Inside the vision for Toronto Climate Week

Hey there,

Today we’ve got a special conversation with Becky Park-Romanovsky, the founder of Toronto Climate Week.

Becky is a global leader in sustainability and climate action, with a track record of launching and scaling climate-focused initiatives across multiple continents. She founded Toronto Climate Week, co-founded Climate North, is a lecturer on Social Entrepreneurship at IE University in Madrid, and previously developed carbon offset projects across the Americas, Africa, Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

I sat down with Becky to learn more about what’s happening with Toronto Climate Week, where the idea came from, and how the community can get involved!

I’m excited to see Becky and her team building out Canada’s first climate week and rolling out an ambitious vision to put Toronto on the map. Every time I attend a major climate event - or talk to someone who’s been to SF or NYC Climate Week - I hear the same thing: “There should be a climate week in Canada.”

And it makes sense.

Canada punches above its weight in climate tech, is home to multiple Cleantech 100 companies, and is a global leader on climate policy. Now is the time to step up - and create the infrastructure and platform to match.

We’ll be doing some more collabs with TOCW in the lead up to their soft-launch in October. In the meantime, if you’re ready to get going you can learn more about sponsoring or hosting an event.

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Becky, catch us up - what is Toronto Climate Week?

Toronto Climate Week is a citywide celebration bringing together communities, innovators, and decision makers working on climate solutions.

We’re starting off with a soft-launch event from October 1st - 3rd and launching the full Toronto Climate Week program in 2026. We’re starting small, hosting three flagship events and a community-led schedule. 

We’ll kick off with an unforgettable Opening Ceremony, bringing together key players across business, government, culture, community, and tech. We’re planning a mix of bold announcements, insightful conversations on the state of climate and innovation in Canada, and a cultural showcase that ties it all together.

In 2026, we’ll launch our full Toronto Climate Week program and plan to welcome more than 6,000 attendees. The following year we expect to welcome more than 15,000 as Toronto earns its place on the map as a global climate hub. We’re aiming for TOCW to become the go-to climate event in North America, on par with what NYC and London have built.

But scale isn’t the only goal; we want TOCW to drive outcomes that matter, including:

• Launching new ventures that emerge from the week’s connections and conversations

• Catalyzing public-private partnerships that lead to real-world pilots and scaled solutions

• Influencing municipal, provincial, and federal policy through public pressure and collaborative roundtables

• Unlocking investment in Canada’s climate economy, especially in early-stage innovation

• Creating civic momentum by mobilizing youth, amplifying underrepresented voices, and engaging new communities in the climate space

For the first Climate Week next year, we’re aiming to spark 20+ startup deals, 5+ public-private pilots, and $5-10M in catalyzed investment. We're also tracking policy commitments, youth participation, and community engagement as core KPIs.

TOCW isn't just a platform for climate awareness; it’s a tool to accelerate action, attract global attention, and align Toronto’s civic, business, and grassroots leadership. In the long run, we want TOCW to be a launchpad for ideas, for deals, for careers, and for a more connected and climate-resilient future.

This sounds amazing - what inspired you to launch it, and what’s the vision behind it?

It all started from a simple belief: we can solve climate change through the power of collaboration. Government, business, nonprofits, creatives, and everyday citizens can make a difference together only when we are working in sync.

Back in 2022, I co-founded Climate North, a grassroots nonprofit that built a strong, engaged community of climate-minded people. But we quickly realized we were only scratching the surface in terms of our scale and ability to bring together all the key stakeholders needed for meaningful change. Toronto is the 4th largest city in North America - it has so much to offer, and it needed a platform large enough to showcase and synergize its already sprawling ecosystem. 

Around the same time, the political environment shifted, leaving a power vacuum in global climate leadership and an urgency to protect Canada. I was fed up with seeing investments and builders leave Canada as soon as they reached success and decided now was the time to do something about it.

I quit my US-based job, and together with one of my Climate North co-founders and a few prominent members of the community, we started to shape the first-ever Toronto Climate Week. Our mission is to build a connected ecosystem in Toronto that unites climate efforts across industries and communities - establishing the city as a global hub for climate solutions.

What kinds of events or activations are you hoping to see during Toronto Climate Week?

We’re envisioning Toronto Climate Week as a festival-meets-forum experience - which really means that we are casting the net wide to meet our mission of engaging all sectors of the economy and all corners of the population, meeting people where they’re at. A select few events will be hosted by us, with the rest led by our community - we’re actively accepting applications for those who want to host their own event.

That energy will carry into the days that follow, and some of the events submitted so far include expert panels, immersive art installations, cleantech demos, fashion shows, hands-on workshops, comedy shows, policy roundtables, and more.

We’re excited to see Toronto show up to protect our identity, build our future, and to showcase bold intersections like climate + culture, climate + food, or art + science. If it sparks connection, fuels collaboration, or helps people feel more invested in the future, it belongs at Toronto Climate Week.

How is Toronto Climate Week different from other climate or sustainability events?

Most climate events are highly technical or exclusive, geared toward insiders, experts, or corporate and government stakeholders. Toronto Climate Week is different by design.

We’re building something that’s community-owned, fun, and experiential. Yes, some events will be technical or closed-door. But anyone can host an event, which means there’s space for everyone to take part. And we’re not limiting the conversation to carbon markets or net-zero targets - we’re bringing climate into culture, food, finance, fashion, tech, and beyond.

We’re also blending grassroots efforts with institutional power. You’ll find startups, community leaders and students on the same stage as policymakers and CEOs. Art shows next to investment forums. It’s an approach that turns climate from a siloed topic into a citywide experience.

Lastly, our goal isn't to host as many events as possible, but to facilitate as many collaborations as possible. We launched co-host matchmaking to connect similar event proposals and bring them together to co-create something stronger - and more valuable for everyone.

This approach means you’ll hear voices and insights you otherwise wouldn’t, meet people you may not typically cross paths with, and discover new partnership opportunities.

Who should consider hosting or sponsoring an event, and what kind of impact can they expect?

If you care about climate, innovation, or the future of your industry - this is your moment to lead. We’re focused on shaping what the future of Canada will look like for generations to come, with clean growth in mind. 

Building the future will take all of us, whether you're a corporation who cares about sustainability, a startup building climate tech, a community group driving local action, or a creative reimagining climate storytelling. 

We are creating a citywide platform to show up as a leader, launch ideas and pilot projects, spark new partnerships, and amplify your voice on the global climate stage.

Sponsors and hosts can expect to:

• Be featured alongside Canada’s top innovators, public figures, and decision-makers

• Be in the room where the future of Canadian clean economy is decided, helping shape meaningful policy and investment outcomes

• Attract new collaborators, investors, clients, and talent - leveraging national and global audiences who arrived specifically to make new connections and learn about local initiatives

• Engage thousands of attendees and millions more through media and social reach

• Be part of a growing movement putting Toronto - and your brand - on the global climate map

We’re building a week where climate meets every corner of life. So if your work touches the future, it belongs here.

What’s the best way for someone to get involved as a host or sponsor?

You don’t need a perfect plan to get started - we’ll meet you wherever you’re at. We want to hear from you if you’re looking to find partners and like minded people, build your brand and reputation in the climate space, or have an idea to bring to life, a space to share, or a community to gather by hosting an event.

• If you are interested in sponsoring, fill out this form

• If you are Interested in hosting an event, start here

The deadline for submissions is September 15th.

Our team will follow up to learn more about what you’re imagining and how we can support you. Whether you’re planning something small and local or big and bold, we can’t wait to welcome you at Toronto Climate Week!

Thanks for reading & hope to see you at Toronto Climate Week!

Justin

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