experiences (including strengths and challenges), and tangible actions to mitigate the associated harms of AIR in health systems.

The virtual was successful in bringing together over 700 health-care professionals, policymakers, and community leaders. 93-94% of post-event survey respondents indicated that the event expanded their knowledge of: (1) the manifestations of AIR in health systems, (2) their knowledge of culturally safer care, and (3) their professional responsibility of addressing anti-Indigenous racism. The post-event survey also indicated areas which CNA must focus their efforts on our journey to reconciliation, including continued accountability, equitable public health policy and advocacy, and action-oriented education: all of which must be co-created with FNIM health leaders to facilitate culturally safer care.

Speaker:
Hilary Fry – Indigenous Policy Analyst, Canadian Nurses Association

13. Le courage de prendre soin de ceux qui soignent : un modèle intégré mieux-être-EDI pour la rétention

Presented in French

Cette séance présentera comment l’Hôpital Montfort a déployé un modèle intégré de mieux-être et d’équité, diversité et inclusion (EDI) faisant partie d’une stratégie de rétention durable pour le personnel et les médecins, en misant sur un courage relationnel essentiel dans un contexte de pénurie et d’épuisement en santé. À partir d’un plan structuré, Montfort a choisi d’agir simultanément sur plusieurs leviers : créer un environnement sain, sécuritaire, renforcer un leadership inclusif et une culture de reconnaissance; et soutenir la sécurité psychologique par des approches innovantes de sensibilisation et de formation. Les participants apprendront à comprendre ce modèle intégré mieux-être–EDI et ses impacts sur la rétention, à identifier des leviers concrets pour bâtir un environnement inclusif, à appliquer des stratégies éprouvées pour renforcer la sécurité psychologique, et à adapter des outils pratiques tels que les activités mieux-être, les formations EDI, et la collecte de données socio-démographiques. La séance traitera directement du bien-être, du recrutement et de la fidélisation, en illustrant des applications pratiques telles qu’un calendrier d’activités mieux-être, la flexibilité du travail, les comités QVT, la sensibilisation aux pronoms, aux biais inconscients et à l’intersectionnalité. La participation des patients et des familles sera mise de l’avant grâce aux principes des soins centrés sur la personne et à la collecte des données d’expérience patient. Les activités proposées incluront des réflexions guidées sur le courage inclusif, des discussions en sous-groupes et l’analyse de scénarios réels. Les leçons de leadership porteront sur le cadre LEADS, la cohérence et la création d’espaces sécuritaires et inclusifs. Le résumé intègre explicitement les engagements du CCLS : EDI, sécurité culturelle autochtone, voix des patients et durabilité organisationnelle.

Speakers:
Sara Leblond, CHE/LCS – Directrice en développement organisationnel, Hôpital Montfort
Danielle Levac – Directrice en acquisition de talent, Hôpital Montfort

14. TBA

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

10:15 - 11:45

15. TBA

16. Two-Eyed Seeing Quality and Safety Framework

Presented in English

Background:
St. Joseph’s Care Group (SJCG) is advancing a Two-Eyed Seeing Quality Program aligned with its 2024–2028 Strategic Plan commitment to people-centered, high-quality care. Guided by Elder Albert Marshall’s teaching, Two-Eyed Seeing integrates Indigenous knowledge with Western quality science. Developing a Quality and Safety Framework grounded in both worldviews required organizational courage—the courage to confront inequities, elevate Indigenous voices, embrace diverse perspectives, and strengthen trust across communities, disciplines, and care settings. SJCG is a pioneer in leading the development of a framework that meaningfully integrates an Indigenous worldview with Western delivery of care.

Objective:
The purpose of this initiative is to design and implement a Two-Eyed Seeing Quality and Safety Framework that sets clear expectations for quality at the client, team, and organizational levels. This includes operationalizing Two-Eyed Seeing principles, supporting culturally safe care, and embedding courageous, community-informed approaches to quality improvement.

Learning Outcomes:
Participants will be able to:

1. Apply the Two-Eyed Seeing Quality and Safety Framework in practice.
2. Recognize Indigenous ways of knowing in defining and evaluating quality.
3. Identify improvement opportunities using shared language across worldviews.
4. Demonstrate courageous leadership by integrating culturally responsive quality practices.

Method:
From October 2024 to September 2025, the Quality and N’Doo’owe Binesi teams engaged Elders, clients, northern communities, Indigenous partners, clinicians, leaders, and educators through circles, co-design sessions, and story-based dialogue. Prior SJCG work and external Indigenous quality frameworks informed the design.

