Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

The methods we use to elect our Members of Parliament may seem only of interest to political scientists and others who are obsessed with the institutional workings of our system. But they have real consequences for the way our political system operates.

Canada currently uses a single member plurality electoral system (often known as first past the post), and it has profound consequences. The speaker will outline the effects and argue that our electoral system does not serve the needs of Canada’s political institutions, parties, or citizens.

But there are alternative systems out there. We’ll discuss some of the options and the advantages and disadvantages of a shift to various forms of proportional representation.

Speaker: Harold Jansen

Harold Jansen has degrees for Carlton University and the University of Alberta. He received his Ph.D from the U of A in 1998, and has been a professor in the Political Science Department of the University of Lethbridge since then. His area of specialization is Canadian politics, particularly political parties and elections.

Dr. Jansen has published several articles and book chapters on topics such as electoral systems and electoral reform, Alberta politics, political party finance in Canada, and the impact of the Internet on political communication.

Harold Jansen helped to start Mapleleafweb, the leading Canadian political education website. He serves as Senior Editor for the site.

The methods we use to elect our Members of Parliament may seem only of interest to political scientists and others who are obsessed with the institutional workings of our system. But they have real consequences for the way our political system operates.

Canada currently uses a single member plurality electoral system (often known as first past the post), and it has profound consequences. The speaker will outline the effects and argue that our electoral system does not serve the needs of Canada’s political institutions, parties, or citizens.

But there are alternative systems out there. We’ll discuss some of the options and the advantages and disadvantages of a shift to various forms of proportional representation.

Speaker: Harold Jansen

Harold Jansen has degrees for Carlton University and the University of Alberta. He received his Ph.D from the U of A in 1998, and has been a professor in the Political Science Department of the University of Lethbridge since then. His area of specialization is Canadian politics, particularly political parties and elections.

Dr. Jansen has published several articles and book chapters on topics such as electoral systems and electoral reform, Alberta politics, political party finance in Canada, and the impact of the Internet on political communication.

Harold Jansen helped to start Mapleleafweb, the leading Canadian political education website. He serves as Senior Editor for the site.

Since time immemorial, people have gazed up at the night sky in wonderment. Yet the answer to the question: “Is there anyone out there?” continues to evade us. But the 16th century Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher, Galileo Galilei, gave us a much better understanding of the heavenly bodies that make up our universe.

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy, marking the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of the simple telescope; thus beginning four centuries of unfolding the mysteries of the universe. In Galileo’s time, attempting to unfold these mysteries meant risking life, limb and freedom. While the risks associated with discovery are no longer with us, our understanding of the universe, though infinitely better, remains incomplete.

The speaker’s presentation will touch on the major achievements of Galileo and the amazing developments in our understanding of the universe.

Speaker: Barry Olson

Barry Olson is the President of Lethbridge Astronomy Society. He has been a member of the society for 20 years. He is also a member of the National Space Society, the Planetary Society, and the Canadian Association of Rocketry. He has held a life-long interest in astronomy and space exploration.

Dr. Olson has a Ph.D in soil science and agriculture. He works for Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development as a Research Scientist focusing on soil, water, and environmental issues in agriculture.

Since time immemorial, people have gazed up at the night sky in wonderment. Yet the answer to the question: “Is there anyone out there?” continues to evade us. But the 16th century Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher, Galileo Galilei, gave us a much better understanding of the heavenly bodies that make up our universe.

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy, marking the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of the simple telescope; thus beginning four centuries of unfolding the mysteries of the universe. In Galileo’s time, attempting to unfold these mysteries meant risking life, limb and freedom. While the risks associated with discovery are no longer with us, our understanding of the universe, though infinitely better, remains incomplete.

The speaker’s presentation will touch on the major achievements of Galileo and the amazing developments in our understanding of the universe.

Speaker: Barry Olson

Barry Olson is the President of Lethbridge Astronomy Society. He has been a member of the society for 20 years. He is also a member of the National Space Society, the Planetary Society, and the Canadian Association of Rocketry. He has held a life-long interest in astronomy and space exploration.

Dr. Olson has a Ph.D in soil science and agriculture. He works for Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development as a Research Scientist focusing on soil, water, and environmental issues in agriculture.

In collaboration with Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group (LPIRG) and the Students'' Union, and with funding from the University of Lethbridge, SACPA is offering students a forum to express their point of view on issues of significance. Recognizing that each individual has a unique perspective and an authentic voice, students will be given a chance to communicate their thesis to an audience and defend it, thereby gaining and honing skills in developing and exchanging new ideas.

SACPA-on-campus will take the form of a competition in which students will address the topic "Our Current Crisis: What Does Change Mean in Our World Today?" The speaker series will begin with three noon-hour sessions, each with two speakers addressing the topic and fielding questions on their thesis. A winner will be chosen at each of these sessions and will be promoted to the semi-finals. Two students will then go on to the final session where a sole winner will be selected to receive a prize of $500. Winners at each session will be determined by a panel of judges and an audience vote.

Session 1 - Tuesday, February 24, 12:15 - 1:25, Galileo''s Gallery

Session 2 - Tuesday, March 3, 12:15 - 1:25 Ballroom A

Session 3 - Tuesday, March 10, 12:15 - 1:25 Galileo’s Gallery

Semi-Final Session - Tuesday, March 17, 4:00 - 6:00 Ballroom A

Final Session - Tuesday, March 31, 7:00 - 9:00 Andy''s Place (AH100)

The Public is encouraged to attend and participate in this series of debates.

The rapid development of the tar sands has changed the nation and made most of Alberta a suburb of Fort McMurray. The current financial meltdown has highlighted the folly of exploiting this resource with inadequate planning, little financial accountability, dubious technology and poor regulation. But low oil prices have also given Alberta an opportunity to reassess the pace and scale of development. Without a clear savings plan, fair royalties and hard renewable energy targets the tar sands could impoverish the province.

