Social Issues are Business Issues

Event Name| Social Issues are Business Issues: Connection is the Opposite of Addiction
 
Tagline | A Symposium on Health, Housing, and Human Connection
 
Summary | A day of empathy, action, and community building for leaders who mean business. Bring your voice to the table as we turn social crisis into local impact. You’ll leave with the tools and wisdom needed to tackle the most pressing issue of our day – grounded in the connections you make here, and the collaboration required to deliver results back home.
 
This one-day symposium is designed for community leaders to bridge the gap between social crisis and sustainable solutions. Our MC for the day is Pete Bombaci, Founder and CEO of GenWell, Canada’s Human Connection Movement. Pete’s work anchors the day in the understanding that the solutions to our most complex social challenges – from isolation to addiction – are rooted in the strength of our human connections.
 
Presented by | St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce
 
Sponsored by | Steelway Building Systems (co-presenting partner); Kindred Credit Union (co-presenting sponsor); GenWell; Elgin County; Petals of Love; Rogers TV; 94.1 myFM; Establish Media; CASO Station
 

• A Fireside Chat with the Honourable Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, who will discuss the Provincial Government’s priorities and the intersection of housing policy and local commerce
• A conversation with National Post journalist Adam Zivo who will explain why solving homelessness and addiction requires proven, data-driven strategies rather than ideological experiments, highlighting the direct link between effective social policy and economic vitality
• A presentation by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce that evaluates how the cost of inaction – measured in emergency responses, lost productivity, homelessness, and repeated crises – now far exceeds the cost of system reform
• A panel discussion of Chamber CEOs from across the province who will discuss the specific challenges facing their respective business communities and why they deserve a seat at the table

• The Mayor of the City of St. Thomas, His Worship Joe Preston
• The Executive Director of Indwell, Natasha Thuemler  
• The Acting Director of St. Thomas Elgin Social Services, Danielle Neilson
• The Chief of St. Thomas Police Service, Marc Roskamp
• The Head of The Inn St. Thomas-Elgin Emergency Shelter, Brian Elliott
• the Executive Director of the YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin, Lindsay Rice

• Indwell’s Railway City Lofts, 16 supportive micro-apartments with intensive therapeutic services for the city's most at-risk individuals transitioning from homelessness.
• The Inn, the region's only low-barrier emergency shelter, providing 24/7 safe temporary accommodation, food, and basic necessities for individuals aged 16 and older.
• Project Tiny Hope, a community collaboration led by YWCA St. Thomas-Elgin of 40 energy-efficient tiny homes that provide permanent supportive housing for vulnerable women, youth, and families.
• Indwell’s Balaclava Crossing, an upcoming project that is transforming the former Balaclava Street Public School into 78 supportive housing units, offering a mix of enhanced and standard on-site supports