Michael Savage
Panelist
Mike Savage was elected Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality for a third term on October 17, 2020. As Mayor he has followed a mandate to grow the economy, foster greater social and economic inclusion for all, and promote a healthy, sustainable environment.
An active member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Big City Mayors’ Caucus (BCMC), Mayor Savage was selected by his counterparts from across the country to co-chair FCM’s Syrian Refugee response task force in 2015. In spring 2021, he was elected Chair of the BCMC, helping to bring national attention and action to the shared interests of Canada’s large cities.
He served four years as President of the World Energy Cities partnership, an international organization of cities with significant energy sector interests.
In March 2016, he was honoured as a Modern Maker of Canada by the Canadian Institute on Governance, recognizing the growing role of civic leaders in driving the economic prosperity for the country.
In July 2018, Mayor Savage joined the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, participating with 39 other cities from around the world in a collaboration among the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School and Bloomberg Philanthropies to equip mayors with the tools to lead high-performing, innovative and progressive cities.
Prior to his election as Mayor, Mike Savage served three terms as Member of Parliament for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, during which time he played a national role as Official Opposition Critic for Human Resources, Social Development and Status of Persons with Disabilities and chaired the Liberal Party Post-Secondary and Research Caucus.
Prior to entering politics, Savage was a business leader in Halifax and was involved in numerous community organizations focused on health, the arts, education and humanitarian work.
Mayor Savage and his wife Darlene have two adult children and live in Dartmouth where Mayor Savage grew up and attended school before graduating from Dalhousie University.
Sharlene Gale
Panelist
Sharleen Gale has served as the chair of the board of directors for the First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) since 2017, overseeing a tremendous period of growth for the organization in which she has carried FNMPC messages on the economic inclusion of First Nations to the regional, national, and international stage. As an experienced community leader, Sharleen was elected to the council of Fort Nelson First Nation, serving 15 years with 8 of those years as Chief.
She is the grand-daughter of Fred Burke and Madeline Needlay. Her roots run deep in the lives of her people and she enjoys being on the land with her family exploring the territory and teaching her son the traditional ways on the lands and how to hunt, fish, and gather medicines and berries.
Sharleen’s experience as a community leader is furthered by her corporate experience in in the oil and gas, renewable energy, and forestry sectors. During the 2020 Global Pandemic, Sharleen served the Province of BC as a member of the Premier's Economic Recovery Task Force. In 2023, she was appointed to serve on the Canada Electricity Advisory Council. In 2024, Sharleen was appointed to serve as the Indigenous member of the International Energy Agency’s Global Commission on the People-Centred Energy Transition.
Sharleen is a receipent of the King Charles III Coronation Medal awarded to her in recognition for her dedication to public service and leadership in economic development.
Scott Pearce
Panelist
First elected in November 2004, Scott Pearce is the Mayor of the Township of Gore. He has also been the Warden of the RCM Argenteuil since 2014, President of the Conseil des préfets et des élus des Laurentides and a member of FCM’s Board of Directors since 2009. He was president of the FCM last year.
A proud Canadian and Quebecer, Scott is a strong advocate for suburban and rural Canada.
A long-time and very active FCM Board member, Scott was Vice-President of the Rural Forum for many years, Vice-President of the Quebec Caucus and a member of the Environmental Issues and Sustainable Development Committee. He is also the official representative of bilingual municipalities on the Board of Directors of the Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM) and the chair of the FQM’s Environment and Climate Change Commission.
Rob LeForte
Moderator
Rob LeForte is the President of First Lake Solutions.
Rob has 15 years of government relations experience at the federal, provincial and municipal levels in Canada. Provincial work brought him to Ottawa in 2011 where he led government relations efforts for the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). During that time, he advanced human resources and skills development policy, led intellectual property reforms, and built a strong network in Ottawa’s political community.
Rob earned his master’s degree from the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management at Carleton University. He followed that experience by working with some of Canada’s best lobbyists at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities where he worked on housing and public safety. He went on to work at a national public affairs firm where he became Vice President. There he delivered billions of dollars in investments to client sectors, significant provincial and national legislative victories, and major regulatory reforms in sectors as diverse as health, construction, retail and supply chains, and skills development.
Since starting First Lake Solutions in 2021 he has helped clients deliver over $3 billion for their respective sectors and professions. He is proud to be leading a young, energetic and fast-growing team of advocates.
Rob is also co-founder of Push Politics (2016) and The Advocacy Coach (2021).
