People increasingly spend a lot of time looking at screens and particularly so during these past two years of the Covid pandemic. Social media chatter and news on computers, phones and other devices have become a big part of our lives. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are two technologies that are changing the way we use screens, while creating new and exciting interactive experiences. Virtual reality uses a headset to place you in a computer-generated world that you can explore.
Kathleen hopes to illuminate the ongoing colonial agenda and its extension into COVID-19 and public health relations. Particularly, she will focus on how anti-mask groups- who refer to themselves as Freedom Fighters have interacted with formal institutions like public health, and vice versa, to create expendable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. She hopes to demonstrate how Freedom Fighters and public health alike perpetuate colonialism through a new arena of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United Conservative Party (UCP) members voted by mail-in ballots from April 9 to May 11 whether or not they have confidence in their leader and on May 18, 2022, the result was scheduled to be announced. Originally, a special general meeting was planned to be an in-person voting event in Red Deer, but because of soaring attendee numbers, it was decided by the provincial UCP board to move the vote to a mail-in ballot over a five-week period.
Mahdi will share his journey crossing the gate as Afghanistan fell and the events leading up to it. He will also cover current events, what to believe and what not to believe as well as his process times and integration into first, the United States and now into Canada. He still has a brother stuck in Abu Dhabi that has been left behind from the NGO that brought him out. There is lots to cover and much to be still resolved.
The Canadian Red Cross has played a significant role in Canadian society for over 120 years, helping people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supporting communities in strengthening their resilience. The speaker will provide an overview of the Canadian Red Cross’ membership in the IFRC (International Federation Red Cross), as well as discussing their mandate, mission and fundamental principles and how they work in Canada and around the world.
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.
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.
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: Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) 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.
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.
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.
THIS EVENT IS CANCELLED DUE TO COVID. People increasingly spend a lot of time looking at screens and particularly so during these past two years of the Covid pandemic. Social media chatter and news on computers, phones and other devices have become a big part of our lives. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are two technologies that are changing the way we use screens, while creating new and exciting interactive experiences.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Municipal services are critical for our quality of life. However, the decisions facing local governments are heavily shaped by provincial policy. The province doesn’t just distribute grants to municipalities to help fund vital infrastructure, but they also set the rules and terms by which municipalities themselves can generate revenue. Over the past few years, many traditional sources of municipal revenue have been “squeezed” by the province - with big impacts on local services, jobs, and infrastructure.
For many elderly folks, a call from a friend or an acquaintance once or twice a week can make a big difference in how they feel. Knowing that someone cares and is there to share stories and laugh with is comforting and meaningful in so many ways. The Volunteer Lethbridge Keep in Touch program connects people in our community with each other through a weekly telephone support system linking seniors to a friendly person with whom to chat and access resource information they may need.
Today, a community’s prosperity is linked to its ability to attract, retain, develop and mobilize talent. The future prosperity of Alberta is undoubtedly centered on people. The risk of young people leaving our province is real and extraordinarily complex. What drives young adults to “purchase” a city? What are young Canadians’ perceptions of Alberta? What does Alberta need to do to once again make Alberta a magnet for young adults? In this discussion, Dr.
Five retired provincial Fish and Wildlife biologists provided a submission to the Coal Policy Committee earlier this year (Insights on Coal Development from Five Retired Fish and Wildlife Biologists). The submission was grounded in our experience as provincial biologists and in ecological arguments. It was based on our collective experience, observations, monitoring and research on open-pit coal mining in the Eastern Slopes over nearly a 50-year timespan as well as relevant research references on the ecological effects of coal mining on the aquatic environment, fish and wildlife populations and native plant communities.
Alberta has 170,000 plus inactive and abandoned oil wells and over 3000 orphan wells that have been abandoned by failed companies. It all adds up to a liability in excess of $30 billion against a total security deposit of less than $250 million. There is also a growing tax liability. In a survey, the Rural Municipalities Association of Alberta (RMA) found $245 million in unpaid property taxes owed by oil and gas companies in February 2021, a 200 percent increase from 2019.
In addition to the municipal and Senate candidate elections, two referendum questions were added by the Alberta Government to the 2021 Municipal Elections: (1) Should section 36(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982 – Parliament and the government of Canada’s commitment to the principle of making equalization payments – be removed from the constitution? (2) Do you want Alberta to adopt year-round Daylight-Saving Time, which is summer hours, eliminating the need to change our clocks twice a year?
