Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

Hurricanes, typhoons, killer heat waves, droughts, floods, wildfires — these things seem to be getting worse all the time. Are these events caused by global warming? Or are they just bad weather? Climate scientists are careful to explain that one cannot attribute any particular storm or wildfire to climate change alone. But there is strong evidence that global warming is steadily increasing the chance that the intensity and sometimes the frequency of such disasters will occur. Climate is complex, but the simple fact is that there is more heat than there used to be in the atmosphere and oceans and all that heat has to go somewhere. And go it will, whether or not there are people with their vulnerable infrastructures in the way. Is the human species doomed? The speaker will say that reports of our imminent extinction are greatly exaggerated. But there is no hope of getting through our present ecological bottleneck without acknowledging the reality and the seriousness of the self-induced survival cha

At a time when The House of Commons, The Senate and all institutions generally are facing criticism, it can be argued that the long awaited reform of the Canadian Senate couldn’t come at a better time. Indeed, a group of Senators are working on reforms to make the institution less partisan and more effective. The initiative is still being defined and obviously not everyone agrees with recommended changes. However, in the face of public disillusionment with the Senate, bold and decisive reform seems appropriate. Nevertheless, such changes cannot be made without careful consideration by the 36 Conservatives, 35 Independents, 18 Liberals and 7 Non-affiliated Senators currently making up Canada’s Senate. The speaker will relate her views on Senate reform and describe how partisanship sometimes can be beneficial and other times not, while debating legislation and considering amendments to such.   Speaker: The Honourable Pamela Wallin, O.C., S.O.M The Honourable Pamela Wallin, O.C., S.O.M. was appointed to t

At a time when The House of Commons, The Senate and all institutions generally are facing criticism, it can be argued that the long awaited reform of the Canadian Senate couldn’t come at a better time. Indeed, a group of Senators are working on reforms to make the institution less partisan and more effective. The initiative is still being defined and obviously not everyone agrees with recommended changes. However, in the face of public disillusionment with the Senate, bold and decisive reform seems appropriate. Nevertheless, such changes cannot be made without careful consideration by the 36 Conservatives, 35 Independents, 18 Liberals and 7 Non-affiliated Senators currently making up Canada’s Senate. The speaker will relate her views on Senate reform and describe how partisanship sometimes can be beneficial and other times not, while debating legislation and considering amendments to such.   Speaker: The Honourable Pamela Wallin, O.C., S.O.M The Honourable Pamela Wallin, O.C., S.O.M. was appointed to t

In December 2015, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released their 94 “Calls to Action” calling on all forms of government to begin the process of Reconciliation. The Lethbridge Indigenous Sharing Network (LISN), which is a network of Urban Indigenous Agencies, came together to start discussing Urban Indigenous issues in Lethbridge. In 2016, Alberta Culture and Community Spirit and Native Counselling Services, led the LISN through a series of strategic planning sessions, which resulted in the creation of a community based “Urban Indigenous Community Plan”. Of the recommendations in the plan, reconciliation was considered a main priority to be addressed. In September 2016, a reconciliation sub-committee was formed consisting of many stakeholders and the process towards creating a “Reconciliation Implementation Plan” commenced. The reconciliation sub-committee collaborated with appropriate members of Lethbridge City Council and administration and consulted with Elders from the Blackfoot Confe

In December 2015, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released their 94 “Calls to Action” calling on all forms of government to begin the process of Reconciliation. The Lethbridge Indigenous Sharing Network (LISN), which is a network of Urban Indigenous Agencies, came together to start discussing Urban Indigenous issues in Lethbridge. In 2016, Alberta Culture and Community Spirit and Native Counselling Services, led the LISN through a series of strategic planning sessions, which resulted in the creation of a community based “Urban Indigenous Community Plan”. Of the recommendations in the plan, reconciliation was considered a main priority to be addressed. In September 2016, a reconciliation sub-committee was formed consisting of many stakeholders and the process towards creating a “Reconciliation Implementation Plan” commenced. The reconciliation sub-committee collaborated with appropriate members of Lethbridge City Council and administration and consulted with Elders from the Blackfoot Confe

During a white nationalists protest rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA on August 12, 2017, a 20-year-old man allegedly accelerated his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a woman, Heather Heyer, and wounding many others. This particular conflict over the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert Lee from Charlottesville had been brewing for months, but since the founding of the nation, racial tensions have been present. It can be argued that the confrontation by the white nationalists in Charlottesville, where Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia in 1819, was not a fluke as this is the tension the city was founded on and it has long been an ideological battleground. Judging by the response of both protestors and national leaders to the violence on August 12, the history of racial conflict continues to be at the epicentre of the nation’s future. But is the violence in Charlottesville part of a larger movement? Has KKK, white nationalists/supremacists and Nazi sympathiz

