BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Balsillie School of International Affairs - ECPv6.17.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Balsillie School of International Affairs
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://balsillieschool.ca
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Balsillie School of International Affairs
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Toronto
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20260308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20261101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20270314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20271107T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260810T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260820T160000
DTSTAMP:20260804T150004Z
CREATED:20260527T194652Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260804T150004Z
UID:10001908-1786352400-1787241600@balsillieschool.ca
SUMMARY:2026 Technology Governance Summer School
DESCRIPTION:Course Director:\nProfessor Ann Fitz-Gerald \nThis course provides graduate students with an in-depth understanding of the technology-policy nexus—an interface that is critical for effective policy analysis and implementation. \nEnrolled students will participate in expert-led lectures\, interactive discussions\, applied case studies\, and policy-oriented group exercises. The course will also include presentations by leading scholars and practitioners\, examining the governance challenges and opportunities arising from society’s digital transformation. Upon successful completion\, participants will receive a certificate. \nProgram Structure \nWeek 1: The New General-Purpose Infrastructure \nThis first week explores the foundational building blocks of the digital age and the governance challenges emerging from them. \n\nArtificial Intelligence\, Adoption\, and Semiconductors\nExploring AI’s developmental trajectory\, practical applications\, adoption challenges\, and the semiconductor technologies that underpin modern computing and AI systems.\nData Privacy\, Economic Prosperity\, and Intangible Assets\nExamining how privacy frameworks\, data governance\, and the valuation of data and intangible assets shape innovation\, productivity\, and economic growth.\nCybersecurity\, Sovereign Compute\, and Governance Risk\nIntroducing cybersecurity fundamentals\, Canada’s cyber posture\, sovereign compute capabilities\, and emerging challenges related to trust\, resilience\, and technology governance.\nIntellectual Property and Standards Setting\nUnderstanding how intellectual property strategies and technical standards influence innovation ecosystems\, market access\, and technological leadership.\n\nWeek 2: Navigating Digital Policy in an Era of Intangibles \nThe second week examines how emerging technologies are reshaping international trade\, economic systems\, privacy frameworks\, and security policy. \n\nA New Era of International Trade\nThe changing landscape of international trade policy in a world increasingly driven by digital assets and services.\nThe New Economy and Intangible Capital\nExploring how intangibles\, digital platforms\, and technological transformation are reshaping economic systems.\nIndustrial Policy\, Foreign Affairs\, and National Security Innovation\nAnalyzing the intersection of emerging technologies\, industrial policy\, foreign affairs strategies\, and technological innovation in the national security domain.\nSpace Governance and Emerging Frontiers\nAddressing the governance challenges and opportunities emerging in the space domain. Program wrap up.\n\nLearning outcomes: \nStudents will gain knowledge of the key concepts underlying artificial intelligence\, data economies\, cybersecurity\, digital trade\, and emerging technologies\, which are reshaping global governance\, economic competitiveness\, and national security. \nWho should attend: \nThis interdisciplinary course is designed for graduate students at Canadian universities from policy\, social science\, and STEM backgrounds who wish to deepen their understanding of the technology-policy nexus. \nDelivery: \nThe course will be delivered in-person at the Balsillie School of International Affairs\, with sessions held from August 10th to August 20th\, Monday through Thursday\, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Daily lunch and refreshments are included in the registration fee. \nGraduates receive verifiable and traceable certificates through MyCreds® to help them showcase the skills gained in the program to their networks and future employers. \nRegistration and Fees: \nRegistrations are now closed. Please contact events@balsillieschool.ca for any inquiries or assistance. \n\nRegistrations are open until July 31.\nParticipants have until August 3rd to withdraw from the program and receive a full refund. Withdrawals after this date will not be refunded.\nPartial refunds for missed days during the program due to illness or personal reasons may be issued on a case-by-case basis\, upon request to the program organizer.
