BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//YP Speakers Series - ECPv6.15.17.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:YP Speakers Series X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com X-WR-CALDESC:Events for YP Speakers Series REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Toronto BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20220313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20221106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20230312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20231105T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20240310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20241103T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20250309T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20251102T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20260308T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20261101T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20270314T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20271107T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260320T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260320T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202028 CREATED:20260316T184737Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T185802Z UID:2537-1774033200-1774033200@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Saving Species: The Role of Zoo Science in Wildlife Conservation DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The world is experiencing a biodiversity crisis that threatens ecosystem stability and\, ultimately\, human health and wellbeing.  Zoos are uniquely positioned to help reverse the trend through applied science\, public education\, and conservation breeding programs.  At the Toronto Zoo\, our work focuses on advancing innovative approaches in species reproduction to bolster recovery efforts for Canadian species at risk.  By integrating assisted reproductive technologies and cryobanking\, we are building the tools needed to support sustainable populations and secure long‑term conservation outcomes. \nBIOGRAPHY \nDr. Gabriela Mastromonaco integrates cutting-edge research\, higher education\, and applied wildlife conservation to translate science into impact. With more than 25 years of experience in reproductive biotechnologies across livestock and wildlife species\, her career is driven by a commitment to comparative reproductive biology and species recovery. She earned her PhD from the University of Guelph in the Department of Biomedical Sciences\, where she developed a strong foundation in translating reproductive science into practical conservation solutions. Gabriela joined the Toronto Zoo over two decades ago and spent more than 15 years as Manager of Reproductive Sciences\, leading innovative research programs that addressed fundamental questions in the reproductive biology of non-domestic species and directly informed conservation management. Now serving as Chief Science Officer at the Toronto Zoo\, Gabriela provides strategic scientific leadership across the organization. She has built multidisciplinary and international collaborations that advance species recovery strategies both ex situ and in situ\, integrating science\, animal well-being\, and field conservation. A dedicated educator and mentor\, Gabriela holds adjunct appointments at four Canadian universities and leads an active research program\, training the next generation of scientists and conservation leaders while shaping the future of conservation science globally. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/saving-species-the-role-of-zoo-science-in-wildlife-conservation/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Web_Banner_no_header_March20.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260227T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260227T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202028 CREATED:20260226T145614Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260302T195559Z UID:2496-1772218800-1772218800@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:In the Footsteps of the Group of Seven DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The video of this YPSS lecture is not availabledue to copyright restrictions on the images used. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n For almost five decades\, Sue and Jim Waddington have searched for places that inspired the Group of Seven painters and Tom Thomson. They especially enjoy locating sites that can only be reached by canoe and foot. Their lecture will compare photographs of some of the 800 painting sites they have found with the corresponding artwork. They will discuss how they find the painting sites and what they have learned about the painters and their art. Since the artists did not keep detailed records of where they worked\, each picture represents a puzzle to be solved. For each of the about 800 places located\, Sue and Jim photographed the scene and compared it with the artists’ impression. In their talk\, Sue and Jim will show their photographs alongside art from Killarney\, Algonquin\, Neys\, Lake Superior and Bon Echo Provincial Parks\, the Georgian Bay Islands\, Nova Scotia\, BC\, the Yukon and Nunavut. \nBIOGRAPHY \nSue Waddington is a retired nurse. She is also an artist – a traditional rug hooker. Her rug hooking designs have won awards in the Burlington Art Centre and the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild. In 1977\, she made a rug hooking adapted from A.Y. Jackson’s painting “Hills\, Killarney\, Ontario (Nellie Lake)” and later that year Sue and Jim paddled to Nellie Lake where they were surprised that they could locate the exact spot where Jackson had sat when he did the painting. After this initial success\, they continued searching for other painting locations. Jim Waddington is a retired physics professor from McMaster University who likes maps and the sport of orienteering. He was awarded the McMaster University President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Unlike Sue\, he has no artistic talent at all. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/in-the-footsteps-of-the-group-of-seven/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Web_Banner_no_header_Feb_27.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260206T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260206T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202028 CREATED:20260203T202842Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T134124Z UID:2472-1770404400-1770404400@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Witness Trees: Surprising stories of trees that predate Shakespeare\, and tips on where to find them DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Some of Ontario’s old trees survive because of their connection to history; maybe they were present during the battle of Queenston Heights in 1812\, or grew along the Toronto Carrying Place Trail. Other trees were overlooked because they grow on cliffs or in swamps. A few were preserved as intentional choices by landowners. All have stories woven around them\, and written into their trunks\, branches\, and bark to be read by those who know how. Michael Henry will guide you to Ontario’s oldest and most remarkable trees with colourful photos and stories. You may find yourself more hopeful and inspired than you started out\, which is the natural outcome of time spent with old trees – and you’ll likely never see trees quite the same way again. \nBIOGRAPHY \nMichael Henry is the author Old-growth forest walks: 26 hikes in Ontario’s Greenbelt\, and Ontario’s old-growth forests. He maintains the list of Ontario’s oldest trees and has found a few himself. He works with volunteers and NGOs like the Wilderness Committee to protect old-growth forests\, including the remaining old growth and large roadless areas in Algonquin Park. He is also involved in natural building\, and his next book will bring together his broad interests in sustainability and climate solutions. He is currently living with his wife and two kids in Peterborough\, Ontario\, where he grows native plants in his yard and works to reduce the impact of invasive species on his local forests. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/witness-trees-surprising-stories-of-trees-that-predate-shakespeare-and-tips-on-where-to-find-them/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Web_Banner_no_header_Feb_6-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20260116T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20260116T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202028 CREATED:20260108T205331Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260115T141916Z UID:2413-1768590000-1768590000@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Building a Primary Care System for Ontario DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Dr. Jane Philpott’s talk will inform the audience about the important mandate of Ontario’s Primary Care Action Team\, tasked with ensuring that everyone in the province is attached to primary care by 2029. She will outline progress made over the past year\, including a $2.1 B investment in the plan built on three pillars: interprofessional care teams\, digital tools\, and the health workforce. Using a data-driven approach\, a geographic focus\, and the local knowledge of Ontario Health Teams\, the initiative has demonstrated how much can be accomplished through collaboration and a focus on continuous improvement. \nBIOGRAPHY \nDr. Jane Philpott was appointed Chair of Ontario’s Primary Care Action Team in December 2024 with a mandate to ensure that everyone in Ontario is connected to primary care by 2029. Dr. Philpott is a family physician who served as the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen’s University and director of its School of Medicine. She previously held several senior roles in the Government of Canada\, including Minister of Health\, Minister of Indigenous Services and President of the Treasury Board\, and spent more than 30 years in family medicine and global health. She is the author of “Health for All: A Doctor’s Prescription for a Healthier Canada\,” that outlines her vision for rebuilding our health systems to provide primary care access for everyone. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/building-a-primary-care-system-for-ontario/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Web_Banner_no_header_Jan_16-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20251128T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20251128T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202028 CREATED:20251120T175333Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251120T181438Z UID:2384-1764356400-1764356400@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Of Mice and Men … and More: The Evolution of Genetics and Recent Developments in Personalized Medicine DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Major developments and scientific innovations have revolutionized the field of clinical genetics from Charles Darwin’s day in the mid nineteenth century to the delivery of personalized medicine in patient care in the twenty-first. In this lecture clinical genetecist Dr. José-Mario Capo-Chichi will lead us through this story: the origin of species\, Mendelian genetics\, the double-helix structure of DNA\, DNA sequencing\, animal models and the latest in personalized medicine – ie.\, using an individual’s unique genetic profile\, lifestyle\, and environment to tailor disease prevention\, diagnosis\, and treatment. There will be many other stops along the way. Buckle up and enjoy the ride. \nBIOGRAPHY \nJosé-Mario Capo-Chichi is a clinical geneticist at the Genome Diagnostics Laboratory at University Health Network in Toronto/Canada\, an assistant professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at the University of Toronto and a clinician investigator at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Research Institute. His clinical and research interests are centered on the use of novel genomic tools to improve the clinical diagnosis and management of patients with acquired and inherited genetic disorders. He helped identify and characterize novel disease causing genes in neurodevelopmental disorders using animal models. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/of-mice-and-men-and-more-the-evolution-of-genetics-and-recent-developments-in-personalized-medicine/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Web_Banner_no_header_Nov_9-take-two-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20251107T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20251107T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202028 CREATED:20250904T194314Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250905T141102Z UID:2262-1762542000-1762542000@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest Hour DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n “Never in the field of human conflict…” are Churchill’s words that set the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 apart from all others\, as the greatest aerial battle in history. As the German Luftwaffe sought to destroy the Royal Air Force\, gain air superiority\, and invade the British Isles\, Commonwealth fighter pilots scrambled from U.K. airfields day after day and flew Hurricane and Spitfire fighter aircraft to thwart Hitler’s plan. They won but paid dearly. Among the 2\,937 aircrew in this first test of Allied skill\, resilience\, and courage\, over 100 pilots flew with the “Canada” patch on their shoulder\, and another 200 erks (ground crew) kept their fighters in the air. As Churchill continued\, never was “so much owed by so many to so few.” Ted Barris has assembled stories of Canadian airmen\, ground crew\, as well as engineers\, aeronautical designers\, medical officers and civilians who answered the call and turned back the very real threat of Nazi invasion. In this lecture based on his book\, he will tell the story from a Canadian perspective. \nBIOGRAPHY \nTed Barris is an award-winning journalist\, author\, and broadcaster. His writing has regularly appeared in the national press\, and magazines as diverse as Air Force\, esprit de corps and Zoomer. He has also worked as host/contributor for CBC Radio\, NPR and TV Ontario. He taught journalism at Toronto’s Centennial College for 18 years. Barris is the author of 22 bestselling\, non-fiction books\, many focused on wartime Canada\, including The Great Escape: A Canadian Story\, which won the 2014 Libris Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award\, and books on hockey and music. In 2011\, he was one of 19 civilians presented with the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs Commendation. Barris was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and\, in 2024\, was made a Member of the Order of Canada\, “for advancing our understanding of Canadian military history as an acclaimed historical author\, journalist and broadcaster.” \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/2262/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Web_Banner_no_header_Nov_9.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20251010T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20251010T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202029 CREATED:20250915T200255Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251014T131643Z UID:2297-1760122800-1760122800@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Vanished Beyond the Map: The Mystery of Lost Explorer Hubert Darrell DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n National bestselling author and professional adventure Adam Shoalts will join us to discuss his expeditions in Canada’s wilderness\, including especially his brand new book\, Vanished Beyond the Map: The Mystery of Lost Explorer Hubert Darrell. It is the story of a legendary lost explorer who disappeared more than a century ago and Shoalts’s quest to retrace his route to unravel the mystery of his disappearance. This is a Book Launch event and copies of Adam’s books will be available for sale and signing by the author. \nBIOGRAPHYAdam Shoalts is a professional adventurer and Westaway Explorer-in-Residence at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. His expeditions range from mapping rivers to archaeological projects\, but Shoalts is best known for his long solo wilderness journeys\, including crossing alone nearly 4\,000 kilometres of Canada’s Arctic. Named one of the “greatest living explorers” by the CBC and declared “Canada’s Indiana Jones” by the Toronto Star\, Shoalts’s latest quest was retracing the route of a lost explorer\, the subject of his new latest book Vanished Beyond the Map. His other books include Where the Falcon Flies\, The Whisper on the Night Wind\, A History of Canada in 10 Maps\, and Beyond the Trees: A Journey Alone Across Canada’s Arctic\, all of them national bestsellers. He has a PhD from McMaster University in history\, and in his free time\, enjoys long walks in the woods. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/vanished-beyond-the-map-the-mystery-of-lost-explorer-hubert-darrell/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Web_Banner_no_header_Oct_10.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250926T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250926T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202029 CREATED:20250904T185255Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250905T140338Z UID:2226-1758913200-1758913200@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Writing History: A Conversation Between Two Storytellers DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n In this “Conversation between two storytellers\,” who are also two friends\, Charlotte Gray\, the author of twelve best-selling books of (mostly) Canadian popular history\, including The Massey Murder: A Maid\, her Master\, and the Trial that Shocked a Country\, and Maureen Jennings\, author of the Murdoch Mysteries books on which the popular television series is based\, as well as three other series featuring fictional detectives or criminal profilers\, each set in a different historical era\, will discuss their respective approaches to storytelling\, the advantages and disadvantages of the fiction and non-fiction genres\, how they select the subjects of their books and conduct their research\, and whatever else may come up! An audience Q&A session will follow their discussion. This event is co-sponsored by the Canadian Institute for Historical Education\, www.CIHE.ca. \nBIOGRAPHIES \nCharlotte Gray is a non-fiction author based in Ottawa who has written twelve bestsellers of biography and popular history. Her most recent book is Passionate Mothers\, Powerful Sons: The Lives of Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt. She is also the author of Sisters in the Wilderness; the Lives