Owen Sound to Celebrate Canadian Innovation Week with Inaugural Community Showcase

The City of Owen Sound is proud to present the free, in-person event Owen Sound Innovates: Celebrating #CIW26 in the Scenic City on Tuesday, May 12 at 5:30 p.m. at Sydenham Campus.

This free community showcase is presented in partnership with Grey County Economic Development as part of Canadian Innovation Week (May 11–15, 2026), a national initiative of the Rideau Hall Foundation celebrating the people, partnerships, and possibilities that make Canada a leader on the world stage.

From life-saving medical isotopes to award-winning Indigenous cuisine to research collaborations connecting health care, academia, and the dramatic arts, the evening will showcase the depth and diversity of innovation happening in rural communities today.

The programming will celebrate a wide variety of innovators:

Panel #1: Unlocking our Isotope Opportunity with the Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition

• Moderator Cait MacKinnon (Nuclear Innovation Institute) will be joined by Mayor Ian Boddy, Dr. Rebecca Brookham (Brightshores Office of Research and Innovation), Mike Chegahno (Gamzook'aamin aakoziwin), and Dave Shorey (Georgian College).

Fireside Chat: Naagan

• Chef Keeshig and Chef Samantha Chevrier will showcase locally foraged ingredients used in Naagan's acclaimed non-alcoholic drinks pairing menu. 

Panel #2: Beyond the Curtain Call: Using Local Actors to Advance Local Research

• Dr. Rebecca Brookham (Georgian/Brightshores) will be joined by Georgian College collaborators Dr. Treva Job, Wendy McDonald, and Michael Smith; Brightshores collaborator Kailyn Clarke; and Roxy Little Theatre actors Bill Murphy and Shirley Holmes.

The inaugural event will take place at Sydenham Campus (1130 8th St E, Owen Sound), a regional skills training, trades and innovation center. The event is open to the public, but space is limited. Advance registration is strongly encouraged. Doors open at 5 p.m.

For more information, please contact Rebecca Ellerdiem, Senior Advisor, External Relations and Investment Attraction at 519-376-4440 ext. 1254 or email rellerdiem@owensound.ca

Quotes:

“There are many powerful stories unfolding in rural communities like ours. Owen Sound Innovates is an opportunity to celebrate the people and partnerships pushing boundaries locally and regionally, and we invite the community to learn, connect, and take pride in what’s being built here.”

- Ian Boddy, Mayor of Owen Sound

“Innovation and collaboration are how we build a resilient and competitive regional economy. Owen Sound Innovates showcases ‘made in Grey’ partnerships, products, and ideas that are grounded in community, creating opportunities across diverse sectors.”

- Andrea Matrosovs, Grey County Warden

Quick Facts:

• The City of Owen Sound is the largest urban municipality on Georgian Bay’s southwest shore, with a population now estimated to exceed 24,000. Grey County as a region is comprised of nine distinct member municipalities and home to nearly 110,000 full-time residents and more than 12,000 businesses. 
• Guided by the Vision 2050 long-term strategic plan, Owen Sound, also known as the Scenic City, is actively fostering a rural innovation ecosystem with an investment attraction strategy targeting clean energy, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and marine innovation.
• Owen Sound is a founding member of the Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition that promotes regional coordination to advance the research and development of lifesaving medical isotopes, as well as the Clean Energy Frontier, a tri-county network driving cross-sector innovation in Canadian energy production. 

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