Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

In a 2015 ruling, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously voted that the prohibition on assisted death in the Criminal Code was unconstitutional. This led to Parliament passing Bill C-14 in 2016, amending the Criminal Code to allow legal exemptions for MAiD. Since its passage, MAiD usage has increased every year, with a total of 10,064 MAID provisions in 2021 alone, accounting for 3.3% of all deaths in Canada. Public polling suggests that the majority of Canadians support MAiD, but their opinions about the service are nuanced and complex. There continues to be stigma, taboo, logistical and procedural challenges, as well as ethical and equity concerns about the practice. In debates about MAiD, very little attention has been paid to the rural parts of the country. There is of course no singular, agreed-upon definition of rural, but the concept often includes a combination of geography, culture, population size or density, and qualitative experience. Given that rurality is a significant and often overlooked dete

The Lethbridge Historical Society (originally the Whoop-Up Chapter of the Historical Society of Alberta) has been publishing occasional papers/books since the 1960s. The Society’s current publication – Upon Further Reflection: Lethbridge Then and Now – is the Society’s 62nd publication. The book is an update of the LHS’ 1980 publication: Reflections: Lethbridge Then and Now, written by Warren Hall and Barb Goodman. The captions in the new book were researched and written by Belinda Crowson, and the new photographs taken by Mike Jensen and Belinda Crowson. Upon Further Reflection shares the story of the grand and the mundane buildings in all parts of the city, showing how sites have changed and providing readers a glimpse into the development of some areas of the community. Belinda Crowson will outline the LHS’ book publishing program and its role in supporting local history and historians. She will also explore the research and work that went into this publication and how the stories of local history are capt

The Indigenous Recovery Program is dedicated to proactively addressing the opioid crisis by implementing a comprehensive and collaborative approach rooted in cultural sensitivity, compassion, and harm reduction. Our mission is to reduce opioid-related deaths, raise awareness about opioid misuse, enhance access to culturally relevant, compassionate, and non-judgmental services, and forge a holistic path forward for First Nations living in urban areas. Goals are to: Foster open dialogue on opioid-related issues to reduce stigma and encourage early intervention. Expand and enhance culturally sensitive treatment and support services for individuals struggling with opioid addiction. Educate healthcare professionals and service providers in culturally competent care to ensure a supportive and understanding environment. Facilitate collaborative efforts involving community leaders, elders, healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and other stakeholders to address the opioid crisis comprehensively. Develop a holisti

While Opioid addictions and overdoses is a crisis across the country and provincially, the statistics are staggering for Southern Alberta. The speaker will provide context and put a face to these statistics. The presentation will address Policies developed to stem the tide of addiction and drug poisonings. Policies purported to assist individuals to treatment and support will be reviewed. The advocacy of “Moms Stop the Harm” and the policies and solutions the group would like to see implemented will be discussed. Speaker: Amber Jensen Amber Jensen is a member of Moms Stop the Harm and a social justice advocate in Southern Alberta. She has 13 years experience working in the human services field and holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Lethbridge. Amber is the co-author of “I Am the Opioid Crisis: Stories from Southern Alberta”. She also started a non-profit organization called Sweetgrass Youth Alliance that strives to support youth transitioning from youth to adulthood that are involved in the c

Pro-Choice YQL’s goal is to empower individuals in Southern Alberta with the knowledge and resources necessary to make informed choices about their reproductive health and sexual wellness. We are dedicated to advocating for access to safe and legal abortion services, contraception, and comprehensive sexual education. Our vision is a future where reproductive justice is a reality for all. We firmly believe that every person in Southern Alberta deserves the reproductive care they require, free from judgment, discrimination, and stigma. We are committed to building a more equitable and inclusive future by championing the rights of individuals to make decisions about their own bodies and lives. We aim to foster a community where reproductive healthcare is readily accessible and celebrated as a fundamental component of overall health and well-being. Speaker: Jenn Prosser, Pro-Choice YQL Jenn Prosser is the Community Access Coordinator and WAGE Project Coordinator for Pro-Choice YQL. Jenn has two decades of experie

