Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram (to name a few) are social media sites that have become the voice of our generation. These Internet platforms are tools used to discover who we are, to connect with each other and think globally, but these can also become spaces that perpetuate toxic norms and violence. The problem of cyber violence and online abuse is the greatest challenge the Internet faces today. While social media sites do not cause cyber violence they do impact the ways in which this violence occurs and they can impact the ways in which this violence is prevented. Learn what cyber violence is and isn’t, how young women are becoming change-makers and why social media companies have a responsibility to intervene. Today's topic is in conjunction with 16 days of activism against gender based violence. Speaker: Erin Leigh and Dillon Black Erin Leigh has a long-standing commitment to feminism and to anti-racist and anti-oppression principles and ways of working. She is the Executive Director of the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW). She has experience in international, Canadian and UK women’s rights. She has a graduate degree in gender and development from the Institute of Development Studies (UK), and has worked for the Association for Women’s Rights in Development, Oxfam GB, the UK Women’s Budget Group, Canadians for Choice and Status of Women Canada. Dillon Black is a gender-nonconforming anti-violence advocate; feminist media maker meets social worker. Dillon is passionate about youth centered initiatives and building capacity for community as a tool to educate and transform. Dillon is active in anti-violence work locally, and sees anti-racist, anti-oppression, and resiliency frameworks as central to the work they do. In the past Dillon was on the National Youth Advisory Board for Sexual Health and HIV, partnered with the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, and currently is a project coordinator at the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, a board member of the Queer Mafia, and studied Social Work with a double minor in Indigenous and Sexuality Studies at Carleton University. Moderator: Jeff Coffman Date: Thursday, Nov 26, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram (to name a few) are social media sites that have become the voice of our generation. These Internet platforms are tools used to discover who we are, to connect with each other and think globally, but these can also become spaces that perpetuate toxic norms and violence. The problem of cyber violence and online abuse is the greatest challenge the Internet faces today. While social media sites do not cause cyber violence they do impact the ways in which this violence occurs and they can impact the ways in which this violence is prevented. Learn what cyber violence is and isn’t, how young women are becoming change-makers and why social media companies have a responsibility to intervene. Today's topic is in conjunction with 16 days of activism against gender based violence. Speaker: Erin Leigh and Dillon Black Erin Leigh has a long-standing commitment to feminism and to anti-racist and anti-oppression principles and ways of working. She is the Executive Director of the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW). She has experience in international, Canadian and UK women’s rights. She has a graduate degree in gender and development from the Institute of Development Studies (UK), and has worked for the Association for Women’s Rights in Development, Oxfam GB, the UK Women’s Budget Group, Canadians for Choice and Status of Women Canada. Dillon Black is a gender-nonconforming anti-violence advocate; feminist media maker meets social worker. Dillon is passionate about youth centered initiatives and building capacity for community as a tool to educate and transform. Dillon is active in anti-violence work locally, and sees anti-racist, anti-oppression, and resiliency frameworks as central to the work they do. In the past Dillon was on the National Youth Advisory Board for Sexual Health and HIV, partnered with the Native Youth Sexual Health Network, and currently is a project coordinator at the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women, a board member of the Queer Mafia, and studied Social Work with a double minor in Indigenous and Sexuality Studies at Carleton University. Moderator: Jeff Coffman Date: Thursday, Nov 26, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

Off highway vehicles (OHV) pose a unique challenge to our watershed when balancing land use for recreation, tourism, and the environment. OHVs can be an exciting way for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy public land. However, irresponsible OHV activity can upset the delicate balance of natural areas through lasting damage to the landscape including: soil compaction, contamination, and erosion; loss of vegetation; wildfires; wildlife disruption; disturbance to streambeds; disruption of ecosystems via invasive species. Off trail activity often goes unreported and causes incalculable damage. How do we reconcile the destruction caused by illegal OHV activity? The speakers will argue that more needs to be done to educate and increase awareness of the issues of OHV. Speakers: Anna Garleff & Becky Cousins Anna Garleff, Communications Specialist with the Oldman Watershed Council (OWC), will take us through a tour of the headwaters during the 2015 summer. The OWC piloted its Engaging Recreationists program, hiring two Outreach Assistants and a Headwaters Consultant for program design and analysis. There were a few surprises along the way, much beauty and some heartbreak. The summer ended with the provincial government announcing two new parks in the Castle region. What does that mean for OHV use? What is the OWC doing to further engage recreationists – and indeed, all stakeholders in the conversations around watershed management and health? Becky Cousins is an outdoor enthusiast and an active member of the Lethbridge Naturalists’ Society, Helen Schuler Nature Centre volunteer team, Chinook Outdoor Club, and the Lethbridge Archaeologists’ Society. Her personal experience and first-hand accounts of the OHV activity in natural areas like Six Mile Coulee have led to increased preservation efforts of our local natural heritage. Becky wants an end to OHV activity in city parks and is campaigning for protection of Alexander Wilderness Park. Moderator: Curtis Goodman Date: Thursday, November 19, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

