BIG Difference BC 2026:

Building Resilient Futures
with Behavioural Insights

Friday, November 6, 2026

BIG Difference BC 2026 will once again be free and online.
Register now to save your seat!

Program highlights and schedule at-a-glance below.
You can also view the full program and read talk descriptions.

Program Highlights

Keynote Address: The Science & Practice of Constructive Disagreement

Julia Minson (Harvard)

Julia Minson is a Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the founder of Disagreeing Better, LLC – a behavioral science consultancy and training firm. She is a decision scientist with research interests in conflict management, negotiations, and judgment and decision making. Her main line of research addresses the “psychology of disagreement” and explores simple, scalable interventions to help people become more receptive to others’ opposing views. She is the author of the new bestselling book, How to Disagree Better.

Disagreement can be a source of insight and a driver of innovation, or a source of stress and a catalyst for drama. Julia Minson, Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, will share insights from her new book, How to Disagree Better. Drawing on decades of cutting-edge research, Julia will explain why and how engaging with contradictory perspectives without turning to arguing leads to better results and better relationships. She will offer concrete strategies for improving conversations across disagreement in the workplace, among family members, and in civic life.

Special Session: Trust & Behavioural Insights

Trust is a pre-condition for a resilient future, but research shows that trust in institutions and each other is declining. Our panelists will join moderator Kirstin Appelt (UBC-DIBS) to discuss the current trust environment and how behavioural insights can help.

Megan Spoore (Edelman)

Megan Spoore leads the Edelman Calgary office and is an Executive Vice President, Client Strategy, on Edelman’s Reputation team. Megan is a communications executive with a proven track record of delivering strategic, integrated communications programs that drive business results. With a focus on corporate communications, employee engagement, and issues management, Megan has led multifaceted projects for a range of clients including Fortune 500, public sector, private sector, and not-for-profit organizations.

Megan is a graduate of Edelman’s Leadership Academy, and has played a pivotal role in growing the Calgary office and diversifying its client base. Prior to joining Edelman, Megan worked at a leading Canadian public relations agency where she routinely provided strategic counsel to clients facing high-profile, rapidly evolving issues.

Haris Khan (OECD)

Haris is a Policy Analyst/Project Lead at the OECD’s Behavioural Science Unit where he provides governments with technical advice on behavioural public policy and helps foster an international community of behavioural experts in government. Previously, Haris served in various roles internationally and in the Government of Canada, including helping to set up behavioural science units in the Privy Council Office and Treasury Board Secretariat. Haris holds a Master of Public Policy and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Economics, both from the University of Toronto.

Nicholas Diamond (Impact Canada)

Dr. Nicholas Diamond is a Senior Lead of Behavioural and Data Science in the Privy Council Office’s Impact and Innovation Unit. He oversees a research program using scientific and data-driven methods to improve policy, programs, and service delivery across the Government of Canada. This includes, for example, a national multi-year empirical study on Canada’s information ecosystem, public trust in institutions, and vulnerabilities in Canadian democracy. Nicholas holds a PhD in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Toronto and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.

Kirstin Appelt (UBC)

Kirstin Appelt is Research Director, Decision Insights for Business & Society, and Academic Director of the Advanced Professional Certificate in Behavioural Insights, both at the University of British Columbia. Her research explores how choice architecture can change behaviour toward an environmentally, financially, and socially sustainable future. With over two decades of experience in the field, she also serves as a behavioural science consultant for a number of organizations across sectors and is a Senior Research Affiliate with BIT. Kirstin holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Columbia University and a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College.

The Trust Landscape: Megan Spoore (Edelman) will share why trust matters, current levels of trust in four key institutions (business, government, NGOs and media), and how trust brokering can help bridge societal divides.
Driving Trust Through BI: Haris Khan (OECD) will provide a global perspective on the levels and drivers of trust and discuss how behavioural science can support governments in building more responsive relationships with and between citizens.
Canadian’s Evolving Trust & Information Ecosystems: Nicholas Diamond (Impact Canada) will share details about the changing citizens’-eye-view in Canada, stressors on trust and democratic outlook, and how institutions can earn trust through transparency.

program at a glance*

Date: Friday, November 6, 2026
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Pacific Time*
Location: Zoom webinar

9:00 - 9:25 am Welcome Remarks
9:25 - 10:30 am Lightning Talks
10:30 - 10:45 am Break
10:45 - 11:45 am Keynote: “The Science & Practice of Constructive Disagreement”
11:45 am - 12:30 pm Break
12:30 - 1:00 pm BI Briefs
1:00 - 2:30 pm Special Session: “Trust & Behavioural Insights”
2:30 - 2:45 pm Break
2:45 - 3:50 pm Lightning Talks
3:50 - 4:00 pm Closing Remarks

*Draft program subject to change.
All listed times are Pacific Time (PCT; UTC−07:00).
Note: Because BC has moved to Pacific Time year-round, the difference
between your time zone and conference time may be different this year