A heartfelt thank you from IAP2 Canada.
Dear friends and colleagues,
What an extraordinary few days we shared at the 2026 IAP2 North American Conference in Vancouver. The theme was Many Voices, One Table: Co-Creating the Future of Engagement, and you brought that theme to life in every way. Whether you joined us in person at the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown or connected online from your corner of the world, thank you. Your energy, your questions, your stories, and your generosity made this gathering truly special. I’m still smiling as I write this. The suitcases are unpacked, the conference has wrapped, and what’s left is a deep sense of gratitude.
To our sponsors, thank you for believing in this community and backing it so generously. To our volunteers, thank you for the early mornings, the countless details, the patience, and the warmth you brought to every interaction. Your work behind the scenes, often without fanfare, made every moment seamless and memorable. You were the heartbeat of this event. We couldn’t have done it without you, and we are so very grateful.
Looking back, so many moments stand out. Our Awards Ceremony was a true celebration of the profession, a chance to honour the extraordinary work being done in communities across North America and to recognize the people who make it happen. The Gala was another highlight: sharing a table, sharing stories, and savouring delicious Indigenous cuisine made it an evening of real community and connection. It reminded us how gathering around food and story can create genuine connection.
Most of all, I treasured the chance to meet so many of you face to face. Learning about your work, your challenges, and what drives you reminded me that behind every membership is a person with a story worth hearing. That was the highlight of my time.
Our keynote addresses from Aidan Eyakuze and Dr. Gladys Rowe challenged and inspired us, and left many of us thinking differently about our practice. Add to that the panel discussions, the workshops, and the many hallway conversations, and the whole event was a wonderful opportunity to connect, learn, share, and grow.
Now, I want to ask something of you. These are uncertain times, and it can be tempting to step back or turn away. I believe that now, more than ever, we need to lean in. Public participation is not a nice-to-have. It is a global need, and our humanity and our world depend on it. Every time we create space for people to be heard and to shape the decisions that affect their lives, we strengthen the foundation that holds us together. Please stay engaged, and please don’t give up on this work, because it matters.
Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities to learn and share, including webinars, Communities of Practice, training, and other ways to connect throughout the year. Keep reaching out to this community. Call, write, join a session, offer an idea, or tell us what you need. IAP2 Canada is your association, and we are only as good as you make us.
Thank you again for being part of this. We are here for you, and we are already looking forward to seeing you at the conference in Salt Lake City in 2027, and to welcoming you home to Canada when NAC returns in 2028.
With warmth and appreciation,
Rebecca Smith
Executive Director, IAP2 Canada
To those who opened and closed our time together.
To Elder and Knowledge Holder Carleen Thomas of Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Elmer Eashappie, and the Eagle Song Dancers. Your welcomes, words and performances marked the beginning and end of our days together, and reminded everyone in the room whose lands we were gathered on. We gathered on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and we are grateful to have been welcomed in a good way. Thank you for setting the spirit of this conference.
Made possible by many hands.
Three days in Vancouver came together because of months of work from the IAP2 Canada team: Rebecca Smith, Hina Ali, Patrick McKeown, Whiley Eaglespeaker, Johana Gonzalez, Judy Carlick Pearson and Lauren Pio. Thank you for everything you poured into it.
Our volunteers, Tracey Ehl, Tanya Fink, Raymond Yang, Kuu Khurram, Meghna Kaushal, Laura Klein and Vanshika Joshi, gave their time so everyone else could focus on the conversation. We truly couldn’t have done it without you.
Emelia, Cassidy and Sheridan of IAP2 Event Management, the staff of the Vancouver Marriott Pinnacle, and Chef Andrew George and his culinary team took care of us from the moment delegates arrived. Thank you for your hospitality.
And to the Boards of Directors of IAP2 Canada and IAP2 USA, thank you for the time you volunteer alongside your own work, and for the expertise, lived experience and shared commitment you bring to advancing public participation across North America.
Thank you to our sponsors.
Open Point. Built for the full scope of engagement, Open Point helps organizations move from input to insight to impact, and keeps a clear, transparent record of engagement.
SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. A trusted convener and hub for community initiatives, the Centre has engaged hundreds of thousands of participants on some of society’s most pressing issues.
Jambo. Stakeholder relationship management software that helps teams track, manage and report on stakeholder information and relationships.
Spatial Media. Digital tools and storytelling that help people engage with the future.
MNP. National in scope and local in focus, with accounting, consulting, tax and digital services in more than 150 communities coast to coast.
NWMO. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization, a not-for-profit responsible for the safe, long-term management of Canada’s intermediate and high-level radioactive waste.
Borealis, now part of Irth. Stakeholder engagement software with Canadian roots, purpose built for large infrastructure and energy projects.
Middle Ground. A safe, responsible AI workspace for teams doing consultation and engagement.
ISL Engineering, Lucent Quay Consulting, City of Edmonton, Accenture Construct.