Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

At least one-fifth of all food produced in Canada is (avoidably) lost or wasted during harvesting, packing, storing, handling, transporting and processing. Lethbridge Polytechnic received grants in 2021 from different sources to study the issues and the speaker will provide evidence of promising results. Lethbridge Polytechnic was also on the receiving end of part of a large grant this year that will be applied towards using cellular agricultural research to improve food security across Canada well into the future. In particular, sugar beets will be used as an energy source for cell culture medium to facilitate this research to possibly diversify the long-term market for sugar beet producers in southern Alberta. Speaker: Dr. Chandra Singh Chandra Singh joined Lethbridge Polytechnic’s Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CARIE) in 2019 as the first Applied Research Chair in Agricultural Engineering and Technology. As a Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) funded research chair, S

This is the Question that inspires Imagine Lethbridge, a grassroots organisation of residents passionate about a prosperous and sustainable future for our community. To answer this question, Imagine Lethbridge centres its thinking, activities, and processes around a unique and fresh perspective on economic activity known as regenerative economics by academics, and affectionately called “Doughnut Economics” by communities worldwide adopting and applying its principles. Our speakers will present the core principles and visual framework of Doughnut Economics, and share perspectives from a global, provincial and municipal viewpoint on practical considerations for ethical community prosperity and sustainability. Imagine Lethbridge is pleased to coordinate its work with the City of Lethbridge’s strategic goals including being: economically prosperous, healthy and diverse, culturally vibrant, well designed, environmentally responsible and regionally supportive, but are there barriers? Lethbridge is a great place to

The Land Use Bylaw is the rule book that regulates development on private land in the city and the last time it was comprehensively reviewed and rewritten was 1986. The Land Use Bylaw Renewal project is an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a city and establish regulations to shape the future of Lethbridge. This presentation will examine how the Land Use Bylaw shapes where we live, work, and play, and how the new Land Use Bylaw will be created. This is a great opportunity to ask any land use-related questions and share your past experiences and ideas for the future. Speakers: Genesis Molesky and Ross Kilgour Genesis works as a community planner with the City of Lethbridge and has 8 years of experience in land use planning. She completed her undergraduate studies in urban and regional planning at the University of Saskatchewan. In her role with the City of Lethbridge, she works on all levels of long-range planning projects from guiding parcel-specific redevelopment proposals to developing neighb

The Lethbridge Soup Kitchen (LSK) has been serving meals to the less fortunate for the past 40+ years and will continue to do so as long as there is a need. LSK is blessed to have a great core of volunteers from many churches and service clubs in Lethbridge and surrounding area, many of whom have served for as long as the soup kitchen has been in existence. Upwards of 800 volunteers representing all ages and walks of life are gratefully doing much of the daily work to compliment the many suppliers, who provide most of the supplies needed to prepare the meals that are served three times a day, seven days a week. The speaker will account for how the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen has evolved since 1984 and speculate on its future - while giving BIG thanks to the generosity of volunteers and donors. Speaker: Bill Ginther Bill Ginther is currently the Executive Director of the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen, a position he has held for almost 8 years, his third post-retirement job. He came to this role after having spent most o

Friday afternoons in a southern Alberta classroom, youth may be learning how to keep their troubles in check. Leaning over chess boards at the ULethbridge, teens and young adults who are at-risk or have been convicted of various crimes are taught to think, think again, then think some more as they move their pawns, kings, queens and rooks across 64 black and white spaces. The founder of Chess for Life says the program helps them learn how to accomplish short-term goals, like completing community service hours, following a curfew and staying out of trouble. In 2018, Alberta Justice approved a request to make Chess for Life an official referral program for probation officers to recommend for young offenders sentenced to community service. Since then, participants have gone on to secure full-time jobs, enrol in post-secondary education and rekindle broken relationships. The speakers will recount how that came about and argue there is a lot of opportunity to think about chess in ways that go beyond the board itse

When we think about how storytelling shapes our understanding of community, we often turn to historians, musicians, and other public commentators to help us make sense of our shared narrative. However, the role of policymakers and journalists in shaping this understanding is often overlooked.  This presentation explores how two key institutions—the Lethbridge Herald and Lethbridge City Council—have shaped public discourse about local homelessness. The speaker will explore how their framing of this issue has influenced the community's ability to respond. Speaker: Yale D. Belanger, Ph.D.  Dr. Yale Belanger is Professor of Political Science at the University of Lethbridge, and Member of the Royal Society of Canada, College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists (2017-2024). He has written numerous articles, book chapters, and reports about housing and homelessness.

Sustainable practices, by definition, seek to maintain the same, whereas regenerative practices recognize that natural systems are currently impacted and it applies management techniques to restore the system to improved productivity. Regenerative and sustainable actions can use essentially the same practices, the difference is the application and the management of those tools. Farmers are faced with skyrocketing input costs, declining product efficiency and industry pressure to implement sustainable and regenerative practices. The speaker will argue that revolutionary biological products have the ability to increase input efficiency, reduce reliance on chemical products, restore soil health and enable farmers to produce higher quality crops, sustainably. Speaker: Joshua Day Chief Joshua Day Chief is Chief Executive Officer of AdvancedAg (AAG). Since 2013, he has propelled the company’s growth through groundbreaking research projects that have helped redefine biological technology in the agriculture industry.