of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill\, The Massey Murder and Reluctant Genius: Alexander Graham Bell and the Passion for Invention. Charlotte has served as chair of Canada’s National History Society\, and has won the Pierre Berton Award for popularizing Canadian history. She has also chaired the Art Canada Institute board and is vice-president of the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Ottawa. Born in England and a graduate of Oxford and the LSE\, Charlotte teaches at Carleton University\, holds five honorary degrees\, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a member of the Order of Canada. \nCrime fiction writer Maureen Jennings was born in the UK and now lives in Toronto. She has four ongoing book series\, each set in a different era. The first with Detective William Murdoch\, is set in late Victorian Toronto. These books were adapted for television and Murdoch Mysteries\, now in its eighteenth season\, is shown in over one hundred territories around the world. Her second series features Christine Morris\, a contemporary British criminal profiler\, and a third\, with Detective Tom Tyler\, is set in Britain during World War Two. Her most recent series returns to pre-war Toronto in the 1930s: The Paradise Café series features a female Private Investigator named Charlotte Frayne. In 2024 she was awarded the Grand Master award by Crime Writers of Canada. And in 2024 she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/writing-history-a-conversation-between-two-storytellers/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/CIHE_Banner-1-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250606T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250606T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202029 CREATED:20250103T175000Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250608T035910Z UID:1726-1749236400-1749243600@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Agatha Christie and Archaeology DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n If you didn’t already know how Agatha Christie and Archaeology were connected\, then this lecture by Canadian archaeologist Dr. Amy Barron is your chance to learn how the great mystery novelist’s life is revealed within the pages of her books.  Her love of the Middle East and the life she lived with her famous archaeologist husband provided the basis for some of her greatest novels including\, Murder on the Orient Express\, Death on the Nile\, and Murder in Mesopotamia. Dr. Barron will discuss Christie’s life\, travels\, and the fabulous ancient sites whose mysteries she helped uncover. \nAmy Barron received her PhD at the University of Toronto in the field of Mesopotamian history and archaeology\, specializing on the military history of Iron Age Assyria. She has excavated predominantly in the Middle East but has travelled widely studying the archaeology of various remote parts of the world from Peru to China. Amy has taught archaeology\, ancient history and classics at the universities of Toronto and Guelph and presently teaches museum studies in Fleming College’s post-graduate program. She has worked in the museum world for over 30 years and loves sharing her passion for the past. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/agatha-christie-and-archaeology/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Amy-Barron-2024_2025-YP-Speakers-Series_Web-Banners-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250502T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250502T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202029 CREATED:20250103T174632Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250503T112903Z UID:1719-1746212400-1746219600@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Joseph Stalin and the Origins and Legacy of Stalinism DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Under Georgian born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili (transliterated from Georgian) or Joseph Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (transliterated from the Russian variant)\, better known to the world as Joseph Stalin\, the Soviet Union reached the zenith of authoritarianism. This lecture examines how historians have debated the origins of Stalinism and the legacy of Stalinism after his death. Historians variously trace the origins of Stalinist policies to a Tsarist legacy\, the violence of the First World War and the civil war that followed it\, Communism or Marxism as an ideology\, Bolshevik belief\, or a combination of factors. The lecture then turns to debates on the nature of “De-Stalinization” under Nikita Khrushchev and the apparent return to authoritarianism after Khrushchev’s death. \nTracy McDonald is an historian of Russian and the Soviet Union at McMaster University in Hamilton\, Ontario. She is the author of Face to the Village: The Riazan Countryside Under Soviet Rule\, 1921—1930 (University of Toronto Press\, 2011)\, co-editor with Daniel Vandersommers of Zoo Studies: A New Humanities (McGill-Queens University Press\, 2019)\, and co-editor with Heather DeHaan and Dan Healey of Other Voices in Soviet History: Collected for a Devil’s Advocate (McGill-Queens University Press\, 2024). In 2019-2020\, she curated an art exhibition at the McMaster Museum of Art under the title\, “Animals Across Discipline\, Time\, and Space\,” which ran from 4 January until the first Covid lockdown in March. McDonald was one of the three founding members of the independent documentary-film company\, Chemodan Films. Between 2004 and 2009 she participated in the making of four films including Province of Lost Film\, Uprising\, and Photographer. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/joseph-stalin-and-the-origins-and-legacy-of-stalinism/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Tracy-McDonald-YP-Speakers-Series_Web-Banners-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250404T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250404T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202029 CREATED:20250103T174144Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250904T185718Z UID:1711-1743793200-1743800400@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:The Lives of Writers DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Eleanor Wachtel’s lecture was live streamedon April 4th 2025\, however as agreed withthe speaker\, it will not be available foron-demand viewing. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n In “The Lives of Writers” Eleanor Wachtel will illuminate the relationship between writers\, their work and their audience.  She’ll discuss the appetite for literary biography and how greater knowledge of the life of the writer may affect the reader’s appreciation of their work; how writers reveal themselves in their writing; and the self-proclaimed image of the writer as an outsider\, on the margins of society. \nEleanor Wachtel earned a reputation as one of the world’s best literary interviewers during her more than 30 years as host of Writers & Company on CBC Radio. Five books of her interviews have been published\, including Random Illuminations\, a collection of reflections\, correspondence and conversations with Carol Shields which won the Independent Publisher Book Award; Original Minds; and most recently\, The Best of Writers & Company.  She also co-founded and hosted CBC’s Wachtel on the Arts\, featuring conversations with filmmakers\, composers\, architects\, artists\, etc.\, as well as the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) popular Books on Film series for more than a decade.  She has received numerous accolades for her contributions to Canadian cultural life: nine honourary degrees and Officer of the Order of Canada. \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Eleanor Wachtel’s lecture was live streamed on April 4th 2025\, however as agreed with the speaker\, it will not be available for on-demand viewing. \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n DONATE NOW URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/the-lives-of-writers/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/elanore-2024_2025-YP-Speakers-Series_Web-Banners-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250307T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250307T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202029 CREATED:20250103T173632Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250211T141321Z UID:1702-1741374000-1741381200@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:The Irish in Canada: A Mildly Subversive History DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n For much of the 19th century\, the Irish were the single largest ethnic group in English-speaking Canada\, outnumbering the English\, Scots and Welsh combined. This lecture focuses on four aspects of their history: the Famine migration of 1846-51; the Fenian invasions of 1866 and 1870; D’Arcy McGee and Canadian Confederation; and the rise and fall of the Orange Order. In considering each aspect\, it challenges traditional images of the Irish in Canada and highlights new research in the field. \nDavid A. Wilson is a Professor in the Celtic Studies Program and History Department at the University of Toronto\, and the General Editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a winner of the University of Toronto’s Outstanding Teaching Award\, he has published and edited numerous books\, including a prize-winning two-volume biography of Thomas D’Arcy McGee. His latest book\, Canadian Spy Story: Irish Revolutionaries and the Secret Police\, was the recipient of the Champlain Society’s Chalmers Award and the C.P. Stacey Prize in Canadian Military History. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/the-irish-in-canada-a-mildly-subversive-history/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/David-Wilson-2024_2025-YP-Speakers-Series_Web-Banners-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250207T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250207T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202029 CREATED:20241127T205154Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250208T183430Z UID:1657-1738954800-1738962000@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:The Music of Talk DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n With musical examples and the insight gained in a 40-year career combining the narrative and emotional connections between music and talk\, master storyteller and broadcaster Tom Allen brings you on a stirring and inspirational journey to the deepest roots of human communication where melody and meaning become one. \nTom Allen was born in Montreal and went to school there\, at Marianapolis College and McGill\, before finishing degrees at Boston University and Yale.  He worked as a bass trombonist in New York City when there were still places you just didn’t go\, then in Toronto and on tour with the Great Lakes Brass. He began working for the CBC on his 30th birthday\, a very long time ago\, and at the time of writing is still there.  He has since written three books\, been a Resident Artist with Soulpepper Theatre\, delivered storytelling workshops at various University music programs and at the Banff Centre\, been named an honourary Doctor of Letters by Thompson Rivers University\, hosted countless concerts across the country and written a series of cabaret storytelling shows he calls Chamber Musicals\, including From Weimar to Vaudeville\, The Missing Pages\, A Poe Cabaret\, Being Lost and the latest: JS Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow.  Tom Allen lives in Toronto with his beloved\, the harpist Lori Gemmell\, their son\, and a very enthusiastic dog. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/the-music-of-talk/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tom-Allen-2024_2025-YP-Speakers-Series_Web-Banners.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250110T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250110T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202029 CREATED:20241023T234358Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250115T165101Z UID:1558-1736535600-1736535600@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Crawford Lake in Milton\, Ontario and the Anthropocene DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Although humans have impacted their environment for millennia\, it is the fundamental change recorded by indicators of this Great Acceleration in the geologic record that justifies erecting a new interval of geologic time. Rejection of the proposal to define the beginning of the Anthropocene epoch with a ‘golden spike’ in varved sediments from Crawford Lake means that -by strict convention- we are still living in the Holocene– but is this societally relevant? Understanding how our planet functions allows us to make useful projections\, and examining the geologic record allows us to predict the consequences of warmth equal or exceeding that of the last interglacial. Formally recognizing that ‘Holocene’ no longer accurately describes our planet by adding a new epoch named after the main agent of change (Anthropos\, Greek for human) would highlight the value of Earth Sciences in addressing the existential issues that face humanity in the coming decades. \nFrancine McCarthy is a geoscientist whose paleoecological and geoarchaeological research focuses on pollen and the remains of algae and their consumers in ‘pollen slides’. Her (and her students’) research includes recent studies of the intestinal contents of a mastodon found in Nova Scotia\, an underwater archeological site in Greece\, several sites in the Great Lakes and many small lakes in its drainage basin (including the Experimental Lakes Area of NW Ontario and Lake George\, NY)\, the iconic Walden Pond and the meromictic Sluice Pond in Massachusetts. Her most highly publicised research has been on the varved sediments from Crawford Lake\, proposed as the ‘golden spike’ to define the Anthropocene. She embraced the multi/ transdisciplinary nature of the proposed Anthropocene epoch and is a member of the Anthropocene Commons as well as the Anthropocene Working Group. In addition to NSERC funding to support research on ‘The impact of land use at mid-latitudes in eastern North America on the global carbon budget: implications for the Anthropocene’\, she is co-recipient of a SSHRC grant entitled: ‘Bomb Pulse: Cultural and Philosophical Readings of Time Signatures in the Anthropocene’\, through which she is currently writing a graphic novel. She has presented the results of her research on Crawford Lake in a Ted Talk and at the Vatican\, among other venues. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/crawford-lake-in-milton-ontario-and-the-anthropocene/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Francine2024_2025-YP-Speakers-Series_Web-Banners.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20241129T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20241129T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202029 CREATED:20241023T204405Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241023T233935Z UID:1544-1732906800-1732906800@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Marsha Faubert in conversation with Christopher Moore about her book\, Wanda’s War: An Untold Story of Nazi Europe\, Forced Labour and a Canadian Immigration Scandal DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lecture Description : In Wanda’s War\, Marsha Faubert introduces a dimension of the Second World War many Canadians have rarely contemplated. Stories of Canadians on the battlefield\, the struggles of the home front\, even the experience of Britons under bombing\, are well known. But many of today’s Canadians trace their roots to the postwar migration of refugees from Eastern Europe and the Baltic states\, whose war experiences remain buried. \nWanda’s War reconstructs the lives of Faubert’s parents-in-law\, Wanda and Casey\, and the lesser-known events of the war that shaped their lives. With not one\, but two occupations of their homeland in Poland’s eastern borderlands\, both were torn from their homes and deported to forced labour — one to Nazi Germany\, the other to subarctic Russia. An “astonishing yet uplifting addition to the great body of literature of the Second World War” (David Marks Shribman)\, Wanda’s War speaks to the broader refugee experience that has unfolded globally since WWII and\, tragically\, continues today. \nHistorian Christopher Moore will join Faubert in a wide-ranging conversation about the book’s themes — the geopolitics of eastern Europe\, gulags and slave labour camps\, postwar displacement and immigration\, and the politics of memory. \nBiography : Marsha Faubert is a lawyer and writer of narrative nonfiction. She began her legal career as a litigator\, and later worked in various roles in the administrative justice system in Ontario. Her first book\,\nWanda’s War — An Untold Story of Nazi Europe\, Forced Labour\, and a Canadian Immigration Scandal\, raises themes of memory and silence\, justice and forgiveness through the lens of the wartime and immigration experiences of her husband’s parents. She is in the early stages of a new project which will examine the history and legacy of environmental injustice in her hometown of Sarnia\, known to some as Canada’s Chemical Valley.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/marsha-faubert-in-conversation-with-christopher-moore-about-her-book-wandas-war-an-untold-story-of-nazi-europe-forced-labour-and-a-canadian-immigration-scandal/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Marsha-Faubert-2024_2025-YP-Speakers-Series_Web-Banners.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20241120T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20241120T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202029 CREATED:20241106T184320Z LAST-MODIFIED:20250116T141650Z UID:1599-1732129200-1732136400@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Sir John A. Macdonald in History and Fiction: DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Sir John A. Macdonald & The Apocalyptic Year 1885 will be published by Sutherland House Books in November 2024.  “In this fascinating and authoritative study of a skilled politician at the peak of his powers\, political historian Patrice Dutil shows how Macdonald navigated persistent threats to public order\, anchored the stability of his government\, and ensured the future of his still fragile nation. What emerges is a compelling portrait of a man who\, notwithstanding his personal failings and the sins of his times\, was the most enlightened and constructive public figure of early Canadian History.” (from the dust jacket.)  