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Keynote speakers announced for World Canals Conference in Buffalo

Richard Millar (Left) and Haben Girma (Right) will be the keynote speakers at the 2025 World Canals Conference in Buffalo.
Michael Loss
/
BTPM NPR
Richard Millar (Left) and Haben Girma (Right) will be the keynote speakers at the 2025 World Canals Conference in Buffalo.

A global gathering of inland waterway experts and stakeholders has announced that its upcoming Buffalo event will feature two accomplished keynote speakers. The World Canals Conference, which is coming to the Queen City in September 2025, brings together enthusiasts from across the globe to discuss innovative practices and preservation efforts of historic canals.

This year's event will feature two industry changemakers as headline speakers, Richard Millar and Haben Girma. Millar is the chief operating officer of Scottish Canals, a government agency that revitalized the country’s urban waterfronts in the face of a steep decline. Due to Millar's work, blue-green corridors now act as a catalyst for development in Scotland. His address will expand on how other canal systems can utilize the Scottish Canals blueprint.

Girma is an award-winning disability advocate who earned national recognition from the Obama administration in 2013 after she became the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School. Her keynote address will explore how people with disabilities engage in public green spaces and how inclusion efforts can create more resilient communities.

Buffalo was chosen as the location for the conference, as this fall will kick off the bicentennial celebration of the Erie Canal, one of the world's most iconic waterways. The event takes place from September 21-25, 2025. Millar and Girma will give their keynote addresses on September 22.

Michael joined Buffalo Toronto Public Media in July 2024 as an Associate Producer. He plays an integral role in creating engaging content for BTPM's daily news programming.