Food security and sustainable agriculture are top of mind given the challenges of climate change. The speaker will talk about a new aquaponics project happening in southern Alberta to tackle food security and climate change. He will discuss the challenges with food security in southern Alberta and why sustainable agriculture is important, and provide an overview of aquaponics and how it is a sustainable growing method. And finally, he will discuss the collaboration of the aquaponics project with schools and community stakeholders, and how it will enhance food security in schools and promote environmental leadership.
The past two years have been exceptionally challenging for all Alberta Post-Secondary students, and the Student body at the University of Lethbridge has been no exception. Budget cuts by the Alberta government, with more anticipated, increasing tuition and education costs, housing issues, racism, Covid-19, online learning and transitioning back to on campus learning and employment uncertainty are but a few of the challenges experienced by Students. In addition to these issues, Affordability and Food Scarcity challenges are an ever-present reality for far too many post-secondary Students.
Sustaining medical services in smaller communities is challenging at the best of times. Doctors have been working without an agreement for almost two years, and the unstable relationship with our government has made it nearly impossible to recruit and retain physicians to rural areas. The gaps in services are widening provincially, and instead of addressing the worsening underlying issues, government and AHS have dismissed the numerous closures as pandemic or vacation related.
The Liberal Party retained power in a close-run 2019 federal election where the Liberals won 157 seats and 33% of the popular vote, enough to form a minority government. The opposition Conservative Party won more votes, but far fewer seats. This was the first time since 1979 that the winner of the most seats wasn’t also the winner of the most votes. The NDP and separatist Bloc Quebecois parties both ended up holding the balance of power.
Lethbridge’s 2021 Municipal Elections has the potential to be very interesting. For sure, the City will have a new Mayor and several fresh faces on Council. Many issues are up for debate and there are questions on the ballot: Is there a need for a third Bridge and should Lethbridge adopt a ward system? Additionally, the Province is asking Albertans for their opinion on equalization and daylight-saving time. The speaker will give an overview of these and other pressing issues such as homelessness and the overdose crisis.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been a historic public health crisis that has had drastic and long-lasting effects on global health and the economy. This has also been the first pandemic where updates have been provided on a nearly instantaneous basis to both biomedical researchers, healthcare workers and the public. Over 20 plus months, research from across the globe has allowed us to understand SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, in details normally taking years to decades.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) (the Alberta Government) are demanding across-the-board pay cuts of 3 percent, plus additional monetary cuts that would raise the cost of the rollbacks to an average 5 percent in their negotiations with United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) members who have already endured six years of zero percent increases. All this arguably amounts to a relatively large reduction in nurses pay under the guise that Alberta nurses are being paid more than their provincial counter-parts.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) (the Alberta Government) are demanding across-the-board pay cuts of 3 percent, plus additional monetary cuts that would raise the cost of the rollbacks to an average 5 percent in their negotiations with United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) members who have already endured six years of zero percent increases. All this arguably amounts to a relatively large reduction in nurses pay under the guise that Alberta nurses are being paid more than their provincial counter-parts.
Educators know all curricula need timely revision and many are concerned about the most recent draft K-6 curriculum proposed by the government of Alberta. The wheels began turning over a decade ago for a comprehensive K-12 curriculum review and rewrite, beginning with the “Inspiring Education” framework of 2009 under PC Premier Stelmach and Education Minister Hancock, followed by a 2013 Ministerial Order under PC Premier Redford and Education Minister Johnson. Prior to these directives, curriculum in Alberta was updated for individual subject areas at various times.
At least 150,000 Indigenous youths were forced into Indian Residential Schools (IRS) between the 1870s and 1990s. They were run by Canadian/Provincial governments and religious authorities. The aim was to strip the young of their language/culture and force them to adopt to the colonizer’s way of life. In other words, cultural genocide, but with the recent discovery of 215 indigenous children at a Kamloops IRS in unmarked graves, with many more to be found all over Canada, it can be argued that it’s more than cultural genocide.
In October 2020, the Federal Government announced its 2021-2022 Immigration Level Plan. The government is hoping to bring a targeted 1.2 million immigrants into the country to help the Canadian economy recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and drive future growth. Canada is often referred to as a land of immigrants because of the millions of newcomers who have settled there since the first colonies were built by the English and the French on Indigenous territories.
