Opening Ceremonies (May 3rd)
CHRA’s 49th National Congress on Housing and Homelessness will kick off in true Nova Scotia style with a rousing bagpiper entry of our guest speakers. CHRA Executive Director Jeff Morrison will serve as your Master of Ceremonies as we hear from various leaders within the housing sector from a municipal, provincial, and national perspective. Opening Ceremonies remarks will be delivered by:
- Elder Deborah Eisan, Mi’kmaw Nation
- Stephan Corriveau, CHRA President & Directeur general, Réseau québécois des OSBL d’habitation
- Peter Altobelli, Vice President & General Manager, Canada, Sales, Yardi
- Dan McDougall, President/CEO, Housing Nova Scotia & William Buckland, Administrator, Seton Foundation & Congress 2017 Local Host Committee Co-Chairs
- Deputy Mayor Steve Craig, Regional Municipality of Halifax
- The Honourable Stephen McNeil, Premier of Nova Scotia
- The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development
Morning Plenary Keynote (May 4th)
Dare to Fail: Developing Leadership Skills and Resiliency
Join Zac Crouse who will discuss embracing failure as an opportunity for learning and growth. Zac will point to how organizational change management, including an attitude of embracing risk and the possibility of failure, can provide real opportunity for growth and learning. Through live music, story telling and film, Zac will also make the connection between recreational therapy and experiential education techniques to help organizations develop leadership skills and increase resiliency through social, communication and problem solving exercises. You won’t want to miss this lively session!
Zac Crouse
In the spring of 2009, while white-water kayaking in Nova Scotia, Zac witnessed the death of his close friend. The incident left Zac with a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
For over a decade, Zac has been teaching others the benefits of recreational therapy. Using his passion for music and kayaking as part of his recovery, Zac toured Canada to promote his first solo record ‘You Plan to do Nothing’, paddling and peddling his message of active recovery from Ottawa to Halifax.
Through his journey, Zac has worked to help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, and tours and speaks to organizations using a combination of live music, story-telling and film. As a recreation therapist, Zac has worked for over 10 years with youth who have substance use and mental health issues. He holds a Master’s degree in Education and is a popular educator at one of Canada’s top universities – St. Francis Xavier University – where his classes ‘sell out’ quickly.
Closing Ceremonies @ Canadian Museum of Immigration Pier 21 (May 4th)
Wrap up Congress 2017 in one of Canada’s most historic and iconic locations at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, the place that welcomed over 1 million immigrants to Canada’s shores.
You will have access to the museum’s collections, and to explore a key venue in Canadian history as you enjoy drinks and light refreshments as we wrap up Congress.
Delegates will also hear a final farewell from his Worship, Halifax Mayor Michael Savage, and the traditional ‘hand off’ ceremony will formally transition planning for our 50th anniversary Congress to the 2018 Congress host city. *Transportation provided from the hotel lobby from 5:30pm; also walkable from hotel.