Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

Canada’s Indigenous people have suffered many injustices as a result of colonization. The Residential School system was one of them. Most First Nations, Metis and Inuit people today are themselves residential school survivors or the children/grandchildren of those who survived (many did not). These schools were sites of physical and sexual abuse. Children were taken away, sometimes forcibly, from their parents and from normal family life. They were unable to experience the daily contact, care, and love that parents provide to their children. This was traumatic, and further, it was not a single-event trauma but ongoing trauma, often for many years. Processing and recovering from trauma are difficult lifelong undertakings, yet residential school syndrome was not even recognized until recently. First Nations, Metis and Inuit children left these schools and tried to get on with their lives, carrying overwhelming emotional burdens, including untreated anxiety, clinical depression, and PTSD. Research demonstrates

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? How will the election of President Biden affect US-China relations? Will the US election affect the tenor of the Ottawa-Beijing relationship? Canada-China trade has remained relatively stable through the diplomatic crisis, although Canadian exports of canola to China have been targeted by China. Is it possible that we will see a resumption of normal agricultural exports to China soon? Speaker: Dr. Gordon Houlden Gordon Houlden is the Director of the China Institute, Professor of Political Science and Adjunct Professor of the Alberta Schoo

In the recent US election on Nov 3, Americans voted at their highest rate in 120 years. In the vote for President, Democratic challenger Joe Biden accumulated more than 77 million votes, while Republican incumbent Donald Trump received over 72 million votes – the most and second-most in US history. What do the election results say about American voters? Did Joe Biden win by rebuilding the Obama coalition or have American voters re-aligned? Does Trump have any hope of still claiming victory? Why did the Republicans do so well in the congressional elections? And mostly important, what’s next for the American electorate? Speaker: Dr. Paul Fairie Paul Fairie has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Calgary, focusing on voter behaviour. He has taught politics courses at the University of Calgary since 2010 and ran The Globe & Mail Election Forecast in 2015. He is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Calgary, and tweets far too much, at @paulisci. Date and time: Thurs

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. Applying the lens of masculinities theory, this talk will discuss how aggrieved white masculine entitlement, multiple marginalization’s influencing many men's ability to achieve the unrealistic expectations of hegemonic masculinities, and feelings of fear, hopelessness, and abandonment, are providing the fuel that has been i

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. LOPS launched a GoFundMe fundraiser, and within 24 hours saw over $10,000 in donations. With this generous support from the community, LOPS purchased a tent, some furniture, a space heater, and harm reduction supplies. With no time to waste, LOPS set up in a local park and began to provide services. As the first unsanctioned overdose prevention site to operate in Alberta, the process has not been without significant challenges. LOPS continues to tack

Ghost stories are part of our community's folklore, teaching us about ourselves and our history. Discover some of the ghost stories of southern Alberta in this light-hearted look at the things that go bump in the night. Speaker: Belinda Crowson Belinda Crowson is a story teller, tour guide and author who researches and shares Lethbridge's history and stories. She is the president of the Lethbridge Historical Society, for whom she has written several books, and sits as a member of Lethbridge City Council. Some of her books include: We Don't Talk About Those Women; Vice, Virtue and Lust: Lethbridge's Cemeteries and Squirrel Whiskey. Her books are available via the Lethbridge Historical Society website at (lethbridgehistory.org). Date and time: Thursday, October 29, 2020 at 10 am YouTube Live link: https://youtu.be/Ilo3FbQnNjw In order to ask questions of our speaker in the chat feature of YouTube, you must have a YouTube account and be signed in. Please do so well ahead of the scheduled s

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. While members of the Canadian Armed Forces receive excellent training and are proud of the work they have done, many of them encounter significant challenges when they are released and re-enter civilian society. The speakers will address these various challenges veterans face (financial, vocational, emotional, physical injuries, psychological, relationships, PTSD, etc.), the kinds of services and support that are available for veterans, and how we as civilians can best recognize and support the

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. COVID-19 is having a devastating effect on smallholder farmers. Despite producing most of the world’s food, they tend to be food insecure themselves forming the majority of people living in poverty globally. Helping raise their incomes and improve their livelihoods holds the key to building sustainable food systems, advancing food security and achieving Zero Hunger. The World Food Programme (WFP) interventions can have a positive influence on food systems including: Home

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. Speaker: Brad Moser Brad Moser is a Registered Psychologist at Associates Counselling Services. He has been providing professional therapy for children and teens, adults, couples, and families, since 2007. His areas of practice include anger, anxiety, bereavement, childhood and family of origin concerns, depression, identity concerns, marital/relationship distress, men’s and dad’s issues, parenting, self-esteem, separat