Speaker: Andrew Nikiforuk

For the last two decades, Andrew Nikiforuk has written about energy, economics and the West for a variety of Canadian publications including The Walrus, Maclean’s, Canadian Business, and the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business. He is a frequent commentator on CBC.

In the late 1990s, Nikiforuk investigated the social and ecological impacts of intensive livestock industries and the legacy of northern uranium mining for the Calgary Herald. His public policy position papers on water diversion in the Great Lakes (2004) and water, energy and North American integration (2007) at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre sparked both discussion and reform.

Andrew’s journalism has won many National Magazine Awards and top honours for investigative writing from the Association of Canadian Journalists. His Alberta-based book, Saboteurs: Wiebo Ludwig’s War against Big Oil, won the Governor General’s Award for Non-Fiction in 2002. His latest book is The Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of the Continent.

The rapid development of the tar sands has changed the nation and made most of Alberta a suburb of Fort McMurray. The current financial meltdown has highlighted the folly of exploiting this resource with inadequate planning, little financial accountability, dubious technology and poor regulation. But low oil prices have also given Alberta an opportunity to reassess the pace and scale of development. Without a clear savings plan, fair royalties and hard renewable energy targets the tar sands could impoverish the province.

Speaker: Andrew Nikiforuk

For the last two decades, Andrew Nikiforuk has written about energy, economics and the West for a variety of Canadian publications including The Walrus, Maclean’s, Canadian Business, and the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business. He is a frequent commentator on CBC.

In the late 1990s, Nikiforuk investigated the social and ecological impacts of intensive livestock industries and the legacy of northern uranium mining for the Calgary Herald. His public policy position papers on water diversion in the Great Lakes (2004) and water, energy and North American integration (2007) at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre sparked both discussion and reform.

Andrew’s journalism has won many National Magazine Awards and top honours for investigative writing from the Association of Canadian Journalists. His Alberta-based book, Saboteurs: Wiebo Ludwig’s War against Big Oil, won the Governor General’s Award for Non-Fiction in 2002. His latest book is The Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of the Continent.

The presentation focuses on our stewardship of wild Alberta and takes a global perspective. We live at a pivotal time in history when civilization faces the real possibility of run-away climate change, food and water shortages, millions of environmental refugees, and war. This, plus a huge extinction of species worldwide, may happen not in the distant future but in our children’s lifetime, maybe our own.

How will Alberta respond? Is it to be business as usual or will we, as others are doing, seize the opportunity to turn decisively towards a greener future? This is a deeply ethical question, for the lives of future generations may be harmed irreversibly by our generation’s decisions.

Speakers: Robin and Marian White

As an author-photographer team, Robin and Marian focus on Nature, conservation and related social issues. They have traveled in 52 countries and worked in Britain, Australia and Canada. Their photographs have been widely used in books and magazines in North America, especially by educational publications.

Robin is a retired, award-winning land-use planner with a master’s degree in environmental studies from York University. Marian’s background is in journalism and editing and she has a BSc in geography (focusing on biogeography) from the University of Toronto. Born near London, England, they have lived in Canada since 1970.

This presentation is based on their recent book ‘Wild Alberta at the Crossroads,’ which won the gold medal in the Independent Publisher’s 12th Annual Book Awards 2008 for Best Regional Non-fiction – Western Canada.

The presentation focuses on our stewardship of wild Alberta and takes a global perspective. We live at a pivotal time in history when civilization faces the real possibility of run-away climate change, food and water shortages, millions of environmental refugees, and war. This, plus a huge extinction of species worldwide, may happen not in the distant future but in our children’s lifetime, maybe our own.

How will Alberta respond? Is it to be business as usual or will we, as others are doing, seize the opportunity to turn decisively towards a greener future? This is a deeply ethical question, for the lives of future generations may be harmed irreversibly by our generation’s decisions.

Speakers: Robin and Marian White

As an author-photographer team, Robin and Marian focus on Nature, conservation and related social issues. They have traveled in 52 countries and worked in Britain, Australia and Canada. Their photographs have been widely used in books and magazines in North America, especially by educational publications.

Robin is a retired, award-winning land-use planner with a master’s degree in environmental studies from York University. Marian’s background is in journalism and editing and she has a BSc in geography (focusing on biogeography) from the University of Toronto. Born near London, England, they have lived in Canada since 1970.

This presentation is based on their recent book ‘Wild Alberta at the Crossroads,’ which won the gold medal in the Independent Publisher’s 12th Annual Book Awards 2008 for Best Regional Non-fiction – Western Canada.

What is happening to health care in Alberta?

A growing number of people and professional medical groups are pointing to deficiencies. A recent study commissioned by the Alberta government, suggests that while bed occupancy in Calgary hospitals is currently 92 percent, it could reach 97 percent in little over a decade unless the province reforms its health system.

Alberta is not immune to the current economic recession. How will it affect health care?

Many changes to health care are afoot. Once again, these seem to be entering by the back door. According to the speaker these include: a hidden plan for the ‘marketization’ of health care, and arrangements that will only result in squeezing more out of nurses.

What do terms like ‘patient-focused funding’ and ‘publicly-funded’ actually mean?

Are Albertans facing the privatization of health care?

Speaker: Heather Smith R.N.

Heather Smith is President of the United Nurses of Alberta, a union representing 26,000 Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses. A Registered Nurse herself, she has been closely involved with the Friends of Medicare since 1983. Heather is a strong advocate for both health care users and front-line workers. Her contribution to health care over the years is well recognized and she has been the recipient of many awards for her work.