Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

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. The announcement projected that over 200,000 acres of new irrigated farmland would be created from this “single largest irrigation expansion in Alberta’s history”. On November 12, 2021 it was announced that two more irrigation districts and numerous additional projects were included, with the program value increased to $933 million. The presentation will cover details of the Alberta Irrigation Modernization Program and compare its projected impact to past irrigation modernizati

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.S.   Speaker: Ibrahim Turay              Ibrahim Turay is a full-time faculty in the School of Justice Studies at Lethbridge College and a Ph.D. Candidate in Cultural, Social, and Political Thought at the University of Lethbridge. He has a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from the University of Alberta, with 11 years of experience working for Alberta Justice & Solicit

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. Speaker: Dr Moira Williams               For over a decade Moira has been a leader in the Australian grassroots climate movement - from building and supporting a national network of Climate Action Groups to working with landholders, traditional owners and coal affected communities in central Queensland. For the last 8 years she has worked on the campaign to keep coal in the Galilee basin (one of the largest untapped fossil fuel reserves on the planet) safely in the ground. She currently works w

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. Speaker: Dr. Samuel deWalle               Dr. Samuel deWalle is a Family Physician living and working since 2013 in Lethbridge, Alberta. He graduated from Calvin University in Grand Rapids Michigan, and then the University of Calgary Medical School, before completing his residency in Rural Family Medicine in Southern Alberta. He is the outgoing President of a Family Medicine clinic in Lethbridge, a board member of the Chinook Primary Care

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.   Alberta’s governing party led by Premier Kenney appears reluctant to criticize blockade participants as does many federal opposition MP’s. In fact, some of these elected officials seem to outright support these illegal blockades. Their argument ignores that with freedom comes responsibility. Canadian soldiers fought in wars to support democracy and other freedoms. Thousands lost their lives taking up that responsibility.   While vaccinations do not completely stop the spread of Covid, it’s a very

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.earth and the Chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative. She is the Co-founder of the Global Gas & Oil Network, the former co-director of Greenpeace International’s Climate and Energy Program, and the Co-founder of ForestEthics (now Stand.earth). She is an Adjunct Professor of York University Faculty of Environmental Studies and in 2013, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of British Columbia. She has held appointed positions advising the B

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. Collaboration between service providers, researchers and community members is key to ending family violence, including violence against men. While much research has focused on addressing violence against women, less is known about men who have experienced family violence. This presentation seeks to stimulate conversation about this lesser-known topic and shares lessons learned from our agency’s almost two decades of programmi

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.  Reasons may include, but are certainly not limited to: fear, shame and embarrassment of being judged, blamed or not believed. In many of those cases, individuals may also not be accessing any sort of supports.   While shelters are, and will always be, a critical service, most times when a person gets to a shelter, the abuse has increased significantly not just in number of incidents, but also in severity/risk.  In order to turn this around, we need to shift our thinking and perspectives to ex

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.   Speaker: Dr Dena McMartin   Dr Dena McMartin is an environmental and agricultural engineer (PEng, PAg), faculty member, and Vice-President (Research) at the University of Lethbridge. She is a leading researcher focused on rural, agricultural, and industrial water resources management and treatment, as well as impacts of freshwat

Farming Humans   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.    Problems not being adequately addressed such as inequality in systems of finance, justice, politics, and resulting side effects, which cannot only be seen globally, but also right here – a vast increase in drug dependency, homelessness and people dying on our streets.  The speaker will shine light into causes and effects, which largely, have been left out of the public discourse.   Speaker: Larry Elford   Larry Elford is a former financial industry insider with two decades of experience in some of the

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. He also knows what it is like to be a First Nations person in our military and will share how he experienced that role, as well as giving his views of what life is like in Afghanistan. Speaker: Preston Crow Chief Preston Crow Chief was born in 1988. His parents are Calvin Crow Chief (Kainai) and Geraldine Sleigh (Siksika).  He is from the Blood Tribe Nation. He joined the Canadian Military July 9, 2005. The program he joined through was Bold Eagle which is a Basic Military Qualification course designed for First Nation entry.  After he

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.   Speaker: Linda Hancock Linda Hancock was born and raised in the prairie town of Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada. Linda earned degrees in Arts, Social Work, Education and Psychology to the Doctoral level. (As she says, she had to spend her time and money on something, because she doesn’t golf!) As a Registered Psychologist and Registered Social Worker, Dr. Hancock helps individuals, groups, organizations and communities to problem-solve and reach their pot

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. He will also talk about the benefits of helping others who struggle with addiction and his establishment of the organization, Kii Mah Pii Pii Tsin (Kindness to Others) Renewal and Healing Centre. The mandate of Kii Mah Pii Pii Tsin is to support and advocate for the at-risk and vulnerable members of our community. The goal is to create specialized healing in trauma, grief, suicide intervention and also have a cultural component to the program, possibly at a facility lo

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. When we think about provincial policy, municipal policy rarely comes top-of-mind. The speaker will argue why it should be, and discuss what part you can play in advocating for your municipality. This presentation will draw on material published in the Parkland Institute’s recent report, An Unfair Deal? The Impact of Provincial Cuts on Alberta Municipalities. Speaker: Jacqueline Peterson Jacqueline Peterson received her PhD from the University of Toronto (Political Science) in 2020. An expert in municipal fina

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.   Arguable, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major increase in loneliness and mental health issues, especially among seniors, and therefore more demand for programs such as Keep in Touch. The speaker will describe how the Keep in Touch program was developed by Volunteer Lethbridge. After successfully piloting the program in Lethbridge with funding from the COVID-19 Mental Health and Addiction Community Fund, the program is now gaining partners in other Alberta cities and rural communities.   Speaker: Connie-Marie Riedlhuber   Con

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. David Finch of Mount Royal University's CityXLab will review insights from a year-long study that examined the drivers of talent mobility in Alberta and across Canada.   Speaker: Dr. David J Finch                  Dr. David J. Finch holds a PhD in management and is an active educator, scholar and practitioner. He currently holds several academic appointments including as a Professor at Mount Royal University’s Bissett School of Business, a Visiting Fellow at the Henley Business School at the University of Reading (UK), and the Gordon S. Lang School of Busi

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. The presentation is a summary of our conclusions. The submission touches on the processes involved in mine development, on a synoptic review of mine operations in the Eastern Slopes and on mine mitigation, compensation and reclamation. The most profound conclusion is the Eastern Slopes of Alberta’s Rockies are not a frontier of unrealized possibilities—instead, they are a busy landscape where

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. Lease arrears to land owners, are also in the millions. The speaker will argue that an average of 750 kilowatts solar energy can be installed on abandoned oil well sites by converting those without further impact on the farmland, thus creating a long-term source of revenue in the form of taxation to municipalities and lease payments to land owners. He will detail the possibilities of such installations and further contend that local renewable energy production can minimize the need for, expensive to construct, high-voltage transmission line

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?  The first question can arguably be considered partisan in nature given the rhetoric around equalization provided by the governing UCP party and it may have enabled an altered focus of people running and voting on local issues. Besides that, what did the vote on equalization actually mean? Similarly, the vote for Senate appointments among the 13 candidates running may have been a futile exercise.    Lethbridge added two extra questions on their ballot (1) Do you support using a ward system to elect City Councilors (other t

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.  Speaker: Michael Lavorato              Michael Lavorato has been passionate about environmental sustainability all his life. He started working in aquaponics over the last five years to promote and enhance sustainable food systems. He has built over 40 aquaponics systems across Alberta in schools, libraries, and continuing care facilities.