Off highway vehicles (OHV) pose a unique challenge to our watershed when balancing land use for recreation, tourism, and the environment. OHVs can be an exciting way for outdoor enthusiasts to enjoy public land. However, irresponsible OHV activity can upset the delicate balance of natural areas through lasting damage to the landscape including: soil compaction, contamination, and erosion; loss of vegetation; wildfires; wildlife disruption; disturbance to streambeds; disruption of ecosystems via invasive species. Off trail activity often goes unreported and causes incalculable damage. How do we reconcile the destruction caused by illegal OHV activity? The speakers will argue that more needs to be done to educate and increase awareness of the issues of OHV. Speakers: Anna Garleff & Becky Cousins Anna Garleff, Communications Specialist with the Oldman Watershed Council (OWC), will take us through a tour of the headwaters during the 2015 summer. The OWC piloted its Engaging Recreationists program, hiring two Outreach Assistants and a Headwaters Consultant for program design and analysis. There were a few surprises along the way, much beauty and some heartbreak. The summer ended with the provincial government announcing two new parks in the Castle region. What does that mean for OHV use? What is the OWC doing to further engage recreationists – and indeed, all stakeholders in the conversations around watershed management and health? Becky Cousins is an outdoor enthusiast and an active member of the Lethbridge Naturalists’ Society, Helen Schuler Nature Centre volunteer team, Chinook Outdoor Club, and the Lethbridge Archaeologists’ Society. Her personal experience and first-hand accounts of the OHV activity in natural areas like Six Mile Coulee have led to increased preservation efforts of our local natural heritage. Becky wants an end to OHV activity in city parks and is campaigning for protection of Alexander Wilderness Park. Moderator: Curtis Goodman Date: Thursday, November 19, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

Since the dramatic election results of May 5th swept the NDP into power after the 44-year long reign of the Progressive Conservative Party, there have been a multitude of changes in the government and in Alberta. The NDP brought in political financing changes, announced the protection of the Castle area, and restored funding to education and health, among many other things. But for some, who have waited their whole life to see this government change, change has been slow. Turning the ship of government is taking time, the speaker will argue, because there is just so much to change and some things are very hard to change. With an eye to the last six months, and an emphasis on the 2015 Budget, the speaker will argue that the changes brought by the NDP government are monumental because they reflect a wholesale shift in the reasoning utilized for decisions. The NDP are taking a new approach to government and the speaker will discuss how that new approach is reflected in the budget documents and in decisions reached over the last six months. Speaker: Honourable Shannon Phillips MLA Shannon Phillips was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Lethbridge-West, on May 5, 2015. On May 24, 2015, Ms. Phillips was sworn in to cabinet as Minister of Environment and Parks and as Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. She also serves as Deputy Government House Leader. Prior to serving with the Legislative Assembly, Ms. Phillips worked with the Alberta Federation of Labour as a policy analyst for five years. Ms. Phillips received a bachelor of arts with honours in political science in 1999 and in 2002 she completed her master of arts, both at the University of Alberta. Moderator:  Mike Spencer Date: Thursday, November 12, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

Since the dramatic election results of May 5th swept the NDP into power after the 44-year long reign of the Progressive Conservative Party, there have been a multitude of changes in the government and in Alberta. The NDP brought in political financing changes, announced the protection of the Castle area, and restored funding to education and health, among many other things. But for some, who have waited their whole life to see this government change, change has been slow. Turning the ship of government is taking time, the speaker will argue, because there is just so much to change and some things are very hard to change. With an eye to the last six months, and an emphasis on the 2015 Budget, the speaker will argue that the changes brought by the NDP government are monumental because they reflect a wholesale shift in the reasoning utilized for decisions. The NDP are taking a new approach to government and the speaker will discuss how that new approach is reflected in the budget documents and in decisions reached over the last six months. Speaker: Honourable Shannon Phillips MLA Shannon Phillips was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Lethbridge-West, on May 5, 2015. On May 24, 2015, Ms. Phillips was sworn in to cabinet as Minister of Environment and Parks and as Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. She also serves as Deputy Government House Leader. Prior to serving with the Legislative Assembly, Ms. Phillips worked with the Alberta Federation of Labour as a policy analyst for five years. Ms. Phillips received a bachelor of arts with honours in political science in 1999 and in 2002 she completed her master of arts, both at the University of Alberta. Moderator:  Mike Spencer Date: Thursday, November 12, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

