Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

Climate change may be the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced. If the present trend continues, the world will likely experience a severe average increase in temperature by the end of this century, endangering our civilization, as we know it. The speaker will argue it is time to put the climate change debate behind us and get on with the tasks at hand. We will need to both mitigate and adapt. Food insecurity for example is already an issue many places on the globe and will probably get worse as we head into a warmer world. It is however not too late to avoid the worst effects of climate change if we act now. Luckily, many strategies are available to reduce the risks, but political will is lagging on when, where and how to start. The speaker will discuss important facts about the impacts of climate change on food security both here and in other parts of the world as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation options at the grassroots level. Speaker: Sandy Aberdeen Sandy completed the Environmental Management program at the University of Calgary 16 years ago. A Leadership for the Environment and Development (LEAD) fellow, Sandy and his son started Calgary’s first single site urban farm. He has recently completed a permaculture design course with Verge Permaculture, and in August 2012 received training from Al Gore to present on The Climate Reality Project. Taking the Environmental Management Program helped Sandy understand environmental issues and challenges. The more he learns about climate change and global warming the more concerned he becomes and he feels morally and ethically obligated to work on making a difference.

Climate change may be the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced. If the present trend continues, the world will likely experience a severe average increase in temperature by the end of this century, endangering our civilization, as we know it. The speaker will argue it is time to put the climate change debate behind us and get on with the tasks at hand. We will need to both mitigate and adapt. Food insecurity for example is already an issue many places on the globe and will probably get worse as we head into a warmer world. It is however not too late to avoid the worst effects of climate change if we act now. Luckily, many strategies are available to reduce the risks, but political will is lagging on when, where and how to start. The speaker will discuss important facts about the impacts of climate change on food security both here and in other parts of the world as well as climate change mitigation and adaptation options at the grassroots level. Speaker: Sandy Aberdeen Sandy completed the Environmental Management program at the University of Calgary 16 years ago. A Leadership for the Environment and Development (LEAD) fellow, Sandy and his son started Calgary’s first single site urban farm. He has recently completed a permaculture design course with Verge Permaculture, and in August 2012 received training from Al Gore to present on The Climate Reality Project. Taking the Environmental Management Program helped Sandy understand environmental issues and challenges. The more he learns about climate change and global warming the more concerned he becomes and he feels morally and ethically obligated to work on making a difference.

The speaker will examine societal attitudes toward the disabled. He believes that society focuses on the physical infrastructure (i.e. ramps, sidewalks, points of entry, city transit and other modes of public transportation, etc.) and neglects a more serious problem, namely people’s patronizing attitudes towards the disabled. Even the medical profession contributes to the problem by seeing the handicapped as people in need of a cure. And by the way, how well are we doing in creating a community that is accessible to those who are disabled? The speaker believes the handicapped need to be seen as people who are different but equal. Virtually everyone is part of the problem and everyone needs to be part of the solution. Speaker: Ned Shillington. Ned Shillington lives in Calgary. He was educated as a lawyer in Saskatchewan and entered politics there in 1971. He spent 24 years as a member of the Sask. Legislature, and 11 years as a member of the Sask. cabinet. In 1997 he became a paraplegic. Ned is a past president of the Canadian Paraplegic Association, a national organization representing people with spinal cord injuries. He is currently the vice president of the Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Paraplegic Association. This background has given him a unique perspective on people’s attitudes towards the handicapped.

The speaker will examine societal attitudes toward the disabled. He believes that society focuses on the physical infrastructure (i.e. ramps, sidewalks, points of entry, city transit and other modes of public transportation, etc.) and neglects a more serious problem, namely people’s patronizing attitudes towards the disabled. Even the medical profession contributes to the problem by seeing the handicapped as people in need of a cure. And by the way, how well are we doing in creating a community that is accessible to those who are disabled? The speaker believes the handicapped need to be seen as people who are different but equal. Virtually everyone is part of the problem and everyone needs to be part of the solution. Speaker: Ned Shillington. Ned Shillington lives in Calgary. He was educated as a lawyer in Saskatchewan and entered politics there in 1971. He spent 24 years as a member of the Sask. Legislature, and 11 years as a member of the Sask. cabinet. In 1997 he became a paraplegic. Ned is a past president of the Canadian Paraplegic Association, a national organization representing people with spinal cord injuries. He is currently the vice president of the Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Paraplegic Association. This background has given him a unique perspective on people’s attitudes towards the handicapped.

