Speakers

Giuliano Zaccardelli has a distinguished career in law enforcement and international policing. He joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in 1970, beginning his service in Alberta before transitioning to specialized roles in commercial crime investigations in Toronto and Calgary. Over the years, he steadily rose through the ranks, holding leadership positions across Canada, including in New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. In 2000, he became the 20th Commissioner of the RCMP, overseeing its 27,000 employees and operations nationwide.

In 1999, Zaccardelli was appointed Deputy Commissioner of Organized Crime and Operational Policy, a role created to enhance the RCMP's focus on national and international organized crime. His career later extended to global policing initiatives, including serving as Director of INTERPOL’s OASIS Africa program in 2008 and leading the Strategic Planning Directorate in 2009.

Zaccardelli’s leadership earned him numerous honors, including the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, and the French Legion of Honour. He has also received several Canadian commemorative medals and was named Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Born in Prezza, Italy, Zaccardelli immigrated to Canada at age 7 and grew up in Montreal. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Loyola College and has completed advanced training at the FBI Academy and Bramshill Police Staff College in England. Fluent in English, French, and Italian, he is a passionate advocate for integrated, intelligence-led policing at all levels.

Gord has worked as the General Manager of the Capital Region’s emergency communications network – CREST - since 2006.  He oversees a technical team of 8 people, and together they are responsible for more than 50 emergency response and public service agencies who rely on the CREST network 24/7, 365 days of the year to carry out their duties and safeguard the public. Prior to the creation of CREST, the region had more than 30 separate networks, each operating independently with no interoperable abilities. Today, spanning an area from the Gulf Islands to Port Renfrew, approximately 3000 front line and public service personnel are connected on the CREST network.  But is the region ready to respond to a large-scale natural disaster like an earthquake?

Join Gord Horth, his operations lead at CREST and two of the region’s emergency responders to learn more about the measures being taken to ensure that southern Vancouver Island is ready to respond.

Prior to joining CREST, Gord worked for a number of local governments on Vancouver Island in a variety of administrative capacities (Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Victoria, & North Cowichan). Gord is a past president of the Local Government Management Association of BC (LGMA). He holds a B.Sc. and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Victoria. Gord was active for decades in the local soccer community on the Island as a player & coach.

Mayor Sid Tobias MSM, CD, MA was first elected as the Mayor of View Royal in 2022. He is View Royal’s fifth Mayor. Mayor Tobias serves as chair to the Finance and Administration Committee for the Town's Committee of the Whole. He is the Town's representative to the Capital Regional District's Board, Hospital Board, and Housing Trust Fund Commission. He also serves as the Town's liaison to the Capital Region Housing Corporation Board, Westshore Chamber of Commerce, Westshore Policing Advisory Committee, and the Te'Mexw Treaty Advisory Committee. Prior to being elected, Mayor Tobias served on the Town's Planning and Development Advisory Committee in 2015 and was nominated Chair in 2016.

Mayor Tobias served in the Royal Canadian Navy for over 24 years retiring as a Chief Petty Officer First Class Naval Combat Information Operator. 

He is a graduate of Royal Roads University with a Master of Learning and Technology (MALT) and a Graduate Diploma in Knowledge Management. Mayor Tobias continues to work and research applications of complexity theory, decision-making and continuous improvement.

Mayor Sid Tobias can address Housing, Public Engagement, View Royal being named the best city in Canada for an entrepreneur to live, but really enjoys sharing how he,  as a "reluctant politician with no political aspirations"  believes that View Royal is a gem because of its natural beauty and the sense of neighbourhood and community made up of residents who are passionate about living there.

Nancy Kostyrka, a retired teacher, has been a resident of Victoria for the past 42 years.  Since retirement she has been able to pursued her passion for history, especially British Columbia history, full time.  A keen interest in the history of Victoria and of Government House led her to join the Friends of Government House Gardening Society in 2022.  As a volunteer with the Costume Museum of Government House she conducted extensive research on all 32 Chatelaines for their Summer 2024  exhibit “More Than Just ‘The Wife Of…’ “.  She was able to share some of her research while leading a tour of the graves of Government House Chatelaines at Ross Bay Cemetery last year.  Currently a member of the volunteer team working in the Government House Archives, she is looking forward to publishing a book about the fascinating Chatelaines of Government House.                                                                          

More Than Just “The Wife Of…” - The Chatelaines of Government House 1851-2012

A wealth of information is available about the Lieutenant Governors of British Columbia but the stories of the Chatelaines, especially before and after their time at Government House, have rarely been told.  Thirty two women have taken on the role of Government House Chatelaine in Victoria.  Nancy will share the stories of some of these remarkable women.  Their lives span the years from 1812 to the present day.  They were all women of their time who rose to the challenges of whatever life handed them.  As you will see, they deserve to be know for being more than just “the wife of…”.

Dwight’s career has been largely involved in training, education, science literacy, outreach and capacity development. Since 2008, Dwight has been working for one of the world’s major ocean observing facilities, Ocean Networks Canada (ONC). He has coordinated ONC’s Artist in Residence program for the past 5 years, with deep involvement in a range of Art & Science initiatives. During 2022-2024 he served as Associate Director for ONC’s Learning & Community Engagement department, with oversight for all education and training activities that connect to school age and university classrooms as well as ONC’s work with coastal Indigenous communities. His current role at ONC is as Impact and Capacity Development manager, with a specific focus on creating opportunities for Early Career Ocean Professionals.

Dwight will speak about Ocean Networks Canada’s dream of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequestering it in basaltic rock formations below the seafloor, where the CO2 transforms into carbonate rock. We have proposed a demonstration of this idea at our deepest site, Cascadia Basin, which is 2.7 km below the sea surface and several hundred km offshore.

Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decades. Now, he delves into the advice, opinions, and provocative stories that are helping to define the creative, culturally-necessary space of ‘modern hospitality’—covering topics from front-of-house service, to back-end business operations, and every inch between via his podcasts. 

Shawn has co-authored the books Cocktail Culture (2013) Great Northern Cocktails (2019), BC Spirits Cocktail Book (2021), the second edition of Great Northern Cocktails (2022) and provides ongoing contributions to publications such as Liquor.com and EAT Magazine.

As a dedicated and vocal proponent of the industry, Shawn has presented keynote speeches (Lisbon Bar Show), increased public awareness for distillers in BC, Canada (BC Spirits) and continues to advocate his mission ‘to make the industry better for everyone’ (Post Shift Podcast.)

His input has been vital to the launch and/or ongoing success of numerous highly-acclaimed bar and beverage programs, such as Little Jumbo [2013], OLO [2015], Cafe Mexico [2016] and Pagliacci’s [2018].

To accommodate his growing role as a consultant, Shawn founded Soole Hospitality Concepts (SHC) - a network of industry leaders with decades of multi-faceted experience. Together they provide innovative responses to all the needs of hospitality-oriented businesses.

His firm belief in the importance of consistent personal growth drove him to recently complete a diploma in Advanced Hospitality and Tourism Management (Camosun College), achieving a level of distinction that placed him on the Dean’s List.