Friday, November 20, 2026 | 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Best Western Plus Dartmouth Hotel & Suites
15 Spectacle Lake Drive, Dartmouth
Registration for the 2026 Nova Scotia Provincial Grief Symposium is now full. If you were unable to secure a ticket, we encourage you to join the waitlist.
PRESS RELEASE
Nova Scotia Grief Alliance Announces Second Provincial Grief Symposium
Theme: Mobilizing Grief: Building Networks of Care
Mobilizing Grief: Building Networks of Care
Join people from across Nova Scotia for a day of learning, connection, and collaboration focused on strengthening grief support.
The 2026 Nova Scotia Grief Alliance Symposium will bring together healthcare professionals, community organizations, researchers, educators, advocates, caregivers, and people with lived experience to share knowledge and build stronger networks of care.
LEARN
Explore diverse perspectives and practical approaches to grief and bereavement support.
CONNECT
Build relationships with people and organizations from across Nova Scotia.
MOBILIZE
Turn shared learning and conversation into stronger networks of community care.
Keynote Speaker
Danyelle Kaluski
Co-founder & CEO; Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre
Keynote Presentation Title: The Work Before the Referral
A referral is only as strong as the trust behind it. Drawing on lived experience as a loss parent, and years of work building relationships across rural communities, healthcare systems, and Indigenous nations across Canada, this keynote explores what it actually takes to mobilize a network of care: showing up, listening, and working alongside people rather than simply developing services for them. It looks at the work that happens before a referral ever gets made, the relationships, the trust, and the understanding of who our services are truly for, and why that work is what determines whether a network of care actually functions.
Who Should Attend?
The symposium welcomes:
Healthcare and social-service professionals.
Grief and bereavement practitioners.
Community organizations and volunteers.
Researchers, educators, and students.
Advocates, caregivers, and community leaders.
People with lived experience.
Anyone interested in strengthening grief support in Nova Scotia.
FOLLOW US
Agenda is subject to change.
8:00 – 8:45 | Registration & Networking
9:00 – 9:30 | Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:30 – 10:40 | Opening Keynote: Danyelle Kaluski - Topic: The Work Before the Referral
10:45 – 11:00 | Break & Networking
11:00 – 12:00 | Breakout Sessions
12:00 – 12:45 | Lunch
12:45 – 1:15 | Exhibitor Booths & Networking
1:15 – 2:15 | Breakout Sessions
2:15 – 2:30 | Break & Networking
2:30 – 3:30 | Breakout Sessions
3:30 – 4:30 | Breakout Sessions & Closing Remarks
