Public Trust Summit
The 2026 Public Trust Summit theme, Trust Under Pressure: Leading in an Era of Scrutiny, will explore how Canada’s food system can navigate the challenges of maintaining public confidence in a rapidly changing world.
This year’s program is structured around three key pillars: The Pressure, The Risk, and The Response.
- The Pressure examines the broader trends affecting public trust, from shifting expectations to polarized opinions and the fragmentation of information.
- The Risk explores the potential consequences for the food system, including how misalignment and loss of trust can influence consumer confidence and decision-making.
- The Response highlights practical strategies and leadership approaches organizations can adopt to strengthen public trust and navigate this complex environment.
About the Summit
Dates
October 6 & 7
Location
The Westin Toronto Airport Hotel
Registration Rates
- Early Bird (until July 3) :$649
- Regular (starting July 4) : $699
- Group rate (5+ attendees): $599 per person
- Student rate (limited availability): $250
*Prices do not include taxes and applicable fees.
Accommodation
A special conference room rate has been secured at The Westin Toronto Airport Hotel for Summit attendees. Rooms are available at the discounted rate until September 14, 2026, or while availability lasts.
Agenda
Tuesday October 6
8:00 am
Registration & Coffee/Tea
9:00 am
Welcome & Objectives of the Day
Phase One – The Pressure
9:15 am
The Trust Gap: What Canadians Believe, What They Question, and What Comes Next – Dr. Darrell Bricker, Global CEO, Ipsos Public Affairs
10:15 am
Break
10:35 am
What Shapes Trust: How Canadians Decide What Feels Right About Food – Tim Caulfield, Professor of Health Law and Science Policy, Bestselling Author
11:35 am
The Invisible Filter: How AI is Reshaping Visibility, Trust, and Relevance – Ryan Anderson, Chief Strategist, Northern Army Inc.
12:15 pm
Lunch
Phase Two – The Risk
1:15 pm
Public Trust 2026: Signals, Shifts, and What They Mean for the Food System – Ashley Bruner, Director of Research and Stakeholder Engagement, CCFI
2:30 pm
Break
2:50 pm
Trusted, But Not Understood: The Risk Beneath the Surface – Toban Dyck, Farmer, Writer and Principal at Burr Forest Group
4:30 pm
Day One Wrap Up & Insights
6:00 pm
Reception: Food Stations and Hors D’Oeuvres
Wednesday October 7th
7:45 am
Breakfast
8:45 am
Welcome & Objectives/CCFI Report
Phase 3 – The Response
9:15 am
Public Trust 2026: Deep Insights and What They Reveal – Ashley Bruner, Director of Research and Stakeholder Engagement, CCFI
10:15 am
Break
10:35 am
Beyond Expertise: Why Being Right Isn’t Enough to Build Trust – Dr. Brian Goldman, Physician and Host of CBC’s White Coat, Black Art
11:35 am
Wrap up & Insights
12:00 pm
CCFI Members Only Lunch and Information Session
Sessions
The Trust Gap: What Canadians Believe, What They Question, and What Comes Next
Dr. Darrell Bricker, Global CEO of IPSOS Public Affairs
Canadians are navigating a period of profound uncertainty. Confidence in institutions is shifting, information environments are increasingly fragmented, and people are re-evaluating who and what they trust. In this opening keynote, Darrell Bricker will explore the broader societal forces shaping public confidence today, from economic anxiety and political polarization to changing expectations around leadership, transparency, and accountability.
Drawing on Ipsos’ national and global trend data, this session will examine how Canadians interpret risk, make decisions in uncertain environments, and respond to growing scrutiny across institutions and industries. Participants will gain valuable insight into the broader societal context influencing public trust in the food system and beyond.
What Shapes Trust: How Canadians Decide What Feels Right About Food
Tim Caulfield, Professor of Health Law and Science Policy, Bestselling Author
Why do some messages resonate while others are rejected, even when the science is strong? In an environment where misinformation spreads rapidly and expertise is increasingly questioned, understanding how people make decisions about food, health, and risk has never been more important.
In this engaging and thought-provoking session, Tim Caulfield will examine the psychological, emotional, and cultural factors that shape public perceptions of food and innovation. Drawing on years of research into misinformation, science communication, and human behaviour, he will explore why facts alone are often not enough to build trust and what organizations can do differently to communicate more effectively in a skeptical environment.
The Invisible Filter: How AI is Reshaping Visibility, Trust, and Relevance
Ryan Anderson, Chief Strategist, Northern Army Inc.