For more than a century the foothills and Front Range Mountains of western Alberta have been recognized as being vital to the water supply for western Canada. Virtually all the water that sustains communities, ecosystems and the economy of prairie Canada comes from this narrow strip of land arrayed along the Continental Divide. For all its importance, however, water management decisions affecting this enormous region have ignored the significance of land health and focused almost exclusively on building dams. Implementation of the 2014 South Saskatchewan Regional Plan, which is designed in part to protect the South Saskatchewan headwaters, has encountered resistance from off-road vehicle enthusiasts who want unlimited access to designated trails, despite the damage caused to ecologically sensitive areas. Speaker: Kevin Van Tighem Kevin Van Tighem retired from the top job at Banff National Park in 2011, but that hasn’t stopped him from having an impact. The author and former park superintendent has remained a strong voice in the preservation of Alberta’s wilderness, and has been one of the most vocal supporters of crafting the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan. Kevin Van Tighem has written more than 200 articles, stories and essays on conservation and wildlife which have garnered him many awards, including Western Magazine Awards, Outdoor Writers of Canada book and magazine awards and the Journey Award for Fiction. He is the author of several book including Bears: Without Fear (2013), The Homeward Wolf (2013) and Heart Waters (2015) Moderator: Courtney Reiger Date: Thursday, November 5, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

For more than a century the foothills and Front Range Mountains of western Alberta have been recognized as being vital to the water supply for western Canada. Virtually all the water that sustains communities, ecosystems and the economy of prairie Canada comes from this narrow strip of land arrayed along the Continental Divide. For all its importance, however, water management decisions affecting this enormous region have ignored the significance of land health and focused almost exclusively on building dams. Implementation of the 2014 South Saskatchewan Regional Plan, which is designed in part to protect the South Saskatchewan headwaters, has encountered resistance from off-road vehicle enthusiasts who want unlimited access to designated trails, despite the damage caused to ecologically sensitive areas. Speaker: Kevin Van Tighem Kevin Van Tighem retired from the top job at Banff National Park in 2011, but that hasn’t stopped him from having an impact. The author and former park superintendent has remained a strong voice in the preservation of Alberta’s wilderness, and has been one of the most vocal supporters of crafting the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan. Kevin Van Tighem has written more than 200 articles, stories and essays on conservation and wildlife which have garnered him many awards, including Western Magazine Awards, Outdoor Writers of Canada book and magazine awards and the Journey Award for Fiction. He is the author of several book including Bears: Without Fear (2013), The Homeward Wolf (2013) and Heart Waters (2015) Moderator: Courtney Reiger Date: Thursday, November 5, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

Hailed as “a myth-destroying blockbuster book” by Ralph Nader, Gordon Laxer’s latest book, “After the Sands” outlines a vision and road map to transition Canada to a low- carbon society: a plan lacking within all of Canada’s major political parties. Despite its oil abundance, Canada is woefully unprepared for the next global oil supply crisis. Canada imports 40 percent of its oil, yet—unlike twenty-six of the other twenty-eight international energy agency members—has no strategic petroleum reserves to meet temporary shortages. Canadians use 27 to 39 percent more oil per capita than other sparsely populated, northern countries like Norway, Finland and Sweden. Speaker: Gordon Laxer, PhD Gordon Laxer is the founding director and former head of Parkland Institute at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. A political economist and professor emeritus at the University of Alberta, Laxer is a prominent public intellectual. He has been widely published in both newspapers and academic journals, and has authored several other books, including “Open for Business: The Roots of Foreign Ownership in Canada” Moderator: Trevor Harrison Date: Friday, October 30, 2015 Time: Noon – 1:30 pm Location: Room L1060 in the U of L Library Building Free and open to everyone, the Department of Sociology is pleased to host Dr. Gordon Laxer as he presents his latest book. Co-sponsored by the Parkland Institute and SACPA.

When the Liberal Party won the 1968 Canadian election, Pierre Elliot Trudeau rode a popular personal wave called “Trudeaumania” to victory. At the recent October 19 Federal Election, his son Justin Trudeau, appears to have used some of the same “magic”, enabling the Liberals to win a majority and reducing the governing Conservative Party to opposition status along with the NDP, Bloc and Greens. No doubt however that other factors played a role in the conservatives defeat. For example, were many Canadians looking for a change in the political landscape, what happened to the NDP fortunes and had the Harper Government reached its “best before date”? The speaker will unpack the election results and articulate which promises the Liberal Government may prioritize. He will also speculate on whether collaboration with provinces and other parties may improve. Speaker: Dr. Harold Jansen Harold Jansen a political scientist at the University of Lethbridge interested in the ways in which Canadians and Albertans interact with their governments through political parties and new technology. He completed his B.A. at the University of Alberta and earned his M.A. at Carleton University in Ottawa before returning to the University of Alberta and finishing his Ph.D. in Political Science in 1998. Jansen came to the University of Lethbridge shortly after receiving his Ph.D. and has been here ever since. His research has focused on Alberta politics, electoral systems and electoral reform, Canadian political party finance, and the impact of the Internet on political communication and democratic citizenship. Passionate about teaching, Jansen appreciates the opportunities which smaller universities offer for mentoring undergraduate students. From July 2013 to June 2015, he served as one of the university's two Board of Governors Teaching Chairs and on July 1, 2015, Jansen became Chair of the Political Science department at U of L. Moderator: Christina Cuthbertson Date: Thursday, October 29, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)