Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

An on-reserve police service presents with many challenges, including funding, staffing, and retention. The First Nation members themselves face particular challenges as well as non-challenges. Non-First Nation officers have their own unique challenges, as well as the “culture shock” that accompanies policing a First Nation area. Our presenters will touch on all of these issues based on their own policing experience.

Speakers: Police Chief Grant Buckskin and Inspector Rayan Najjar

Grant Buckskin is Interim Chief of Police with the Blood Tribe Police Service, a position he has held since September, 2022. He is a member of the Blood Tribe and started his career with the Police Service in 1990. After 7 1/2 years, he left to serve with other police services in Central and Northern Alberta as well as Manitoba, before returning to the Blood Reserve in 2007 where he has since remained.
Over the course of this extensive policing career, Chief Buckskin has served in many positions in the Community Policing Division and Crime Reduction Units. He is proud today to be leading the sworn members of the Blood Tribe Police Service.

Rayan was born in Lebanon and immigrated to Canada in 1991 with his family at the age of six. He and his family lived in Olds and Milk River before settling in Lethbridge in 1997. Rayan graduated from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI) in 2002 and from the Lethbridge College Criminal Justice - Policing program in 2007. Rayan started his policing career with Blood Tribe Police Service (BTPS) shortly after graduation and has been with BTPS for 16 years. Rayan was in General Patrols, Criminal Investigation Unit, and General Investigation Unit. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2017 and to Acting Inspector in 2021. Rayan is currently the Inspector in charge of the Administration Support Division which oversees policy/procedure, training, recruiting, human resources, and professional standards.

A NDP majority was elected in 2015, and then in 2019 enough people voted for the UCP to give them a majority. Elections in different jurisdictions have shown that after each opposite direction election, many voters are left hanging with no home.

Recent polls have shown that the UCP is having a hard time keeping voters, but not all are ready to vote NDP, so where do they go? The speaker will contend that at some point, Albertans may become tired of the instability of this back-and-forth undoing what the previous government did, only to have that repeat in the following election. The Alberta Party arguably occupies the center of Alberta politics, which is not far from the sentiment of most Albertans.

Speaker: Barry Morishita, leader of the Alberta Party

A long serving councilor and Mayor in the City of Brooks, Barry Morishita is well known in municipal government across the province having spent 7 years on the Board and Executive of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association becoming the association’s longest serving President. His experiences traveling throughout the Province in this capacity & his passion for building communities earned him the Honorary Lifetime Membership from the AUMA. He retired from municipal politics in 2021 and soon moved into the provincial arena as the Leader of the Alberta Party. Barry is a proud Canadian of Japanese descent, married with two children & two grandchildren living in the City of 100 Hello’s, Brooks, Alberta.

 

The City of Lethbridge and Blood Tribe Department of Health (BTDH) signed a Shelter lease agreement starting Jan 1, 2023 at the location of the former Lethbridge Shelter and Stabilization Centre on 2 Avenue North.

The speaker will give some background info on how this agreement came to be, followed by an account of the current Shelter situation and the overall continuum of care plan and vision by BTDH on the issue of opioid addiction and recovery.

Speaker: Taatsiikiipoyii, Charles (Charlie) Weaselhead Jr.

Charles Weaselhead, former Blood Tribe Chief and Treaty 7 Grand Chief, was born on the Blood Indian Reserve in 1949. Since the early 1980’s, Charles Weaselhead has worked hard to advance many health initiatives to improve the health care outcomes for the People, as Director of the treatment Centre Napi Lodge and Poundmaker’s Lodge; Director of the Blood Indian Hospital in the early 90’s; and as Chief Executive Officer for the Blood Tribe Department of Health Inc., a post he held until his successful election as Chief of the Blood Tribe and subsequent leadership from 2004-2016. Charles continues to maintain an interest in working with the University of Lethbridge and the Lethbridge College in advancing the lifelong education goals of our Indigenous members.

Charles Weaselhead was officially installed as Chancellor at the University of Lethbridge during their Spring Convocation ceremony held on May 30, 2019. Currently, Charles is also a member of the Blood Tribe Department of Health Inc. Board of Directors, Aboriginal Liaison Red Cross, and Indigenous Knowledge Wisdom Centre Board of Director in partnership with Treaty 6, 7 and 8, Provincial and Federal Education Departments.

Some people may be under the impression that with the Paris Accord of 2015, and subsequent agreements made at a series of “Conference of the Parties” (COP) meetings, the problem of climate change is well on its way to being solved. Unfortunately, nothing could be farther from the truth. I will summarize some recent scientific findings that everyone needs to know about and discuss their implications for climate policy.

Speaker: Kent Peacock
Moderator: Mark Goettel

Kent Peacock is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Lethbridge. He works on the philosophy of science, logic, and (most recently) sustainability and climate change.

Mr. Schow will give some insight into the provincial budget for 2023, and recap important provincial investments over the last 3 years.