There is significant interest in establishing metallurgical coal mining operations throughout the eastern slopes of Alberta. The areas residing within the Oldman watershed are no exception. Currently, there are four companies exploring potential mining operations in the region. All of the currently proposed coal mines are open-pit “mountain top removal” mines and are located in the Crowsnest Pass area. Coal mining exploration is also happening along the Livingstone Range and in the Bighorn area west of Red Deer. On May 15, 2020, the Government of Alberta announced it was rescinding the long-standing provincial Coal Policy, which was implemented by the Peter Lougheed Government in 1976. Since then, Crown coal rights have been sold on land where coal mining was previously not considered, in order to protect the watershed and wildlife. On March 4, 2022, the Government of Alberta announced restrictions on coal development in the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies. The restrictions on new development will be in place u

Neighbourhood connections are the foundation of a resilient city. They enhance safety, well-being, and local engagement, strengthening Lethbridge as a whole. This session explores why these connections matter, insights from the Neighbourhood Engagement Project, and the role of neighbourhood associations—like the League of YQL Neighbourhoods—in fostering community. Beyond discussion, this is a call to action: whether by engaging with neighbours, supporting local initiatives, or simply being a friendly presence, small efforts make a big impact. Let’s build stronger communities together. Speaker: Jerry Firth, Community Development Officer Jerry Firth is a co-founder and the Chair of the League of YQL Neighbourhoods and the Lethbridge Uplands Neighbourhood Association. He previously worked as the Neighbourhood Development Coordinator for the City of Lethbridge, fostering his passion for connecting neighbours. Jerry now works as a Community Development Officer with the Community Engagement Branch of Alberta Arts,

Canada has experienced a disruptive start to 2025, with PM Justin Trudeau stepping down as Liberal leader, prompting a leadership campaign and a prorogued parliament . With a federal election looming, Canadians, among other problems, are facing affordability issues and to top it off, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose 25-percent tariffs on a wide range of imports from Canada and 10-percent tariffs on oil and gas. Those US tariffs were set to begin Feb 4, but have been delayed by at least 30 days as the countries work together on border security and trade imbalance. However, for many Canadians, the potential for a trade war between two longtime allies continues to fuel anger, despair and confusion over what may be coming next. The speaker will try to make sense of it all, while analyzing the response from governments and political leaders including Liberal leadership contenders. Speaker: Shannon Phillips Shannon brings over two decades of experience in public policy, governance, and leadership in e

Since 2017, the Secure Your Food Program (SYF) has known that food prices will rise due to systemic issues. Other contributing factors such as history, war, climate change, etc., will also keep prices elevated for the foreseeable future. SYF can confidently summarize for you and your family why this is happening and why it’s important to prepare during these volatile times. SYF works at all levels of society to improve food security. Food security is your access to nutritious foods to support healthy living. SYF employs sustainable and mitigative food security solutions for individuals, families, large groups, and municipalities. The Secure Your Food Program is consulted on growing projects, designs food systems, advises on food initiatives, collaborates with local groups, advocates for vulnerable populations, and participates in academic and community research, all focused on food. Due to its wide range of activities and sought after solutions, the Secure Your Food program is transitioning to a Not-for-Profi

Recently, Mayor Hyggen presented his annual State of the City address for the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce and he highlighted our rapid population growth and the challenges and opportunities. What are our current needs? What do we foresee in the near future and beyond? How do we pay for it? Who should pay for it? The speaker will talk about the issues, costs, priorities and realities. Speaker: Blaine Hyggen, Mayor of Lethbridge Blaine Hyggen was first elected to City Council in 2013 and was elected Mayor in 2021. He has owned and operated various businesses throughout the community for the past 28 years. He studied Business Law and Accounting at Lethbridge Community College. Some of Blaine’s past and current volunteer experience includes: School Councils, Lethbridge Figure Skating Club, Lethbridge Volleyball Association, Lethbridge Oldtimers Sports Association and The Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club, to name a few. Blaine’s family is his number one priority. His wife Jennifer is a Registered Nurse and the

Overwhelmed hospitals. Overcrowded schools. Threats from Donald Trump. Coal mines that could contaminate our water supply. If all that wasn’t enough for Albertans to worry about, Alberta wages and living standards are also falling. Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan will explain what’s behind the disappearance of the Alberta Advantage – and what we can do about it. Speaker: Gil McGowan Gil McGowan is a passionate labour leader, advocate for workers’ rights, and dedicated champion of social and economic justice. Since 2005, he has served as the president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), Alberta’s largest labor organization, representing more than 175,000 unionized workers from diverse industries across the province. Under McGowan’s leadership, the AFL has been a powerful voice for workers, spearheading campaigns to improve workplace safety, secure fair wages, and protect public services. His leadership has been pivotal during times of economic and political change in Alberta, particul

