79th Annual Summer Conference, August 5–8, 2010

A Short Video About the Conference Experience. One of the highlights of the Couchiching experience at the Lake is the interaction, discussion and discourse between the panellists and the audience participants. Often heard is how unique and necessary a platform it is: “a civil place to disagree”, or “a summer camp for the mind” – all agree it is oftentimes transformational. The CBC’s Carol Off, As it Happens, Glen Hodgson, Conference Board of Canada, and Rory McAlpine, Maple Leaf Foods, share their perspectives during the 2009 Conference, The Global Politics of Food, in this video running just under 5 minutes.

The world economy seems to be emerging from a deep and sharp recession. The global financial meltdown of 2008 and 2009 left many people believing that radical changes were needed to address the social and economic causes of the meltdown. Many people called for reforms that would rein in the grossest excesses of the financial sector, reshape patterns of consumption and debt, and recast the role of governments. But radical reform is no longer in the news. So have we gone back to business as usual?

Can crises be seized as great opportunities for innovation in government, business, and social policy? If not, are we missing the best time to change what needs to be changed? What challenges face Canadians and the global community in 2010 and in the future? Is the status quo sustainable economically, environmentally, or geopolitically?

In Canada and globally, we are still living with the consequences of the meltdown. The 2010 Couchiching Conference will explore how it has changed our ideas about the global economy, the role of the state and public policy. We will explore the opportunities the crisis has presented as well as what possibilities have been foreclosed.

The conference will include several keynote speakers and six panels (brochure PDF).

A list of suggested readings (pdf) has been posted. The list is a work in progress and will be updated periodically (most recent update: July 19). You are welcome to send additional suggestions to readinglist@couch.ca.

The conference takes place at YMCA Geneva Park, Lake Couchiching, Orillia, Ontario.

Information About Registration 

The Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs is Canada’s oldest public affairs forum and is a crucible of provocative questions, creative ideas and divergent discussions that are the product of the collective contributions of all who attend. The Conference is open to all.

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Short Movies Introducing the Annual Conference

Mohamed H. Awad shares his thoughts on why at Couchiching the conversation never stops.		Heather Keachie shares her thoughts about the casualness of the Couchiching experience.		Zahra Ebrahim shares her thoughts on the accessibility of Couchiching.