Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

CKXU began as CKUL in 1972, when a public address system was set up in Section A of University Hall at the University of Lethbridge to broadcast musical content inside the building during the day. The station was managed by the University of Lethbridge Students' Union. The CKUL Radio Society was incorporated in Oct. 1977, to govern the affairs of the station, and a year later the CRTC granted the society a license to broadcast on 530 AM In 2003, the CRTC approved the application to operate a new English language community based campus FM radio station in Lethbridge. CKUL’s call letters were changed to CKXU, and on April 8, 2004, the station began to broadcast at 88.3 FM to the city of Lethbridge and the surrounding area from a 125W transmitter located on top of the Students’ Union Building at the University of Lethbridge. CKXU 88.3 FM now broadcasts for more than 168 hours per week, year-round, with a volunteer core of over 100 members. The importance of community radio and independent media will be discussed in the context of corporate mass media and social media competition as well as issues regarding the need for grass-roots funding to operate. Speakers: Benjamin Maine and Aaron Trozzo Benjamin Maine is an enigma wrapped in a tortilla and served with a side of guacamole. He started with CKXU as a founding member of the Coalbanks Dispatch, a radio collective focused on Social Justice and Human Rights issues. This is his second year as CKXU's Program Director where he trains new DJs, manages the program schedule, and - with the help of our wonderful Technical Director - oversees live broadcasts for the station. Aaron Trozzo is like if Jean Luc Picard and Ned Stark had a baby and that baby was raised to preside over a community radio station. He's a collaborative artist that has worked in a variety of media (music, video, photography) and has been CKXU's Benevolent Overlor-er, Program Director since 2009 and he's transformed the station from a ragtag bunch of hooligans into the well-oiled machine that it is today.

What is meant by civil liberties? According to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, civil liberties are protecting those freedoms that are considered fundamental in a democratic society. These fundamental freedoms include freedom of opinion, thought, belief and expression, freedom of the press, freedom of conscience and religion, and freedom of association and peaceful assembly. It is almost impossible to imagine how a democracy would work without protection for these most basic rights and freedoms, and yet they continue to be under attack in many ways. The speakers qualified as finalists in the recently held University of Lethbridge Student Speaker Challenge, beating out six other talented competitors. Sponsored by SACPA, LPIRG and ULSU, each year’s competition addresses a different topic and this year, civil liberties or the lack thereof was the topic. The presenters will address civil liberties from different perspectives and give a glimpse of how post-secondary students view the importance of free speech and the issue of privacy. Speakers: Raul Vergara and Sandon Law Raul Vergara is 21 years old and is originally from Mexico City. He majors in Economics and is studying in the University of Lethbridge as part of the international exchange program. He is interested in politics and economic development. Sandon Law is a first year combined degree student of Marketing and Education. He has been involved with speech and debate since junior high and he was a founding member of the speech club at his previous high school in Calgary. Sandon was privileged to compete in Public Speaking on a National Level at Canada Skills in 2013 and his role as a school ambassador lead him to winning the Premier's Citizenship Award and Gold Duke of Edinburgh. Date: Thursday, February 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 only)

What is meant by civil liberties? According to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, civil liberties are protecting those freedoms that are considered fundamental in a democratic society. These fundamental freedoms include freedom of opinion, thought, belief and expression, freedom of the press, freedom of conscience and religion, and freedom of association and peaceful assembly. It is almost impossible to imagine how a democracy would work without protection for these most basic rights and freedoms, and yet they continue to be under attack in many ways. The speakers qualified as finalists in the recently held University of Lethbridge Student Speaker Challenge, beating out six other talented competitors. Sponsored by SACPA, LPIRG and ULSU, each year’s competition addresses a different topic and this year, civil liberties or the lack thereof was the topic. The presenters will address civil liberties from different perspectives and give a glimpse of how post-secondary students view the importance of free speech and the issue of privacy. Speakers: Raul Vergara and Sandon Law Raul Vergara is 21 years old and is originally from Mexico City. He majors in Economics and is studying in the University of Lethbridge as part of the international exchange program. He is interested in politics and economic development. Sandon Law is a first year combined degree student of Marketing and Education. He has been involved with speech and debate since junior high and he was a founding member of the speech club at his previous high school in Calgary. Sandon was privileged to compete in Public Speaking on a National Level at Canada Skills in 2013 and his role as a school ambassador lead him to winning the Premier's Citizenship Award and Gold Duke of Edinburgh. Date: Thursday, February 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 only)