In recent years Lethbridge has watched the local Roman Catholic community in tension with Bishop Henry over who has authority to make decisions around the life and future of that parish. This public debate raises important questions: Should the Roman Catholic Church be more democratic? What about other denominations - are they more democratic? If a church draws its energy and vision from revelation (the Bible, the Holy Spirit, the traditions of the larger Church) how can it be democratic? Would modern churches be far healthier if they were democratic? What is meant by “democracy” and what would that look like in the life of churches? The speaker will be exploring these and more questions as he looks at authority in Christian churches, and whether democracy has any place in the life of organized religion. Speaker: Tom Robinson Tom Robinson is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Lethbridge, where he has taught courses in the history of Christianity and in Greek language for the last twenty-six years. His primary research is in Christianity and Judaism in the Roman Empire and in new religious movements in the early 1900s. His latest books are: Ignatius of Antioch and the Parting of the Ways: Early Jewish-Christian Relations (Baker Academic, 2009) and (with Lanette Ruff) Out of the Mouths of Babes: Girl Evangelists in the Flapper Era (Oxford University Press, 2012).

In recent years Lethbridge has watched the local Roman Catholic community in tension with Bishop Henry over who has authority to make decisions around the life and future of that parish. This public debate raises important questions: Should the Roman Catholic Church be more democratic? What about other denominations - are they more democratic? If a church draws its energy and vision from revelation (the Bible, the Holy Spirit, the traditions of the larger Church) how can it be democratic? Would modern churches be far healthier if they were democratic? What is meant by “democracy” and what would that look like in the life of churches? The speaker will be exploring these and more questions as he looks at authority in Christian churches, and whether democracy has any place in the life of organized religion. Speaker: Tom Robinson Tom Robinson is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Lethbridge, where he has taught courses in the history of Christianity and in Greek language for the last twenty-six years. His primary research is in Christianity and Judaism in the Roman Empire and in new religious movements in the early 1900s. His latest books are: Ignatius of Antioch and the Parting of the Ways: Early Jewish-Christian Relations (Baker Academic, 2009) and (with Lanette Ruff) Out of the Mouths of Babes: Girl Evangelists in the Flapper Era (Oxford University Press, 2012).

World population at 7 billion has evoked concern, but also opens doors to new thinking about the environment, sustainability, consumption, distribution and taking stock of ourselves. The speaker will reveal what the future may hold based on current research regarding population trends here and world-wide. Speaker: Susan McDaniel Ph.D. Dr. Susan McDaniel is Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Global Population and Life Course (the first Tier 1 CRC in social sciences at the U of L), Prentice Research Chair in Global Population and Economy, Director of the Prentice Institute and Professor of Sociology at the University of Lethbridge. She relocated to Lethbridge in the summer of 2009 from the University of Utah where she was Professor and Senior Investigator in the Institute for Public & International Affairs. She had previously taught at the Universities of Alberta and Waterloo. Dr. McDaniel is an internationally known sociologist/social demographer, the author of many books and research articles. She is a frequent advisor on social and science policies both in Canada and around the World.

At a January 24, 2012 meeting between the Federal Government and First Nation Chiefs, the Harper government told the Chiefs the Indian Act would not be abolished. Instead, a new act known as Bill S-6, The First Nations Election Act would be implemented. Bill S-6 is voluntary and First Nation Governments can opt into the First Nations Elections Act or continue to be legislated by the Indian Act election requirements. Many political concerns exist regarding the leadership /electoral process on Canada’s Indian Reservations. Because the structure of government is legislated under the Indian Act, it is a municipal style of elected officials in a single electoral zone. Therefore, the only recourse by peoples living on reserves is to raise their concerns with the Minister of Indian Affairs regarding corrupt acts of their government. Rather than hearing each case individually, the Harper Government has introduced Bill S-6 in an attempt to solve the internal problems of Chief and Council elections on Indian Reserves across Canada. The speaker will argue that Bill S-6 has several measures which are not democratic for First Nations. Under Bill S-6, the existing government/Chief and Council may abuse their legislative powers and arbitrary reduce the number of elected officials without referendum or consultation with voters. Another danger of Bill S-6 is the lack of official consultation with First Nation governments by the Federal Government resulting in a lack of Treaty /fiduciary obligations. Furthermore, if corrupt acts are taking place by the existing First Nation government, the Minister of Indian Affairs can impose Bill S-6 without consultation. Currently, Bill S-6 is at the Senate for third reading and as of May 4, 2012, has been introduced to the House of Commons. Speaker: Mike Frank Mike Frank has been the Chief Electoral Officer for the Stoney (Chiniki) First Nation, a Deputy Electoral Officer for the Kainai First Nation, a Deputy Returning Officer for the recent Provincial election, and policy advisor for many First Nation Governments. Mike is a member of the Kainai First Nation and is a graduate from the University of Lethbridge Currently; Mike is a Lethbridge College & Peigan Board of Education Instructor.