Professor Dutil will be joined on stage by novelists Gordon Henderson and Roy MacSkimming\, both of whom have written historical fiction featuring Macdonald\, for a conversation about Macdonald’s central place in Canadian history\, the challenges he faced and overcame in holding Canada together\, and how fiction can help inform our understanding of history. The panel will be led by CIHE board member Lynne Golding\, herself the author of an historical fiction trilogy. \nBIOGRAPHIES \nPatrice Dutil is the author or editor of a dozen books\, a frequent commentator on policy and political issues\, and the host of over 100 podcasts in the Canadian history series\, “Witness to Yesterday.” He is a professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). He founded and for five years edited The Literary Review of Canada and served as president of the Champlain Society for seven years. He is a senior fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto and a senior fellow at the Macdonald—Laurier Institute. Among his books are Ballots and Brawls: The 1867 Canadian General Election\, Prime Ministerial Power in Canada: it’s Origins under Macdonald\, Laurier and Borden\, and Macdonald at 200: New Perspectives and Legacies (edited with Roger Hall). \nIn a fifty-year career in journalism Gordon Henderson has been a parliamentary correspondent\, a current affairs field producer and an award-winning documentary producer. He’s directed films from Afghanistan to the Arctic\, Beijing to Buenos Aires\, and his company\, 90th Parallel Productions\, has produced more than a hundred documentaries. Henderson was a senior series producer of the CBC/Radio-Canada series Canada: A People’s History and taught in the Journalism Department at Toronto’s Ryerson (now Metropolitan) University. He is semi-retired and writing. His first novel\, Man in the Shadows was built around the assassination of Irish-Canadian politician D’Arcy McGee. His second\, Out of the Shadows\, co-written with Métis writer David Bouchard and published in September 2024\, takes place during the Red River Resistance in Manitoba. Both feature Sir John A. Macdonald. \nRoy MacSkimming is the author of nine books\, including the historical novels Macdonald\, a Globe & Mail best book of the year\, and Laurier in Love. His study of Canadian book publishing\, The Perilous Trade: Publishing Canada’s Authors\, was also a Globe & Mail best book and finalist for the National Business Book Award. MacSkimming has spent his working life in and around the book industry as author\, editor\, publisher\, and books editor of the Toronto Star. Set during Sir John A.’s final months\, Macdonald\, published in 2015\, portrays a lion in winter fighting for his life and legacy. Peter C. Newman hailed it as “a singularly well-crafted novel that deserves top place among the books on Canadian history that matter.”  MacSkimming is finishing a new novel\, The Cure for Love\, a prequel to Macdonald. \nLynne Golding is the author of the historical fiction series\, “Beneath the Alders.”  A graduate of the University of Toronto and Queen’s University\, she is a senior partner at the international law firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP where she co-leads their health law practice group. Lynne lives in Brampton\, Ontario\, and has three grown children. Beneath the Alders is inspired by stories told to Golding by her great aunt\, Jessie Roberts Current\, born in Brampton\, Ontario in 1903. Those stories\, supplemented by extensive research led to the creation of three novels about life in small-town Canada: The Innocent (1907 – July 1914); The Beleaguered (1914 – 1918) and The Mending (1918 – 1931). Golding is an advisory board member of the Canadian Institute for Historical Education and gave a lecture in the Yorkminster Park Speakers Series in January\, 2022. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/sir-john-a-macdonald-in-history-and-fiction/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/John-A-mac-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20241108T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20241108T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20241023T195734Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241023T211759Z UID:1530-1731092400-1731092400@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:By The Ghost Light: Wars\, Memory\, and Families DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Lecture Description : R. H. Thomson’s book By The Ghost Light: Wars\, Memory and Families is a personal\, emotional and intensely engaging exploration of how the stories we tell affect the wars we fight. On publication in November 2023\, it was on the best seller list for Canadian non-fiction. In this lecture\, R. H. Thomson will talk about the book\, the family stories on which is based and about “The World Remembers” WWI memory project. \nBiography : R.H. has appeared in film and theatre across Canada\, as Matthew Cuthbert in Anne With An E\, and as Marshall McLuhan in The Message by Jason Sherman. An advocate for the arts\, R.H. has also worked on many history/arts projects. He built The World Remembers-Le Monde Se Souvient\, an international World War One commemoration exhibit now installed at war museums in Canada and the United States\, theworldremembers.ca. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and was awarded the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/by-the-ghost-light-wars-memory-and-families/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/RH-Thomson-2024_2025-YP-Speakers-Series_Web-Banners-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20241025T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20241025T210000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20241010T181703Z LAST-MODIFIED:20241130T001115Z UID:1491-1729882800-1729890000@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Family business and the private sector’s role in Canadian prosperity DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Growing up attending  Yorkminster Park provided an excellent grounding in the importance of family\, a theme that would shape Galen Weston’s path towards becoming the fourth generation of family leaders at Canada’s largest private employer\, leading real estate investment trust\, and largest network of independent food and drug retailers. In this candid conversation\, Galen will share his thoughts about the uniqueness of family businesses and the role of private enterprise in the community. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nGalen Weston is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of George Weston Limited where he is the fourth generation of family leaders. Founded in 1882\, George Weston represents a portfolio of businesses including Canada’s leading real estate investment trust\, Choice Properties\, as well as supermarket and pharmacy retailing\, fashion\, and financial services through its holdings in Loblaw Companies Limited where Galen is Chairman. Galen is also Chairman of President’s Choice Bank\, as well as a Director of Wittington Investments Limited and the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Galen holds a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/family-business-patient-capital-and-the-private-sectors-role-in-canadian-prosperity/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Galen-2024_2025-YP-Speakers-Series_Web-Banners.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240927T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240927T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20240913T133106Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240916T182245Z UID:1437-1727463600-1727463600@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:The State of our Politics DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n In his lecture\, Sean Conway\, a long-time member of the Ontario Legislature and a former senior minister in the Liberal government of Premier David Peterson (1985—1990)\, will focus on some of the central issues which seem to be roiling our democratic politics in Canada\, the United States and the United Kingdom. Among these issues are: increased polarization\, the decline of trust in our political institutions\, the lamentable state of our political parties\, the corrosive effect of money in our public affairs\, the new media environment and its very worrisome effect upon our democracy\, foreign interference in our elections and the passivity of too many citizens at a time when some issues – e.g. climate change and intergenerational stresses in our society – present unusually difficult political choices. Conway will suggest some modest proposals to deal with some of these problems and will argue that for a vibrant democracy to succeed\, the citizen must become more engaged if we are to avert real trouble in our town square. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nBorn in Pembroke Ontario in 1951\, Sean Conway grew up in Renfrew County\, studied Canadian history at Waterloo Lutheran University (now Wilfrid Laurier) and Queen’s and was elected ‘at a rather young age’ to the Ontario Legislature in 1975 where he served for 28 years including as minister of education during the Liberal government of Premier David Peterson. In 2007 he received the Churchill Society’s Award for Excellence in the Cause of Parliamentary Democracy. Since his retirement from active politics Conway has taught history at Queen’s\, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) and the University of Toronto. While at Queen’s\, he led a major research project into the public life of the Rt. Hon. Paul Martin\, the former prime minister of Canada. He has also been a public policy advisor at the Gowlings law firm and an analyst on TVO’s popular public affair program 4th Reading hosted by Steve Paikin. Conway lives in Barry’s Bay and enjoys reading\, dabbling in local history and watching U.S. college football. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu. URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/the-state-of-our-politics/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2024_2025_Web-Banners_Sean-Conway_September.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240607T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240607T235900 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20230925T191134Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240913T132747Z UID:831-1717786800-1717804740@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:How Canadians View Their World: Taking the mystery out of Public Opinion Research DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Using examples from current issues\, Greg Lyle will show us “behind the curtains” of public opinion research and explain how Canadians form and change their opinions about key issues and players in our society. Starting with a brief account of the origins\, varieties and methodologies of public opinion research\, Greg will draw on the insights gained from more than thirty years in the field to explain how polls can be both astonishingly accurate and sometimes spectacularly wrong. Drawing on his current polls Greg will highlight the issues that matter most to Canadians and what divides and unites us on those issues.  \nThis lecture is a live\, in-person event in Cameron Hall. You do not need to pre-register to attend – just show up. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nGreg Lyle is the founder and President of Innovative Research Group with over thirty years of communications and opinion research experience. As a former Principal Secretary\, Greg has built a career at the intersection of public policy\, communications and public opinion. He uses a full range of research tools for a variety of government and corporate clients across industries such as financial services\, healthcare and the energy and infrastructure sector. Greg’s research has been featured in many media outlets across Canada and in 2016\, Greg received the Public Affairs Association of Canada Award of Distinction. Greg has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of British Columbia and\, when away from his desk\, can be found travelling between British Columbia\, Ontario\, and England to spend time with his wife and daughters. \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/how-canadians-view-their-world-taking-the-mystery-out-of-public-opinion-research/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Greg-Lyle.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240510T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240510T235900 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20230925T191029Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240512T102502Z UID:827-1715367600-1715385540@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:In conversation with former Ambassador and MP Chris Alexander DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n May 2024 marks the 45th anniversary of Joe Clark’s election as Canada’s youngest Prime Minister on May 22nd 1979. In an interview format with former Ambassador and MP Chris Alexander\, Mr. Clark will share his recollections and insights garnered from his 25 years in the House of Commons\, his time as Prime Minister and as Secretary of State for External Affairs from 1984 to 1991\, and will comment on the current political situation in Canada and around the world in what seem to be increasingly polarised and uncertain times. \nThis lecture is a live\, in-person event in Cameron Hall. You do not need to pre-register to attend – just show up. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nJoe Clark served as Canada’s 15th Prime Minister from 1979–80 and as Secretary of State for External Affairs from 1984–91. Chris Alexander was Canada’s Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2003–05\, and Minister of Citizenship and Immigration from 2013–15.  \nThis evening will be presented in partnership with the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy. \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/in-conversation-with-former-ambassador-and-mp-chris-alexander/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Joe-Clark.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240412T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240412T235900 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20230925T190352Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240524T124234Z UID:821-1712948400-1712966340@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Park Bagger: Exploring Qausuittuq (Kow-soo-ee-took) National Park In the High Arctic DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Marlis Butcher was the first person to visit all 48 Canadian National Parks\, one third of which have no road access\, and in 2016 one of the first persons to visit Canada’s newest national park at the time\, Qausuittuq\, (pronounced Kow-soo-ee-took) in Nunavut. She is thus uniquely qualified to offer this lecture which will begin with an introduction to Canada’s National Parks system\, then zoom in on the Arctic\, and finally focus on exploring Qausuittuq National Park. Through unique photographs and engaging story-telling\, Marlis will take us on a virtual voyage into the High Arctic\, sharing what it’s like to travel to Canada’s true north\, to explore this extremely remote park\, and to meet its endangered inhabitants.  \nThis lecture is a live\, in-person event in Cameron Hall. You do not need to pre-register to attend – just show up. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nMarlis Butcher is an environmental conservationist and a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and of The Explorers Club. Marlis is the first visitor to bag (visit) all 48 Canadian national parks\, one third of which have no road access. To share the park experience and encourage appreciation of these natural wonders\, she published her first book\, Park Bagger – Adventures in the Canadian National Parks\, a collection of short stories of adventure and discovery. \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/park-bagger-exploring-qausuittuq-kow-soo-ee-took-national-park-in-the-high-arctic/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Marlis-Butcher.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240301T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240301T235900 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20230925T185647Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T154846Z UID:815-1709319600-1709337540@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:"Newfoundland: From Country to Province” (On the 75th anniversary of Newfoundland’s Confederation with Canada) DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Newfoundland was a country before it became a province of Canada in 1949. Why did it remain separate for so long and why did it change course in the 1940s? In this lecture\, David MacKenzie will look at the impact of the Great Depression on Newfoundland and the emergence of the country after 1939 as the Gibraltar of the Atlantic. In 1934\, pushed financially\, Newfoundland lost self-government in favour of administration by a British appointed Commission\, but during the Second World War the country prospered\, and the British grip weakened. Both Canada and the United States built bases in Newfoundland and the country turned in a decidedly North American direction. The outcome was an intense postwar political round leading to union with Canada seventy-five years ago. \nThis lecture is a live\, in-person event in Cameron Hall. You do not need to pre-register to attend – just show up. \nIt is also available as a livestream webcast at www.YPSpeakersSeries.com. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nDr. David MacKenzie is a graduate of McGill University and the University of Toronto and a professor of history at Toronto Metropolitan University. His main areas of academic interest are in Canadian history and international relations and the study of international organizations. He is the author of several books\, including Inside the Atlantic Triangle: Canada and the Entrance of Newfoundland into Confederation\, 1939-1949 (1986) and ICAO: A History of the International Civil Aviation Organization (2010). His most recent book is King and Chaos: The 1935 Canadian General Election (2023). \nThis lecture is co-sponsored by the Newfoundland & Labrador Historical Society. \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/newfoundland-from-country-to-province-75th-anniversary-of-newfoundlands-confederation-w-canada/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Web-Banner_David-Mackenzie.