Delta Hotel Saskatoon Downtown booking
Grab your magnifying glass—there’s a mystery to solve!
Our 2026 conference invites participants to uncover the clues behind a thriving circular economy. Spend two days exploring real-world solutions through tours, workshops, and diverse sessions led by practitioners and innovators. With dedicated time for networking and shared discussion, you’ll leave with new insights, new connections, and a clearer picture of how the pieces fit together.
SWRC’s 2026 Waste ReForum Conference May 27-29, 2026
Delta Hotel Saskatoon Downtown – 405 20th St East, Saskatoon
Program:
Afternoon activities (choice of 3):
Bus or Walking Tour: This trail of footprints is green — University of Saskatchewan Sustainability/Green Building Tour
Enjoy the university’s amazing campus while getting the low down on green building features and sustainability practices. Walk from the hotel (2.5 km) or bus to campus to begin.
Walk/Bus. Tour guides: Matt Wolsfeld, U of S Office of Sustainability & Angie Bugg, local energy conservation expert
Bus Tour: Putting the Pieces Together — SARCAN Processing / Cosmopolitan Industries / Village Green MCC Thrift
A look at SARCAN’s new equipment for processing polystyrene and how they process all those bottles and cans.
Go behind-the-scenes at Cosmo’s material recovery facility, which processes blue box materials from Saskatoon’s multi-unit recycling program, as well as touring Cosmo’s other projects.
Village Green works hard to keep textiles and household items out of landfills. Take a peek at how they handle all the donated items and check out their spacious thrift store.
Workshop: The Plot Thickens — Follow the Feeling: Eco-Anxiety through the Lens of Story
Eco-anxiety is on the rise, but we’re not in this alone. This workshop explores eco-emotions through the lens of story. As a Story Strategist with a passion for climate justice, facilitator Rachel Malena-Chan brings insights about how she befriended her own eco-anxiety, and how she helps others use their personal and public climate stories to foster change.
Investigate Eco-Anxiety workshop details
Agenda (2.5 hours):
- Introductions
- 5 things I’ve learned befriending my eco-anxiety
- “Follow the feeling” group storytelling activity
- Break
- 5 tips for connecting to and through our eco-emotions
- “Letters to the future” writing and sharing activity
- Q&A
This workshop explores questions like: “How do we make space for our feelings about living in unsustainable systems?”; “How do we build capacity for self-care, community care, and planetary care?”; “What role does storytelling play in our ability to imagine a more sustainable future?”
Through facilitated activities and prompts, Rachel will walk through practices for sitting with, sharing, and moving through our eco-emotions. Leave this workshop better-equipped to find your place in a bigger, brighter climate story.
About the facilitator: Rachel Malena-Chan (she/her) is the Creator of Eco-Anxious Stories, where she brings together her passion for storytelling and her commitment to social and ecological justice. Rachel has been offering professional Story Strategy services for a decade, using narrative frameworks to help people reflect and communicate meaningfully. Her background is in Population Health, and she often finds herself at the intersection of communications, climate change, and community engagement. She resides with her partner, Wing, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Treaty 6 and the Homelands of the Métis.
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
The Game’s Afoot — Reception with a Side of Mystery
Begin the conference proper with an interactive reception in the trade show area, where participants will follow clues, crack small mysteries, and reconnect with colleagues old & new.
8:00 – 8:30 a.m.
Breakfast – Sponsored by Sustainable Generation
8:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Welcome & Opening Prayer
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Always follow the money — Keynote Speaker
Discovering the Hidden Treasures of Genuine Happiness and Well-Being through Circular Economies
Investigate the Speaker: Mark Anielski
Mark Anielski is an internationally recognized economist specializing in measuring wellbeing and happiness, using his genuine wealth accounting model. Mark has adviser governments are around the world, including China, Singapore, and Tahiti on the development economies of well-being. Mark has become a trusted economic advisor to many First Nations across Canada grounding their seven grandfather teachings within a new economy of well-being. He’s currently focussed on developing the first Wellbeing Bank and financial investment trusts for First Nations.
Mark is the author of the award-winning book The Economics of Happiness: Building Genuine Wealth (2007) and The Economics of Well-being: Common Sense Tools for Building Genuine Wealth and Happiness (2018).
Mark lives in Edmonton with his wife Jennifer.
10:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Break – Sponsored by Crown Shred & Recycling
10:30 – 12:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions I
Session 1: Elementary, My Dear — Plastics
Sponsored by SK Recycles
Plastics are everywhere—and so are the challenges of managing them. This session dives into the role of plastics in a circular economy; including highlighting recycling realities, promising innovations, and the policy and behaviour shifts needed to close the loop.
- The Federal Plastics Circular Economy Agenda – Ryan Parmenter
Ryan Parmenter is the Director of Plastics and Marine Litter at Environment and Climate Change Canada where he leads the federal government’s horizontal initiative to advance a circular plastics economy for Canada. This includes developing domestic and international initiatives to reduce plastic waste and pollution. Ryan has held several positions in the federal public service working on a variety of environmental issues including climate change, energy and contaminated sites. He also worked at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on green growth and global relations. Ryan holds an undergraduate degree in geography and biology from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Masters in environmental science from the University of Calgary.
- Green Chemistry for the Design of Advanced Materials: Biocomposites to Bioplastics – Lee Wilson
Lee Wilson is a Métis scholar and professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Saskatchewan. His research program is internationally recognized and focuses on the chemistry of biopolymers and sustainable biomaterials and various fields of application: chemical separations to biomedical devices. The research addresses a range of fundamental scientific challenges that stem from the need to develop sustainable materials and sorption processes that support water, food, and energy security.
more about Lee
Wilson has numerous publications (>350) in the chemical sciences with an H-index of 65 and an i10-index ~242 with more than 15,000 citations. Wilson has served on various boards and as scientific advisor for governmental and non-governmental organizations. His role as an ambassador for STEM education has supported Indigenous youth across Canada and internationally for several decades through science outreach and academic programs.
Session 2: It’s a Disguise — Textiles
From overproduction to disposal, textiles are one of the fastest-growing waste streams. This session takes an honest look at the barriers to a circular textiles economy and what’s needed—across policy, design, and consumer behaviour—to slow the flow to landfill.
12:00 – 12:45 p.m.
A Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, Wrapped in an Enigma — Lunch
Sponsored by Protex Environmental
12:45 – 1:15 p.m.
SWRC AGM
1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions II
Session 1: Leave No Stone Unturned — Construction/Demolition
C&D waste is complex, with mixed materials, contamination, and limited end markets. This session takes an honest look at the barriers and opportunities for circular practices, while showcasing creative projects and construction techniques that reduce waste and extend material lifecycles.
- Advancing Circular Solutions in the Built Environment – Gil Yaron
Gil Yaron is the Managing Director of Circular Innovation at Light House focused on advancing regenerative design and circular economic policy and practice it the built environment. Gil brings more than three decades of experience in solid waste policy, extended producer responsibility, circular economics with a focus on construction, renovation and demolition materials.
more about Gil
Gil leads initiatives that drive systemic change toward more sustainable resource use and waste reduction in the built environment. Known for his strategic vision and collaborative approach, Gil works closely with governments, businesses, and non-profits to design and implement practical, high-impact solutions that close material loops and stimulate green economic development while also leading some of the most innovative CBE projects in Canada, including the Building Material Exchange (BMEx), Construction Plastics Initiative and Circular Construction Accelerator.
Most recently, Gil led a detailed market assessment for the City of Saskatoon investigating current and future capacity for diverting CRD materials. He is also leading an initiative with Ecowaste – BC’s largest private landfill – to establish a Circular Construction Campus, bringing together companies to operate symbiotically in diverting, processing and remanufacturing building materials destined for landfill into new building products.
Gil holds a Master of Laws and most recently co-authored A Blueprint for Change: Preventing Demolition Waste Through Home Relocation & Deconstruction and the Construction Plastics Initiative Benchmarking Study.
- Adaptive Re-Use: Caswell Bus Barns — Crystal Bueckert
Crystal Bueckert is owner and lead designer at the design firm Bldg Studio Inc., and co-owner of Prolog Developments, the Caswell Bus Barns adaptive reuse project in Saskatoon.
Crystal has a background in fine arts and construction. After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Saskatchewan she worked in the gallery and museum industry in Toronto. In 2005 she moved back to Saskatchewan to study Architectural Technology and is now a registered Interior Designer. Her interest in arts-based community social projects has lead to the
purchase of the old Saskatoon Transit Buildings in Saskatoon which will be developed as an arts and culture hub.
- Building Better by Wasting Less — Andrew Cotterell
Andrew Cotterell is a sustainability and community engagement professional with over a decade of experience leading programs that inspire environmental stewardship, leadership, and personal growth. As the Regional Coordinator for the Bow Valley Waste Management Commission, he drives sustainable waste and recycling initiatives across Alberta’s Bow Valley, fostering collaboration among municipalities, local industries, and residents to reduce waste and promote circular economy practices.
more about Andrew
Previously, as Communications and Engagement Strategist with the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley, Andrew helped build capacity for single use item reuse programs, increased hum-wildlife coexistence through engagement and storytelling, brought the community together to accelerate climate action. Earlier in his career, Andrew held impactful roles in government, academia, and the non-profit sector—including leadership training at Curtin University and behaviour change programming with the Government of Western Australia. He is driven by a commitment to community connection, experiential learning, and creating lasting positive change for both people and the planet.
Session 2: Always a Step Ahead — What’s next for the Ministry and EPR Programs
Sponsored by Call2Recycle
Looking ahead in Saskatchewan’s recycling landscape, this session shares the Ministry of Environment’s and provincial programs’ future plans. Attendees will learn about new initiatives, emerging strategies, and opportunities to support a more circular, waste-conscious province.
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Break Sponsored by Call2Recycle
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions III
Session 1: The Second-Chance Solution — Reuse
Sponsored by Affinity Credit Union
Reuse is a key part of the circular economy—but it comes with challenges. This discussion-based session looks at how products, materials, and components can be reused effectively, highlighting innovative projects, program successes, and opportunities for broader adoption.
Session 2: Connecting the Dots — Community Roundtables
Take part in a facilitated roundtable discussion designed to connect participants and spark collaborative solutions. Share experiences, exchange ideas, and explore innovative approaches to community-based waste reduction and circular economy initiatives.
Thursday Evening Activities sponsored by Sask Association for Resource Recovery Corp
Step into the world of intrigue! We invite you to dress as any aspect of a mystery – be it a daring detective, a cunning villain, a classic mystery novelist, a dramatic victim, a compelling clue, or anything else you can imagine. Enjoy an evening of food, fun, and conversation, surrounded by colleagues in character, and immerse yourself in the playful spirit of solving the circular economy’s greatest mysteries.
6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
The Case of the Missing Martini — Reception
Sponsored by sonnevera international
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Miss Scarlet, in the Dining Room, with the Candlestick — Banquet
Table Wine sponsored by GFL Environmental
7:45 p.m.
Minister of Environment Address
8:00 p.m.
SK Waste Reduction Awards Ceremony
8:15 – 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Getting Clued In — Keynote Speaker
Coproducing circularity: Making sense of chaotic change
Investigate the Speaker: Saurabh Biswas
Saurabh Biswas is a researcher, educator, and collaborator with a focus on crafting meaningful change in society facing multidimensional challenges. He specializes in demystifying the social, economic, environmental, and technological complexities of sustainability challenges, and formulating transformative solutions. Just energy transitions, pollution mitigation and waste disposal, inclusive public transportation, and sustainable development in Indigenous communities are some of his interest areas.
Saurabh works with a range of partners including remote and Indigenous communities, non-profits and local government entities in Northern Canada, United States, Southeast Asia, Africa and South America. He is the co-founder of the Let Communities Lead initiative and a board member of the International Sustainable Development Society.
Saurabh holds a PhD in Sustainability from Arizona State University, and a Masters in Energy Systems Engineering. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Energy and Climate Change at Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand. He is also an affiliated researcher with the Community Appropriate Sustainable Energy Security (CASES) initiative at University of Saskatchewan and was previously a staff scientist at US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Saurabh is an avid traveler and takes a keen interest in exploring traditional arts and crafts of the places he travels to.
10:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Break
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
The Usual Suspects — Findings from around the province
Sponsored by Electronic Products Recycling Association
Real-world examples from communities implementing diversion initiatives, alongside recent government policy changes affecting how materials are managed. We’ll cover what’s new, what’s changing, and what it means for local programs.
- Saskatoon Public Space and Event Waste Diversion pilot – Lori McGillvary
The Public Space and Event Waste Diversion Project is a two-year research project that will support the City of Saskatoon’s larger initiative of public space waste diversion. This presentation provides a summary of project research, public engagement and pilot results, introduces guiding principles that will be used to develop future initiatives, and outlines next steps for City of Saskatoon public waste.
Lori McGillivray Moroz is a LEED certified architect and project manager whose expertise lies in sustainable design and project management. Lori is currently leading the Public Space and Event Waste Diversion project in the department of Sustainability with the City of Saskatoon.
- Reducing Textile Waste Through Community Sharing – Willow Iorga
Willow Iorga is the Coordinator of Education and Outreach for the City of Regina’s Water, Waste, and Environment Department. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Regina and has over 10 years of experience teaching children and adults in various educational settings. She later transitioned into program supervision, leading community initiatives that promote sustainability and waste reduction. With a strong background in research, community engagement, and program development, Willow is passionate about fostering environmental awareness and empowering residents to take action for a greener Regina.
- Policy to Practice: Residential Recycling in Saskatchewan – Brendan McShane
Brendan McShane is the VP of Operations with SK Recycles and Recycle BC. Brendan’s foray into waste reduction started with his initial career path as a carpenter, attempting to sway the wastefulness of the industry from within. Disgruntled with the culture of waste inherent to trades, Brendan pursued new tools for his toolbox, obtaining an undergrad in International Development followed by a Masters degree in Leadership and Sustainability. Having a career spanning not-for-profit and private industry in Canada and abroad, Brendan moved back to Victoria in 2014 and has been working with Recycle BC ever since.
Brendan lives in North Saanich with his young family, enjoying everything coastal.
- Unlocking CRD Diversion in Saskatoon – Gil Yaron
Gil Yaron is the Managing Director of Circular Innovation at Light House focused on advancing regenerative design and circular economic policy and practice it the built environment. Gil brings more than three decades of experience in solid waste policy, extended producer responsibility, circular economics with a focus on construction, renovation and demolition materials.
more about Gil
Gil leads initiatives that drive systemic change toward more sustainable resource use and waste reduction in the built environment. Known for his strategic vision and collaborative approach, Gil works closely with governments, businesses, and non-profits to design and implement practical, high-impact solutions that close material loops and stimulate green economic development while also leading some of the most innovative CBE projects in Canada, including the Building Material Exchange (BMEx), Construction Plastics Initiative and Circular Construction Accelerator.
Most recently, Gil led a detailed market assessment for the City of Saskatoon investigating current and future capacity for diverting CRD materials. He is also leading an initiative with Ecowaste – BC’s largest private landfill – to establish a Circular Construction Campus, bringing together companies to operate symbiotically in diverting, processing and remanufacturing building materials destined for landfill into new building products.
Gil holds a Master of Laws and most recently co-authored A Blueprint for Change: Preventing Demolition Waste Through Home Relocation & Deconstruction and the Construction Plastics Initiative Benchmarking Study.
- Getting Feedback on Updated Regulations for Landfills in SK – Ministry of Environment
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
The Butler Did It — Lunch
1:00 p.m.
The Long Goodbye — Conference End
Sponsors:
