Two day event combines the Women in Safety Summit, the Canadian Safety Summit, and Canada’s Safest Employers Awards
Canada’s safety community is about to experience something new. This year, Canadian Occupational Safety is bringing together three flagship events – the Women in Safety Summit, the Canadian Safety Summit, and the Canada’s Safest Employers Awards – into one powerful two-day gathering: COS Live.
COS Live is designed as a national meeting place for every corner of the safety profession. Instead of choosing between events or spreading travel over multiple dates, safety leaders can now access leadership development, technical insight, and national recognition in a single, integrated experience. It's all happening October 21-22 in Toronto at Exhibition Place. It’s where senior HSE executives, front-line practitioners, emerging leaders, and award‑winning teams will come together to learn, connect, and celebrate.
Dylan Short, managing director of The Redlands Group, captures the appeal in simple terms, calling COS Live “a great opportunity to network and learn with senior safety professionals.” That combination of high‑level learning and genuine peer connection sits at the heart of the event’s design.
Three proven brands, one integrated experience
The Women in Safety Summit will continue its mission of advancing women’s leadership and career growth in safety, creating space for honest conversations about representation, mentorship, and breaking barriers. Delegates can expect practical strategies for navigating careers, amplifying influence, and building inclusive safety cultures that work for everyone.
The Canadian Safety Summit will bring together experts and practitioners to take on the most urgent HSE challenges facing Canadian workplaces today – from evolving regulations and legal risk, to psychosocial hazards, new technologies, and shifting workforce expectations. Maria Robibero, senior manager health, safety and environment at Ledcor says it’s “a great opportunity to network, to collaborate with your peers, and to meet peers from safety and other industries that you may not be exposed to, may not see regularly, or maybe meet in person for the first time.”
Rounding out the experience, Canada’s Safest Employers Awards will continue to recognize organizations and individuals who set the benchmark for excellence in health and safety. Embedding the awards within COS Live means delegates won’t just hear about leading practice – they’ll be in the same room as the people and teams putting those ideas into action.
Uniting – and igniting – the profession
For Lisa Williamson, director of health and safety at Burlington Hydro, COS Live is about more than content; it’s about purpose. She describes it as “where Canadian safety leaders come together to prevent what truly causes harm.” That focus on real‑world risk – and on the people behind the programs – runs throughout the agenda.
Lee-Anne Lyon-Bartley, vice president of health, safety and environment at Dexterra, says she is “looking forward to COS Live because it’s going to be an opportunity for us to unite as a safety profession, but not only unite, but also ignite our passion, our focus, our drive collectively,” and she highlights the opportunity “to also celebrate safety because the awards will also be part of COS Live.”
From another vantage point, Jimmy Vassilopoulos, director of national health and safety at Purolator, stresses the forward‑looking nature of the gathering. For him, events like this are about “the excitement, networking and being able to probe on some current and contemporary themes and issues,” and he sees the summit as “that scope into the future of what’s coming.”
It’s also a chance to step back from day‑to‑day pressures and reconnect with why this work matters. President and CEO of STURM consulting, Peter Sturm offers a challenge to the profession: “Get out from behind your desk, challenge yourself to be the best professional that you can be.” COS Live is built for exactly that kind of reset – two focused days to recharge, re‑think, and return to work with fresh energy and solutions.
From insight to impact
Across both days, COS Live will offer a mix of keynotes, panels, case studies, and interactive discussions. Robibero notes gatherings like this are particularly powerful when “we’re looking at emerging issues or looking at current issues” and “driving toward collaborative solutions to how we can approach… combating these issues as the safety career progresses.” Delegates will have the chance to test ideas with peers, learn what’s working in other sectors, and translate big‑picture themes into practical steps for their own organizations.
Whether you’re focused on strategy, culture, technology, regulatory risk, or empowering the next generation of leaders, COS Live is designed to meet you where you are in your safety journey – and help you move further, faster.
For Canada’s safety leaders, COS Live is more than just a new event name. With advisory board members championing its potential, it represents the next evolution in how we learn, connect, and celebrate together: one national hub where the profession unites, shares what works, and recommits to the goal that underpins every session and every award – ensuring that more workers go home safe, healthy, and well, every single day.
