Directors Dinner 2026 - A Testimonial Dinner Featuring William B.P. Robson
Please follow this link to register individually or contact Tammy Trepanier, Senior Event Planner, ttrepanier@cdhowe.org.
Member $249 | Non-Member $999 | Table of 8 $1,999.
William B.P. Robson, Fellow-in-Residence and President Emeritus, C.D. Howe Institute; Chair, Public Sector Governance and Accountability
Bill Robson is a Fellow-in-Residence at the C.D. Howe Institute, the Institute’s first President Emeritus, and holder of the William Robson Chair in Public Sector Governance and Accountability.
From July 2006 to February 2026, Mr. Robson served as President and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute. Prior to this, he held senior positions at the Institute, including as Senior Vice President, and Director of Research.
He has written more than 280 monographs, articles, chapters and books on such subjects as government budgets, pensions, healthcare financing, inflation and currency issues. His work has won awards from the Policy Research Secretariat, the Canadian Economics Association, and the Donner Canadian Foundation.
A Senior Fellow at Massey College, Mr. Robson holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. He has served as an adviser to many federal and provincial agencies. He is a regular writer of newspaper columns and commentator in electronic media.
Mr. Robson taught undergraduate public finance and public policy at the University of Toronto from 2000 to 2003, and a Master’s level course in public finance at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy from 2014 to 2019.
His accomplishments as Director of Research and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute include its array of authoritative policy councils, external audit of its research quality standards, a burgeoning events program, and solid financial performance, including its unprecedently successful Insight, Engagement, Impact campaign.
Testimonial Speakers
Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, Ontario Minister of Finance
Peter Bethlenfalvy is Ontario’s Minister of Finance. He was elected as MPP for Pickering—Uxbridge in 2018 and was re-elected in both 2022 and 2025.
As Minister of Finance, he is responsible for the management of the province’s finances and building the environment for Ontario’s long-term economic prosperity. Through six provincial budgets and five fall economic updates, Minister Bethlenfalvy continues to deliver on the government’s plan to build a strong Ontario that supports people and businesses today, while laying a strong fiscal foundation for future generations. Having secured two major credit rating upgrades and a positive outlook in 2024 alone, he has reversed a decades-long trend of downgrades under previous governments and strengthened the province’s fiscal standing in the face of economic uncertainty. With Premier Ford, he is working to Protect Ontario from the impact of U.S. tariffs by supporting workers, families, businesses and communities while strengthening the economy for long-term growth.
Prior to entering public service, Minister Bethlenfalvy served in senior leadership roles for several financial institutions, including as President and Chief Operating Officer of TD Securities (USA) and Co-President of DBRS.
He has served on the Board of Directors for many charitable organizations. In 2014, he joined the True Patriot Love Expedition to the magnetic North Pole in support of Canadian military families.
He holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from McGill University which included a year at the HEC School of Management, Paris, and a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
Amanda Lang, Chief Financial Correspondent, CTV News, Anchor, Taking Stock, CTV
Award-winning business journalist Amanda Lang has been covering business in North America for more than 25 years. Lang is chief financial correspondent for CTV News, contributing to its flagship national newscasts and across its networks. She is also the host of Taking Stock, a weekly national television program airing across multiple Bell Media networks including BNN Bloomberg, CP24 and CTV News Channel. She is also host of the Wonk podcast, produced by the Public Policy Forum.
Lang is a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Lang is past chair of the board of Covenant House Toronto, the largest agency in Canada serving homeless and at-risk youth. She is a member of the board of Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada.
Lang is also a best-selling author. “The Power of Why,” (HarperCollins, October 2012) explores the connection between curiosity and success. “The Beauty of Discomfort” (HarperCollins, April 2017) examines how difficult change can be, and set out strategies for how to achieve it.
Blake Goldring, Executive Chairman, AGF Management Ltd. And Chair of the Board, C.D. Howe Institute
Blake C. Goldring is the Executive Chairman of AGF Management Limited (AGF). He first joined the firm in 1987 and held a series of senior positions before being appointed President in 1997, CEO in 2000, and CEO and Chairman in 2006. In December 2018, Goldring was succeeded as CEO by Kevin McCreadie and assumed the role of Executive Chairman. Under his leadership, AGF has diversified its business, evolving into an independent and globally diverse asset management firm whose companies deliver excellence in investing in the public and private markets through three distinct business lines: AGF Investments, AGF Private Capital and AGF Private Wealth.
As Executive Chairman of AGF, Goldring provides guidance and counsel to the CEO in setting the mission, vision and strategic direction for the firm. He also provides counsel to AGF’s Executive Management Team and plays a key role supporting the firm’s strategic relationships. At the same time, he provides leadership to AGF’s Board of Directors in carrying out its collective responsibilities to supervise the management of the business and affairs of the company.
Goldring sits on a number of private company and not-for-profit boards. He is Chair of the Board of the C.D. Howe Institute and is also the founder and Chair of Canada Company, a non-partisan charity devoted to supporting Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans and their families.
Goldring has received numerous honours in recognition of his personal and professional achievements, including being named a Member of the Order of Ontario on January 1, 2024, a Member of the Order of Canada in 2018 and receiving honorary degrees from The University of Toronto, Victoria University (University of Toronto) and the Royal Military College.
Goldring holds an Honours BA in Economics from the University of Toronto and an MBA from INSEAD in France. He is also a member of the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts, a CFA® charterholder and a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers.
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