ECMap was an Alberta Government funded 5-year project that worked to raise community awareness of the results of an intensive study on the readiness of Alberta’s children for kindergarten. The Government invested 26 million dollars to gather Early Development Instrument (EDI) data, interpret it, and share the results with communities province-wide. We learned that Alberta’s kindergarten children are behind the Canadian average in their performance, with children in Lethbridge behind the Provincial average. Why is it so when we know that the preschool years are the most important time for brain development? We also know that skills that support a child’s success in school and in life are trainable and can be developed through simple play activities that stimulate thinking, problem solving and self-regulation. Our speakers will share some of the work currently underway that aims to address these issues. Speakers: Robbin Gibb and LaVonne Rideout Robbin Gibb is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge. Her research funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada investigates parental influences on brain development and recovery from early brain injury. She is currently studying the effectiveness of improving adult capability in parent/caregivers of preschoolers by increasing their knowledge about executive function and early literacy. Robbin is a proud mother of two and grandmother of seven. LaVonne Rideout grew up as the fifth of six children on a mixed farm near Pincher Creek. Helping the next generation get a good start has been a motivating goal during her 30 years in early learning and child care. As part of the provincial government’s drive to increase child-care spaces, she was given a mandate to create 500 new child-care spaces in her region over three years. She and her team created more than 2000 new spaces in two years by engaging communities from the start. For the past five years, LaVonne has worked passionately doing community development for the Early Child Development Mapping project. She has five sons and can now add Grandma as a favorite title. Moderator: Bev Muendel-Atherstone Date: Thursday, February 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 only)

ECMap was an Alberta Government funded 5-year project that worked to raise community awareness of the results of an intensive study on the readiness of Alberta’s children for kindergarten. The Government invested 26 million dollars to gather Early Development Instrument (EDI) data, interpret it, and share the results with communities province-wide. We learned that Alberta’s kindergarten children are behind the Canadian average in their performance, with children in Lethbridge behind the Provincial average. Why is it so when we know that the preschool years are the most important time for brain development? We also know that skills that support a child’s success in school and in life are trainable and can be developed through simple play activities that stimulate thinking, problem solving and self-regulation. Our speakers will share some of the work currently underway that aims to address these issues. Speakers: Robbin Gibb and LaVonne Rideout Robbin Gibb is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge. Her research funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada investigates parental influences on brain development and recovery from early brain injury. She is currently studying the effectiveness of improving adult capability in parent/caregivers of preschoolers by increasing their knowledge about executive function and early literacy. Robbin is a proud mother of two and grandmother of seven. LaVonne Rideout grew up as the fifth of six children on a mixed farm near Pincher Creek. Helping the next generation get a good start has been a motivating goal during her 30 years in early learning and child care. As part of the provincial government’s drive to increase child-care spaces, she was given a mandate to create 500 new child-care spaces in her region over three years. She and her team created more than 2000 new spaces in two years by engaging communities from the start. For the past five years, LaVonne has worked passionately doing community development for the Early Child Development Mapping project. She has five sons and can now add Grandma as a favorite title. Moderator: Bev Muendel-Atherstone Date: Thursday, February 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 only)

A motion to mandate that Alberta schools support the creation of student-led gay-straight alliances (GSAs) in schools where students have requested it, was defeated in the Alberta Legislature early last year. In late 2014 two Bills dealing with the same student-led gay-straight alliances were brought before the legislature. The first, Bill 202, was a private members Bill, which prompted the Government to draft its own, Bill 10. By the time the dust settled and amendments were attempted, neither Bill was passed as Premier Prentice stepped in and put the Bills on hold pending further studies. Researchers at the University of British Columbia recently released the results of an extensive study showing that GSAs reduce the risk of suicide for all students, LGBTQ and straight. The speaker will present further background information on this controversial topic and discuss what is known about the effects GSAs can have for all students in the schools where they are established. Speaker: Robert Cey, PhD Dr. Cey is an Assistant Professor of Counselling Psychology with the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge. He is also a registered provisional psychologist and has a research focus on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender issues in Psychology (particularly processes of individual identity development and understanding and overcoming the effects of homophobic violence and verbal abuse). Dr. Cey’s presentation will include some background on the legislative history of GSAs in Alberta, some information on the common goals and activities of the groups, and what is known about how GSAs are believed to affect both the social and interpersonal climates of schools and students’ mental health. Moderator: Shannan Little Date: Thursday, February 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 only)

A motion to mandate that Alberta schools support the creation of student-led gay-straight alliances (GSAs) in schools where students have requested it, was defeated in the Alberta Legislature early last year. In late 2014 two Bills dealing with the same student-led gay-straight alliances were brought before the legislature. The first, Bill 202, was a private members Bill, which prompted the Government to draft its own, Bill 10. By the time the dust settled and amendments were attempted, neither Bill was passed as Premier Prentice stepped in and put the Bills on hold pending further studies. Researchers at the University of British Columbia recently released the results of an extensive study showing that GSAs reduce the risk of suicide for all students, LGBTQ and straight. The speaker will present further background information on this controversial topic and discuss what is known about the effects GSAs can have for all students in the schools where they are established. Speaker: Robert Cey, PhD Dr. Cey is an Assistant Professor of Counselling Psychology with the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge. He is also a registered provisional psychologist and has a research focus on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender issues in Psychology (particularly processes of individual identity development and understanding and overcoming the effects of homophobic violence and verbal abuse). Dr. Cey’s presentation will include some background on the legislative history of GSAs in Alberta, some information on the common goals and activities of the groups, and what is known about how GSAs are believed to affect both the social and interpersonal climates of schools and students’ mental health. Moderator: Shannan Little Date: Thursday, February 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 only)