At a January 24, 2012 meeting between the Federal Government and First Nation Chiefs, the Harper government told the Chiefs the Indian Act would not be abolished. Instead, a new act known as Bill S-6, The First Nations Election Act would be implemented. Bill S-6 is voluntary and First Nation Governments can opt into the First Nations Elections Act or continue to be legislated by the Indian Act election requirements. Many political concerns exist regarding the leadership /electoral process on Canada’s Indian Reservations. Because the structure of government is legislated under the Indian Act, it is a municipal style of elected officials in a single electoral zone. Therefore, the only recourse by peoples living on reserves is to raise their concerns with the Minister of Indian Affairs regarding corrupt acts of their government. Rather than hearing each case individually, the Harper Government has introduced Bill S-6 in an attempt to solve the internal problems of Chief and Council elections on Indian Reserves across Canada. The speaker will argue that Bill S-6 has several measures which are not democratic for First Nations. Under Bill S-6, the existing government/Chief and Council may abuse their legislative powers and arbitrary reduce the number of elected officials without referendum or consultation with voters. Another danger of Bill S-6 is the lack of official consultation with First Nation governments by the Federal Government resulting in a lack of Treaty /fiduciary obligations. Furthermore, if corrupt acts are taking place by the existing First Nation government, the Minister of Indian Affairs can impose Bill S-6 without consultation. Currently, Bill S-6 is at the Senate for third reading and as of May 4, 2012, has been introduced to the House of Commons. Speaker: Mike Frank Mike Frank has been the Chief Electoral Officer for the Stoney (Chiniki) First Nation, a Deputy Electoral Officer for the Kainai First Nation, a Deputy Returning Officer for the recent Provincial election, and policy advisor for many First Nation Governments. Mike is a member of the Kainai First Nation and is a graduate from the University of Lethbridge Currently; Mike is a Lethbridge College & Peigan Board of Education Instructor.

James Lovelock, scientist and originator of the Gaia hypothesis, said in 2007 that; "Before this century is over, billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic." Recently, as reported in the Daily Mail, he said; “The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing. We thought we knew 20 years ago. That led to some alarmist books – mine included – because it looked clear-cut, but it hasn’t happened.” “We were supposed to be halfway toward a frying world now.” How could a reputable scientist have been so far off track? How can the rest of us separate fact from fantasy? Alarming climate change announcements seemingly go far beyond the fundamental scientific postulate that increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will change the radiative heat transfer properties of the earth sufficiently to cause significant warming. Establishing confirmatory evidence is difficult and may be far from conclusive. The speaker will present his opinion on how deception was achieved, the motive, the inadequacies of the data and the methods used to achieve a premeditated result. Speaker: Tim Ball, Ph.D. Dr. Ball retired from the University of Winnipeg in 1996 to pursue his long time interest in climate change. He is skeptical of some aspects of developing climate change science and policy. He maintains a website where details are presented. He is also a featured speaker with the International Climate Science Coalition. His public presentations have been enthusiastically received by some professional societies, business conferences, public forums and a wide variety of public, private and non-profit organizations. Dr. Ball studied at the Universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba receiving his B.A and M.A. from them, respectively, in 1970 and 1971. He earned his Ph.D. from Saint Mary’s College of the University of London in 1982 with a specialization in climatology. Moderator: Duane Pendergast Date: Thursday, May 31, 2012 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM Location: Country Kitchen Catering (Lower level of The Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $10.00 (includes lunch) Visit the SACPA website: http://www.sacpa.ca