While painkilling medicine has been around for a very long time, Fentanyl is a powerful addictive opioid painkiller, the use of which has caused an increasing public health threat in Canada and elsewhere. Fentanyl was initially approved in 1960 and used for the treatment of moderate to severe pain, especially cancer pain. However, recent years have seen a growing use of fentanyl and its analogs that are widely synthesized in laboratories and adulterated with illicit supplies of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and counterfeit pills, contributing to addiction and the exponential growth in the number of drug-related overdose deaths.
Public participation is widely considered to be an essential component of any legitimate exercise of state power over resource development and environmental decision-making. A clear illustration of what can happen when public participation is excluded from the decision-making process is the public uproar concerning the abrupt rescission by the Alberta government of the 1976 Coal Policy in May 2020. The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) is Alberta’s regulator of energy development throughout the full lifecycle of an oil, gas, or coal project - from initial application to final closure and reclamation.
After Jason Kenney became Premier of Alberta on April 30, 2019, he followed through on his campaign promise and set in motion the “energy war room” or the Canadian Energy Centre CEC) as it was named when launched in Dec 2019. The purpose of the $30 million per year CEC was to fight back campaigns against Alberta’s Oil Sands etc. that, according to some sources, were funded by foreign interest money supporting several Environmental Non-government Organizations (ENGOs) Tar Sands Campaign.
Over the past two years, tenths of millions of public education dollars have been cut from Lethbridge’s two post-secondary institutions budgets, resulting initially in hundreds of directly lost jobs and as well, hefty increases in tuition for students. Arguably, there are also many indirect economic and knowledge losses to consider in the longer term. The speaker will make clear that the myriad of issues related to these severe government cuts (more are promised in 2022) are not only about short-term economics, but also connected to the importance of great quality and affordable post-secondary education that will keep Lethbridge an attractive community for individuals, families and businesses to be located.
The Grassy Mountain Open-Pit Coal Mine proposed by Benga Mining Ltd., (Riversdale) in the Crowsnest Pass has raised questions and concerns about the regulatory process in Alberta, such as the transparency, independent decision-making, and enforcement capacity of the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER). What is AER’s history and track record with regards to Coal Mining regulations in Alberta? This presentation will provide a summary of a case study of the regulatory process for coal mining in Alberta through the application phase to operational monitoring and finally closure and reclamation using examples from regulatory documents published by and submitted to the Alberta Energy Regulator for the Cheviot (Cardinal River and Luskar) Mine operated by Teck Resources Ltd in West Central Alberta.
In the post 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) era of reconciliation, many Canadians are wondering what reconciliation might mean to their community. Among other injustices, Residential Schools and the “Sixties Scoop” particularly, generated many negative impacts on Indigenous families and communities, which continue to challenge their well-being today. However, much of Canada’s early history and relationship with Indigenous peoples is still hidden, and that secrecy is likely a serious barrier to reconciliation in Canada.
Join Acting Leader Jacquie Fenske of the Alberta Party for a conversation about the need for a choice in Alberta politics. The speaker will discuss what doing politics differently really means, grassroots politics, and the state of the Alberta Party. Speaker: Jacquie Fenske – Acting Leader of the Alberta Party Jacquie Fenske is the Acting Leader of the Alberta Party. She previously served as a PC MLA for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, and as a Strathcona County Councilor.
Alberta is arguably in the midst of a generational economic shift as we face the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Looking ahead to the post-pandemic recovery, what should Albertans expect from their Government with regards to the serious economic challenges we face as a province. Alberta’s government recently tabled Budget 2021 during this public health and economic crisis that has led to reduced revenue and increased costs. The speaker will argue that this budget is a responsible approach to spending, while creating more investment in priority areas like health care and job creation.
The fate of liberal democratic governments hinges importantly on building and sustaining political support for their agenda. Public consultation is one tool governments may use to secure this support. Public consultation, a very broad concept, may be regarded generally as the effort political and government leaders make, to seek input or comments from non-governmental actors. Consultations may be more or less inclusive, more or less wide-ranging. They may solicit the opinions of the public generally or only of selected stakeholders (individuals or groups with a particularly important interest or concern in an issue).
With Alberta running an $18 billion deficit in its 2021-22 budget and more than $100 billion in accumulated debt, it appears obvious that fiscal changes are needed – spending cuts or revenue increases or both? The speaker will argue fundamental changes are needed and that his Wildrose Independence Party (WIP) plan to be a strong contender in Alberta’s next provincial election. Should they gain power, WIP would assert Alberta’s independence and redefine its relationship with Canada, create a “Constitution of Alberta” and affirm all individual freedoms and rights.