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240209T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240209T235900 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20230925T185054Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240125T131823Z UID:811-1707505200-1707523140@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Modest Hopes: Homes and Stories of Toronto’s Workers from the 1820s to the 1920s DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n In this lecture based on the book of the same title\, Don Loucks will tell the stories of Toronto’s built heritage of row houses\, semis\, and cottages and the people who lived in them. Too often\, workers’ cottages are characterized today as being small\, poorly built\, and disposable. But in the late 1800s\, to have worked and saved enough money to move into one was an incredible achievement. Moving from the crowded conditions of boarding houses\, or areas such as Toronto’s Ward\, to a self-contained\, six-hundred-square-foot cottage was the result of an unimaginably strong hope for the future and a commitment to what lay ahead. For the workers and their families\, these houses were far from modest. The architectural details suggested status\, value\, and pride of place and reminded the workers of the homeland from which they had come.  \nThis lecture is a live\, in-person event in Cameron Hall. You do not need to pre-register to attend – just show up. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nDon Loucks is an architect\, urban designer\, and cultural heritage planner\, with forty years of project experience. He is committed to environmental\, economic\, and cultural sustainability\, and to preserving the variety of rich urban forms that contain the stories of our communities’ history. He lives in Toronto.  \nThis Lecture is co-sponsored by the Toronto Society of Architects. \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/modest-hopes-homes-and-stories-of-torontos-workers-from-the-1820s-to-the-1920s/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Don-Loucks.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240124T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240124T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20230925T183917Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240125T130504Z UID:804-1706122800-1706122800@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Israel - Palestine: How Did October 7 Happen\, Where Do We Go from Here\, and Why Building Trust between Palestinians and Israelis Is More Important Now Than Ever DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, we’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n The brutal massacre of October 7 in southern Israel by Hamas terrorists cannot be justified under any circumstances. But the attack and Israel’s response took place within a complex and longstanding context of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that began in the early 20th Century. The November 2022 election in Israel\, when the most right wing government in Israel’s history was elected\, resulted in policies\, actions and personalities that helped set the scene for the tragedy that we are witnessing today. The only silver lining to emerge from the conflict is a revival by key players of the idea of a two-state solution as the best means for bringing long term safety and security to both parties. \nSome of us feel distraught and helpless witnessing the horrors of the current situation. We are searching for ways to alleviate some of the pain and suffering in the region. Jon Allen chairs Rozana Canada\, a non profit that builds trust and respect between Israelis and Palestinians through the health care sector. Rozana designs\, implements and funds joint Palestinian-Israeli projects in the training\, treatment and transport of Palestinians with the collaboration of Israeli health professionals. This work is more important now than ever. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nJon Allen was born in Winnipeg and studied at Western University and the London School of Economics before joining the Department of External Affairs in 1981. In addition to postings in Mexico  \nCity\, New Delhi and Washington\, Jon spent his early career working in the areas of human rights\, humanitarian\, and environmental law. From 2006 to 2010\, he served as Canada’s Ambassador to Israel; from 2012 to 2016 as Ambassador to Spain and Andorra; and from December 2012 to July 2014\, as interim Chargé d’affaires to the Holy See. Jon Allen is currently a Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and a Distinguished Fellow of the Canada International Council. He is the Chair of Project Rozana Canada\, a not for profit whose objective is to build bridges between Palestinians and Israelis via the health sector. \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/israel-palestine-how-did-october-7-happen-where-do-we-go-from-here-and-why-building-trust-between-palestinians-and-israelis-is-more-important-now-than-ever/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023_2024-YP-Speakers-Series_Jon-Revision.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240112T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240112T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20230925T183503Z LAST-MODIFIED:20240103T135114Z UID:799-1705086000-1705086000@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Bomb Girls: Trading Aprons for Ammo – Munitions Production in Scarborough during World War Two DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, We’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Early in the Second World War\, the Canadian government built a top-secret munitions factory in the then rural community of Scarborough just seven miles from Toronto’s downtown. The plant\, called GECO—General Engineering Company (Canada) Limited—comprised 346 acres\, 172 buildings\, and over four kilometers of underground passageways. Barbara Dickson’s book\, Bomb Girls: Trading Aprons for Ammo\, is a comprehensive\, historical record of Canada’s biggest WWII munitions plant\, GECO\, which employed over 21\,000 citizens\, predominantly women\, courageously working with high explosives around the clock during the Second World War. In this lecture\, Barbara will relate the dramatic story of the incredible contribution made by so many women so long ago. What was it really like to work in a munitions factory? Did anyone die? What were working conditions like? How closely did bomb girls resemble “Rosie the Riveter?” Barbara will draw on twenty years of research to answer these questions.  \nThis lecture is a live\, in-person event in Cameron Hall. You do not need to pre-register to attend – just show up. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nBarbara Dickson is an author\, historian\, public speaker and documentary film producer who has entertained\, educated\, and enlightened audiences for twenty-five years. She strives to educate Canadians about the phenomenal work carried out by women across the nation whose invaluable contribution helped win the Second World War and is committed to ensuring that Canada’s “bomb girls” are honoured and commemorated. Her legacy project is to found a museum on the old GECO site in Scarborough where the public can come to learn\, appreciate\, and remember the critical sacrifice women made for their country so long ago. Her 2015 book\, Bomb Girls: Trading Aprons for Ammo\, was a finalist for the Ontario Legislature’s Book Award in 2016 and turned into a documentary film in 2017. \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/bomb-girls-trading-aprons-for-ammo-munitions-production-in-scarborough-during-world-war-two/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Barbara-Dickson.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20231124T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20231124T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20230916T181808Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231107T230938Z UID:590-1700852400-1700852400@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:‘It’ll never happen to me’ is happening to over 2.5 million Canadians relying on foodbanks DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, We’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Food Bank usage in Toronto has increased from 60\,000 client visits per month before the pandemic to over 270\,000 in the summer of 2023. Who are the people who now need to rely on food charity? What has caused this crisis and\, most importantly\, what can we do to change the situation we find ourselves in?  \nThis lecture is a live\, in-person event in Cameron Hall. You do not need to pre-register to attend – just show up. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nNeil Hetherington is the CEO of Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank\, one of Canada’s largest food banks and a national leader in research that examines the causes and impacts of food insecurity. Previously he was the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Toronto and New York City for 16 years. He holds degrees or certificates from Huron University\, Seneca College\, Harvard Business School and his MBA from Western University’s Ivey Business School. Neil was named one of Canada’s ‘Top 40 under 40’ in 2005. Neil is the Chair of the Board of Directors of House of Compassion\, a project founded through Yorkminster Park Church to provide permanent supportive housing to persons living with mental illness. He is a Board member of Feed Ontario\, Vice-Commodore at the National Yacht Club\, and a member of The Salvation Army National Advisory Board. He is an active pilot and sailor.  \nThis lecture is co-sponsored by the Daily Bread Food Bank. The costs to the Yorkminster Park Speakers Series of putting on this lecture have been fully covered by a generous anonymous donor so that all donations at the door will go to the Daily Bread Food Bank. \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/itll-never-happen-to-me-is-happening-to-over-2-5-million-canadians-relying-on-foodbanks/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Neil-Hetherington.