Join us for an engaging evening of networking, learning, and connection at our upcoming Northern Chapter Event in beautiful Sault Sainte Marie! In collaboration with Algoma University and Sault College, this unique learning experience brings together HR professionals, students, and community leaders for an evening of meaningful conversations, professional development, and collaboration.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with the HR community, expand your network, and gain valuable insights in a welcoming and collaborative environment.
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Student Networking with Senior HR Professionals
Students will have the opportunity to connect directly with experienced HR leaders in small group rotations (4 tables; rotating every 15 minutes). Attendance free with purchase of Student Membership.
Katie Blunt is the Executive Director at Habitat for Humanity Sault Ste. Marie and Area. At work, she leads a highly motivated team in the implementation of the organization’s strategic plan with the overall goal of creating affordable housing for families that face barriers to traditional homeownership.
Katie graduated from McMaster University in 2015 with a Master’s Degree in Political Science. Before her work with Habitat, Katie worked in various community-oriented roles including fundraising for the British Red Cross, coordinating the Community Adjustment Committee with the City of Sault Ste. Marie, and facilitating social enterprise development across northern Ontario with NORDIK Institute.
Antoinette Blunt is the President of Ironside Consulting Services Inc. Ironside Consulting Services Inc. (ICS Inc.), specializes in the provision of a variety of human resources, labour relations and management services for employers in Northern Ontario. The company offers a variety of services including workplace investigations into allegations of bullying and harassment, organizational review and design, governance review and strategic planning, training in numerous areas including relationship management, communication, team building and leadership; re-design and development of policies and procedures, compensation system review including pay equity services, early stage grievance management, collective bargaining for employers, nominee services for employers and performance management system design.
Arlene Smith is the Director of Human Resources with Algona Family Services. She holds a Master of Science degree in Human Resources Management from Florida International University and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Advanced Project Management and Strategic Leadership from Lambton College, ON. Arlene brings over twenty-five years of experience in the Human Resources field from the Caribbean and most recently in Canada.ecutive Director, Algoma Family Services.
Esther Zdolec leads the development and execution of enterprise workforce strategies at OLG, fostering a diverse, performance-driven culture and supporting the organization’s talent, engagement, and future-of-work priorities.
With extensive executive HR experience across the public and private sectors, Esther has held senior leadership roles at Fleming College, Infrastructure Ontario, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Candu Energy, and SNC-Lavalin. Her expertise spans human resources, labour relations, organizational effectiveness, and equity, diversity, and inclusion
5:00 – 5:30 PM
Membership Registration & Open Networking
5:30 – 7:00 PM
Dinner & Opening Remarks
7:00 – 8:30 PM
CCPartners, Lawyers for Employers - Presentation (Live Video Stream)
Featured Speakers, Kelsey Orth and Jawdat Seleh.
Topic:
The Employment Agreement - Enforceability and Considerations.
Gig Workers - Considerations for Employers.
An Employer's Responsibilities in the Face of Workplace Violence.
Family-status Accommodations Explained.
This program will help human resources, legal, and other professionals identify emerging issues in the workplace, manage the legal, reputational, and other risks linked to these issues, and reinforce the rules and policies of the workplace.
This program will include an overview of recent and emerging issues with respect to employment agreements, gig workers, workplace violence, and family status accommodations. The presentation will include an overview of recent case law on these issues, as well as discussions surrounding proactive steps to mitigate risks as well as steps employers should take to respond to any such claims.
Ad-hoc Volunteer Opportunities - Interested in helping as a greeter, registration desk helper, speaker support and/or runner at an upcoming in-person Chapter event.
For the above opportunities, you should check of the box during registration but you will also need to login to Volunteer with HRPA and sign up there. Thank you for volunteering to help!
Registration Closes: September 11, 2026, at 8:00AM…or sooner if it sells out!
Registration Difficulties or Questions: Please reach out to Rebecca Lauzon our Specialist, Member Engagement at rlauzon@hrpa.ca