The Empire Club of Canada
Thursday, November 3, 2022
The Empire Club of Canada Presents:
A Power Lunch with Energy Minister
Ontario has had incredible success in driving electrification and attracting new jobs, including unprecedented investments from electric vehicles, EV battery manufacturing and clean steelmaking. The province is rapidly building the electricity system needed to support this incredible growth.
Join Energy Minister Todd Smith to hear how Ontario is building on its clean energy advantage as a major opportunity to power up our industries, jobs and economy and lead the way!
*The content presented is free of charge but please note that the Empire Club of Canada retains copyright. Neither the speeches themselves nor any part of their content may be used for any purpose other than personal interest or research without the explicit permission of the Empire Club of Canada.*
*Views and Opinions Expressed Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the speakers or panelists are those of the speakers or panelists and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official views and opinions, policy or position held by The Empire Club of Canada.*
For over 25 years, Todd Smith has been a trusted voice in the Quinte region. A graduate of Loyalist College, he embarked on a 16-year career in radio broadcasting, serving as the voice of Belleville Bulls hockey and rising to News Director at Quinte Broadcasting. Todd was first elected in 2011 in the riding of Prince Edward—Hastings. While in Opposition, he served as the PC Critic for several portfolios
including the energy file.
In 2022, he was re-elected in the Bay of Quinte riding as part of the Doug Ford government and he was reappointed to serve as Minister of Energy – a file he has held since 2021. Previously, he has served as Government House Leader, Minister of Government and Consumer Services, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade, and Minister of Children, Community and Social
Services.
Born and raised in Riverview, N.B., Todd has lived in the Belleville area since the early 1990s. He lives there with his wife Tawnya and daughters Payton and Reagan.
Kelly Jackson is Vice-President, External Affairs and Professional Learning at Humber College, one of Canada’s largest polytechnics. In her role, Kelly oversees a wide range of service departments that support Humber’s external relationships, continuous professional learning, workforce development and access strategies, and reputation management.
Prior to joining Humber, Kelly held numerous roles in provincial politics including Director of Communications to the Ontario Minister of Finance. In this role, she led the communications team for the Minister responsible for one of the largest provincial budgets in Canada. Kelly was also Director of Policy to the Minister of Education and Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.
Kelly spent a number of years overseeing strategic and integrated planning, public affairs, privacy and freedom of information issues, and communications at Seneca College. She also has experience in research project management having coordinated international conference series and academic publications at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.
Kelly holds a Master of Arts in Political Science and a Graduate Diploma in German and European Studies from York University and has studied at Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg and the University of Sheffield. Kelly is currently President of the Empire Club of Canada Board of Directors and a Board Director of the North York Harvest Food Bank. She is co-author of the children’s book, Our Canada: A Year With Canuck Kids (Blossom Books Press, 2021).