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how people discover information, determine credibility, and engage with organizations online. Increasingly, algorithms, recommendation systems, search engines, and AI-generated content are shaping what people see, what they trust, and which voices rise to the surface. In this rapidly evolving environment, visibility itself is becoming a new form of influence.
In this session, Ryan Anderson will explore how AI is transforming the digital landscape and what that means for organizations working to maintain relevance, trust, and public connection. From discoverability and search behaviour to reputation, storytelling, and audience engagement, participants will gain insight into the emerging forces shaping communication and credibility in an increasingly automated world.
Public Trust 2026: Signals, Shifts, and What They Mean for the Food System
Ashley Bruner, Director of Research and Stakeholder Engagement, CCFI
Public trust in Canada’s food system is influenced by far more than food alone. Economic uncertainty, social fragmentation, misinformation, and shifting expectations around transparency are all shaping how Canadians interpret risk, innovation, and confidence in institutions.
In this session, Ashley Bruner will present findings from the latest research conducted by the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity, highlighting the emerging signals and societal shifts influencing public perceptions of the food system in 2026. Participants will explore what Canadians currently believe, where trust is strengthening or weakening, and how broader societal pressures are shaping confidence in food production, processing, safety, and innovation.
Trusted, But Not Understood: The Risk Beneath the Surface
Toban Dyck, Farmer, Writer and Principal at Burr Forest Group
The food system is often trusted, but that does not necessarily mean it is well understood.
Many Canadians feel positively toward parts of the food system, yet have limited understanding of how it functions, how interconnected it is, or the people, pressures, and decisions behind it. Beneath relatively stable trust levels can exist deeper vulnerabilities tied to invisibility, disconnection, assumption, and misunderstanding.
In this reflective and workshop-style session, Toban Dyck will guide participants through a deeper exploration of what it means to be “trusted, but not understood,” and the risks that can emerge when industries mistake familiarity for resilience. Through storytelling, observation, and facilitated discussion, participants will examine questions around visibility, relevance, public understanding, and the assumptions the food system may make about how it is perceived.
This session is designed to challenge participants to think beyond communications tactics and consider the deeper cultural and societal foundations that underpin public trust across the food system.
Public Trust 2026: Deep Insights and What They Reveal
Ashley Bruner, Director of Research and Stakeholder Engagement, CCFI
Building on the previous day’s discussion, this session moves from broad trends into deeper insight and application. What do Canadians actually need in order to feel confidence in the food system? What concerns persist beneath the surface? And how should organizations respond in an environment where trust is increasingly shaped by emotion, identity, and lived experience?
Ashley Bruner will take a deeper dive into the findings from CCFI’s 2026 public trust research, exploring what the data reveals about public expectations, concerns, and decision-making. Participants will leave with a stronger understanding of how trust is formed, maintained, and challenged, along with practical insight into what Canadians are looking for from organizations and institutions moving forward.
Beyond Expertise: Why Being Right Isn’t Enough to Build Trust
Dr. Brian Goldman, Physician and Host of CBC’s White Coat, Black Art
In an era defined by skepticism, fear, and information overload, expertise alone no longer guarantees public confidence. Increasingly, trust is shaped not only by accuracy, but by empathy, transparency, humility, and human connection.
Drawing on his experience as a physician, broadcaster, and storyteller, Dr. Brian Goldman will explore why trust can break down even when evidence is strong, and what leaders can do to communicate more effectively in emotionally charged environments. This session will examine the human side of trust and the importance of listening, vulnerability, and credibility in navigating uncertainty and scrutiny.
Speakers
Dr. Darrell Bricker, Global CEO, Ipsos Public Affairs
Prior to joining Ipsos in 1990, Dr. Bricker was Director of Research in the office of Canada’s Prime Minister. He was also a research consultant with firms in Ottawa and Toronto. Dr. Bricker holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Carleton University, and a BA and MA from Wilfrid Laurier University. He has been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree by Wilfrid Laurier University, which named him one of their top 100 graduates in the last 100 years. Darrell is also a Senior Research Fellow with the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, and at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) in Waterloo, Ontario.
Darrell has written several national bestselling books. He is a popular public speaker who regularly engages with audiences around the world. He’s written articles for publications as diverse as Canada’s Globe and Mail and France’s Le Monde. He has also appeared on television and radio with all of Canada’s major national networks, and around the world with news broadcast organizations such as CNN, the BBC and NPR. Darrell is also the 2021 recipient of the Radio Television Digital News Association’s Hutton Award of Excellence for commitment to the betterment of journalism in Canada.
