STAC 2026 Conference & Exhibition: Opening Address
Robert Ghiz, Canadian Telecommunications Association President & CEO
STAC 2026 Conference & Exhibition: Opening Address
April 21, 2026
***Check Against Delivery***
Hello everyone, and welcome to STAC 2026. I’m Robert Ghiz, president and CEO of the Canadian Telecommunications Association, under which STAC is administered, and it’s my great pleasure to welcome you all here today.
Bonjour à tous et bienvenue au STAC 2026. Je m’appelle Robert Ghiz, president et chef de la direction de l’Association canadienne des télécommunications, qui gère le STAC, et c’est avec grand plaisir que je vous souhaite à tous la bienvenue ici aujourd’hui.
Before I kick things off, I want to acknowledge that this year’s conference is being held on the unceded territories of the Anishinaabe Algonquin people.
This is our first time holding our annual STAC conference here in Ottawa, and we couldn’t be happier to be here in the nation’s capital, just steps away from Parliament Hill. As you know, this is our 10th STAC Conference, and the 10th anniversary of the first STAC conference in 2016.
C’est la première fois que nous organisons notre conférence annuelle de la STAC ici à Ottawa, et nous sommes ravis d’être dans la capitale nationale, à deux pas de la Colline du Parlement.
I wasn’t at the first STAC conference, which predates my time at the Association by just a few months, but I have been to every one since. It’s been remarkable to watch both STAC, and this annual event, grow.
From 10 member companies when it first launched in 2016, to more than 100 participating organizations today, STAC has expanded its reach, allowing it to share important industry safety information more widely. This annual event has grown considerably as well, from around 170 attendees at the first STAC conference to approximately 400 here this week.
Whether it was in Niagara Falls, Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax or even our two remote conferences during COVID, the one thing I’ve always said about the STAC Conference is that it’s easily one of the most informative, enjoyable, and memorable events each year. This event brings together a group of incredible and dedicated telecom professionals who are all committed to building the digital infrastructure that helps keep Canadians connected.
What’s more—you’re all committed to helping protect the people who do some of the hardest part of building that infrastructure. For this, we are all grateful.
The continued growth of STAC and our annual STAC conference allows us to reach more workers involved in Canada’s telecom and tower industries each year. It allows us to share more pivotal safety information more widely, and to encourage a broader section of the industry to prioritize safety in everything they do.
And I know from the feedback I’ve received from STAC members over the years that the conversations you have here can have a real impact on industry safety. More than anything, these conversations allow STAC members to talk about the evolving nature of tower work, and how best to protect tower climbers.
That’s an important theme here this week – adapting to the changing tower work environment.
As technology advances and as Canadians’ demand for connectivity continues to grow, your work has become more important. Your work has also become more difficult though, evolving technologies, regulations and customer requirements each pose unique new challenges for tower engineers and tower climbers alike.
So thank you all for taking the time to be here to help make sure our 10th STAC conference is the best one yet.
As some of you may know, the Canadian Telecommunications Association is the telecom industry’s greatest advocate to the federal government: we routinely meet with government officials and regulators from ISED and the CRTC, arguing on the industry’s behalf. We like to point out that Canada has world-class networks that are continuously improving and expanding.
In a period when global instability has roiled markets and caused a series of inflationary spikes in recent years, our industry is not unaffected. Yet our industry is still helping Canadian households beat back inflation.
As Consumer Price Index data shows, the cost of wireless services fell by more than 45% over the past six years, while the cost of nearly all other essential goods and services has only gone up. And according to a recent PwC report, Canada now has better wireless affordability than the United States, on an income-adjusted basis, including more affordable entry-level plans.
But as most of the people in this room already know, there is another side to that coin. Prices are falling, but the cost of building is rising, putting pressure on the sector’s capacity to invest in expanding and enhancing our networks.
This is why it’s important for regulators and the federal government to know that when they put pressure on our industry, there are real-world consequences for everyday Canadians. Yes, that includes the impact on network coverage in rural and remote areas, or network capacity in urban centers. But it also includes the impact on you, the people in this room, and your colleagues. We know that when carriers reduce network investments, that means less work for you.
The good news is that our product is its own best salesperson. Canadians love connectivity. But telecommunications is more than just a provider of consumer connectivity. It is more than phones and data plans.
It is economic infrastructure—as vital to Canada as roads, railways, and ports.
Telecommunications powers remote work, digital commerce, telehealth, online education, and smart logistics.
It enables the modernization of traditional industries like agriculture, mining and oil and gas.
And it provides the digital backbone for public safety, first responders, and our military and national defense.
So as you walk the halls of the Chateau Laurier and the streets of our nation’s capital over the next two days, I want you all to remember that you’re not just building towers. You’re helping to build a better, stronger Canada.
Vous contribuez à bâtir un Canada meilleur et plus fort.
