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• FALL 2025 SPEAKER EVENT SERIES (via Zoom)

  • Start
    September 08, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM
  • End
    November 03, 2025
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom virtual meetings

  Registration is closed

  
  

  FALL 2025 Speaker Event Series 
  
  

  All Fall 2025 speaker events will be conducted virtually using Zoom software

  
  
  

  September 8	Matthew Legge	Connect, Don't Retreat: Tips for Building Understanding in a World of Hate and Division
  September 15	Tom Zoellner	Island on Fire: Inside the Demise of Slavery
  September 29	Marlis Butcher, FRCGS	Qausuittuq National Park in the Canadian Arctic
  October 6	Ivan Semeniuk	Life Beyond Earth: From Ancient Asteroids to Future Explorations
  October 20	Bella Lam	Hope to Action: A Path Towards a Healthier Planet Where Animals, People and the Environment Can All Thrive.
  October 27	Rachel Savage, PhD	Addressing Loneliness: Strengthening Social Connection As We Age

   

  November 3	Christina Bisanz	Aging in the Right Place (Navigating Through Community-Based Services)

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

    

  
   
  

  
  

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• Connect, Don't Retreat: Practical Tips for Building Understanding in a World of Hate and Division

  • When
    September 08, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom webinar

  
  

     
  

  Matthew Legge

  Matthew Legge has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2006, with a focus on building health, dignity, and human rights. He’s supported locally-led peace initiatives in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

  Since 2012 he's been at Canadian Friends Service Committee (CFSC), the peace and social justice agency of Quakers in Canada. Quakers are widely respected for their efforts to prevent war and transform conflicts, as well as their impartial support for war victims.

  He is the author of the award-winning book Are We Done Fighting? Building Understanding in a World of Hate and Division. Since Are We Done Fighting? came out, Matt has facilitated workshops for hundreds of people and written a popular blog for Psychology Today. Matt's work draws on a wealth of academic findings and real life stories to explain what's happening in destructive social conflicts, and the surprising power that we each have to engage people across divides.

  
  

  Connect, Don't Retreat: Practical tips for building understanding in a world of hate and division

  Are you struggling with conflict in your own life? Or maybe you’re wondering what you can do in the face of so much deep societal polarization and unrest? This session will be inspiring, practical, and interactive. It will begin with author Matt Legge sharing an amazing true story of connecting across a seemingly insurmountable divide. It will then present several useful tips for better quality disagreements and conversations across divides. Learn how cutting-edge insights from neuroscience, psychology, and the study of human social networks is being applied to transform conflicts.

   

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2025 Speaker series.  
  

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• Island on Fire: Inside the Demise of Slavery

  • When
    September 15, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom webinar

  
  

     
  

  Tom Zoellner

  Tom Zoellner is the author of nine nonfiction books, a professor at Chapman University, and an editor-at-large of The Los Angeles Review of Books.
  

  
  

  Island on Fire: Inside the Demise of Slavery

  Revolts of enslaved people were common occurrences in the British Caribbean, considered unpleasant realities by the ruling elite, which sought to put them down quickly and re-establish sugar production as soon as possible. But one led by Samuel Sharpe in 1832 in northwestern Jamaica was enough to cause the whole institution to crumble within eighteen months. Why was this revolt different? And what set of circumstances lay behind Parliament's decision to abolish slavery for good?

  
  

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2025 Speaker series.  
  

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• Qausuittuq National Park in the Canadian Arctic

  • When
    September 29, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom webinar

  
  

  
  

  Marlis Butcher, FRCGS

  Marlis Butcher is an environmental conservationist, author, and photographer.  She is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and of The Explorers Club, an international organization promoting field exploration. 

  Marlis is the first visitor to have “bagged” (visited) all 49 Canadian national parks, a third of which do not have road access. Her photographs and articles have been published in 

  • Canadian Geographic Magazine,
  • Explore magazine,
  • The Explorers Club’s “Far Afield” magazine,
  • CBC News on-line,
  • CTV News on-line,
  • Canadian Encyclopedia, and
  • the travel brochures of various wilderness outfitters and travel bloggers.

  Her book “Park Bagger - Adventures in the Canadian National Parks” made Amazon’s “best seller” August 2022.  The movie “Park 33”, a short thriller, was inspired by her adventures.

  Marlis volunteers as a director on the board of the Royal Botanical Gardens, and has served on the board of the Bruce Trail Conservancy, protecting the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

  
  

  Visiting Remote Qausuittuq National Park in the Canadian Arctic

  Marlis Butcher and her team were the first visitors to one of the most remote Canadian national parks, Qausuittuq, in the high Arctic. With this presentation, Marlis takes her audience with her, virtually, on the group’s expedition, experiencing what it’s like to travel in Nunavut, visit Inuit communities, and discover one of the major objectives of Qausuittuq National Park: preserving the habitat of the endangered Perry Caribou. 
  

  
  

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2025 Speaker series.  
  

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• Life Beyond Earth: From Ancient Asteroids to Future Explorations

  • When
    October 06, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom webinar

  
  

     
  

  Ivan Semeniuk 

  Ivan Semeniuk reports on science for The Globe & Mail. A veteran science journalist in print, online and broadcast media, his stories have informed Canadians about topics as diverse as space exploration, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. He is a former news editor with the journal Nature and a producer and presenter of science television documentaries including the astronomy series Cosmic Vistas. His work has garnered several awards including the Royal Canadian Institute’s Sandford Fleming medal for contributions to the public understanding of science.