Despite its seemingly objective stance towards history, rooted in the analysis of material remains of past societies, archaeological interpretation is often contested and invoked to make arguments about the present. Archaeology acts, in some ways, as a metaphorical fault line in contemporary societies, upon which power and identity is negotiated through reference to past peoples and things. Because of this, how people treat cultural heritage can be used as a barometer for different kinds of political sentiments, from the rights of women and minorities to public mistrust of vaccines. In this talk, the speaker will explore how archaeology and the treatment of cultural heritage has related to the political and social movements from the 18th century to the present. He will discuss how Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt prefigured the extractive colonial regimes of the Victorian era. The treatment of First Nations bodies by museums in the same period reflected genocidal policies of settler colonialism. More recently, th

Energy transition — moving away from fossil fuels toward more renewable sources of energy — is well underway, even in Alberta. For example, Alberta will move completely away from coal-fired electricity by the end of 2023. Despite this, energy transition is sometimes presented as, and for some genuinely perceived as an “existential” threat to economic prosperity, particularly for provinces like Alberta. This presentation outlines public opinion about energy transition; knowing this helps explain and understand how and why energy transition is politicized by elite and partisan political actors. Speaker: Melanee Thomas, PhD Professor - Department of Political Science - University of Calgary Melanee Thomas is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary. Her research addresses the causes and consequences of gender-based political inequality, focusing on Canadian political parties, elections, and political institutions; gender and politics; and the politics of energy transition.

Lethbridge’s existing Land Use Bylaw has served our community since 1986. During this time, several amendments have been undertaken to this Bylaw to address market demands and resident aspirations. However, since its creation almost 40 years ago it has not undergone a comprehensive renewal. The Land Use Bylaw sets out the rules for what kind of building or activity can take place on private property and outlines the process for issuing Development Permits that give approval for new buildings and activities. In July 2023, the City of Lethbridge initiated a project to comprehensively renew its Land Use Bylaw to address current issues faced by the community. This is a three-year project with an anticipated completion in 2026. Phase 1 of this project focuses on addressing Land Use Bylaw regulations related to various social uses such as housing with social support and social services. This presentation will provide a full overview of this project and questions will be encouraged following the presentation. Projec

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Take Back Alberta supporters in the United Conservative Party arguably want to take Albertans out of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and substitute an “Alberta Pension Plan” (APP). Given its possible long-term effect on the lives of Albertans, this should have been one of the more important issues in the recent election campaign. Instead, the Premier refused to discuss it at all, and now the provincial government is spending more than 7.5 million dollars promoting the plan. This means that Albertans don’t have meaningful information about the proposed new plan. The benefit structure is likely to be similar to the CPP (although probably not identical), but the risks are many … Join us to hear Brad Lafortune discuss the specifics about how the CPP works. He will also discuss what civil society, businesses, seniors, and many Albertans are doing to come together to make sure CPP is there for all Albertans – and all Canadians – for generations to come. Speaker: Brad Lafortune, Publ

Arguably, Alberta’s hydrocarbons are not ethical, at least no more so than what is produced in most other oil and gas producing jurisdictions. The speaker will contend that both UCP and NDP governments have subscribed to some version of “ethical oil,” which holds that Alberta’s are some of the most environmentally responsible hydrocarbons in the world, bolstered by democratic institutions and a “world class” regulatory regime. In fact, “ethical oil” is a facade to hide the truth: that oil companies, the provincial government, and Alberta’s various energy regulators have long conspired to put profits above the public interest, with the province now potentially on the hook for hundreds of billions of dollars to clean up abandoned wells and leaking tailings ponds. Speaker: Markham Hislop Markham Hislop is an energy journalist and publisher of Energi News (formerly North American Energy News). Hislop uses a technology adoption model of his own design to analyze and report upon all the facets of the energy industr