Speaker: HONOURABLE JOSEPH SCHOW, ECA
Minister Without Portfolio, Government House Leader, United Conservative Caucus, MLA for Cardston-Siksika

Moderator: Bev Muendel- Atherstone

Joseph Schow was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Cardston-Siksika, on April 16, 2019. He was appointed Government House Leader on October 24, 2022. He previously served as Deputy Government House Leader and Deputy Government Whip. He also served on several committees of the Legislative Assembly, including as Chair for the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices and the Select Special Committees on Democratic Accountability and the Child and Youth Advocate Search. He was Deputy Chair for the Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services and the Standing Committees on Private Bills and Private Members’ Public Bills and Privileges and Elections, Standing Orders and Printing. Before serving as a Member of the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Schow worked as a legislative coordinator with the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and as a parliamentary assistant with the House of Commons of Canada. He was self-employed for several years before this experienceMr. Schow holds a Bachelor of Arts in Russian from Dalhousie University and a master’s degree from George Washington University. His interests and hobbies include spending time with family, watching movies and reading. Mr. Schow speaks conversational Russian. He and his wife, Nicole, have three children. He was the 941st Member sworn in to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

With an Alberta election on the way this spring, Rachel Notley and Alberta’s NDP are promising to be a stable, caring, and competent government, focused on addressing the issues that matter to Lethbridge like lowering the cost of living and rebuilding public health care. With Danielle Smith’s government in a state of chaos, MLA Shannon Phillips will provide an alternative vision for a stronger Lethbridge and what she would prefer to see for her constituents and fellow Albertans.

Speaker: Shannon Phillips, MLA, Lethbridge West
Moderator: Dylon Purcell

Shannon Phillips was elected MLA for Lethbridge West as a member of Alberta’s New Democrats in 2015 and re-elected in 2019. She has been nominated by her party for the 2023 election again. MLA Phillips served as Minister of Environment and Parks from 2015-2019 and now chairs the Public Accounts Committee and serves as Opposition Critic for Treasury Board and Finance. She lives in Lethbridge with her two sons.

An account of what was learned about city finances and financial oversight during 8 years of service on Lethbridge City Council will be presented.

Speaker: Chris Spearman, Former Mayor of Lethbridge

Moderator: Mark Goettel

Chris Spearman was a Lethbridge resident from 1981 to 2022. He had more than 40 years ofbusiness experience, including 33 years as Manager of Accounting and Administration at the Black Velvet Distilling Company in Lethbridge. Chris served for 18 years on the Holy Spirit School Board and 8 years as the mayor of Lethbridge.

Find out why the Village Stirling embarked on a journey to net zero with the deployment of community-owned solar microgeneration beginning in 2018. More importantly, learn about this southern Alberta community’s plans to continue its leadership in energy sustainability and financial responsibility.

The Village of Stirling is one of just three communities in Canada designated as a National Historic Site and is the largest village in Alberta by population with 1,269 residents as of the 2019 municipal census. While Stirling is proud of its past, the community is also preparing for the future with high-speed fibre optic broadband internet service connected to more than 90% of households as well as solar arrays on public buildings to offset municipal power consumption needs resulting in Canada’s first electrically “net zero” Village for municipal purposes. The innovative community where families thrive continues to innovate with the start-up of a municipally controlled corporation in Ridge Utilities Ltd. to market electricity, natural gas, and internet across Alberta.

Speaker: Trevor Lewington - Mayor of Stirling

Moderator: Bev Muendel-Atherstone

With many years of executive leadership experience in the food processing industry, in addition to living the trials and tribulations of a small business owner combined with additional roles in the public sector, Trevor strives to provide a broad-based perspective and collaborative approach which will enhance initiatives that drive continued economic growth in southern Alberta. Trevor is the Mayor of the Village of Stirling now serving his third term on Council. Trevor is also the Chief Executive Officer for Economic Development Lethbridge.

Christian churches faced several significant challenges in the Covid-19 pandemic to attend to the spiritual needs of our community, and their post-crisis recovery continues to be very rocky.  This discussion will explore the various obstacles faith communities have faced since 2020, how they navigated those obstacles, and new pressures they are now facing. 

Speaker:    Reverend Taylor Croissant
Moderator:  Terry Shillington

The Reverend Taylor Croissant is an ordained minister in The United Church of Canada, currently serving at Southminster United Church in downtown Lethbridge.  He is originally from Medicine Hat, Alberta, and after earning a bachelor’s degree in Political Studies, he completed a Masters of Divinity at St. Andrew’s College in Saskatoon.  Before coming to Lethbridge, Taylor served several churches in northern Alberta, as well as a two-year appointment with The United Church’s global partner church in South Korea, The Presbyterian Church in The Republic of Korea.  He is the editor of Building God’s Beloved Community: Discipleship in The United Church of Canada, which was published in 2022.

Lethbridge Housing Authority – building healthy families and sustainable communities with appropriate and affordable homes.

Lethbridge Housing Authority (LHA) is a Housing Management body established by Ministerial Order in 1995. Its purpose is to provide affordable housing to seniors, individuals and families through the operations and administration of funding and properties owned by the Province of Alberta. Recognizing that housing is more than just the bricks and mortar of a building, LHA is a respected partner engaged in building vibrant communities through strong partnerships. We currently partner with several organization in order to address the complex social issues behind housing stability and homelessness in Lethbridge. We will explore the role Lethbridge Housing plays in the housing continuum, what more can be done to keep our most vulnerable citizens safely and affordability housed and what are we missing in Lethbridge to achieve a reduction in homelessness.

Speaker: Robin James
Moderator: Knud Petersen

Robin James began her career with Lethbridge Housing Authority in 2006 starting in the financial services department. In 2017 Robin was named the Chief Administrative Officer of the organization. Prior to joining Lethbridge Housing, Robin completed her education in Business Administration with a major in accounting. She worked in Southern Alberta’s vast agricultural sector in finance and accounting. Robin’s education, experience and values have allowed her to lead Lethbridge Housing in a fiscally conservative and socially responsible manner.