Community television programming is considered an important source for information and provides a reflection of local realities that few other television services currently showcase. All programming on Rogers TV must be “Community Programming”, which is defined by CRTC regulations as programming that refers directly to the community, which could be defined as the station’s contours, broadcasting distribution undertakings service area, municipality, census metropolitan area or census agglomeration; and is produced by the personnel of the local station, independent local producers or members of the community for the local station. The CRTC oversees broadcasters and television service providers and has determined that the role of the community channel should be primarily of a public service nature, facilitating self-expression through free and open access by members of the community. The speaker will delve into more of the details, but among other policy goals, the Community Television Policy states that the com

Lethbridge Polytechnics’s Centre for Public Safety Applied Research (CPSAR) has been embracing Klose’s (2024) re-definition of evidence-based policing approach that entails decision-making, “which integrates the best available evidence, professional judgement and community values, preferences and circumstances”. CPSAR currently supports over 14 different research projects, 15 researchers, 14 student researchers that involve meaningful collaborations with over 28 Canadian policing, public safety, academic, and community partners across five provinces. We hope to share the benefits and potential of using “research-informed, practitioner-centred, and community-oriented” (Klose, 2024) evidence-based policing practices overall. We will share the research questions, objectives, methods, and initial data collected and analyzed for a 3-year project based in Lethbridge, which is currently SSHRC/NSERC funded (Community Integration Through Art – Pissatsinaskssini), that has emerged from this redefinition of evidence-bas

Our human body comprises 20,000 different essential proteins, each made up of a unique sequence of amino acids, unique in length, composition and three-dimensional structure. If our genome, or epigenome, fails to nourish us with one or more of our own proteins, say insulin, to whom do we turn in order to acquire such essential biomedical proteins or biologics? If our industries require biocatalysts like food processing enzymes or biomaterial proteins such as silk, how easily could our Prairies produce such otherwise expensive and exclusive proteins? Plant Protein farming is developing green sustainable technology to lower the production costs and simplify purification processes to enable cereals like barley and rice to supply recombinant proteins on a global scale. Dry Phission technology tethers or “paints” specific proteins onto the surface of starch granules in seeds. From harvested grain the starch granules are isolated by milling and air-classification allowing for dry gas liberation and collection of th

What is the difference between a college and a polytechnic and how long has this change been in the works? How much will this change cost and will it change the funding the institution receives from the Government of Alberta? Other changes at Lethbridge Polytechnic will be addressed by the speaker - among them, what does it mean for applied research and will programs be modified from present teaching methods? For example, will more programs be compatible - and or transferable with the University of Lethbridge? Lethbridge Polytechnic is about to release its new Strategic Framework – The Road Ahead – which will also be discussed Speaker: Dr. Brad Donaldson Dr. Brad Donaldson was named Lethbridge Polytechnic’s ninth president and chief executive officer (CEO) in August 2022. With more than 19 years of senior leadership experience in Alberta’s post-secondary system, he specializes in shaping organizational strategies, fostering learning cultures and driving innovation through systems thinking. His work is support

This talk will focus on who voted and why. It will dispel several interpretations of the outcome. It concludes that the election is best seen as a reflection of a crisis facing the American political and party systems. Speaker: Trevor Harrison Trevor W. Harrison is a retired professor of Sociology at the University of Lethbridge. He was formerly Director of Parkland Institute (2011-2021) and a member of both the Canadian political science and sociology associations. He is best known for his studies in political sociology, political economy, and public policy. He is the author, co-author, or co-editor of twelve books, including the recently published Tales This Side of the Elysian Fields. He is a frequent and well-known contributor to public media, including radio and television.

Nothing is more important to Albertans than our kids, but too many are struggling. Teachers and parents both know our schools don’t have the support kids need. Alberta’s per-student spending on education is the lowest in the country. Teachers are leaving the profession, kids are falling behind, and parents are worried. We can make things better, by investing in smaller classes, more support in classrooms, and manageable workloads to be able to recruit, retain, and respect professionals in public education. Speakers: Kevin McBeath, Danielle Gareau and Derek Resler. Kevin started teaching social studies at Winston Churchill High School in 2003, and has never stopped. Outside of the classroom he coaches basketball, coordinates the Interact Club at WCHS, and serves as the Political Engagement Officer for ATA Local 41. When he’s not working, Kevin spends his time with his wife and four children. Danielle is a teacher at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI), where she teaches French immersion social studies, scien

There has been a recent spike in downtown fires. The speaker will discuss why fire prevention is essential, how we can minimize fire risks and hazards, and the importance of regular checks and maintenance. Speaker: Troy Hicks, Chief Fire Marshal, Lethbridge Fire & Emergency Services Mr Hicks has been with the Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services Fire Prevention Bureau for 13 years and has been the Chief Fire Marshal since Feb of 2024. Originally from N.B. he has been in the fire service for 21 years, military fire fighter for 8 years, and with Lethbridge for 13. He is married with a 24-year-old son.