Agriculture is an important sector of Canada’s economy supplying the much larger food production and processing industries. The Alberta Federation of Agriculture is Alberta’s largest producer funded general farm organization. It is an organization comprised of farmers, ranchers, and agricultural enterprises that wish to have a voice in shaping the future of farming operations. Unlike many other farm organizations, there are no check-offs. Nearly 85% of the money raised each year comes from membership and membership services.
Everyone living in Southern Alberta are familiar with our winds. Those residing in “Chinook Country” have heard Environment Canada’s frequent wind warnings, particularly between November to April. It would follow then, that Benga Mining Ltd (Riversdale) would, as part of their application, have completed comprehensive and accurate assessments of wind speed, dust particle size etc., as part of their Environmental Impact Assessment for their Grassy Mountain Open-Pit coal mining proposal.
The Science is in! What you always knew instinctively to be true, laughter and play have been proven to be beneficial to your health. Laughter and play activate your immune system and increases your energy for getting well and maintaining health! When we talk about stress, usually we focus on our tight muscles, aching heads and sleeplessness. Yet, the speaker advocates that what we really should be concerned about, is our breathing.
Freedom, Responsibility, Fairness and Respect are the principles that guide and inform the policies of the People’s Party of Canada (PPC). The speaker will contend that we must bring together common sense, populism, classical conservatism, and libertarianism to create solutions adapted for the challenges of the 21st century. The mission of PPC is to offer Canadians a real principled alternative to the current establishment parties, which arguably rely on pandering and vote-buying schemes to further their interests and those of lobbyists rather than those of the people.
For almost two years since the December, 2018 detention of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, and the subsequent arrest of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, Canada-China relations have been at the lowest point since the 1989 Tiananmen violence, and perhaps since Canada recognized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) 50 years ago. What are the prospects for a reduction in tensions in 2021? What are the chances that the “two Michaels” will be released soon?
A complex intersection of economic, political, environmental, and social conditions are fueling the rise of populism, political polarization, xenophobia, and racism in The United States, and other countries. Indeed many predicted the rise of divisive politics and decreased social cohesion as economic inequality soared, with globalization and neoliberal politics further contributing to the increasing precarity of employment and earnings among the working and middle classes of western countries. While few have been spared these challenges, the face of these emerging angry populist movements, militias, and white supremacist movement’s remains overwhelmingly male, white, and working class.
Lethbridge was once home to the busiest supervised consumption site in North America, operated by ARCHES. On August 31, 2020, this supervised consumption site was permanently closed. As the number of overdose deaths in Lethbridge continued to climb at record-breaking rates, harm reductionists and people who use drugs were left wondering where to go. In September 2020, a handful of former ARCHES employees and clients got together and formed the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Society (LOPS) with the mission to keep our neighbours, friends, and loved ones alive.
As we approach the 75th Veterans Day ceremonies since World War II, we hopefully prepare ourselves to remember past and current Canadian Armed Forces veterans who have served both in Canada and in numerous conflicts around the world. While many civilians are familiar with the battles of World War I and II, they are typically less familiar with the other important and challenging missions the Canadian Military have served in, such as Korea, Rwanda, Bosnia, Namibia, Haiti, Cyprus, and Afghanistan, to name just a few.
October 16 is World Food Day. This year’s theme of the Food & Agriculture Organization is: Grow, Nourish, Sustain Together. But this is no ordinary World Food Day, hunger is on the rise due to conflict, climate change & now COVID-19. The battle against COVID-19 is shifting across the globe, making the poorest poorer, and the hungriest hungrier. It is multiplying misery by preying on the weak & vulnerable, pushing millions out of work & into hunger, disrupting vital supply chains & threatening the very fabric of society.
Mental Illness Awareness Week is October 4th-11th; a national campaign created to educate the public on the importance of mental illness, end the stigma of mental illness, and advocate for mental health support. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to the mental health of many people within Canada and made this campaign especially important this year. The speaker will talk about this campaign, the difference between mental illness and mental health, how COVID-19 has impacted people’s mental health, and strategies for practicing positive mental health during the pandemic.
When you think of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, including the Oldman Watershed in Southern Alberta, you probably think of scenic mountaintops, rolling foothills and clear blue streams. You probably don’t think of decommissioned parks or open-pit coal mines, but that’s exactly what the future could hold. On June 1, 2020, the Government of Alberta rescinded the provincial Coal Policy, created in 1976, restricting open pit coal mining and coal exploration in Alberta’s most environmentally sensitive areas in the Rocky Mountains.
