Please note that additional speaker details, as well as paper and poster presenters, will continue to be added in the coming weeks and are subject to change.
Thursday, May 21
Registration at 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Level 8 Main Entrance Foyer
Registration will open at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 21, 2026. Upon arriving to the University of Lethbridge, please make your way to the main entrance on Level 8 of the Science Commons. The registration desk is located on Level 8 of the Science Commons outside of BMO Theatre. The registration desk will remain open for the duration of the conference. You will be provided with a lanyard and badge. The conference program will be displayed throughout the space and available online.
Opening remarks at 9:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. | BMO Theatre
Keynote: Understanding Canada's productivity puzzle at 9:20 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. | BMO Theatre
Trevor Tombe
Professor of Economics / Professeur en économie, University of Calgary
Keynote /Allocution
Break at 10:20 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. | Level 8 Main Entrance Foyer
Concurrent Adjudicated Paper Sessions at 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Earnings | BMO Auditorium
Neeru Gupta, University of New Brunswick, Differentiated wages by gender and ethnic diversity in the nursing labour market: Evidence from the 2021 Canadian Population Census
Tazia Khushboo, University of Calgary, The worker level impact of resource sector shocks
Ipek Tastan, University of Calgary, Household labour supply dynamics following health shocks: Evidence from Canada
Education and Training | SA6010
Atish Neogi, University of Manitoba, Neighbourhood effects on education for young Canadian immigrants
Indro Ray, City of Calgary, Understanding the risks and disparities facing NEET Black youth in Calgary and Edmonton
Mortality and health shocks | SA6012
Michael Veall, McMaster University, Minimum wages, hospitalizations, and mortality: Evidence from Canadian linked administrative data
Sara Zulyniak, University of Calgary, Assessing age, period and cohort effects on Canadian mood disorder diagnoses from 2003 to 2023
Suvadra Datta Gupta, University of Saskatchewan, Standardized mortality ratios for lung cancer in the Canadian Uranium Workers Study (CANUWS)
Poster session at 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. | Markin Hall Atrium
The posters will be available for viewing during the lunch hour. Immediately following, the poster session will begin and poster presenters will be available to share about their research. Please take some time to vote for your favourite poster. The winning poster presenter will be awarded $500.
Md Saiful Alam, University of Saskatchewan, Standardized Incidence Ratios for lung cancer among the Canadian Uranium Workers Study (CANUWS);
Salim Benhachmi, University of Toronto, The long run impact of the Carnegie Libraries in Canada;
AmyAnne Charles, University of Manitoba, Sexual violence and sexual minorities in Canada: The impact of sexuality on vulnerabilities to sexual assault;
Suha Damag, University of Lethbridge, Social determinants of healthcare access among Indigenous peoples in Canada: Evidence from the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey and 2022 Indigenous Peoples Survey;
Merna Fatohi, University of Ottawa, Workplace violence, immigration status, and life satisfaction in Canada: Evidence from the 2016 General Social Survey;
Hasti Masihay Akbar, University of Calgary, Neighbourhood built-environment typologies, physical activity, and health-related fitness by immigrant status in Canada;
Harjot Mehmi, Toronto Metropolitan University, Employment income shocks and tax-deductible loss reporting;
Carissa Melnyk, University of Regina, Amplification of the effects of social support and negative social interactions in people with central sensitivity syndromes: Data from a nationally representative Statistics Canada survey;
Ogochukwu Onyeso, University of Lethbridge, The COVID-19 socioecological loci of mental health disruptions among young Canadians;
Yuzhi Yang, University of New Brunswick, Subsidized housing and healthcare utilization: A prospective cohort study using linked administrative health data
Break at 2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Level 8 Main Entrance Foyer
Concurrent Adjudicated Paper Sessions at 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Transfers | BMO Theatre
Ken Fyie, University of Calgary, Access to Canadian governmental disability supports
Gillian Petit, University of Calgary, Property tax regressivity in Alberta
Qiongda Zhao, University of Calgary / Mount Royal University, Cash benefits and fertility
Immigration | SA6010
Chika Agbo, Toronto Metropolitan University, Is there a race to the bottom? Evidence of quantity-quality trade-offs in Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program
Kiarash Hosseini, Simon Fraser University, Immigrants’ pathways to success: Student permits vs permanent residencies
Max Palamar, Blueprint Matching, immigrant labour market needs to interventions – evidence from linkage of IRCC and pilot data
Fertility and families | SA6012
Min Hu, UBC Okanagan, How a change in political leadership impacts fertility decisions: Evidence from the 2015 Canadian federal election
Mingyue Li, Dalhousie University, Reassessing the family investment hypothesis: Labour market outcomes in immigrant households
Arzu Sardarli, First Nations University of Canada, Studies on daily birth time series: New patterns
Firm decisions | SA7202
Samson Aklobo, University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), Experimental and applied R&D investment under liquidity constraints
Sencer Karademir, University of Calgary, Global demand shocks, firm responses, and worker outcomes
Ademir-Paolo Vrolijk, Privy Council Office, Knowledge diversity or innovation capacity: Exploring what predicts success in public-sector innovation challenges when firms compete
CRDCN research, dataset and policy circles and data spaces at 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | SA7202
On research and dataset connections and spaces – Are you open to code-sharing? Are you interested in crowd-funding for custom linkages? Do you want to talk about linkages between your data and other researchers’ data? What would you like to see in the researcher support package that CRDCN is developing? On policy connections, what are your thoughts about CRDCN’s research-policy snapshots? What kinds of exchanges between researchers and government would you most like CRDCN to facilitate? Join this session to take part in the discussion and shape the future of CRDCN’s research, dataset and policy circles.
