Canada-Europe Knowledge Exchange on Circular Cities and Regions

Canada-Europe Knowledge Exchange on Circular Cities and Regions. From City-to-City Knowledge Exchange to City-to-Business Cooperation

October 28, 2026, 3:00 to 5:30 pm (CET)

https://uqam.zoom.us/j/82177908682

Language of the event: ENGLISH

Event themes:

• construction

• circular cities

• material sufficiency

As part of European Circular Week 2026, the Canada–Europe Exchange on Circular Cities and Regions Webinar will bring together municipalities, urban practitioners, businesses, researchers and organizations working on circular and resilient cities.

The webinar is conceived as a first step in a broader Canada–Europe exchange, creating an initial space to connect actors from both sides of the Atlantic, identify shared challenges and explore practical areas for future cooperation. Through two moderated discussions, participants will examine how cities on both sides of the Atlantic are moving from circular economy ambitions to implementation, and how collaboration with businesses and organizations can help make solutions more accessible and scalable.

AGENDA

The programme is structured around two complementary moderated discussions: the first focused on how cities are putting circularity into practice, and the second on the partnerships needed to make these solutions accessible and scalable.

15:00 | OPENING

Welcome and short perspectives: Circular Cities, from Ambition to Action

Speakers:

• Embassy of Canada in Poland,

• City of Warsaw,

• INNOWO,

• Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Introduction of the central question: How can cities move from circular economy strategies to solutions that work in everyday urban life?

Speaker: Circular Economy Research on Regions and Cities International Network

15:15 | PANEL I Same Challenges, Different Cities: Circularity in Practice Speakers: City of Warsaw, Ville de Québec, City of Richmond, TBD

The first discussion will place the Canada–Europe municipal knowledge exchange at the centre of the programme. Municipal representatives from Canada and Europe will explore challenges that cities increasingly share while examining how different local contexts shape the solutions being developed.

Each municipality will be invited to build its contribution around a concrete initiative: What was the urban challenge? What solution did the city introduce? What worked, and what proved more difficult? What is the next challenge the city needs to address? Issues such as space for circular activities, construction and deconstruction, material reuse, material sufficiency, urban resilience, and reducing dependence on external resources and supply chains will be discussed.

16:10 | BREAK

16:25 | PANEL II Cities Cannot Do It Alone: Building Circular Cities with Businesses and Organizations Speakers: TBD

The second discussion will build directly on the municipal perspectives presented in Panel I by asking what is needed to move circular solutions beyond individual projects and into everyday urban systems. Many of the systems that determine how resources circulate through cities are not operated by municipalities alone. Food systems, retail, logistics, construction, buildings, packaging and material flows depend on networks of businesses, service providers, community organizations and public institutions.

The discussion will therefore centre on a second question: How can cities, businesses and organizations work together to make circular solutions accessible to residents and scalable across the urban system? Areas for discussion include: food waste prevention and redistribution; collection, take-back and return systems; packaging and reuse; reverse and last-mile logistics; resource and material efficiency; consumer engagement and behavioural change; and the role of neighbourhood retail and service infrastructure in enabling circular practices.

The conversation will bring together three complementary perspectives: cities, businesses & organizations, and Canada-Europe.

17:20 | CONCLUDING REMARKS

The discussion will conclude by bringing these perspectives together and identifying concrete takeaways, opportunities for collaboration and next steps for the Canada–Europe exchange.

Speaker: Circular Economy Research on Regions and Cities International Network, TBD