URL:https://balsillieschool.ca/event/2026-technology-governance-summer-school/
CATEGORIES:Technology Governance
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://balsillieschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/CampusCrtyard_blueskies-cropped.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260908T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260908T130000
DTSTAMP:20260723T132149Z
CREATED:20260722T142006Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260723T132149Z
UID:10001919-1788858000-1788872400@balsillieschool.ca
SUMMARY:PhD Dissertation Defence: "Pathways of Influence: Indigenous Peoples' Agency and Leadership in Arctic Governance"
DESCRIPTION:Justin Barnes‘ dissertation defence. \nAbstract \nFor the peoples and communities who have lived in the Arctic since time immemorial\, Arctic governance is not only about international cooperation\, environmental management\, or geopolitical competition. It is also about sustaining and advocating for Indigenous livelihoods\, relationships with land and water\, rights and responsibilities\, and opportunities for future generations – all themes directly affected by political decisions made across local\, regional\, national\, and international levels. \nThis dissertation begins from a central question about how Indigenous Peoples exercise their agency and influence in Arctic governance despite operating within an international system largely organized around states. It examines this phenomenon by paying particular attention to the role and influence of the six Permanent Participant organizations of the Arctic Council. Operating from the premise that local and global dynamics in the Arctic are deeply connected\, while also recognizing the specific role of Indigenous Peoples’ organizations in shaping circumpolar dialogue\, the dissertation asks: What pathways of influence have Indigenous Peoples’ organizations harnessed in Arctic governance? To what extent have Indigenous Peoples’ organizations shaped the institutions\, norms\, and practices through which Arctic governance operates? And\, what are the wider implications for how we understand the nature and potential of Indigenous agency in international relations? \nA constructivist lens is applied throughout the dissertation to help answer these questions. Constructivism is a perspective in International Relations that helps to describe how governance structures and actors continuously influence one another to arrange and define the world we live in. This lens helps to articulate how Indigenous Peoples have influenced the structure and practices of Arctic governance\, particularly in terms of how local-level worldviews and priorities shape both circumpolar and international politics and governance arrangements. \nThe “pathways of influence” analyzed in this dissertation collectively support a central argument: that Indigenous Peoples organizations are co-constitutive actors in Arctic governance\, whose consistent and sustained advocacy – exercised inside institutions like the Arctic Council and through structured relationships with states and other actors – have helped produce the institutional identity\, legitimacy and resilience exercised by the Council\, as well as the norms and outcomes that are often considered unique characteristics of Arctic governance. This has resulted in varying degrees of co-governance between states\, Indigenous Peoples\, and other actors at the circumpolar level\, discussed specifically here in terms of the Arctic Council and strategic partnerships with states. \nChairperson: Dr. Nicole Sheerer\nAdvisor: Dr. Alex Latta\nCommittee: Dr. Debora VanNijnatten\, Dr. Derek Armitage\, and Dr. Jennifer Spence\nInternal/External: Dr. Patricia Goff\nExternal: Dr. Corine Wood-Donnelly\, Nord University \nIf you are interested in attending this defence\, please email events@balsillieschool.ca and indicate if you would like to attend virtually or in-person. Please note that spaces are limited. Confirmation will be sent to selected attendees prior to the defence date. \n 
URL:https://balsillieschool.ca/event/phd-dissertation-defence-pathways-of-influence-indigenous-peoples-agency-and-leadership-in-arctic-governance/
CATEGORIES:PhD Dissertation Defence
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://balsillieschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Justin-Barnes-defence.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260909T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260909T133000
DTSTAMP:20260720T134802Z
CREATED:20260708T194743Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260720T134802Z
UID:10001917-1788955200-1788960600@balsillieschool.ca
SUMMARY:Book Launch: "Open Governments\, Secret Canada: Hiding Information Other Countries Share"
DESCRIPTION:Matt Malone has travelled the world to see how other countries have made information accessible to their citizens. In country after country\, he found that officials have learned to live with (and sometimes even love) having their records open and freely available to their people. \nAs a passionate advocate of open government\, Malone contrasts the experience of each country he visits with current Canadian government practice and policies. He offers convincing evidence of how Canada has been moving in the exact opposite direction\, steadily increasing government secrecy. \nWith compelling examples internationally of what good government can mean in this digital age\, this book is bound to encourage Canadians to demand better from the country’s secret keepers. \nAbout the Speaker \nMatt Malone’s main research interests pertain to the various ways law protects secret information. He also maintains a broad interest in legal issues pertinent to modern workplaces\, including workplace investigations. He is the author of the forthcoming book Open Governments\, Secret Canada: Hiding Information Other Countries Share. \nMatt is a graduate of the University of Toronto\, Hebrew University of Jerusalem\, and McGill University. After law school\, Matt practiced law full-time in California at Morrison & Foerster and Van Dermyden Makus. He has also been a law professor at Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law and the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. \nMatt is called to the bar in British Columbia\, California\, and New York. He is an academic partner at the Investigative Journalism Foundation and an advisory board member of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association. \nMatt is a Scholar at the Balsillie School of International Affairs from March – August 2026.
URL:https://balsillieschool.ca/event/book-launch-open-governments-secret-canada-hiding-information-other-countries-share/
LOCATION:Room 1-42\, 67 Erb Street West\, Waterloo\, ON\, N2L 6C2\, Canada
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://balsillieschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Open-Governments-Secret-Canada-Hiding-Information-Other-Countries-Share.png
GEO:43.4636082;-80.5255258
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Room 1-42 67 Erb Street West Waterloo ON N2L 6C2 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=67 Erb Street West:geo:-80.5255258,43.4636082
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR