Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces that for weeks had been gathering along their border. The invasion also included attacks across the Belarus-Ukraine border and was followed by targeted airstrikes on military and civilian buildings in Ukraine. Chris Burton will analyze the conflict in Ukraine in light of the development of Putin’s regime over the years  and the longer history of Ukrainian relations with Russia. Speaker:  Dr. Chris Burton Chris grew up in St. John’s, Newfoundland, taking his B.A. in History at Memorial University, followed by an M.A. from Carleton University. He worked in the Soviet Union during the glasnost’ years, then studied with Sheila Fitzpatrick in the 1990s at the University of Chicago for his PhD.  He is Associate Professor of History at the University of Lethbridge and has been teaching Russian History there, and Modern European History more generally, for the last twenty years.  His research interests includ

The speaker will define and provide examples of “Access Block” within our Health Care system, and discuss what it means for patients and patient outcomes.   An overview of the current challenges and issues growing within our system, that impair timely access to acute health care in our province will be considered.    Speaker:     Dr. Paul Parks MD, FRCPC              From 2006 to the present, Dr. Parks has been actively involved in provincial & national Emergency Department Overcrowding (EDOC) advocating for important access initiatives and changes.  Since 2009, he has been advocating provincially for the open & unfettered ability for physicians to advocate on behalf of their patients, & was actively involved in the government-initiated Health Quality Council of Alberta Review which concluded in 2012. This review stated unequivocally that both “Access Block” & Physician Intimidation were & still are significant issues in health care delivery within Alberta.  Dr. Parks’ advocacy has been ho

The Stephen Lewis Foundation will share how their community-based partners in South Africa are safeguarding the years of progress made in the fight against HIV and AIDs while battling the challenges of COVID-19.      Speaker: Leah Odle-Benson  (she/her) | Deputy Director, Impact and Learning Stephen Lewis Foundation                   The Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) is a progressive, feminist organization rooted in the principles of social justice, international solidarity, and substantive equality. The SLF was created with the express purpose of supporting community-based organizations working on the frontlines of the AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Many of these grassroots organizations were originally formed by small groups of individuals responding to the crisis AIDS had wrought in their own lives and in the lives of their neighbours.  Over the years, they have developed into thriving local institutions with deep connections to their communities. The SLF’s community-based partners are turning the t

ACT Alberta provides training and education on human trafficking to service providers and stakeholders throughout the province. Incidents of human trafficking often happen in plain sight, yet may go unnoticed due to lack of citizen understanding and information. The speaker will discuss the tools needed to accurately identify red flags and indicators of human trafficking and what citizens can do to safely respond to such instances. Human trafficking, charges and convictions in Alberta, as well as ACT Alberta’s victim response will be discussed.      Speaker:   Jessica Brandon - Director of Programs for the Action Coalition on Human Trafficking                                                     (ACT) Alberta               Jessica has 15 years of advocacy experience with a strong focus on Human Rights. She began as a volunteer with the Action Coalition on Human Trafficking (ACT) Alberta in 2015 and took the leap from a leadership role in the tech sector to manage the Education Program at ACT Alberta in 2018. S

Bees and beekeepers face many challenges. The Speaker will discuss what a bee is, which bees are introduced, and which groups are indigenous to Alberta, ongoing threats to bee populations, the benefits of bees to society, bee regulations and policy, and how bees are going global. Speaker:  Shelley Hoover                 Shelley Hoover studies apiculture and pollination in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. Her research focuses on bee health and management, breeding, and nutrition, as well as canola pollination, and the effects of environmental change on plant-pollinator interactions. Previously, Shelley was the head of the Apiculture Program for the Province of Alberta and has held Research Associate positions at the Universities of Canterbury (Christchurch, NZ) and British Columbia (Vancouver and Beaverlodge, Canada). She completed her PhD on honey bee worker ovary development, nutrition, and behaviour at Simon Fraser University.  Shelley is also the past President of the

The Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) is one of the most important Crown corporations operating in the province. It was, until recent controversies, perhaps the least known and understood of Alberta's provincial agencies. In "Can AIMCo be Fixed?" a research paper published by The Parkland Institute, Bob Ascah examines the investment track record of AIMCo, the critical role played by the provincially-appointed board of directors and AIMCo's independence from the government. Dr. Ascah's talk will present a number of sensible recommendations to improve AIMCo's governance, independence and operations.    Speaker: Robert L. (Bob) Ascah, Ph.D.  Research Fellow, The Parkland Institute                 Bob Ascah was born in Lachine, Quebec. He holds degrees in Commerce and Public Administration from Carleton University and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Alberta. He joined the Alberta public service in 1984 (Federal and Intergovernmental Affairs) and moved to Alberta Treasury in 198

The CPP came into effect on January 1, 1966 and applied to all provinces and territories except Quebec, where the separate but similar QPP was established in the same year. The contribution rates for QPP are higher than those for CPP. Although the year’s maximum pensionable earnings ($61,600 for 2021) and annual basic exemption ($3,500) for both plans are the same, an employee paying into the QPP will pay contributions at a higher rate (5.90% for 2021) compared to the rate for an employee who pays into the CPP (5.45% for 2021).   In terms of value, CPP Investments holds a very diverse $550.4 billion global investment portfolio. Its most recent results showed it produced a 10-year annualized net return of 11.6%. The speaker will elaborate on its sustainability and discuss elements including its use of green bonds and approach to investing in opportunities related to the energy industry’s evolution.   Speaker: Jeffrey Hodgson   Jeffrey Hodgson joined CPP Investments in July 2017. He oversees the Global Stakehol

The development of large irrigation projects in Southern Alberta over 100 years ago brought secure water supplies to a previously arid landscape, establishing irrigation as an integral part of our society and environment.  On October 9, 2020 the Government of Alberta and the Canada Infrastructure Bank announced an $815 million investment in partnership with eight irrigation districts to “modernize irrigation district infrastructure and increase water storage capacity”, which is now known as the Alberta Irrigation Modernization Program. The announcement projected that over 200,000 acres of new irrigated farmland would be created from this “single largest irrigation expansion in Alberta’s history”. On November 12, 2021 it was announced that two more irrigation districts and numerous additional projects were included, with the program value increased to $933 million. The presentation will cover details of the Alberta Irrigation Modernization Program and compare its projected impact to past irrigation modernizati

Race is a central concept in the subordination of Black people in Canada and the United States (U.S.). Yet, race has not always been considered to be a vital research variable in studies in North America. The speaker will explore how and why storytelling and counter-narrative has emerged as a methodology to unpack race, racism, belonging, and power in a settler-colonial nation-state like Canada. In other words, Storytelling develops as a fundamental methodology in Critical Race Theory tradition exposing the daily encounters of racism experienced by people of colour in societies that are colour-blind and race neutral like Canada and the U.S.   Speaker: Ibrahim Turay              Ibrahim Turay is a full-time faculty in the School of Justice Studies at Lethbridge College and a Ph.D. Candidate in Cultural, Social, and Political Thought at the University of Lethbridge. He has a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Alberta, with 11 years of experience working for Alberta Justice & Solicit

Australia is obsessed with coal. The current Prime Minister held up a lump of coal in Parliament and told Australians not to be afraid. Australia is the world's largest exporter of coal, digging up millions of tonnes per year and shipping it across the world, fueling the climate crisis. The speaker will cover the state of play with coal in Australia - from the projects still on the cards and their impacts, and the tactics and strategies campaigners and communities are using to push for an end to coal mining and export. Speaker: Dr Moira Williams               For over a decade Moira has been a leader in the Australian grassroots climate movement - from building and supporting a national network of Climate Action Groups to working with landholders, traditional owners and coal affected communities in central Queensland. For the last 8 years she has worked on the campaign to keep coal in the Galilee basin (one of the largest untapped fossil fuel reserves on the planet) safely in the ground. She currently works w

Citizens of Southern Alberta have been suffering through crises of different sorts over the past several years. Congruent with the Covid-19 pandemic has been a gradual but persisting loss of Family Physicians in the city of Lethbridge, and with them the loss of access to Primary Care. By the end of 2021, approximately 45% of Lethbridge citizens found themselves without a Family Physician. Dr. deWalle, a Lethbridge Family Physician, will take you through the history of this serious corrosion of healthcare, explore its causes and implications, and discuss what may happen next. Speaker: Dr. Samuel deWalle               Dr. Samuel deWalle is a Family Physician living and working since 2013 in Lethbridge, Alberta. He graduated from Calvin University in Grand Rapids Michigan, and then the University of Calgary Medical School, before completing his residency in Rural Family Medicine in Southern Alberta. He is the outgoing President of a Family Medicine clinic in Lethbridge, a board member of the Chinook Primary Care

People who oppose mandatory masking, Covid vaccinations and mandates as a violation of basic human rights and freedoms need to be reminded that the flip side of freedom is responsibility.  The so-called “Freedom Convoy” and their illegal road blockades arguable ignores that principle. This may be their perception of freedom fighting, but reality is, they’re more like hostage takers causing movement restriction as well as financial and mental harm to responsible citizens who have done their part getting vaccinated.   Alberta’s governing party led by Premier Kenney appears reluctant to criticize blockade participants as does many federal opposition MP’s. In fact, some of these elected officials seem to outright support these illegal blockades. Their argument ignores that with freedom comes responsibility. Canadian soldiers fought in wars to support democracy and other freedoms. Thousands lost their lives taking up that responsibility.   While vaccinations do not completely stop the spread of Covid, it’s a very

Having recently returned from COP26 Tzeporah will reflect on whether the climate negotiations were a breakthrough or a disappointment and discuss how the emergence of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance of countries and the proposed Fossil Fuel Non-proliferation Treaty Initiative relate to the future of oil and gas in Alberta and Canada. Speaker:   Tzeporah Berman                Tzeporah has been designing environmental advocacy campaigns and environmental policy for 30 years. She is currently the International Program Director at Stand.earth and the Chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. She is the Co-founder of the Global Gas & Oil Network, the former co-director of Greenpeace International’s Climate and Energy Program, and the Co-founder of ForestEthics (now Stand.earth). She is an Adjunct Professor of York University Faculty of Environmental Studies and in 2013, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of British Columbia. She has held appointed positions advising the B

Since 2006, the Calgary Counselling Centre has overseen a unique program, the Male Domestic Abuse Outreach Program (MDAOP), delivering services to men who have been impacted by family violence. The MDAOP is one of only a handful of programs in the country to offer support to male victims of family violence. The program delivers outreach support, connecting clients with community resources (e.g., peer support, food bank, legal advice, credit counseling, shelter), one-on-one counselling (in-person or remote), and a 14-week therapy group for men who have experienced intimate partner abuse. Collaboration between service providers, researchers and community members is key to ending family violence, including violence against men. While much research has focused on addressing violence against women, less is known about men who have experienced family violence. This presentation seeks to stimulate conversation about this lesser-known topic and shares lessons learned from our agency’s almost two decades of programmi

According to Stats Canada - Family Violence in Canada - a statistical profile in 2019, there were 107,810 victims of police-reported intimate partner violence in 2019, up from 99,000 in 2018.  Alberta has the 4th highest rate of police-reported intimate partner violence amongst the provinces. The overall rate of police-reported family violence increased for the third consecutive year, rising 13% over this period.   Those alarming numbers do not take into account unreported cases, which often happens for various reasons.  Reasons may include, but are certainly not limited to: fear, shame and embarrassment of being judged, blamed or not believed. In many of those cases, individuals may also not be accessing any sort of supports.   While shelters are, and will always be, a critical service, most times when a person gets to a shelter, the abuse has increased significantly not just in number of incidents, but also in severity/risk.  In order to turn this around, we need to shift our thinking and perspectives to ex

Many regions in the Canadian Prairies and American Midwest are managing declining water resources, lower snowfall volumes and less predictable precipitation events. With the impacts of changing climate beginning to become more evident and impactful on our behaviours, livelihoods, and economic development and sustainability, what are some of the innovations and research activities at the University of Lethbridge that are helping to improve resource awareness, management, and conservation? Through this presentation, we seek a discussion about the challenges, constraints, and competing interests that are making water management increasingly difficult and important for southern Alberta.   Speaker: Dr Dena McMartin   Dr Dena McMartin is an environmental and agricultural engineer (PEng, PAg), faculty member, and Vice-President (Research) at the University of Lethbridge. She is a leading researcher focused on rural, agricultural, and industrial water resources management and treatment, as well as impacts of freshwat

Farming Humans   The speaker will account for his experiences during and after a two-decade financial career, and what he learned during the research and writing of his second book “Farming Humans”. In hindsight the book could have been titled, “Humans, Farming Humans”, as it includes tricks and tactics used by those who profit from harming others. It can be argued that some of the unique features of white-collar crime are worth looking at, as they shed light into some key problems, we face in today’s world.    Problems not being adequately addressed such as inequality in systems of finance, justice, politics, and resulting side effects, which cannot only be seen globally, but also right here – a vast increase in drug dependency, homelessness and people dying on our streets.  The speaker will shine light into causes and effects, which largely, have been left out of the public discourse.   Speaker: Larry Elford   Larry Elford is a former financial industry insider with two decades of experience in some of the

This past year, Canada, along with other allies, left Afghanistan after the Taliban overran Kabul and other major centers of that country. With Canada’s painful exit from Afghanistan, our years in that country are now open to reflection and assessment. The speaker served in Afghanistan with Canada’s military from October 2009 to June 2010. He will offer observations about the Afghanistan nature and land, the experience of the military and what we can learn from our time there. He also knows what it is like to be a First Nations person in our military and will share how he experienced that role, as well as giving his views of what life is like in Afghanistan. Speaker: Preston Crow Chief Preston Crow Chief was born in 1988. His parents are Calvin Crow Chief (Kainai) and Geraldine Sleigh (Siksika).  He is from the Blood Tribe Nation. He joined the Canadian Military July 9, 2005. The program he joined through was Bold Eagle which is a Basic Military Qualification course designed for First Nation entry.  After he

The season that suggests we should have joy, peace and love can often instead be filled with busyness, financial demands and feelings of being overwhelmed. Getting just the right gift and saying just the right thing is difficult enough without having to navigate all the fears and restrictions introduced by a pandemic. The speaker has worked with more than 8000 clients who asked her to help them problem solve. She is an expert at focusing on the things that keep everyone healthy and sane – especially in a world that now seems to be filled with insanity.   Speaker: Linda Hancock Linda Hancock was born and raised in the prairie town of Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada. Linda earned degrees in Arts, Social Work, Education and Psychology to the Doctoral level. (As she says, she had to spend her time and money on something, because she doesn’t golf!) As a Registered Psychologist and Registered Social Worker, Dr. Hancock helps individuals, groups, organizations and communities to problem-solve and reach their pot

There are many opinions on what is best practice when it comes to dealing with the serious addiction crises that is prevalent in today’s society and certainly Lethbridge is no exception. However, most people agree that the “Four Pillars” approach, harm reduction, prevention, treatment and enforcement, generally gives best outcomes. Many reasons can be attributed to addiction, but homelessness and personal trauma are very often the main causes. The speaker will describe his Residential School trauma, his addiction struggle and eventual recovery. He will also talk about the benefits of helping others who struggle with addiction and his establishment of the organization, Kii Mah Pii Pii Tsin (Kindness to Others) Renewal and Healing Centre. The mandate of Kii Mah Pii Pii Tsin is to support and advocate for the at-risk and vulnerable members of our community. The goal is to create specialized healing in trauma, grief, suicide intervention and also have a cultural component to the program, possibly at a facility lo