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• THE FALL 2024 SPEAKER SERIES (via Zoom]

  • Start
    September 16, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM
  • End
    November 04, 2024
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom virtual meetings

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   FALL 2024 Speaker Event Series 
  
  

  This Fall 2024 speaker events series will be via Zoom software only.

  DATE  SPEAKER  TOPIC  Sept. 16, 2024                 Brian Carawana, PhD  The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict  Sept. 23, 2024  Fiona Rawle, PhD  Science Misinformation: What’s Real   Science and What’s Not  Oct. 7, 2024  Leah den Bok   But Still I Can Do Something  Oct. 21, 2024  The Honourable Jane   Philpott, MD, MPH   Constructing the Future of Canadian   Health Care  Oct. 28, 2024  Landy Anderson   Hidden Histories: Chinese &   Indigenous  Relationships  Nov. 4, 2024  Lorraine  Sommerfeld              Questions About Electric Cars

  
  

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• The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

  • When
    September 16, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom virtual lecture

  
  

  
  

       Brian Carwana, PhD

  Brian is the Executive Director of Encounter World Religions, a charity that promotes religious literacy and understanding. He has a PhD in religion and has spent 25 years exploring, teaching and bringing others to meet ethno-religious communities. The highlight of his year is Encounter's annual Discovery Week where participants explore 11 religions through classes and site visits. He blogs about religions, politics and other things at ReligionsGeek.com. 

  
  

  The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

  In this talk, Brian will explore the history of this conflict to better understand how we got here. He will also attempt, at times, to grasp how certain issues look from one side and then the other, not to argue a case but simply to understand how things might look to different parties in this conflict. Brian hopes you will leave this talk feeling far more informed about the issues and with a better understanding of the differing perspectives held by different sides.

   

  
  

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2024 Speaker series. 
  

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• Science Misinformation: What is Real Science and What is Not

  • When
    September 23, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom virtual lecture

  
  

  
  

       Fiona Rawle, PhD

  Dr. Fiona Rawle has a Ph.D in Pathology and Molecular Medicine and is a Professor, Teaching Stream, in the Dept. of Biology at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Her research focuses on science misinformation, public communication of science, and bias in STEM. She has received numerous awards focused on teaching, including the 3M National Teaching Fellowship.

  Dr. Rawle routinely gives science of learning workshops across North America, and is also a member of the University of Toronto's TIDE group (Toronto Initiative for Diversity & Excellence), through which she gives lectures and workshops on unconscious bias, equity, and diversity.

  
  

  Science Misinformation: What Is Real Science and What Is Not

  This session will explore the concept of science misinformation. We’ll look at the origin stories behind some recent science misinformation campaigns, and end with giving you tools you can use to tell what is real science and what is not.

   

  
  

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2024 Speaker series. 
  

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• But Still I Can Do Something

  • When
    October 07, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom virtual lecture

  
  

  
  

       Leah den Bok

  Leah den Bok is a fashion and portrait photographer focused on capturing the stories and images of people experiencing homelessness. Her project, Humanizing The Homeless, has taken her to major cities worldwide, including Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles, to document the struggles of those affected by homelessness. Leah aims to raise awareness of homelessness through her work. She has compiled her powerful images and stories into a book series titled "Nowhere to Call Home--Photographs and Stories of People Experiencing Homelessness." She donates 100% of her profits from her books and exhibits to local homeless shelters.

  Leah's work has garnered worldwide attention and featured in major media outlets such as the BBC, CBS, and Vogue Italia. She has also exhibited and spoken at prominent events such as ARTWALK New York 2017, the Women of the World 2018 festival in Brisbane, and the She Talks events in Ontario.

  Leah is the recipient of numerous awards, including the IDRF Youth Impact Award 2018, the Murray Clarkson Award 2019, the SNAP Photo Competition 2020, and the Ascend Rising Star of the Year Award 2020, recognizing her outstanding contributions to her field.

  
  

  But Still I Can Do Something 

  The title of Leah's talk says, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”  and draws inspiration from the famous quote by Edward Hale. The quote highlights that even though individuals feel small and powerless, they can make a difference.

  Through her talk, Leah aims to shed light on the often-overlooked issue of homelessness and the people affected by it. With a focus on major cities worldwide, such as New York, Toronto, Mallorca, Brisbane, Los Angeles, and Washington, Leah shares powerful stories and photographs of individuals experiencing homelessness. Her talk aims to humanize this population and bring attention to their struggles. By sharing these stories, Leah hopes to inspire her audience to take action in their communities and make a positive impact, no matter how small it may seem. Her talk is a call to action to not turn a blind eye to those in need and to do what we can to help those around us.

   

  
  

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2024 Speaker series. 
  

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• Constructing the Future of Canadian Health Care

  • When
    October 21, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom virtual lecture

  
  

  
  

       The Honourable Jane Philpott, MD, MPH 

  The Honourable Jane Philpott is known as a changemaker with impeccable integrity.  Philpott lives to serve the greater public good. Her desire to create a healthier, more just world has been the driving force throughout her career which has seen her work as a family doctor in West Africa and Ontario, as a Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister, a health sciences academic, and a daring leader.

  As a driving force behind the national conversation on improving access to primary health care, she delivers compelling talks on building a healthier future for Canada. From 2015-2019, the honourable Jane Philpott served as Canada’s Minister of Health, Minister of Indigenous Services, President of the Treasury Board, and Minister of Digital Government. During this time, she played a lead role in policies that shaped Canada on a national level, including bringing Syrian refugees to Canada, legislating Medical Assistance in Dying, negotiating a health accord with resources for mental health and home care, improving infrastructure for First Nations to provide clean water on reserves, and reforming child welfare to reduce the over-apprehension of Indigenous children.