In October 2022, the Town and MD of Pincher Creek collaborated with the Piikani Nation land department to begin developing a Climate Resiliency and Adaptation plan. This process was enabled due to funding provided by the Municipal Climate Change Action Center. The plan development focused on a stakeholder-driven methodology to identify key climate risks in the region and develop plans to adapt to those risks within a changing environment. The project was led by a team consisting of members from the Town, MD, regional emergency management organization, and Piikani Nation. The outputs included full climate models for the MD of Pincher Creek to identify what may change based on a 3-degree global warming level, an economic analysis of the cost of not adapting to climate change, and finally a risk assessment and adaptation plan. This presentation will describe the key outcomes, the process for developing them, and lessons learned that can be leveraged by other organizations looking to undertake similar processes.

Each year the Government of Alberta acknowledges October as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Recently the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre renovated space in downtown Lethbridge to accommodate the needs of the Chinook Child and Youth Advocacy Centre – a program that provides coordinated, multidisciplinary approach in a safe, comfortable environment to address the needs of abused children, youth and their families. The talk will explore the prevalence of child sexual abuse, long standing implications of abuse when left unaddressed, and why it is important, as a community, to take action. Speaker: Kristine Cassie Kristine has worked in the human services sector for more than 39 years with substantial experience and advocacy efforts in the areas of youth empowerment, housing, domestic and sexual violence. Skilled at the development of programs, policy development, and risk management, Kristine has been instrumental in a number of community networks including: the Sexual Violence Action Committee; Domestic Violence Act

Interfaith Food Bank is on the front lines of addressing food security issues in our community, and is an organization that has had to grow and adapt to the ever-evolving food security crisis in order to meet community needs. Food banks in Alberta experienced a 73% increase from 2019 – 2022 and in just the last year, local need has increased again by 30%. This presentation will discuss the rise in food insecurity and how community members can lend support by offering food, funds or free time to food security initiatives. Speaker: Danielle McIntyre Moderator: Terry Shillington Danielle McIntyre has been involved with the non-profit, charitable sector for over 20 years, and has worked as Executive Director with Interfaith Food Bank since 2006. A graduate of Winston Churchill High School in Lethbridge, Danielle holds a degree in Recreation Administration, with a special focus on leisure and community development from the University of Alberta. Grateful to have the opportunity to work for a cause she believes in,

While many have heard of donating blood, donating plasma is still a relatively next concept. Some people still believe that donating blood and plasma are one and the same, and while both have you sitting in a chair hooked up to a machine, they are different processes with different purposes. When people think of blood donation, they are typically thinking of whole blood donation. Whole blood donations include all four blood components–red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma and are used to treat blood loss, typically due to injury or surgery. In contrast, when donating plasma, the straw-colored part of your blood, only that one part is collected with the other three parts of your blood returned to the donor. Plasma is used to create different therapies to help replace missing, deficient, or malfunctioning proteins in individuals with serious, often life-threatening diseases, such as hemophilia and primary immunodeficiency. The speaker will explain further and make clear that right now, there

For more than 130,000 years, bison roamed the ecosystems of western Canada and US and while doing so, influenced the lives of Indigenous Peoples and every other species they shared space and time with, before they were hunted to near extinction in the late 1800s. The speaker will talk about his journey to the Bob Creek Wildlands in Alberta’s foothills and finding evidence of past bison existence there, which led a group of hikers to start investigating the possibility of returning bison to this part of the Eastern slopes. Reintroducing bison populations to some areas of their former range can arguably help re-establish relationships to that land and other species while improving ecological diversity. Speaker: Mike Judd Mike was born and raised on the East slope of the Alberta Rockies in the Foothills west of Pincher Creek. His education includes book learning and accompanying old Mountain men on their travels. For much of his life, Mike has been a guide and outfitter involved in hunting, trail riding along th