Lethbridge residents could send a lot less garbage to the landfill if a city-wide curbside organics recycling program were to be implemented. Diverting residential food and yard waste from the landfill could save not only valuable landfill space, it could also eliminate much of the methane that organics generate in a landfill. It is well known that recycling organics is better for the environment in many ways as it turns waste material into new and friendly products of value, with the possibility of also creating biogas capable of generating power. The speaker will explain the challenges Lethbridge residents are likely to face, including costs, while describing the experience she had helping implement Airdrie’s curbside organics recycling program recently. Speaker: Kathleen Muretti Kathleen Muretti is Manager of Fleet, Procurement, Accounts Payable, Waste & Recycling and has worked for the City of Airdrie since 2001. Kathleen is an active member of the National Institute Government Purchasing and the Canadian Public Procurement Council serving on the CPPC Board of Directors since 2005. She represents the CPPC sitting on the Board of Directors for the National Council Public Procurement and Contracting (NCPPC). Kathleen also represents Canada with the Governing Board of Directors of the UPPCC (Universal Public Procurement Certification Council). She has earned a Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), a Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO), and a Certified Procurement Card Professional (CPCP). Kathleen is a regular speaker, host and commentator at business seminars and conferences. Moderator: Cheryl Bradley Date: Thursday, February 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 only)

Lethbridge residents could send a lot less garbage to the landfill if a city-wide curbside organics recycling program were to be implemented. Diverting residential food and yard waste from the landfill could save not only valuable landfill space, it could also eliminate much of the methane that organics generate in a landfill. It is well known that recycling organics is better for the environment in many ways as it turns waste material into new and friendly products of value, with the possibility of also creating biogas capable of generating power. The speaker will explain the challenges Lethbridge residents are likely to face, including costs, while describing the experience she had helping implement Airdrie’s curbside organics recycling program recently. Speaker: Kathleen Muretti Kathleen Muretti is Manager of Fleet, Procurement, Accounts Payable, Waste & Recycling and has worked for the City of Airdrie since 2001. Kathleen is an active member of the National Institute Government Purchasing and the Canadian Public Procurement Council serving on the CPPC Board of Directors since 2005. She represents the CPPC sitting on the Board of Directors for the National Council Public Procurement and Contracting (NCPPC). Kathleen also represents Canada with the Governing Board of Directors of the UPPCC (Universal Public Procurement Certification Council). She has earned a Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), a Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO), and a Certified Procurement Card Professional (CPCP). Kathleen is a regular speaker, host and commentator at business seminars and conferences. Moderator: Cheryl Bradley Date: Thursday, February 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 only)

On March 16, 2009, the Alberta Government announced an ambitious plan to end homelessness in this province, the first to make such declaration in Canada. This plan saw a shift from relying on emergency shelters to manage the problem and instead use Housing First principles to create not only housing stability but diversion from future homelessness. From a financial perspective, simply managing homelessness was projected to cost the Alberta Government more than six billion dollars over 10 years. This figure does not include the indirect costs of homelessness that tax payers absorb through the health, corrections and justice systems which conservatively is estimated at 100,000 dollars per homeless person per year. This is a far cry from the projected 3.16 Billion dollars that the implementation of the plan to end homelessness will cost over the same 10 year period. From a human stand point, healthier Canadians mean healthier homes and children which means a brighter future for Canada. The speaker will argue that from a moral and fiscal stand point, working until every Albertan and every Canadian has a home, just makes good sense. Speaker: Audrey Skoog In 1997 at age 17, Audrey became an unlikely advocate for social issues after having experienced youth homelessness. As a vocal consumer in the system, she was asked to speak in Ottawa on child poverty. Since then her experiences have led her to an education in psychology which led to even further adventures overseas and back here at home. In 2008 Audrey started a grassroots advocacy group to bring media attention, local awareness and raise funds for homeless initiatives. This group allowed those working in the social care system to make impacts in a way that they were restrained from in their normal agency settings. This group was able to garner media attention for the need for broader addictions services and was able to bring a human face to homelessness. Along with this, Audrey worked in the homeless continuum, first as a part of Alberta’s Outreach Initiative Pilot Project and then as one of the members of Medicine Hat’s first Housing First Team. Audrey now works as a manager at the emergency shelter and enjoys many community partnerships which are a direct result of Medicine Hat’s collective grass roots attitude, community inclusion and a willingness to work consistently with data and the truths that data brings when it comes to needed change. Moderator: Larry Elford Date: Thursday, January 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 only)