During a white nationalists protest rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA on August 12, 2017, a 20-year-old man allegedly accelerated his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a woman, Heather Heyer, and wounding many others. This particular conflict over the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert Lee from Charlottesville had been brewing for months, but since the founding of the nation, racial tensions have been present. It can be argued that the confrontation by the white nationalists in Charlottesville, where Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia in 1819, was not a fluke as this is the tension the city was founded on and it has long been an ideological battleground. Judging by the response of both protestors and national leaders to the violence on August 12, the history of racial conflict continues to be at the epicentre of the nation’s future. But is the violence in Charlottesville part of a larger movement? Has KKK, white nationalists/supremacists and Nazi sympathiz

BikeMaps.org is a project that collects reports about cycling collisions and related data and presents the information on an interactive online map and through visualized data (bar charts). More importantly, it also provides information about near-misses, hazards, and bicycle thefts. What makes BikeMaps.org so interesting is that in addition to the official police reports, it collects information provided by cyclists themselves. This is valuable because the data provided by police reports are often very limited and don’t show everything happening on the road and trails. BikeMaps.org began at the University of Victoria in October 2014. In partnership with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), BikeMaps.org received $930,000 from the Public Health Agency of Canada to bring the project to more Canadian cities. It wants to help government planning and infrastructure development for cycling, and it also hopes to encourage more people to get on their bicycles. The speaker will give perspective to how th

Racism is a serious world-wide issue and recently it was on display in Lethbridge, proving that racism is still alive in this community, despite efforts on many fronts to the contrary. Grad students from a local high school organized a “Cowboys and Indians” themed graduation party held off campus and images of students wearing headdresses, war paint and feathers was shared on social media. Many indigenous peoples were upset by the theme and event, which they say illustrates the brutal history of colonization and minimizes the importance of indigenous cultures. Some of the students involved apologized for the theme saying that the event was not intended to be a racist party and that they were very sorry about their actions while apologizing to the aboriginal communities. Although the event was privately held and only attended by some grad students, the school later called an assembly to address the concerns. Dialog among the school and students are continuing, but what is the take-away from this incident?

Racism is a serious world-wide issue and recently it was on display in Lethbridge, proving that racism is still alive in this community, despite efforts on many fronts to the contrary. Grad students from a local high school organized a “Cowboys and Indians” themed graduation party held off campus and images of students wearing headdresses, war paint and feathers was shared on social media. Many indigenous peoples were upset by the theme and event, which they say illustrates the brutal history of colonization and minimizes the importance of indigenous cultures. Some of the students involved apologized for the theme saying that the event was not intended to be a racist party and that they were very sorry about their actions while apologizing to the aboriginal communities. Although the event was privately held and only attended by some grad students, the school later called an assembly to address the concerns. Dialog among the school and students are continuing, but what is the take-away from this incident?

SACPA is proud to present this session as part of the Gordon Campbell Memorial Speaker Series. China is achieving Great Power status based on its economic prowess, its political clout and its increasingly capable military. With the US under President Trump seemingly less willing to lead, China has shown a willingness to take onto itself a much more prominent role. President Xi Jingping and President Trump have, surprisingly, found much common ground, both on trade issues, but also in dealing with the dangerous question of North Korea’s nuclear and missile capability. What does a rising China mean for Canada, and for the international community? What are the benefits and what are the risks of a prosperous Chinese state and a mature or possibly declining United States? Issues ranging from the South China Sea to the Korean Peninsula will be addressed. Speaker: Gordon Houlden Professor Gordon Houlden is the Director of the China Institute, Professor of Political Science and Adjunct Professor of Bus

SACPA is proud to present this session as part of the Gordon Campbell Memorial Speaker Series. China is achieving Great Power status based on its economic prowess, its political clout and its increasingly capable military. With the US under President Trump seemingly less willing to lead, China has shown a willingness to take onto itself a much more prominent role. President Xi Jingping and President Trump have, surprisingly, found much common ground, both on trade issues, but also in dealing with the dangerous question of North Korea’s nuclear and missile capability. What does a rising China mean for Canada, and for the international community? What are the benefits and what are the risks of a prosperous Chinese state and a mature or possibly declining United States? Issues ranging from the South China Sea to the Korean Peninsula will be addressed. Speaker: Gordon Houlden Professor Gordon Houlden is the Director of the China Institute, Professor of Political Science and Adjunct Professor of Bus

Canada has a long and sometimes forgotten history of accepting refugees dating back to its founding. This history connects with present-day refugee approaches and challenges that are in contrast with the emerging policies and attitudes south of our border and in many other countries. It is not only Canada’s reliance on a provision in the 1976 Immigration Act that allows for groups of individuals to privately sponsor refugees that makes Canada a possible model for other countries, but our distinction as an accepting and supportive home for refugees. Refugees to Canada indeed come from war-torn, discriminatory and poor countries throughout the world. Canada resettled 60,000 refugees from places like Vietnam and Cambodia between 1979 and 1980, for example, including about 34,000 who were privately sponsored. Nearly 300,000 refugees have resettled in Canada since the late 1970s.That extraordinary effort helped Canada win the 1986 UNHCR’s Nansen Refugee Award in recognition of the collective work of the governm

