Description

As British Columbia navigates a transformative decade in the labour market, New Westminster stands at a critical crossroads. With over 1 million job openings projected across the province by 2035, our city is uniquely positioned to lead in the health, tech, and creative sectors.

In an era of rapid economic shifts, the Chamber provides the essential platform where local business owners, policymakers, and the next generation of talent meet to influence the trajectory of our community.

This Business Breakfast is more than an information session; it is a collaborative forum designed to ensure the voice of the New West business community is heard, understood, and integrated into the city’s growth strategies.

Speakers:

• Honourable Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Labour
• Dr. Kathy Denton, President and CEO of Douglas College
• Mark Davidson, Superintendent of New Westminster School District 40

Moderator: Hayley Woodin Hastings

Who Should Attend?

• Business Owners & Executives: To align their growth strategies with city-wide economic trends.

• HR Professionals: To understand local labour supply shifts and recruitment opportunities.

• Educators & Training Providers: To ensure curriculum stays in sync with the "Future Forward" roadmap.

• Students & Recent Graduates: This is a prime opportunity for the "future workforce" to network with potential employers, learn which industries are hiring, and discover the specific skills local leaders are looking for in 2025 and beyond.

About the Speakers: 

Honourable Jennifer Whiteside

Jennifer Whiteside was first elected as the MLA for New Westminster (now New Westminster-Coquitlam) in 2020.

Jennifer was appointed the Minister of Labour in November 2024. She previously served as Minister of Education, and most recently as Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Jennifer was the chief spokesperson and lead negotiator for the Hospital Employees’ Union, where she fought for strong public healthcare and healthcare workers’ rights. She has dedicated her career to advocating for working people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked tirelessly to protect seniors and workers in nursing homes across the province.

While leading B.C.’s first campaign for a living wage, she fought to ensure that work lifts people out of poverty and allows them to support their families and fully participate in their communities.

Jennifer has worked for community organizations and labour unions at the provincial and national level, and in those roles has championed a wide range of social justice issues from accessible post-secondary education and affordable public childcare, to Medicare and health equity.

Jennifer was born and raised in New Westminster, holds a degree in History from Simon Fraser University, and is passionate about making life better for people in her city and across B.C.

Dr. Kathy Denton

Dr. Kathy Denton, President and CEO of Douglas College, obtained her PhD in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario, and is a postdoctoral Fellow of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Dr. Denton has worked at Douglas since 1993, first as a faculty member, then in a sequence of administrative positions: Chair of Psychology, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences, Vice President Academic and Provost.

As VP Academic and Provost, Dr. Denton was responsible for all educational programs at the College, as well as the professional development and research activities that enable faculty to stay current and engaged. Her responsibilities also included external partnerships related to educational programs and research activities.

Dr. Denton played a key role in developing and implementing an innovative degree partnership program with SFU and for introducing the foundation year at Douglas—a flexible program that enables students to explore their interests before making a commitment to a specific area of study. These and other initiatives reflect her commitment to student mobility, flexible curriculum, and system-wide planning and cooperation.

Although Dr. Denton has spent most of her career in administrative roles, she has continued to stay active in research. She is interested in social processes that support people’s misrepresentations of themselves, including their failures, personal limitations, and moral transgressions.