Alberta has a lot of history, but no one has pulled it together. Some say we struggled against an unfriendly land, others say we struggled against eccentric governments, and others against an always evil East. Some say we are just misplaced Americans? But are these just old comfortable sawhorses. What are the alternatives? The speaker will offer one. Speaker: Frits Pannekoek Frits Pannekoek has been Director of Historic Sites for Alberta, for 25 years and involved in over a dozen of Alberta’s heritage centers. Today he is Professor of History at Athabasca University. He has published widely on Alberta’s heritage and on Alberta’s Indigenous history. He was awarded an Honorary doctorate from the University of South Africa and an Alberta Order of Excellence for his work in heritage preservation and online learning.

Back in 2004, in a London, England Park, a global fitness and well-being activity, named Parkrun, was born. Parkrun is a network of free and computer timed 5-kilometer runs and walks held every Saturday morning at 9am local time at over 2200 locations in 26 countries around the world. There are over 5 million Parkrunners registered worldwide. Parkruns are community-based events that encourage physical fitness, health and wellness, and socialization for people of all ages and abilities. Parkrun’s mission statement is to help create a “healthier and happier planet’’! The Henderson Lake Parkrun in Lethbridge is one of 43 Parkruns in Canada. It provides Lethbridge residents and tourists, an opportunity to participate as a runner, walker or volunteer in a free, outdoor activity on a weekly basis. The speaker will describe the many benefits of Parkrun participation, and will review the history of Parkrun and the process for participating in the weekly event. Speaker: Jim Carter Jim Carter is the Event Director for

The 2023 Alberta provincial election is history and the UCP won a majority government. However, their majority was reduced from 63-24 to 49-38, which included several cabinet ministers losing their seat. As expected, the UCP almost swept the rural vote where they have 37 out of 41 seats. The NDP dominated Edmonton and made strong inroads in Calgary to the point where a few thousand total votes in six ridings could have changed who formed government. As a result of the election, Danielle Smith’s UCP is likely to have more rural representation in cabinet than it did in the 2019-2023 term. The speaker will analyze the key elements and results of Alberta’s 2023 provincial election as well as give his thoughts on what another four years of UCP rule means for Albertans. Speaker: Dr. Duane Bratt Duane Bratt is a political science Professor in the Department of Economics, Justice, and Policy Studies at Mount Royal University (Calgary, Alberta). He teaches in the area of international relations and Canadian public pol

Our talk is meant to help people understand the Canadian Bail System better and to explain the newest changes to the system that the government is proposing. We also hope to provoke a discussion as to whether, when we tinker with these systems, we are really achieving the intended goals. Will the public really be safer? Are the proposed changes going to make a real difference in terms of public safety? Will there be other ramifications that might be unfortunate from a public policy perspective? Speaker: Ingrid Hess and James Rouleau Moderator: Violet Meekma Ingrid Hess is a Lethbridge lawyer. She grew up on a farm in the Sunnyside area, between Lethbridge and Coaldale. She is a first generation Canadian born to a mother from the Netherlands and a father from Germany. She left the area at 19 to study at UBC and later to go on adventures around the world, living in Germany, Japan, Toronto and Montreal during her twenties. Ingrid came home to Canada to study law at the University of Calgary with the dream of doi

Lethbridge & District Exhibition is a pillar in the Lethbridge community. As a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1897, it operates and maintains seventy-two acres of land on the east bank of Henderson Lake and exists to ensure that the people of Lethbridge and district have a community gathering place now and in the future at which to participate in events, conduct business, learn, and be entertained. The new 268,000 square foot Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre, one of the largest development projects in the history of Lethbridge, will serve as an economic driver of growth for Alberta’s agriculture, tourism and agri-food sectors. Once completed this Spring, the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre is expected to contribute more than $90 million annually to the regional economy. Southern Alberta is uniquely situated in Canada’s agriculture community, with an abundance of producers, processors, commercial enterprises, and researchers in the region, which makes Lethbridge an ideal agri-tourism destination. T