As of September 2022, all lectures are at Harcourt United Church, 87 Dean Avenue in Guelph and simultaneously streamed online. You may choose how you wish to attend.
The Winter 2023 Session is now over. The Fall 2023 Session will feature (AM Series) Artificial Intelligence (AI): What it is and where it's going and (PM Series) Dr. Olivier Courteaux speaking on Intenational Relations - 2001-2023: the pivotal years. Please watch for more details in June.
AM Series: Wednesdays, January 11 to March 1, 2023, 10:00am – noon
When we walk into a grocery store or restaurant some of the overwhelming impacts are the quantity and quality of food available. From hundreds of items on grocery store shelves in the 1950s to thousands today, where did it come from? How do we get it? How do we get fresh strawberries all year round, and oranges and apples and everything else our heart and stomach desire? How does the “food supply chain” work and who controls it? What are the coming issues that will affect our supply and what can we do to address them? Is our Food System under duress and, if so, what are the consequences for us in Ontario, Canada and around the globe?
Evan Fraser
In this talk, Evan will reflect on one of the great challenges facing the world: how to sustainably and nutritiously feed the world's growing human population while dealing with climate change. In this, he will talk about the potential for technologies to help address many environmental problems and reflect on the limits of technology as well.
Evan Fraser
A passionate communicator, Evan has written for the Globe and Mail, the Guardian.com, CNN.com, ForeignAffairs.com, the Walrus and the Ottawa Citizen, and has two popular non-fiction books about food and food security including Empires of Food: Feast, Famine and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations that was published by Simon and Schuster and shortlisted for the James Beard Food Literature Award. He has also co-produced/co-hosted 3 1-hour radio documentaries for CBC’s premier documentary show Ideas on the future of food.
As a researcher, Evan is a co-author on over 100 academic papers and book chapters, played a leadership role in teams that have raised over $100M in research funding, and mentored close to 50 graduate students.
Between 2016-18 he co-convened an ad hoc working group made up of producer groups, the food industry, philanthropy and civil society to propose that the Federal Government of Canada should create a National Food Policy Advisory Council. The creation of this council was announced by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food Canada in the summer of 2019.
Evan’s web video series on “feeding nine billion” has been watched over 500,000 times, he has self-published a graphic novel called #FoodCrisis about a fictitious food crisis that hits North America in the 2020s. Evan has also created a card game about global food security that won a gold medal at the International “Serious Play” conference. The videos, the graphic novel and the card game have been pulled together in a series of teacher-friendly high school lesson plans that are used in classrooms around the world.
He is a full professor of Geography at the University of Guelph and helps lead the Food from Thought initiative, which is a $76.6 million research program based at the University of Guelph that explores how to use big data to reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint.
Today, Evan is the director of the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph. In this capacity, he co-chairs the Arrell Food Summit, and manages the Arrell Food Scholarship program as well as the Arrell Food Innovation Awards that deliver hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to groups that have made tremendous impacts on global food systems.
Rashan Pudasaini
By 2050, we will need to feed a 9 billion population. We are trying to increase food production through intensive agriculture, which has consequences such as elevated emissions and biodiversity loss. At the same time, the impacts of climate change in the form of severe weather, drought, diseases and pest have added challenges in agriculture. This lecture will discuss the typical challenges of our food production system that are associated with the impacts of climate change. It will include the issues of productivity decline, biodiversity loss and distribution system interruptions.
Roshan Pudasaini
Roshan Pudasaini is a PhD candidate and an Arrell Food Institute Scholar at the University of Guelph. Roshan has worked as a senior programme officer in an agricultural research organization in Nepal for ten years. His current PhD research focuses on evaluating the resilient characteristics of orphan crops such as millets and cowpea. Roshan aims to utilize such unique but valuable traits, like drought tolerance and low nitrogen tolerance, to improve the yield of those neglected crops and build resilience in agricultural systems. After his lecture, he may be contacted at rpudasai@uoguelph.ca for any follow-up questions or information.
Elizabeth Finnis
In this talk, Elizabeth will explore the concept of food sovereignty, drawing on her anthropological fieldwork in Canada and Paraguay to consider what food sovereignty might – and might not – look like in different cultural, economic, environmental, and political contexts. What does food sovereignty potentially mean for smaller-scale food producers, and why should we be asking these questions?
Elizabeth Finnis
Elizabeth Finnis is an anthropologist and an associate professor (University of Guelph). She works with smaller-scale farmers and rural communities to consider the politics, economics, and cultures of food production and local food systems. She has worked in Canada, India, and Paraguay, examining issues of culinary practices, dietary changes, agricultural transitions, agricultural livelihoods, and food sovereignty. Her recent co-edited book (with Hannah Tait Neufeld), Recipes and Reciprocity: Building Relationships in Research, explores the ways that researchers develop relationships in the field through exchanging food, cooking, and culinary knowledge.
Merryn Maynard
Food and shelter are the fundamentals of life and every good thing we want to achieve as a society depends on these basic needs being met. Canada is one of the most affluent nations in the world, yet food insecurity is a pervasive and significant problem that has only worsened since Canada began tracking food insecurity in the early 2000s. The unacceptable reality is that 10.6% of people in Canada, including 13% of children, can’t afford the food they need. Food insecurity is not a food scarcity issue – Canada produces plenty of food. So why are people going hungry, and what can be done to alleviate the issue? This lecture will explore the root causes of food insecurity in Canada, potential solutions, and the role of the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security.