Social event at the Galt Museum & Archives at 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
The Galt Museum & Archives is conveniently located just a short drive from the University of Lethbridge and less than a five-minute walk from the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge. Guests are invited to enjoy complimentary appetizers, sponsored by the Alberta Centre for Labour Market Research, while exploring the museum’s exhibits and archives during the event.

Friday, May 22
Registration at 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. | Level 8 Main Entrance Foyer
Upon arriving to the University of Lethbridge, please make your way to the main entrance on Level 8 of the Science Commons. The registration desk is located on Level 8 of the Science Commons outside of BMO Theatre. The registration desk will remain open for the duration of the conference. You will be provided with a lanyard and badge. The conference program will be displayed throughout the space and available online.
Connecting data, empowering decisions at 9:00 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. | BMO Theatre
Presented by Fred Ackah, Alberta Chief Statistician.
Plenary: Labour markets: Going beyond the headline numbers at 9:20 a.m. - 10:40 a.m. | BMO Theatre
Ken Chatoor
Director of Research and Strategic Foresight / Directeur de la recherche et de la veille stratégique, Labour Market Information Council (LMIC)
Panelist
Sylvia Fuller
Professor, Department of Sociology / Professeure, Département de sociologie, University of British Columbia
Panelist
Joseph Marchand
Professor of Economics, Founding Director of / Directeur fondateur de Alberta Centre for Labour Market Research (ACLMR) , University of Alberta
Panelist
Tahsin Mehdi
Ph.D., Senior Research Economist, Economic and Social Analysis and Modelling Division / Ph. D., économiste principal de recherche, Division de l’analyse économique et sociale et de la modélisation, Statistics Canada
Panel moderator
Break at 10:40 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. | Level 8 Main Entrance Foyer
Concurrent Adjudicated Paper Sessions at 10:50 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
Alberta Centre for Labour Market Research (ACLMR) | BMO Theatre
Husame Doganay, University of Alberta, Earnings assimilation in Canada (2006-2021): A seemingly unrelated regression approach
Jean-William Laliberté, University of Calgary, Social connections and the persistence of income across generations
Andrew McGee, University of Alberta, Extending minimum wage protections to gig workers: Evidence from Canada
Patrick Ndlovu, Concordia University of Edmonton, Gender differences in hours and earnings when working from home: Evidence from Canada
Innovation | SA6010
Concurrent adjudicated paper session – Innovation | Séances de présentations concomitantes – Innovation
Saeed Moshiri, STM College, University of Saskatchewan, Diversity and innovation
Shuai Ren, McMaster University, Institutionalized high-performance work practices under competing strategic logics: A contingent approach to productivity
In the neighbourhood | SA6012
Lori Curtis, University of Waterloo, Import exposure and health and wellbeing in Canada
Levi Frehlich, University of Calgary, Population-average associations between neighbourhood walkability and physical activity among adults: An analysis of data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey
Lingsheng Wen, McGill University Health Centre, Neighbourhood income-related disparities in diabetes-related hospitalization and mortality among Canadian adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A population-based study
Concurrent Adjudicated Paper Sessions at 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Trajectories and policy contexts | BMO Theatre
Hamid Akbary, University of Lethbridge, Labour market trajectories of Afghan immigrant women in Canada
Md. Aslam Hossain, University of Manitoba, The influence of care trajectory on care-related out-of-pocket expenditures of caregivers
Sepideh Yousefiasl, University of Manitoba, Criminal justice system involvement among children and youth with autism: A population-based matched cohort study using linked administrative microdata in Manitoba
Inequalities | SA6010
Omid Asayesh, University of Calgary, Assimilation or segmentation? Intergenerational mobility among Afghan and Iranian Canadians
Sylvia Fuller, University of British Columbia, Resource inequalities, flexible work, and working mothers’ experiences with child care packaging
Chinwendu Ikwuegbu, University of Saskatchewan/Community University Institute for Social Research, Income inequality, accessibility gaps, and the right to housing for persons with disabilities in Canada
Modeling health | SA6012
Bile Yacou Djedou, Predicting and characterizing high-cost healthcare users in Quebec: A population-based analysis using linked administrative data
Bisma Ikram, University of Saskatchewan, Building the Canadian Uranium Workers Study Cohort: Integrating seven national databases to advance occupational radiation research in Canada
Rafidul Islam, University of Ottawa / Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Development and validation of a diagnostic model – The Hypertension Population Risk Tool (HTNPoRT) – to predict hypertension and describe risk profiles: A population-based cross-sectional study of Canadians
