Calgary leans into innovation to weather economic uncertainty

Terry Rock (left), Kevin Krausert, Kimberly Van Vliet, Hanif Joshaghani, Ben Graham, and Brad Parry on the stage at the Telus Convention Centre. Photo by Jennifer Friesen, Digital Journal

Many industries are flying through fog right now — navigating economic uncertainty without a clear view of what’s ahead.

But in Calgary, leaders aren’t waiting for the skies to clear.

At the Report to the Community on April 2, hosted by Calgary Economic Development (CED) in partnership with the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF), the focus wasn’t on predicting what’s next, but on building what’s next.

Held at the Telus Convention Centre, the event looked beyond headlines by offering a collective response rooted in innovation, collaboration, and long-term thinking.

Inflation, trade tensions, and global instability weren’t skirted. Instead, they were named and met with a blueprint for action.

“This uncertainty has put a massive dent in every economic growth forecast that we’ve seen,” said Brad Parry, president and CEO of CED. “But what’s in our control is how we respond.”

Calgary is placing a deliberate bet on innovation

Parry’s keynote anchored the afternoon. He pointed to over $700 million in investment and 7,400 jobs created or supported last year, a tenfold increase in venture capital since 2018, and a startup ecosystem now valued at over $8 billion.

“Innovation … builds a diversified economy and a resilient one,” said Parry. “It’s innovation that will help boost productivity.”

That belief is now formalized in a new community innovation strategy — a citywide initiative developed with ecosystem partners to connect Calgary’s innovation hubs, reduce barriers for startups, and increase the city’s competitiveness.

“If we get this right,” said Parry. “We could generate 187,000 jobs and contribute $28 billion of economic activity in our community in the next 10 years.”

But he made it clear this won’t happen by chance.

“Hope is not a strategy,” he said. “We have to be intentional.”

Real-world examples from across the ecosystem

To bring Calgary’s innovation momentum to life, four local leaders took the stage to share what transformation looks like in their sectors, and what’s needed next.

Kimberly Van Vliet, founder and CEO of WaVv and ConvergX and director of the Aerospace Innovation Hub, pushed back on the idea that “tech” is something separate. In her view, it’s embedded across the economy.

“We don’t have a ‘tech’ sector,” Van Vliet said. “Technology is in every sector.”

That idea — that innovation cuts across traditional boundaries — carried through the rest of the presentations. Kevin Krausert, CEO and co-founder of Avatar Innovations Inc., spoke about Calgary’s leadership potential in energy transition, but warned that modesty won’t get the job done.

“We need to be unapologetic about our ambition,” said Krausert.

Ben Graham, president of AdFarm, added a perspective from the agriculture sector, where innovation depends on connecting producers and problem-solvers across regions. The challenge, he said, isn’t about developing new systems, but ensuring they work in different contexts.

“We’re working on creating the systems that work for both,” said Graham, referring to the rural-urban divide.

And while others focused on sector frameworks and infrastructure, Hanif Joshaghani, co-founder and CEO of Symend Inc., distilled it a little further.

“The biggest thing we can do as a city is to be courageous,” he said.

Taken together, the four talks pointed to a broader reality: Calgary’s innovation strategy isn’t confined to one industry or neighbourhood. It’s already happening, and it’s happening everywhere.

Innovation needs infrastructure

Beyond startups and scaling ventures, the event made space for the physical infrastructure that enables economic transformation.

John Weatherill, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at WestJet, highlighted the role of Calgary’s air connectivity in attracting global business.

“There may be no more effective catalyst for economic growth than accessible and affordable air transportation,” said Weatherill. “Especially for a city as geographically remote as ours.”

He warned that increasing fees and taxes are threatening the affordability of air travel. 

“These changes represent an entirely avoidable internal tariff that will further undermine air travel affordability for Canadians,” he said.

Navin Arora, executive vice president at Telus, called attention to self-reliance and local innovation.

“This moment is forcing us to rethink our approach to domestic markets, self-reliance and the diversification of our customer base,” he said.

Arora shared examples of Calgary businesses supported by Telus’s Stand With Owners program and emphasized the value of cross-sector partnerships.

“What we need now is collective action,” he said. “This is our moment to show what Calgary can do.”

From civic brand to civic strategy

The theme of reinvention wasn’t limited to business. 

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek used her remarks to draw a throughline from policy to place, noting the City’s role as both regulator and innovator.

“Calgary is no longer waiting for the future to come to us,” said Gondek. “We are designing the future that we want.”

Gondek referenced the Prairie Economic Gateway — a 2,000-acre industrial hub designed to modernize supply chains, manufacturing, and logistics — and hinted at a bigger opportunity: building Canada’s digital infrastructure, from data centres to quantum computing, within the same zone.

She called the integrated approach a “game-changing concept,” that could become a “central anchor in Canada’s tech infrastructure.”

“We’re talking about more than $7 billion in economic activity, as well as 30,000 jobs,” Gondek added. “Calgary is not just growing. We are becoming. We’re becoming a city of purpose, of imagination, and a city of impact.”

That blend of ambition and practical delivery shaped the tone of the day.

As outgoing CED board chair Joe Lougheed put it in his remarks: “Every day, this city is attracting investment from around the world, fostering innovation across sectors and nurturing local talent. Calgary is emerging as a powerhouse that consistently remains competitive on a global scale.”

And for those still on the fence, Parry offered this parting thought.

“I don’t doubt for a second that we as a city can be the innovation capital of this country,” he said. “I don’t doubt that this is a city that can lead. And I sure as hell don’t doubt that this is a city where anything is possible.”

A closing conversation on collaboration

The final session of the afternoon was a panel discussion that brought together Terry Rock, president and CEO of Platform Calgary, Van Vliet, Krausert, Joshaghani, Graham, and Parry, to discuss what it will take to turn Calgary’s innovation strategy into reality.

Rock focused on the human side of innovation — including the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“We started with this, the vision from the community, that we needed an innovation centre for everyone,” said Rock. “And I think that’s an important part of this, as we’re going through this fast, all this stuff — people have to see their place in it. Everyone does.”

He also emphasized the importance of capital access and ecosystem building. 

“Capital is the bridge between innovation and impact,” Rock said.

The panelists echoed each other’s belief in Calgary’s potential, but acknowledged it won’t be automatic.

“This is a city where we actually work together,” said Krausert. “That’s rare.”

Joshaghani added, “If you’re not failing, you’re not innovating.”

It was a fitting end to a day that asked Calgary’s business community to celebrate more than the city’s momentum, but its next moves.

As Lougheed said earlier in the program, “Success is a team sport.”