Canada has a long and sometimes forgotten history of accepting refugees dating back to its founding. This history connects with present-day refugee approaches and challenges that are in contrast with the emerging policies and attitudes south of our border and in many other countries. It is not only Canada’s reliance on a provision in the 1976 Immigration Act that allows for groups of individuals to privately sponsor refugees that makes Canada a possible model for other countries, but our distinction as an accepting and supportive home for refugees. Refugees to Canada indeed come from war-torn, discriminatory and poor countries throughout the world. Canada resettled 60,000 refugees from places like Vietnam and Cambodia between 1979 and 1980, for example, including about 34,000 who were privately sponsored. Nearly 300,000 refugees have resettled in Canada since the late 1970s.That extraordinary effort helped Canada win the 1986 UNHCR’s Nansen Refugee Award in recognition of the collective work of the governm

As police services struggle to address addictions and spin-off crime, it has become clear the days of a law and order-only approach are over. Crime and disorder are the effect, not the cause and while the concept of harm reduction may seem contrary to the fundamental principles of law enforcement, the reality is we cannot arrest our way out of this situation. There will always be a need for traditional proactive and reactive policing, but it’s important for the public to understand that only about 20 per cent of the incidents police deal with are actually criminal in nature. The vast majority of calls for service – roughly 80 per cent – are non-criminal matters that arise from social issues such as addictions, substance abuse and mental illness, and an endless cycle of arrest, detention and release does little to address these root causes or change the behaviour. Over the past two years, the significant increase in fatal overdoses as a result of the abuse of fentanyl and other street drugs has been declar

As police services struggle to address addictions and spin-off crime, it has become clear the days of a law and order-only approach are over. Crime and disorder are the effect, not the cause and while the concept of harm reduction may seem contrary to the fundamental principles of law enforcement, the reality is we cannot arrest our way out of this situation. There will always be a need for traditional proactive and reactive policing, but it’s important for the public to understand that only about 20 per cent of the incidents police deal with are actually criminal in nature. The vast majority of calls for service – roughly 80 per cent – are non-criminal matters that arise from social issues such as addictions, substance abuse and mental illness, and an endless cycle of arrest, detention and release does little to address these root causes or change the behaviour. Over the past two years, the significant increase in fatal overdoses as a result of the abuse of fentanyl and other street drugs has been declar

A number of factors contributed to the creation of Canada’s first public community college here in Lethbridge. A growing population, the prosperity of post-war southern Alberta with the size and wealth of the City, and the lack of post-secondary educational opportunities in the southern part of the province all factored into the formation of Lethbridge Junior College as it opened in 1957 with 38 students enrolled for classes in space leased at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute high school. When the first classes got underway, the College Board began searching for a permanent campus site and in the end settled on 80 acres of land south of the City with the first buildings ready in 1962. Unique in many ways, the College campus offered and housed both university and non-university courses in the same place in those early years. When the University of Lethbridge was established in 1967, it was initially housed at the College, but moved to their newly built west Lethbridge campus in 1972. Lethbridge Junior Coll

A number of factors contributed to the creation of Canada’s first public community college here in Lethbridge. A growing population, the prosperity of post-war southern Alberta with the size and wealth of the City, and the lack of post-secondary educational opportunities in the southern part of the province all factored into the formation of Lethbridge Junior College as it opened in 1957 with 38 students enrolled for classes in space leased at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute high school. When the first classes got underway, the College Board began searching for a permanent campus site and in the end settled on 80 acres of land south of the City with the first buildings ready in 1962. Unique in many ways, the College campus offered and housed both university and non-university courses in the same place in those early years. When the University of Lethbridge was established in 1967, it was initially housed at the College, but moved to their newly built west Lethbridge campus in 1972. Lethbridge Junior Coll

From its humble beginning at Lethbridge College in 1967 with 825 undergraduate students, the University of Lethbridge is now home to over 8400 students, including graduate students, at its campuses in Lethbridge and Calgary. The growth has been fairly steady – almost 4300 students at its 25th anniversary – but heavily driven by students from afar, particularly Calgary. Founded on the principals of a liberal education, U of L still aspires to that ideal and recently just approved a new School of Liberal Education. However, it may be a delicate balance to increasingly demonstrate research power while remaining committed to the undergraduate student. It can be said that U of L is now a global institution, with students from more than 80 countries and U of L students furthering their studies at institutions in all corners of the world. 50 years in the life of an institution arguably represents adolescence and preparing for the next generations will mean providing students at all levels with high quality resear

From its humble beginning at Lethbridge College in 1967 with 825 undergraduate students, the University of Lethbridge is now home to over 8400 students, including graduate students, at its campuses in Lethbridge and Calgary. The growth has been fairly steady – almost 4300 students at its 25th anniversary – but heavily driven by students from afar, particularly Calgary. Founded on the principals of a liberal education, U of L still aspires to that ideal and recently just approved a new School of Liberal Education. However, it may be a delicate balance to increasingly demonstrate research power while remaining committed to the undergraduate student. It can be said that U of L is now a global institution, with students from more than 80 countries and U of L students furthering their studies at institutions in all corners of the world. 50 years in the life of an institution arguably represents adolescence and preparing for the next generations will mean providing students at all levels with high quality resear