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20231116T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20231116T130000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20230916T181735Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231107T231157Z UID:1161-1700139600-1700139600@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation. DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, We’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Zoom Webinar RegistrationRegister below and you will receive a reminder from Zoom 15 minutes before the event starts. \n Register\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n On Thursday\, November 16th from 1:00 — 2:00 PM by Zoom\, the Yorkminster Park Speakers Series\, in partnership with the YP Book Club\, presents historian Ellen Fitzpatrick\, author of Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation. In recognition that this month marks the 60th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas\, Texas on November 22nd\, 1963\, Professor Fitzpatrick will join us by Zoom for this special presentation to give a short talk about her book and about the Kennedy era followed by a Q&A session hosted by Dr. Eric McGeer who will facilitate live questions from the audience. Everyone is welcome to participate. \nAbout Letters to Jackie:For Letters to Jackie\, noted historian and News Hour commentator Ellen Fitzpatrick combed through literally thousands of condolence messages sent by ordinary Americans to Jacqueline Kennedy following the assassination of her husband\, President John F. Kennedy\, in 1963. The first book ever to examine this extraordinary collection\, Letters to Jackie presents 250 intimate\, heartfelt\, eye-opening responses to what was arguably the most devastating event in twentieth century America\, providing a fascinating perspective on a singular time in the history of our nation. \nAbout Ellen Fitzpatrick:Ellen Fitzpatrick\, who holds a PhD in History from Brandeis University\, is Presidential Chair and Professor of History\, Emerita at the University of New Hampshire and has taught previously at Harvard University\, M.I.T. and Wellesley College. A specialist in modern American political and intellectual history\, she is the author and editor of eight books\, including The Highest Glass Ceiling: Women’s Quest for the American Presidency (Harvard University Press\, 2016)\, the New York Times bestselling\, Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation (Ecco\, 2010); and History’s Memory: Writing America’s Past\, 1880-1980 (Harvard University Press\, 2002) as well as many articles and reviews. Letters to Jackie became the basis for a 2014 documentary film by Bill Couturié for which Fitzpatrick served as Associate Producer. The Highest Glass Ceiling was selected as a 2016 “Editor’s Choice” by the New York Times\, and a notable nonfiction book of 2016 by the Washington Post. It was also excerpted in The New Yorker. \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/letters-to-jackie-condolences-from-a-grieving-nation/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2023-YP-Series-Letters-to-Jackie.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20231108T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20231108T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20230916T181440Z LAST-MODIFIED:20231109T194837Z UID:585-1699470000-1699470000@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Holocaust Distortion as a new form of Holocaust Denial: The Case of Poland DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, We’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n While Holocaust denial is easy to identify and straightforward to explain\, Holocaust distortion is a more insidious and complex threat. Unlike the deniers of yesteryear\, people\, states\, and institutions engaged in Holocaust distortion do not deny the factuality of the event. They argue instead that their nation\, their people\, their tribe\, had nothing to do with it. There were some corrupt individuals\, no doubt\, but helping and rescuing of Jews was the default position of our people\, argue the nationalists. And\, with the formidable funding provided by the states engaged in Holocaust distortion\, the Shoah is being re-branded into a positive narrative in which enthusiastic and altruistic Gentiles strive to save their Jewish neighbors from the clutches of the Germans. We thought we knew that the German genocidal plan had many willing helpers across Europe but this knowledge is now being put to question and assaulted by the agents of Holocaust distortion.  \nThis lecture is a live\, in-person event in Cameron Hall. You do not need to pre-register to attend – just show up. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nJan Grabowski is a professor in the Department of History at the University of Ottawa. His research includes the issues surrounding the extermination of the Polish Jews as well as the history of the Jewish-Polish relations during the 1939-1945 period. He is the author of numerous journal articles and several books\, including Hunt for the Jews. Betrayal and Murder in German-Occupied Poland (Indiana University Press\, Bloomington & Indianapolis\, 2013) which won the Yad Vashem International Book Prize for 2014. A recipient of the 2014 Faculty of Arts Professor of the Year Award\, he teaches survey courses and graduate and undergraduate seminars on the history of the Holocaust. Professor Grabowski is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.  \nThis lecture will be part of the Neuberger Foundation’s Holocaust Education Week  \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Join our email listJoin our email list to get an email advising you of our next event\, as well as a reminder email thirty minutes before each event with a link to watch online\, for those unable to attend in person. \n \n \n \n \n \n Success!\n \n \n \n \n First Name\n \n \n \n \n Last Name\n \n \n \n \n Email\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Send Me A Reminder URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/holocaust-distortion-as-a-new-form-of-holocaust-denial-the-case-of-poland/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Jan-Grabowski.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20231025T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20231025T190000 DTSTAMP:20260403T202030 CREATED:20230916T181054Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230926T220920Z UID:581-1698260400-1698260400@ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com SUMMARY:Uncovering the Past: Tales from a Passionate Genealogist DESCRIPTION:Donations at the door or when you watch online are voluntary and only partially cover program costs. If you agree that continuing education is worth the investment\, We’d love to hear from you.\n \n DONATE NOW\n \n \n \n \n \n A new browser tab will open the Yorkminster Park Canada Helps donation page\, please select YP Speakers Series from the dropdown menu.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n When she a young child\, Heather’s mother told her that Mark Twain was a great-uncle. It seemed like a really cool thing to tell people\, but other than that\, it held little meaning for her at the time. Fast forward forty years: one night while Heather found herself between jobs and with time on her hands a TV ad for Ancestry reminded her of Mark Twain and she decided to see if there was any truth to the family story. Only later did she realise that this was the moment her passion for genealogy was born. In this talk Heather will share stories from her own work – involving archival research\, personal interviews and the latest in genetic DNA technology – to help us understand why the field of genealogy has grown exponentially in recent years and why it has become not only Heather’s passion but also her second career. Perhaps she will also inspire you to begin your journey tracing your own family history.  \nThis lecture is a live\, in-person event in Cameron Hall. You do not need to pre-register to attend – just show up. \nBIOGRAPHY: \nAfter a 20-year career as a Marketing Executive for several consumer-packaged goods companies\, Heather retired from the proverbial rat race to dedicate more time to her family and to pursue her own family history. Originally enthralled by the shaking leaves\, she turned her attention to educating herself on proper genealogy methods and received a certificate from the National Institute for Genealogical Studies. She started her own company\, Dig Ancestry Services in 2013 and her second career began. She is passionate about finding the stories in everyone’s family history and seeks to help people on their journey of discovery. She volunteers with the Ontario Genealogical Society and is currently serving as the Past President\, Conference Chair and Editor of the Families Journal.  \nThis lecture is co-sponsored by the Ontario Genealogical Society  \n \n \n \n ← Previous Speaker URL:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/event/uncovering-the-past-tales-from-a-passionate-genealogist/ LOCATION:Cameron Hall\, 1585 Yonge Street\, Toronto ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://ypspeakersseries.yorkminsterpark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Heather-Mctavish-Taylor.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR