Toronto EDEY Regional Policy Session: Digital Innovation and Economic Growth
This event is hosted by the Ontario Liberal Party. The original event link is available here (no registration option on the original link).
To receive a calendar invite, you can register here. Registration is not required to attend.
What is this event?
This event is a discussion amongst industry leaders about how the Ontario Government can implement policies to keep our top talent and innovators in Ontario, igniting economic growth for the province.
We will specifically discuss:
How to make Ontario an attractive place for entrepreneurs to build their companies.
How the Ontario government can adopt local innovations to improve public services.
Why does this matter?
The entire world has been dealing with rising inflation over the last 7 years. It has created a significant affordability crisis. But Ontario has been hit particularly hard. Our problem is amplified by the fact that, as prices rise, our incomes are also stagnating relative to the rest of the world.
If Canada had kept pace with the US over the last 16 years, we'd have ~$1T more in GDP. The Bank of Canada's own reports show than 75% of the gap in GDP/capita between Canada and the US is due to brain drain, with the technology industry being the largest contributor.
Canada's (and specifically Ontario's) inability to retain its top talent and innovations is the leading cause behind our deepened affordability crisis. It is costing us not only good, high-paying jobs but also the tax revenues we need to reinvest in public services.
This is particularly frustrating for Ontarians, given that research at taxpayer-funded institutions like the University of Toronto has led to the discovery of GLP-1s (Ozempic) and modern AI in Toronto over the last 20 years.
Not only are we trailing the rest of the world, but we are also subsidizing their economies by funding the innovations they monetize, with no benefit for Ontarians.
This discussion will explore how we can keep those innovations in Ontario and start leveraging them to improve our economy, public services, and affordability for all Ontarians.
Who is invited?
We welcome anyone to attend our discussion.
Who is speaking?
Liam Gill - Former startup founder, angel investor, advisor and lawyer.
Sunil Sharma - MD Founders Institute Canada, MD Emeritus Techstars Toronto
Lucy Hargreaves - Co-Founder and CEO Build Canada
Speakers are participating to share their industry expertise and insights; they are not endorsing the OLP and are not required to be OLP members.
Toronto Tech Week
This event is part of Toronto Tech Week 2026 (May 25–29). Toronto Tech Week is a citywide celebration of the people building what’s next. From May 25–29, 2026, founders, investors, and builders come together for hundreds of community-led events across Toronto, connecting tens of thousands of people around Canadian tech. Torontotechweek.com.