  Today, Philpott is the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Director of the School of Medicine at Queen's University. She is also the CEO of the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization. Prior to politics, Philpott spent the first decade of her medical career in Niger, West Africa. She was also a family doctor for 17 years and served as the Chief of Family Medicine at Markham Stouffville Hospital in 2008.

  This year Philpott has written a new book Health for All: A Doctor's Prescription for a Healthier Canada.  

  
  

  Constructing the Future of Health Care

  Former Minister of Health the Honourable Jane Philpott is calling for an overhaul of Canadian health care with primary care as its foundation. Following the pandemic, Canada is facing a shortage of family doctors and lengthy wait times for procedures. In her talk, Philpott, who is now Dean of Health Sciences at Queen’s University, shares creative solutions — from how we train health professionals and build accountability to how we build a system where access to care is akin to access to public schools. With stories from her career and personal life, Philpott offers the hope of a clear path towards better health outcomes for all. 

   

  
  

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2024 Speaker series. 
  

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• Hidden Histories: Chinese & Indigenous Relationships

  • When
    October 28, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom virtual lecture

  
  

  
  

       Landy Anderson

  Landy Anderson is of mixed heritage of Chinese and Métis. She is a member of the Gaspé Peninsula, Lower St-Lawrence, and Magdalen Islands Métis Aboriginal Nation in Quebec. Her husband and children are members of Alderville First Nation, a Mississauga (Ojibway) reserve in Ontario. Landy’s Chinese name translates as “beautiful jade” and her Indigenous spirit name translates as “one who brings the drum,” which means she brings balance. Landy walks in two cultural worlds, comfortable in both. 

  Landy is the granddaughter of a Toisan Chinese head taxpayer and railroad worker. Her Grandfather Mr. Ralph Lung Kee Lee was one of the last living head taxpayers to receive our Prime Minister’s apology on June 22, 2006. Landy has been a member of the Foundation to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada since 2011 and in 2019 she became the Chair of the Foundation to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad Workers in Canada. 

  Landy’s family and her husband’s family have the influence of the Church and/or residential schools in their bloodlines. Landy’s husband, a former Crown Ward in Ontario was an Indigenous child in care who survived Canada’s infamous Sixties Scoop. Landy’s children are the first offspring in the Anderson bloodline who have not been in a residential school or children’s aid care. 

  Landy is a book author and teaches an Indigenous Child Well-Being Course at Trent University. Currently, Landy is a Senior Manager for an Indigenous Child and Family Well-Being Agency (an Indigenous Children’s Aid Society).  

  
  

  Hidden Histories: Chinese & Indigenous Relationships
  

  Our Chinese and Indigenous communities have shared histories. We faced hardships together while mining for gold in the British Columbia gold rush and experiencing the rugged Canadian weather and terrain.

  There are many graves on First Nations territories when Chinese people died from the flu and from the building of the railway, crushed by landslides, collapsing tunnels and premature blastings (Mittelstedt, 2014). Our First Nations communities took in the Chinese railroad workers and care for their grave sites to this day (Mittelstedt, 2014). We enjoyed economic success and partnerships that were respectful and mutually beneficial (Ma, 2012). Chinese people leased lands (on First Nations) to farm and then hired Indigenous people to help farm the land (Mathur et al., 2011, p. 74). The Chinese built elaborate gold-mining operations among First Nations communities and perhaps most importantly our communities intermingled and there were many marriages between Chinese men and Indigenous women. 

  During this informative and provocative lecture, you will learn about the seldom told stories of oppression and resistance that our Chinese and Indigenous communities faced. Our histories are threaded together by Canada’s shameful racist legislation that disrupted Chinese and Indigenous families. The historical wrongs that impacted Chinese and Indigenous communities including the residential schooling system will be discussed.

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2024 Speaker series. 
  

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• Questions About Electric Cars

  • When
    November 04, 2024
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom virtual lecture

  
  

  
  

       Lorraine Sommerfeld

  After beginning her career in writing with The Motherlode column in the Hamilton Spectator in 2003, Lorraine added automotive journalism to her file in 2005. After stints with The Toronto Star and The Globe & Mail, she has been with Driving.ca since 2014. She began hosting The Driving Podcast in 2021 and helmed The Lemon Aid Car Show for seven years. She has been a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) since 2013 and has been named AJAC Automotive Journalist of the Year twice.

  After years of partaking in adventures like driving Smart cars in the Yukon winter, competing in the Gazelle Rally in Morocco, off-roading in Argentina, RVing around much of Canada, and chasing down Route 66 (twice), Lorraine now writes as a consumer advocate.

  She is a prominent voice on radio stations across the country, and her debut novel, A Face in the Window, was released in July 2023.

  
  

  Questions about Electric Cars
  

  There's a lot of talk about electric cars, but what does it really mean?

  As consumers, the choices in the automotive industry continue to evolve rapidly. But what should we really be thinking about when we consider a shift to a very new technology? Is an EV the right choice for you? How is pricing compared to traditional cars and hybrids? What will maintenance look like? Do I need a charger at home? Will I be able to take road trips? Will my insurance be different? Will I have to change how I drive? How long do batteries last, and are they really as expensive as I've heard?

  If you have consumer questions about electric vehicles, this is where you bring them.

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2024 Speaker series. 
  

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