Enjoy Today Discounts, B.C. Chicken Takes Flight, & The Art & Science of Innovation with guest Bettina Hamelin, President and CEO of Ontario Genomics

In this podcast episode, we had the honour of hosting Bettina Hamelin, the esteemed President and C.E.O. of Ontario Genomics. Based in Ontario, this non-profit organization is pioneering in genomics and engineering biology, aiming to revolutionize various sectors for economic growth, improved quality of life, and global leadership for Ontario. Sylvain expressed his admiration for the Ontario government's vision in establishing and supporting such an innovative entity and their success in attracting top-notch leadership talent like Bettina.

Moving onto other news, we discussed the recent policy reversal by Loblaw, lessons learned from it, and the fluctuating chicken prices in British Columbia. A significant development in environmental policy was also highlighted: Ottawa's consideration to require certain bakeries and restaurants using wood-fired ovens to report their air pollution emissions annually, a decision impacting Montreal's iconic bagels and pizzas.

We also delved into a concerning surge in crime in Waterloo, where unknown suspects stole a truck and trailer loaded with pistachios worth approximately $70,000.

Lastly, the podcast covered the uplifting news from Ottawa & Prince Edward Island, with the appointment of Mary Robinson to represent P.E.I. in Canada's Senate, signalling a bright future for the region's influence and representation, and great news for the Ag. sector.

Ontario Genomics Ag and Food page: https://www.ontariogenomics.ca/sectors/agriculture-food/

About Bettina

Bettina Hamelin, PharmD, EMBA is the President and CEO of Ontario Genomics, an Ontario-based not-for profit organization dedicated to catalyzing and supporting the development and commercialization of genomics- and engineering biology-based solutions across key sectors of the economy to drive economic growth, improved quality of life and global leadership for Ontario.

Dr. Hamelin has over 30 years of experience in academia, industry, and not-for-profit organizations. She has held positions of increasing responsibility in the biotech and pharma industries including leadership positions at BioChem Pharma (Associate Director, DMPK) and Pfizer (Head, Strategic Research Partnerships, Western Canada; Director Vaccines, Pfizer Canada; Medical Director, Pfizer Germany; Global Scout, Pfizer Inc.). Dr. Hamelin also has 10 years of academic research expertise as a tenured professor at Université Laval. Prior to her current role, she served as VP of NSERC’s Research Partnerships Directorate, where she was responsible for stimulating increased public/private sector collaboration and technology transfer by connecting the Canadian research enterprise to Canadian and global innovation partners.

Dr. Hamelin volunteers in the broader research and innovation community and serves on several advisory committees and the Boards of Directors of IRICoR and the Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC) , and as a Mentor for the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL). Dr. Hamelin also chairs the National Engineering Biology Steering Committee and serves on Ontario’s COVID-19 Genomics Network Steering Committee.

About Us

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Visiting Professor in Food Policy and Distribution at McGill University and a Professor in Food Distribution and Policy in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University.

Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. He is one of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability with over 775 published peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. Charlebois is also an editor for the prestigious Trends in Food Science Technology journal. 

He co-hosts The Food Professor podcast, discussing issues in the food, foodservice, grocery and restaurant industries and which is the most listened Canadian management podcast in Canada. 

Every year since 2012, he has published the now highly anticipated Canadian Food Price Report, which provides an overview of food price trends for the coming year. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, nationally as well as internationally. He has testified on several occasions before parliamentary committees on food policy-related issues as an expert witness. He has been asked to act as an advisor on food and agricultural policies in many Canadian provinces and other countries.

With extensive experience collaborating with businesses, governments, and NGOs, Dr. Charlebois combines academic rigor with practical expertise, making him one of the most influential voices in the global agri-food landscape. His work continues to advance the understanding of food systems, fostering innovation and resilience in a rapidly evolving industry. In 2025, he received the prestigious Charles III medal recognizing his tremendous work in informing Canadians about food issues.

 Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast.  He has been recognized by the National Retail Federation (NRF) as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025, and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.