HealthCareCAN‘s Member CEO Forum is a limited space, invitation-only event to engage health leaders in open and honest discussion – under the Chatham House Rule – on the challenges and issues defining the future of health in Canada, while fostering practical reflection and networking to identify actionable solutions.
2026 Member CEO Forum Program
2026 Theme : Accelerating Health System Transformation through Collaboration
8:00 A.M. – 8:45 A.M. | WELCOME BREAKFASTDelegates are invited to connect with peers and colleagues over breakfast as the Forum gets underway. This informal gathering sets the tone for a day of strategic dialogue, offering an early opportunity to build relationships with fellow health system leaders from across the country before the morning’s sessions begin.
8:45 A.M. – 9:00 A.M. | OPENING REMARKS
- Andy Smith, Chair, Board of Directors, HealthCareCAN | President and CEO, Sunnybrook Health Sciences
- Michelle McLean, President and CEO, HealthCareCAN
Dr. Andy Smith and Michelle McLean open the Forum with remarks that frame the urgency and opportunity of this moment for Canada’s healthcare system. The remarks will situate the day’s discussions within the broader national context, underscoring why strong national system collaboration is essential to advancing meaningful, lasting transformation across health infrastructure, research, workforce, and innovation.
9:00 A.M. – 9:45 A.M. | PUBLIC EXPECTATIONS FOR CHANGE
- David Coletto, Founder, Chair and CEO, Abacus Data
David Coletto presents the latest research and public opinion data to establish a clear-eyed picture of the pressures facing Canada’s healthcare system today. Drawing on polling, trend analysis, and system performance data, this session grounds the day’s dialogue in evidence, examining what Canadians are experiencing, what they expect from their health system, and where the gaps between public expectation and system capacity are most acute.
9:45 A.M. – 10:15 A.M. | THE URGENT NEED FOR SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION: Will the growing burden of illness swamp our healthcare systems?
- Laura Rosella, Chief Scientist, Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners
The future burden of illness in Canada is projected to increase significantly over the next two decades, primarily driven by a rapidly aging population and a rise in complex, chronic conditions. Experts warn that the current healthcare system may face unprecedented strain, necessitating a “radical rethink” of how care is delivered. The speaker will share future burden of illness projections and the implications for the Canadian healthcare system which underline the urgent need for system transformation.
10:15 A.M. – 10:45 A.M. | SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION: What’s holding Canada back?
- Rosalie Wyonch, Associate Director of Research, C.D. Howe Institute
With the scale of transformation required, clarity on who does what and who leads is essential. This session will reflect on the delineation of roles and responsibilities between federal, provincial, and health system actors in driving meaningful reform, and the barriers we face in our quest to reform and modernize our health care system. Our presenter will explore where national leadership is most critical, where collaboration across jurisdictions is a prerequisite for progress, and how governance structures can better enable rather than impede system-wide change in areas such as health infrastructure modernization, AI adoption, and life sciences competitiveness.
10:45 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. | WELLNESS BREAK
A short break for delegates to refresh and recharge before the morning’s final session.
11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. | FIRST SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION SPOTLIGHT: The future of Hospital at Home
Moderator
- Kent Stobart, President and CEO, CancerCare Manitoba
Panelists
- Neil Johnson, Health System Consultant, former Vice President Oncology, Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre
- Margaret Melanson, President and CEO, Horizon Health Network
- Lynn Mikula, President and CEO, Peterborough Regional Health Network and Ontario Hospital at Home Task Force Chair
- Lawrence Rosenberg, President and CEO, CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest de l’Île de Montréal
As healthcare systems across Canada face increasing pressure from rising demand, workforce constraints, and evolving patient expectations, innovative models of care are gaining momentum. Hospital at home programs—delivering acute, hospital-level services in patients’ homes—are emerging as a transformative approach to improving access, experience, and outcomes.
This panel will explore what it could mean to extend these models into oncology. What would it look like to move elements of cancer care beyond hospital walls and into the community? Which services can be safely and effectively delivered at home, and what infrastructure, workforce, and policy changes are required to support this shift? What are the other “leading edges” of this type of healthcare delivery change? Panelists will share real-world examples, emerging evidence, and bold ideas for this emerging care delivery model in Canada.
12:00 P.M. – 1:00 P.M. | LUNCH + NETWORKING
Delegates are invited to continue the conversation over lunch, offering an opportunity to reflect on the morning’s sessions, exchange perspectives with peers and build connections with health system leaders from across the country.
1:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. | SECOND SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION SPOTLIGHT: Building health system sovereignty and resilience in an era of heightened risk
Moderator
- Cate Murray, President and CEO, Stem Cell Network
Panelists
- Gaby Bourbara, President, AstraZeneca Canada
- Patrice Gilbert, Founder and CEO, Petal Health
- Kevin Smith, President and CEO, University Health Network
Health system sovereignty is a critical imperative for Canada’s future. The vulnerabilities exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic and the evolving geopolitical and macroeconomic changes underscore the necessity of robust domestic capabilities in the health and life sciences sector. This panel will explore how strategic investments can position Canada as a leader in health system independence, ensuring national security, economic prosperity, and resilient health systems, and how public, private and industry collaboration in clinical trials can help to advance health and economic transformation in the sector.
2:00 P.M. – 2:55 P.M. | KEYNOTE: What It Would Really Take to Transform Health Care in Canada?
- Adam Kahane, Co-Founder, Reos Partners | Bestselling author
Montrealer Adam Kahane and his global colleagues have led efforts to transform large systems all over the world in many domains, including health, education, food, energy, governance, and peace. He has published six books about his hard-won learnings from this experience about what does and doesn’t work, including last year Everyday Habits for Transforming Systems: The Catalytic Power of Radical Engagement and Collaborating with the Enemy: How to Work with People You Don’t Agree with or Like or Trust (Second Edition). He will offer his provocative perspective on what it would really take to transform health care in Canada.
2:55 P.M. – 3:15 P.M. | WELLNESS BREAK
A short break for delegates to refresh before the Forum’s closing sessions.
3:15 P.M. – 4:15 P.M. | A NATIONAL COLLABORATIVE: How can health system leaders work together differently to accelerate system transformation?
Moderator
- Andy Smith, Chair, Board of Directors, HealthCareCAN | President and CEO, Sunnybrook Health Sciences
Panelists
- Shannon MacDonald, Partner, EY Canada
- Kathy MacNeil, President and CEO, Island Health
- Simon Kennedy, Senior Advisor, Unity Health Toronto | Senior Advisor, Teneo
- Andrea Reed, Vice-President, Strategic Partnerships, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
This session brings together policy, political and health leadership perspectives to explore the value of a national effort to accelerate system transformation, the form that collaboration could take, and how it could help federal, provincial and health system leaders drive meaningful reform. These perspectives will help frame the question of “what could we do together” that might have measurable impact, which will support the final session of the day which are roundtable discussions to reflect on interest and opportunities for HealthCareCAN members to support national efforts on health system transformation.
4:15 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. | CLOSING REMARKS
Dr. Andy Smith and Michelle McLean bring the Forum to a close, synthesizing the key themes and commitments that emerged throughout the day and reflecting on what the conversations signal for the path ahead for HealthCareCAN members.
Our 2026 CEO Forum Sponsors
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