  
  

  Life Beyond Earth:From Ancient Asteroids to Future Explorations

  Are we alone in the universe? The question is of perennial interest to scientists and philosophers alike. Now, results from recent interplanetary missions have cast the question in a new light, illuminating how life may have begun on our world and pointing to other locations that could potentially host the same process. Climb on board for a science journalist's view of the latest developments in humanity's quest to find life beyond Earth.

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2025 Speaker series.  
  

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• Hope to Action: A Path Towards a Healthier Planet Where Animals, People and the Environment Can All Thrive

  • When
    October 20, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom webinar

  
  

  
  

     
  

  Bella Lam

  Bella Lam has worked in the sustainable development and international cooperation sector for over twenty-five years, amplifying the voices of local partners in Sub-Saharan, South Asia, and Latin America. She joined the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada in 2016 working with the Programs team to promote community-led conservation through the lens of gender and climate justice.  In 2022, Bella was appointed as the CEO to lead the Institute. Her background in sustainable development is centred on the understanding that all aspects of the ecosystem: people, wildlife and the environment, are deeply interconnected.

  Bella is also the Vice-Chair of the Ontario Council of International Cooperation Board, supporting civil society organizations based in the province. She is a strong advocate of working in a multi-stakeholder environment and leveraging collaborative partnerships to scale up impact.

  
  

  Hope to Action: A path towards a healthier planet where animals, people and the environment can all thrive.

  This year marks the 65^th anniversary of Dr. Jane Goodall’s arrival in Tanzania, where she began her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees at the Gombe Stream National Park. The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is her legacy as we continue to build on her work, honouring the tapestry of life where every thread connects to another, to create a healthier planet where animals, people and the environment can all thrive together. This presentation will highlight how Dr. Goodall inspires us, and how her Institute in Canada is addressing some of the most pressing ecological and environmental issues our planet is facing today. We do this through JGI’s approach of Community-Led Conservation and by inspiring hope through action with partners across Africa and in Canada. 

  
  

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2025 Speaker series.  
  

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• Addressing Loneliness: Strengthening Social Connection As We Age

  • When
    October 27, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom webinar

  
  

     
  

  Rachel Savage, PhD

  Rachel Savage is a Scientist at Women’s Age Lab and Women’s College Research and Innovation Institute, Women’s College Hospital. She is also an Adjunct Scientist at ICES, and an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. She completed her PhD in Epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.

  Dr. Savage leads an award-winning research program on sex, gender, and loneliness in older adults where she explores the impact of loneliness on individuals and health systems and evaluates community-based strategies to strengthen social connection.

  
  

  Addressing loneliness: strengthening social connection as we age

  Loneliness is common across all ages, but what causes us to feel lonely depends on who we are, where we live and the life transitions we go through. Understanding how we can feel more connected to ourselves and the world around us is important because being socially connected helps us lead longer and happier lives. This talk will offer valuable insights on loneliness – what it is, its causes and how it affects our health and well-being - and practical advice on what we can do to address it.

  
  

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2025 Speaker series.  
  

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• Aging in the Right Place—Navigating Through Community-Based Services

  • When
    November 03, 2025
  •  
    10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Zoom webinar

     
  

  Christina Bisanz

  As Chief Executive Officer of CHATS (Community & Home Assistance to Seniors), Christina has the pleasure of working with over 320 staff and nearly 400 volunteers, supporting the health and well-being of some 8,000 seniors and their family caregivers in York Region, and South Simcoe.

  Prior to joining CHATS in 2012 Christina served as CEO and a senior executive with a number of healthcare organizations.

  Christina also serves as Ward 7 Councillor for the Town of Newmarket. First elected in 2014, she was subsequently acclaimed to this position for a second four-year term in 2018 and re-elected in October, 2022.

  Christina’s volunteer activities have also spanned numerous community and business associations. Currently, she is the founding co-chair of the Northern York South Simcoe Ontario Health Team’s Joint Executive Steering Committee, a peer accreditation surveyor for CARF, an international standards organization,  serves on Seneca Polytechnic’s Non-Profit Management and Leadership Advisory Council and York Region’s Human Services Planning Board.

  Christina’s community contributions were recognized by the federal government with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award.

  Christina graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree. She was awarded a Certificate of Distinction for successfully completing the requirements of Building a Culture of Good Governance from the Ontario Hospital Association, and completed the LEADS Leadership Program for Health System Leaders.

  
  

  
  

  Aging in the Right Place—Navigating through Community-Based Services

  Many studies have shown that over 90% of older adults would choose to live in their own homes and communities as long as possible. As our population ages, being able to fulfill that choice is dependent on several factors: health and wellness of the individual, financial security, and the presence of a family or informal caregiver to provide support. Health and wellness is often contingent on a person being socially engaged in their communities.

  How prepared are you to age in place? Are you aware of the supports available to you? Christina Bisanz will present an overview of what you need to know to live independently and well in your place of choice.

  
  

  
  

   

  
  

  
  

  This event is part of the Fall 2025 Speaker series.  
  

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