Darrell lives in Toronto with his wife Nina and daughter Emily.
Tim Caulfield, Professor of Health Law and Science Policy and Bestselling Author
Professor Timothy Caulfield is an unrivalled communicator who debunks myths and assumptions about innovation in the health sector — from research on stem cells to diets and alternative medicine — for the benefit of the public and decision-makers. For over 20 years, he was the Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy and is currently a professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health and the Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta.
Caulfield has been involved in a variety of interdisciplinary research endeavours that have led him to publish more than 400 academic articles. His research focuses on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, the public representations of science, and public health policy issues. He has won numerous academic, science communication, and writing awards, and is a Member of the Order of Canada and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
Caulfield also writes frequently for the popular press and is the author of bestselling books. In addition, Caulfield is the co-founder of the science engagement initiative, #ScienceUpFirst. He has also hosted and produced several documentaries, including the award-winning television show, A User’s Guide to Cheating Death, which aired in over 60 countries and streamed on Netflix in North America.
Ryan Anderson, Chief Strategist, Northern Army Inc.
Ryan Anderson is a brand strategist with over twenty years of experience helping organizations establish trusted relationships with the public. As co-founder of Northern Army, an Ottawa-based brand and digital strategy studio, he has developed strategic plans, brands and campaigns for some of Canada’s largest food sector organizations, including Egg Farmers of Canada and Chicken Farmers of Canada.
Over his career, Ryan has led digital communications campaigns for global brands including Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, HBO, and 20th Century Fox, and has developed public health campaigns for the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care. He has also helped build emerging Canadian brands from the ground up, like City Seltzer, an Ottawa-local brand now expanding nationally.
Ryan has presented on brand strategy and communications at conferences in North America and Asia, and previously taught digital communications for entrepreneurship at the University of Ottawa Telfer School of Business.
Ashley Bruner, Director of Research and Stakeholder Engagement, CCFI
Ashley brings data to life, helping Canada’s food system connect with Canadians on the issues that matter most. With over a decade of research and policy experience, she specializes in translating public opinion into meaningful insights that inspire action.
Before joining CCFI, Ashley was a Senior Research Manager at Ipsos Public Affairs, where she led hundreds of projects for clients across the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She holds a Master of Public Policy from Simon Fraser University. For the past six years at CCFI, Ashley has been a driving force behind building public trust in food. Her sharp eye for detail and deep passion for the food system shine through in every insight she shares.
Toban Dyck, Farmer, Writer and Principal at Burr Forest Group
Coming soon.
Dr. Brian Goldman, Physician and Host of CBC Radio’s White Coat, Black Art
Dr. Brian Goldman has spent decades working in one of the most demanding environments imaginable — a busy urban emergency room — and he brings those hard-earned insights to stages across North America. As host of CBC Radio’s White Coat, Black Art, he has built a loyal following by tackling the issues most medical professionals are afraid to discuss openly: burnout, bias, medical errors, and the messy, human reality behind clinical decisions.
His 2026 book The Casino Shift: Stories From an ER on the Edge is already being called Canada’s authentic answer to the TV show The Pitt. Organizations choose Dr. Goldman when they want a speaker who is equal parts compelling storyteller and credible expert — someone who can shift a room’s perspective on what great teamwork and genuine compassion actually look like in practice.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Public trust is increasingly shaping how the food system operates, from consumer confidence to the adoption of innovation and the ability to respond to complex challenges.
Sponsoring the Public Trust Summit is an opportunity to play a meaningful role in how the food system is understood and trusted in Canada.
As a sponsor, you will:
- Position your organization as a leader in building and maintaining public trust
- Contribute to sector-wide dialogue on the pressures and risks shaping the food system
- Engage directly with a highly relevant audience of decision-makers and influencers
- Align your brand with a credible, research-based platform focused on practical outcomes
- Be part of a shared effort to strengthen confidence in Canada’s food system
Who attends
The Public Trust Summit convenes a highly engaged, cross-sector audience of leaders shaping the future of Canada’s food system.
Attendees include:
- Executive and senior leadership from across the value chain
- Industry associations and sector organizations representing key commodities and food categories
- Government and regulatory stakeholders
- Experts in research, communications, sustainability, and public affairs
This is a room of individuals who influence how the food system is understood, communicated, and trusted in Canada.
Thank You to Our 2025 Sponsors!
