The Council of Ontario Universities (COU) is pleased to announce the official public launch of its Artificial Intelligence Task Force Report at a special Empire Club of Canada event on Friday, May 29, 2026, entitled Talent, Technology and Trust: Launch of the Council of Ontario Universities’ AI Task Force Report.
The event will take place as part of Toronto Tech Week and will bring together leaders from universities, industry, government and Canada’s AI ecosystem to discuss how Ontario can respond to the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence while strengthening productivity, innovation, economic growth and public trust.
Panelists
- Vivek Goel — President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Waterloo, and Chair, COU AI Task Force
- Shannon Bell — Executive Vice-President, Chief Digital Officer and Chief Information Officer, OpenText
- Glenda Crisp — President and CEO, Vector Institute
Moderator
- Vass Bednar — Managing Director, Canadian Shield Institute
The COU AI Task Force was established to help guide Ontario universities in the strategic, safe and ethical integration of AI across teaching, research and institutional operations, while preparing students for an AI-enabled workforce and supporting industry adoption and innovation.
COU AI Task Force Members
- Vivek Goel — President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Waterloo (Chair)
- Mark Daley — Chief AI Officer, Western University (Vice-Chair)
- Andrew McAllister — Executive Director, IT Services, OCAD University
- Matheus Grasselli — Deputy Provost, McMaster University
- Narin Kishinchandani — Vice-President, Finance and Administration, York University
- Steven Liss — Vice-President, Research and Innovation, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Susan McCahan — Associate Vice-President and Vice-Provost, Digital Strategies and Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education, University of Toronto
- Valerie Turner — Associate Vice-President (IT) and Chief Information Officer, Carleton University
More details and registration information are available through the Empire Club of Canada.