Future City Experience Day Kick-off Event
Welcome to the 2026 Future City Experience Day Kick-off Event! We are excited to have you all involved with this year’s event.
Event Details:
Future Cities Experience Day Kick-off Event | February 4, 2026 | 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.
Kick-off event and Q&A
Join us for the Future City Experience Kick-off live stream! This is your opportunity to ask questions about city design, sustainable infrastructure, and the future of community living. Get live insights and expert advice from industry leaders in engineering and city planning as you begin building your visions for the future.
Participants can ask questions by joining mentimeter.com with #9809 3098
Future Cities Livestream
WATCH THE LIVESTREAM HERE - Future Cities LivestreamPanelist Bios
Ben Hryciw
Moderator
Ben Hryciw is a Professional Engineer who has worked in Nuclear Safety Analysis since 2001. He worked at Ontario Power Generation, Nuclear Safety Solutions, AMEC NSS, Amec Foster Wheeler, The Wood Group, and Kinectrics, which sounds like he moved jobs a lot, but actually, he’s always worked in the same group, and the name of the company just kept changing! Ben moved from Toronto to Whistler, BC, in 2018 so that he could get a puppy and spend more time snowboarding and mountain biking, but he still works remotely and loves his engineering role.
Nicholas Varas
Panelist
Nicholas Varas is a Mechatronics Engineering graduate research student at Ontario Tech University and the Chief Executive Officer of Moduleaf. With an ever-growing vision to develop a universal platform for food security, he is at the forefront of revolutionizing the farming industry. He combines his academic and technical expertise in robotics with a profound commitment to sustainable farming, ultimately leveraging cutting-edge technologies to enhance the efficiency of agricultural practices worldwide. Nicholas also works as an Assistant Technical Officer at Ontario Power Generation, where he engages in frequent system health and performance monitoring, ensuring that all safety-related computers are functioning correctly for the Darlington Nuclear site.
Andrew Watson
Panelist
Andrew Watson is a Mechanical Engineering graduate with a versatile academic background, holding an Advanced Diploma in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Mohawk College and an undergraduate degree from Lakehead University. Currently an Engineer in Training (EIT), Andrew is set to become a registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) with the PEO this June. Andrew’s career began with a high school co-op at Magna Closures, and today, he specializes in collaborative problem-solving alongside machinists, technicians, and fellow engineers. A true enthusiast for the manufacturing process, Andrew’s favourite part of his work is visiting the factory floor to see how things are made and contributing to real-world technical solutions.
Elaine Samuel
Panelist
Elaine Samuel is a Professional Engineer with nearly ten years of experience in municipal infrastructure planning for water, wastewater, and stormwater systems. She is a senior engineer at Toronto Water overseeing planning and policy strategies in support of long-term city building and climate resilience like the Basement Flooding Protection Program and the Inflow and Infiltration Reduction Strategy. Prior to joining the City of Toronto, she worked as a project manager leading environmental assessments, master plans, data collection programs, and hydraulic modelling studies. Elaine is an active member of the Water Environment Federation and Water Environment Association of Ontario and proudly served on the WEF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee from 2020-2024.
Kick-off event and Q&A
Join us at this live stream for the Future City Experience Day Kick-off event. Ask your questions about building an electric-powered city that keeps citizens and the environment safe, and get answers live from industry experts!
Participants can ask questions by joining mentimeter.com with #9702 7393
Live Stream Link: live stream to be uploaded at 12:45 p.m. the day of the event: https://www.youtube.com/live/LoobiBSgdPY
2022 Photo Gallery
Actua provides training, resources and support to its national network of members located at universities and colleges across Canada in the delivery of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education outreach programming. Each year, these members engage over 350,000 youth in 500 communities nationwide. Please visit Actua at www.actua.ca
