Inside the Maclean’s 2026 Ideas Summit: The Year Ahead

On Feb. 18, the Maclean’s Ideas Summit brought together top Canadian leaders to discuss Canada’s most pressing issues in healthcare, AI, housing and youth. With Canada having a major moment in global news and increasing attention on its economic, social and technological direction, the panelists explored how the country can seize this momentum by fostering innovation, strengthening its talent pipeline, and building the systems and communities needed for long-term success.

The event was hosted by Maclean’s, in partnership with Tricon, Mastercard and Northeastern University, and took place at The Selby. The night kicked off with an introduction from Maclean’s editor-in-chief Sarah Fulford, who was unsure if the event would still go on that morning because of the wet, snowy forecast ahead, but was joyful to see a full house. “I think the reason we are all here is because we all believe very profoundly in the power of congregating and discussing ideas together,” she said.

Tricon’s Andrew Joyner gave a history lesson of the venue to the audience, noting that The Selby has been an integral part of the community for more than 135 years. Originally Charles Gooderham’s family home in the 1800’s, the home served as the Branksome Hall girls’ school in the early 1900s, and a well-known gay club called Boots in the ‘80s. The Selby pays homage to each chapter of the building’s heritage, continuing its longstanding role as a place for housing, social gathering, and learning. That legacy of community connection made it a fitting setting for the Ideas Summit, which brought together people eager to engage in conversations about shaping and securing Canada’s future.

Fireside Chat

The first panel was hosted by Maclean’s publisher Jason Maghanoy, in conversation with Erin Elofson, president of Mastercard, Canada, where they discussed the future of AI and how Canadians are spending. Despite being selective when spending money, consumers are resilient and are choosing to spend money on experiences over physical things, Elofson shared. The core conversation was about how to centre user experience with security and trust as the agentic economy emerges. Elofson said that AI is the tech of the moment, and people should use AI with curiosity, and being fearful of the tech is a detriment to Canada. “The winners will be those who are thoughtfully trying to understand the technology, trying to find the uses that make sense to them. The only thing that won’t work for leaders is standing still,” she said.

Thought Leadership Panel

Maghanoy hosted a panel with Canadian leaders to discuss the future of AI, housing, health care and youth in Canada. The panelists were Andrew Joyner, the senior managing director and head of multi-family at Tricon, Aliza Lakhani, managing director of global campuses and CEO and dean of Northeastern University’s Toronto Campus, Kevin Smith, the president and CEO of University Health Network, and Pamela Snively, the chief data and trust officer at TELUS.

Joyner discussed the shifting reality of housing in Canada, noting the condo-driven model that served Toronto for decades has come to a standstill. In the current high-interest-rate environment, he explained that renting is roughly 40 per cent cheaper than servicing an equivalent mortgage, making rental housing an essential part of the continuum. In response, Joyner said the next generation of homebuilding is emerging: purpose-built rentals focused on larger livable suites, inspired amenities that support the daily needs of a complete community, and created through a “Team Canada” collaboration with different levels of government.

The panelists discussed how agentic AI is being implemented into many professionals’ day-to-day lives in various fields, and it should be more embraced in health care and universities. Universities have endured for nearly a millennium, but longevity doesn’t guarantee relevance. If we really want to prepare students for the workforce, we need to keep innovating and narrow the gap between academia and industry, Lakhani said. Smith explained that healthcare is using AI as another voice. If a patient comes in with a rare condition, just like asking co-workers their thoughts, AI can be used to ask too.“Before we called it AI, we called it technology,” he said. 

Snively believes that Canada can be a global leader in the future of AI. At this moment of sovereignty, Canada has shifted the focus to being self-reliant, and that could mean using Canadian AI, but also to have other countries that want to use Canadian AI as well. “We’ve got this really amazing opportunity where the benefits of AI are sitting right in front of us, and then we’ve got this geopolitical moment that is incentivizing us to do that,” she said.