Conference Highlights Include Robert Reich and

Shawn Graham, Premier of New Brunswick

TORONTO, Nov. 9 /CNW/ - Senior White House officials, OECD leaders and high profile business executives will be among the over 40 panellists participating in the Toronto Forum for Global Cities, taking place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre North Building (255 Front Street West) on November 9 and 10, 2009. The Forum will tackle a series of questions about the role of cities in the global economy, including issues pertaining to public transportation, green energy and more.

Forum highlights will include:

Tuesday, November 10

SMARTER CITIES FORUM presented by IBM (8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)

8:30am - OPENING SESSION

Speaker highlights: Dan Fortin, President, IBM Canada Ltd.; Courtney

Pratt, CEO, Toronto Region Research Alliance (TRRA); Warren Jestin,

Senior VP & Chief Economist, Scotia Bank

How can cities leverage their knowledge-based economies to reach full

potential as engines of growth? How can public investments be directed to

reflect the economic and demographic realities of our urbanized nations?

How can metropolitan networks distinguish themselves in an era of intense

global competition?

10:30am: BREAKOUT SESSIONS (simultaneously)

ROUNDTABLE 1

Smarter Economic Development

Speaker highlights: Sandra Pupatello, Minister of Economic Development

and Trade, Government of Ontario; Shawn Graham, Premier, Province of New-

Brunswick; Chris Gibbon, Vice President, Global Social Services & Social

Security, IBM Global

Today's governments have a unique opportunity to transform their

operations and services, making them truly citizen-centric. How can

governments seize this opportunity? Will the solutions be sustainable?

ROUNDTABLE 2

Smarter Public Safety and Emergency Services

Speaker highlights: Paul McCullough, Business Unit Executive, Public

Safety and Defense, IBM Canada; Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy

Commissioner of Ontario

A smarter city uses advanced technologies and community-based approaches

to anticipate and prevent - not just respond to - crimes and emergencies.

What are these technologies? How can we direct funding to the necessary

infrastructure to support them?

ROUNDTABLE 3

Smarter Energy and Utilities

Speaker highlights: Michael Valocchi, Global Industry Leader, Energy and

Utilities, IBM Global; Anthony Haines, President and CEO, Toronto Hydro

Corporation

Every day, energy is wasted due to inefficient electrical distribution

systems. How can intelligent systems help utilities and citizens make

smarter, more responsible choices about how to buy, sell and use

electricity?

12:00pm: LUNCHEON

Competing in an Innovation-Intensive Economy

Speaker highlights: Robert Reich, member of President Obama's Economic

Advisory Board and former U.S Secretary of Labor; Shawn Graham, Premier,

Province of New Brunswick

NOTE: Robert Reich will participate in a 15-minute media question- and-

answer session following the Luncheon.

Economic stability will largely depend on how the emergency support is

withdrawn. Which "exit strategies" are less likely to hurt the private

sector's innovative capacity? How can the West remain competitive next to

the innovative, rapidly-growing and fast- learning countries of Asia?

3:00pm: SESSION 3 - What is the Future for the Banking Sector?

Speaker highlights: Gautier Dirckx, President and CEO, BNP Paribas

Canada; Compton Bourne, President, Caribbean Development Bank

What have we learned from the economic crisis? Is the recent performance

of the investment banks a sign of recovery or a symptom of another

bubble? What are the possible consequences of the new regulatory

requirements for the banking sector?

For a complete listing of Forum speakers and a detailed agenda, visit www.forumforglobalcities.com.

Media interested in attending Forum sessions must present official credentials at the Forum's Media Desk.

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