Navigating Uncertainty: The Impact of US Tariffs on Ontario’s Food & Beverage Industry

Date: March 19, 2025
Time: 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM EST
Location: Virtual Webinar (Link to be provided upon registration)

Join Food and Beverage Ontario (FBO) for an in-depth discussion on the potential impact of US tariffs on Ontario’s food and beverage sector. With global trade tensions rising and economic uncertainty looming, industry leaders must stay informed and prepared for potential disruptions.

This webinar will provide key insights from economic and industry experts to help businesses understand the evolving trade landscape, assess risks, and explore strategies for navigating potential challenges.

Agenda Highlights:

• Welcome & Opening Remarks – Chris Conway, CEO, Food and Beverage Ontario
• FBO Tariff Update – Chris Conway, CEO, Food and Beverage Ontario
• Keynote Presentation: “Trump Tariffs & Global Food Trade: The Art of the Meal Deal” – Sylvain Charlebois, Renowned Food Industry Expert
• BDC’s Economic Outlook: Trends and Insights for Food & Beverage Entrepreneurs – Pierre Cléroux, Chief Economist, BDC
• Live Attendee Q&A – Engage directly with our speakers

Who Should Attend?

• Food & beverage processors
• Industry suppliers & stakeholders
• Business owners & executives
• Policy & trade professionals

Speakers

Chris Conway, CEO of Food and Beverage Ontario

Chris has been CEO of Food and Beverage Ontario since 2021 and has over 20 years work experience in advocacy, government relations, communications and general management.

He has worked in industry associations since 2004, initially in roles related to government relations and stakeholder relations. Chris has spent the past ten years as president of an industry association, which includes three years as President of Concrete Ontario which represents 80% of the concrete production in Ontario. More recently, he was CEO of Career Colleges Ontario which represents 240 private post-secondary colleges and 45,000 students.

Chris has been a spokesperson for the past 16 years, with media experience going back over 20 years. He has also been a panellist and speaker at numerous conferences in Canada and internationally. This includes making deputations in front of all three levels of government: municipal, provincial and federal.

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois/Professor/Senior Director
AGRI-FOOD ANALYTICS LAB/LABORATOIRE DE SCIENCES ANALYTIQUES EN AGROALIMENTAIRE

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph’s Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.

He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.

Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre’s Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa.

Pierre Cleroux, Vice President, Research and Chief Economist

Pierre leads a team of experts who analyze economic data to identify business and sector trends impacting Canadian entrepreneurs. A seasoned speaker, he helps business owners understand the risks and opportunities presented by the economic environment.

Mr. Cléroux is also responsible for providing economic analysis and advice to the Bank’s senior management team and supervises all marketing and industry research activities. Over his 25-year career as an economist, he has held several influential positions that had a direct impact on entrepreneurs in Canada and abroad.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable economic insights, understand trade implications, and prepare your business for the future. Register now!