Result:
A practical, visually intuitive Two-Eyed Seeing Quality and Safety Framework and education suite were co-designed and published. Over 530 staff have received training and are applying the framework across programs.

Conclusion:
This initiative demonstrates the courage to integrate Indigenous and Western approaches to quality, amplify client and family voices, and lead culturally grounded, innovative improvement across the health system.

Speakers:
Andrew Koscielniak – Director, Indigenous Health/N'doo'owe Binesi, St. Joseph's Care Group
Sumeet Kumar, CHE – Management Advisor, St. Joseph's Care Group

17. From Courage to Confidence: Equipping Leaders with Skills for Health System Innovation

Presented in English

Innovation in healthcare requires courage: the willingness to try new approaches without guaranteed success.

Amidst increasing fiscal pressures and workforce shortages, the need to innovate has never been stronger. However, the same pressures that create an urgent need to innovate simultaneously make it harder for leaders to find the time and space to do so. Therefore, to translate innovative ideas into funded reality, leaders need the skills to build compelling business cases that resonate with decisionmakers.

This session demonstrates how the EXTRA program, a health leadership executive training fellowship from Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC), has taken steps to incorporate health economics training into their curriculum. Presenters from HEC and Edge Health Insights will show how health economics bridges the gap between courageous ideas and funded projects.

Participants will learn how EXTRA fellows use tools like the Quintuple Aim and logic models to quantify value, moving beyond simple cost-cutting to demonstrate return on investment that includes patient experience and equity outcomes. By distinguishing between "cash-releasing" and "capacity-releasing" savings, leaders can advocate successfully for innovation funding.

A real-world case study from the EXTRA program will give participants hands-on experience on how to build an economic case for a new care model. Participants will leave with strategies for building a "culture of measurement" and health economic skills to help them transform innovative ideas into sustainable change.

Speakers:
Jennifer Connolly – Co-Founder/Lead, Edge Health Insights
Jérôme Ouellet – Director, Leadership and Capacity Building, Healthcare Excellence Canada

18. From Mobbing to Meaning: Rebuilding Trust, Courage, and Accountability in Leadership

Presented in English

Statement of Purpose:
Workplace mobbing is a collective pattern of psychological harm that can involve exclusion, rumor-spreading, or subtle undermining behaviors. This session aims to explore how organizations can shift from cultures affected by mobbing, fear, and fractured relationships to environments grounded in meaning, accountability, and trust. Illuminating why mobbing occurs and to offer equity-informed, trauma-aware leadership approaches that repair organizational culture across both union and exempt roles takes courage.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes:
Participants will learn to (1) identify the dynamics and impacts of mobbing; (2) apply leadership practices that rebuild psychological safety; (3) integrate ACB (accessibility, community, and belonging), Indigenous and health principles into culture-repair efforts; and (4) implement accountability practices that strengthen trust and collaboration.

Relevance to the Topic:
Healthcare workplaces increasingly face psychological injury, labour-management tension, and systemic inequities. Addressing coalition building (mobbing) is essential for improving employee well-being, organizational sustainability, and patient and family experiences.

Practical Applications:
The session introduces tools such as restorative conversations, inclusive communication strategies, trauma-informed responses, and pain to purpose model that support healthier and more sustainable workplace cultures. Resilience cannot come at the expense of accountability. Asking employees to ‘be resilient’ in the face of dysfunction only deepens harm. Real resilience requires structural repair, transparency, fairness, and organizational learning.

Patient and Family Involvement:
Patient and family partners will share lived experiences illustrating how workplace culture directly shapes care quality, continuity, and safety, reinforcing the need for culture repair as a patient-centred priority.

Participant Engagement, Originality, and Innovation:
Interactive case studies, small-group dialogue, and scenario-based problem-solving will engage participants in applying concepts to real-world leadership challenges. The integration of both union and exempt perspectives offers an innovative and holistic approach rarely addressed in leadership development. Interactive including a movement activity with music. Handout with frameworks will be included.

Speaker:
Shelley McClure, CHE – President, Aspiring Leadership Inc

19. ENACTing Change: Using AI to Give Nurses Back Time for Patient Care

Presented in English and French

Nursing teams are under immense pressure, facing growing patient complexity and mounting administrative tasks. At the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), the Empowering Nurses with Artificial intelligence (AI) for Care Transformation (ENACT) project is an innovative initiative that was created by asking ourselves the question: How can we give nurses more time for what matters most—caring for patients?

In this session, we will present our experience of leveraging AI to reduce nurses’ administrative workload and improve patient care. Learners will be introduced to practical solutions for introducing AI into clinical workflows. Interactive activities include:

• A live prototype walkthrough, seeing how our AI-driven tool was developed to optimize the nurse-patient assignment and support a more equitable workload distribution.
• Real-time polling will allow attendees to share their perspectives of security governance and data integrity and compare them with insights from our project.
• A panel discussion featuring storytelling by end users—including an Assistant Nurse Manager and a frontline Nurse—will provide insights into their reflections from co-design and early implementation—what worked, what didn’t, and what surprised them.

By the end of this session, learners will describe the process and key considerations when introducing AI into real-world healthcare contexts. Leaners will leave this session with insights on integrating AI into everyday clinical workflows and will deepen their understanding of security governance, data integrity, and the critical role of stakeholder engagement in building trust and driving adoption. We’ll explore strategies for phased implementation and share lessons on leading transformative change across large health systems.

The session will also present measurable outcomes from ENACT’s deployment—such as improvements in documentation, shift handovers, direct patient care hours, and nurse retention. By reducing administrative burdens and restoring time for patient care, ENACT demonstrates how digital innovation can advance care excellence and empower nursing teams.

Speaker:
Jasmine Lee Hill – Nursing Practice Consultant, MUHC

20. The Courage to Transform Collectively: Two Québec Models of Local Governance and a Panel of Community Alliances

Presented in French

Workshop Description:
In a context of growing systemic pressures, organizational courage has become an essential tool to transform and anchor health and social service systems at the heart of community needs. This session will present two Québec models of local governance — the CISSS de l’Outaouais and Montérégie Centre-du-Québec — illustrating how to bring decision-making closer to the field, strengthen intersectoral alliances, and restore the patient voice at the centre of clinical and operational orientations.

Both organizations pursue a common objective: evolving their structures to improve proximity, access, equity, user experience, and clinical performance, drawing on evidence-based data and population-level profiles.

Session Objectives:

• Compare two structured approaches to local governance and the conditions that enabled their implementation.
• Illustrate how courage, innovation, and collaboration transform access, continuity, and user experience while supporting adaptation to the diverse realities of the community.
• Offer transferable strategies to strengthen local governance in various settings — urban, rural, or peri-urban.

The outcomes will address the consolidation of intersectoral partnerships, the simplification and streamlining of decision-making processes, the reinforcement of cultural safety, and the improvement of user pathways. These experiences demonstrate that courageous leadership is rooted in concrete actions, agile coordination, and clear collaboration mechanisms that bring decisions closer to the field and build a shared culture with teams, patients, and the community.

The session will include a panel of intersectoral partners who will share key conditions for supporting sustainable and innovative local governance.

Speakers:
Nicole Boucher-Larivière – Directrice RLS du Pontiac, Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais
Jacinthe Cloutier – PDGA, Centre intégré de santé et de services Mauricie-Centre-du-Québec

21. Coaches’ Corner

Take your leadership to the next level. Come and speak with leaders from across Canada in a one-on-one setting. Hear personal leadership stories, ask questions and gain valuable advice. Leaders of health regions, hospitals, private sector and community organizations, from coast to coast, will be available to provide armchair coaching in relaxed surroundings. This session is ideal for emerging or mid-career leaders looking for advice and feedback from some of Canada’s most respected health leaders.

Note that pre-registration is required to attend the Coaches' Corner Sessions.

13:30 - 14:30

22. TBA

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Optional Events

Please review the optional events below in addition to the CCHL National Conference. Note that there may be additional costs to these optional events.

CHE Program One-on-One Consultations
08:00 - 5:00 | Monday and Tuesday, June 15-16, 2026

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to meet in a “One-on-One” setting with Stéphane Joannette, Director of Professional Certifications and Strategic Alliances at The Canadian College of Health Leaders during the National Conference to answer some of your questions and to gain insights on the CHE Program.

Click here to book your One-on-One consultation with Stéphane.

Our Sponsors

Hoping to gain exposure, build good will, and connect with health leaders?

Sponsoring CCHL’s National Conference might be the perfect approach.

With a stellar program, we know that the Canadian College of Health Leader’s National Conference will provide an inspiring and interactive environment for top decision makers in the healthcare field and will offer you many networking opportunities. The College is offering a number of levels of sponsorship. Each level provides the sponsor with a significant list of benefits and opportunities. Flexibility is available at each level. We invite you to join us and support this event!

Please contact Dan Gibson at dgibson@cchl-ccls.ca with any questions.

In collaboration with

Conference Venue

Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth / Fairmont Le Reine Elizabeth
900 René-Lévesque Blvd. W
Montréal, QC H3B 4A5

Accommodations

Fairmont Queen Elizabeth
900 René-Lévesque Blvd. W, Montréal Québec Canada H3B 4A5
Tel: 514-861-3511
Click here to make your reservation.
Hotel Website

Experience the allure of Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, where iconic history, contemporary luxury, and vibrant culinary and wellness offerings come together in the heart of Montreal. More than a stay, it’s a destination.

Fairmont Room                                 $425.00 (plus taxes and fees)

Don’t miss out – Make your reservation early to ensure you receive a room. Reservations must be made by May 11, 2026, to benefit from the conference rate.

Registration Rebate

Enter your Fairmont Queen Elizabeth reservation number in your conference registration and save $50 on your registration fee! By reserving a room at the host hotel, you are supporting CCHL and its ability to host conferences. This incentive is limited to one rebate per Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel room.

Travel

Air Canada is pleased to offer you special discounts on fares. To book a flight with the promotion code CJFYZBN1, visit aircanada.com and enter your promotional code in the promotion code box before initiating your search. Note that some restrictions apply.

VIA Rail Canada is a major ground transportation company for the CCHL National Conference 2026. To book your travel with the promotion code 16046, visit https://www.viarail.ca/ and select your travel details. In the “add a discount code” field, select “Conference Fares” and enter the promotion code. Note that some restrictions apply.

Conference Policies

Registration Policies

Conference Payment Policy

Registration must be submitted online and paid in full to qualify for the early registration rates. If payment is not received by the deadline date, attendees will be invoiced at the next deadline rate. Registrations received without full payment are considered incomplete and shall not be included.

Conference Cancellation Policy

Conference cancellation requests must be submitted in writing to conference@cchl-ccls.ca and received no later than the early bird deadline. 75% of the registration fees will be refunded. 25% of the fee will be retained as an administrative fee. There will be no refunds for cancellation requests received after the early bird deadline.

No-shows occur when individuals register but do not attend the conference. No-shows are not eligible for a refund.

CCHL reserves the right to make changes in programs and speakers, or to cancel the conference if registration targets are not met or when conditions beyond its control prevail. If the conference is not held for any reason, CCHL’s liability is limited to the refund of the registration fee only.

Conference Substitution Policy

If you are unable to attend the conference, you are welcome to send a colleague in your place. Please submit details of the substitution in writing to conference@cchl-ccls.ca.

Privacy Policy

CCHL collects information through registration forms for planning purposes, for providing information to delegates about the conference, and for completion of registration, name badges and delegate lists. In delivering this conference, the conference is supported by sponsors. As part of that support, if a delegate consents during the registration process, then his/her complete contact information will be made available to the sponsors.

Photo/video release

CCHL will take photographs and some video at the conference and utilize them in CCHL news or promotional material whether in print, electronic, or other media including the conference website. By participating in the conference, you grant CCHL the right to use your photograph for such purposes.

Code of Conduct

The Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) is committed to fostering an inclusive environment to all participants. Together, we create learning opportunities designed to equip leaders with discharging their roles effectively. As such CCHL’s goal is to provide a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all participants. This code of conduct outlines our expectations for behavior to ensure a positive experience for everyone at our conferences and events.

The Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL) is committed to fostering an inclusive environment to all participants. Together, we create learning opportunities designed to equip leaders with discharging their roles effectively. As such CCHL’s goal is to provide a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all participants. This code of conduct outlines our expectations for behavior to ensure a positive experience for everyone at our conferences and events.

Expected Behavior:

Participants should treat one another with respect, dignity, and courtesy, ensuring a professional and inclusive environment where all voices are welcomed and encouraged, regardless of background or identity. Participants are encouraged to Foster a collaborative environment, with an emphasis on engaging in constructive discussions and being open to diverse perspectives, while maintaining professionalism through appropriate dress, language, and behaviour.

Unacceptable Behavior:

Harassment, discrimination, and any abusive behavior, including offensive comments based on gender, sexual orientation, disability, appearance, race, religion, or other protected characteristics, will not be tolerated. Disruptive behavior that interferes with the event or others' enjoyment is prohibited, as is any inappropriate conduct such as unwelcome sexual attention, stalking, or intimidation.

If you experience or witness any unacceptable behavior, please report it to event staff right away, as all reports will be treated discreetly and confidentially. Participants found in violation of the code of conduct may face consequences such as warnings, expulsion from the event without a refund, or exclusion from future events.

For more information

Conferences & Events Team
conference@cchl-ccls.ca