Alberta already has the most choice in K-12 education in Canada, with private school pupils being funded to the tune of 70 percent per pupil compared to public school pupils, more than any other province. Charter schools, started in 1994 by Ralph Klein, receive the same level of per pupil funding as public schools, but are run by private parent or corporate boards. No other province in Canada even has charter schools.
Recognized as the provincial organization representing parents on school councils in Alberta, Alberta School Councils’ Association (ASCA) has worked alongside other education partners and stakeholders to advise the Ministry of Education on matters related to the K-12 Re-entry plan. As schools reopen, ASCA will continue to help parents on school councils fulfill their legislated roles, engage with parents and their school communities, advise their principals, and work with their school boards on education issues including, but not limited to, COVID-19.
The past few months have certainly been a difficult time for all of us, but as we look around the world and to each other, we can see that this pandemic has shone a light on the importance of Canada’s universal public health care system. This pandemic has made it clear that the true measure of a government’s leadership will be made evident through the political choices they make as we deal with this health crisis, and as we move forward to deal with the new political and economic reality that will face us after it is done.
Recently, Alberta Health Services announced ambulance dispatch services will be consolidated across the province, pulling Calgary, Lethbridge, Red Deer and Wood Buffalo into existing EMS dispatch centres. Lethbridge Fire Department (LFD) has been providing Ambulance/EMS services to citizens since 1912, and have always been the dispatch service as well. They are currently under contract to AHS EMS to provide the EMS service as well as the Dispatch service. The Dispatch service provides coverage not only to the City of Lethbridge, but many other EMS services in the area.
Approval of Agenda and appointment of Secretary Adoption and discussion of Minutes – June 20, 2019 Annual Reports: Chairperson Finance Committee & Treasurer’s Report and Budget for 2020-2021 Program Committee SACPA on Campus Program Committee Policy and Bylaw Committee Administrative Manager Personnel Committee Nomination Committee Appointment of Auditors Open discussion on new ideas and how long SACPA may be able to operate our present YouTube live streaming events while the COVID-19 pandemic keep us from having regular lunch sessions.
The COVID19 crisis and its aftermath has shown that infectious diseases respect borders no more than climate change – both of which impact billions of lives, migration trends and economic prosperity worldwide. In the modern world where national boundaries matter very little, we are inseparably connected to one another. The Syria Crisis and the subsequent refugee numbers to Canada is a case in point. So is the Ebola outbreak in 2014 which led Canada to adopt preventative measures in its public spaces.
The COVID-19 virus has prompted many people to seek preventive medications with vitamins, minerals and probiotics flying off pharmacy shelves like hot cakes. Unproven and sometimes even dangerous medications have been touted as cures for this virus, some by well-known people. Such claims put pharmacists in the position of protecting us from ourselves. Some people were even hoarding medications; now all are restricted to only a 30 day supply. The speaker, pharmacist and owner of Thriftway Pharmacy, is living this journey since pharmacies have been designated as an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he will share his pre COVID-19 experiences while also elaborating on his perceptions of the role pharmacies will play in a post pandemic future.
Post-secondary institutions in Alberta have experienced substantial reductions to their Campus Alberta Grants from the Government of Alberta. In the case of the University of Lethbridge, these reductions represent slightly more than 20% of the university’s government operating grant. The reductions have resulted in difficult budget decisions including layoffs, deletion of athletic programs and structural changes. The emergence of COVID 19 has added to the challenges for the U of L.
Not only Americans, but Canadians need to have an “uncomfortable conversation” about racism and police violence against black people, particularly around who benefits from it. The difficult conversation is, that racism may not be about some bad feelings inside somebody’s heart, but arguably, it’s about power that benefits white people and their property. The benefits of white supremacy are not built on the oppression of black communities alone, white people have made careers managing the files of Indigenous children who are being taken from their families.
As the COVID-19 pandemic wreaks havoc on our lives, the good news is that resilience is possible, but it requires more than just a positive mindset. Building on his research from around the world and clinical work with populations that have experienced the stress of social isolation, poverty, stigma and violence, the speaker will share stories and strategies we can use to not only survive but thrive during this pandemic.
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues its relentless path across the world, politicians, policy-makers, and pundits have begun thinking of the world that comes after. What are likely to be the short, medium, and long-term impacts on society resulting from Covid-19? How will it change the economy, politics, society at large? Which of these will be temporary and which more permanent? This talk will explore some of these possible changes and the policy changes that should be considered as a result.