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. The area most affected by this change covers 1.5 million hectares of lands that provide drinking water to downstream communities in Alberta and beyond. These areas also provide essential habitats for wildlife and plants, including grizzly bear, elk and native trout and have provided beauty and bounty for generations. This comes on the heels of another government decision in March 2020 to remove protections on 175 provincial parks and recreation areas – approximately one third of all of Albe

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. Since gaining power in the spring of 2019, Alberta’s UCP Government has lifted the cap on establishing charter schools and is advocating for a voucher system that would increase the per student public funding to Alberta’s private schools from 70 percent to 100 percent. The shift would arguably encourage many more private and religious education schools, more segregation—and more inequality. To top off the “Politics of Education”, Alberta’s Government has paused the previous NDP Government’s work on curriculum changes and is employing panels of “experts”, including an all-male group of advisors

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. ASCA strives for the empowerment of school councils locally and provincially, and provides support and messaging for parents on school councils related to matters such as the new funding model, the assurance model, and COVID-19 concerns. Parents are partners in education and President Brandi Rai will explore some of the ways ASCA elevates parent voice through provincial advocacy, as well as how ASCA supports school councils in their work they do in their commun

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. Sandra will discuss how during an unprecedented pandemic we are witnessing the dismantling of our universal public health system. How Bill 30: Health Statutes Amendment Act, sets the legal framework for privatization at a time where it has become clear that Alberta must fortify our commitment to a health care system not based on profit, but instead on the shared belief that health care is a human right. Speaker: Sandra Azocar, Executive Director Friends of Medicare

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. LFD has several concerns with Alberta Health Service Emergency Medical Services decision to remove local EMS dispatch from Lethbridge and move it to Calgary. They feel this will create delays in dispatching of Fire units that also provide Advanced Life Support to our citizens. They also have concerns that AHS EMS provided dispatch will eliminate the City EMS units, leaving the service short of units. As well, a lack of familiarity with this

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. We know that foreign aid works. It saves and improves the lives of billions of people around the world, safeguarding their human dignity by lifting them out of poverty and giving them a chance to reach their potential. But the moral imperative for maintaining our levels of foreign aid is only half the story. Development assistance is also a way to invest in Canada’s prosperity by supporting the local markets and economies of developing countries in need, which in the long run are able to transition from their cr

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. Speaker: Ron Hendry Ron Hendry graduated with a B. Sc. Pharmacy from the University of Alberta in 1979. He moved to Lethbridge after graduation, where he bought a home in west Lethbridge and worked for his Father in law, Doug Steed, at Thriftway Pharma

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. On March 13, 2020 the university moved to virtual academic program delivery and ultimately the university closed down all on-campus services including residences and food services, and moved all student services online. These rapid changes have been unprecedented, but the university has met the challenge. There have also been significant costs associated with COVID 19, which in addition to government grant reductions present serious challenges. The speaker will explain the impact of the budget reductions and COVID 19, mitigatio

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. All the money that gets used in these ventures could be used to actually support families and keep them together in Indigenous communities. Likewise, why not redirect some of the money spent on law enforcement to help marginalized people and communities? The speaker will argue that we're sending people armed with guns to somebody who is in crisis, when the answer for the police overwhelmingly should be, to stop heavy policing and to start supporting all

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. From overcoming the hassle of working from home and providing childcare, to preventing anxiety, the speaker will discuss ways we can make ourselves more psychologically rugged and build our social supports. This presentation will explore how this crisis can be an opportunity for us to have a forthright conversation about how we can make our families, schools, communities, and workplaces better despite the financial stress and grief that has become our new normal. Speaker: Dr. Michael Ungar, Director Resilience Research Centre, Dalhousie University Dr. Ungar is a Family Therapist and Pr

In what Prime Minister Trudeau called “extremely troubling,” military reports accused several Quebec and Ontario long-term care (LTC) facilities of negligence and appalling conditions for people living there. The reports detailed first-hand accounts of cockroach infestations, patients crying for help, residents being force fed and not receiving a bath for weeks, while COVID-19 patients were allowed to wander freely. But even before the pandemic, it was evident that LTC homes were a setting stretched far too thin and in need of much better resources. Staffing ratios and tight schedules often prevent staff from providing the quality of care they would like, as they are often overwhelmed by the volume of tasks facing them. Arguably what’s needed, is a system that values the lives of the people living in LTC homes, while also valuing the lives of the people who are providing the care. The speaker will argue that if the COVID-19 pandemic is to bring about improvements to quality of care in LTC homes, it can onl