Merryn Maynard
Merryn Maynard is a researcher, systems thinker, and communicator. Since 2019, she has worked with Maple Leaf Foods and the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security, leading efforts to track social impact, learning, and evaluation. Merryn’s career has been focused on alleviating food insecurity in Canada through work in public, academic and non-profit organizations, including the national youth charity Meal Exchange. She currently serves on the board of directors of Community Share Food Bank in the Don Mills neighbourhood and is a 2022-23 Action Canada Fellow. Born and raised in Hamilton, Merryn currently lives in Toronto with her partner and their dog, Joni. She holds a Master of Science degree from the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Psychology from McMaster University.
Emily Duncan
The future of food will undoubtedly involve new agricultural technologies that are designed to increase food production while at the same time reducing agriculture’s impact on the environment. In this talk, we will discuss technologies that use big data, artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital devices that are increasingly being adopted on Canadian farms. However, recognizing that technology is no panacea to the challenges of global food security, we will also review the social consequences of new technologies including some of the impacts of technology on data governance, farmer decision making, and environmental outcomes. This talk aims to reveal the nuances of the promises of technology that will enviably shape the future of food.
Emily Duncan
Emily Duncan is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics at the University of Guelph. Her research interests lie at the intersection of agricultural technologies, food security, and addressing climate change, both in Canada and internationally. She is a Vanier Scholar and a researcher with the Canada First Research Excellence Fund’s Food from Thought initiative. Her publication topics include precision farming, agricultural labour, the financialization of farmland, and digital agriculture. Emily is also a passionate activist volunteering with Guelph’s Food System Resiliency Roundtable and the Guelph Tool Library.
Andrew Nixon
Who has power over what we eat? This lecture covers corporate concentration in Canadian food business to uncover the gatekeepers across each node of the supply chain. Surprisingly few companies are responsible for determining which products are available to farmers and the prices they both pay and receive, how your food is processed, and how it’s sold to you. Participants will learn the Canadian history of corporate control over the stages of our food supply chain and gain an in-depth understanding of the benefits and risks of our current situation, how we got here, and what changes might look like.
After his lecture, Andrew provided a comprehensive list of resources for those who want to learn more about his subject. He also sent a document from the Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project (CAMP), which provides Guidance on Consultation on Reforming Canada’s Competition Act.
Andrew Nixon
Andrew Nixon is a PhD Candidate in Management in the School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management at the University of Guelph’s Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics. He holds an Arrell Scholarship and is a member of the Food Business Research Group led by Dr. Simon Somogyi. Prior to graduate school, he was a consultant for Ferrero Canada. His research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of entrepreneurship, power, competition, and agriculture and food. Andrew's research benefits from practical experience gained from co-founding and exiting Zerocery, an online grocery retail startup. After his lecture, he may be contacted at awnixon@uoguelph.ca for any follow-up questions or information.
Krish Thayalan
The abundance of food in Canada has led us to dismiss its intrinsic value as a source of life-giving nutrition. At the same time, millions of Canadians – including 1.4 million children – struggle to access healthy food. There is a way forward, but we need to start by radically re-thinking how we value food at each stage of the value chain.
Krish Thayalan
Krish Thayalan is the Manager, Training & Education, at Second Harvest. His background in nutrition & public health, food systems, and food justice brought him to Second Harvest where he now works to promote Second Harvest’s 3 pillars of: food waste prevention, food safety, and food literacy. His interests lie in the intersection between environmental sustainability and health promotion, feeding into Second Harvest’s dual vision of “No waste, No hunger.” Today Krish is happy to share the magnitude of the issue of food waste, and how it’s currently being addressed. After his lecture, he may be contacted at krisht@secondharvest.ca for any follow-up questions or information.
Cate Dewey
The health of humans, animals, plants and the environment are inextricably linked. Food safety and food security are impacted by animal and plant health and diversity, cultural norms, political decisions, and environmental change and disasters. Human epidemics can stem from population growth, and encroachment into wildlife habitats. We will discuss how our food choices impact the environment. Together we will unravel the complex connections between food and the health of people, animals, plants and the environment in Ontario and around the world.
Cate Dewey
Cate Dewey, DVM, MSc, PhD (epidemiology) graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph (cdewey@uoguelph.ca). As a swine specialist, she has worked with pig farmers in Canada and globally. Her One Health research projects have focused on reducing foodborne zoonotic diseases, improving food security of small holder farmers in Africa, understanding the connection between food policies and increased diabetes in farm families in India, and food insecurity and culture loss due to decreasing wildlife populations in the Canadian North. She is a Professor in the Department of Population Medicine and the Director of the One Health Institute https://onehealth.uoguelph.ca/.
PM Series: Wednesdays, January 11 to March 1, 2023, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
"Badass women" come from many walks of life and cultures. Some are well known leaders and others are ordinary people, but all have made their mark. They are memorable for making a difference and are all originals who have shown us new ways of looking at the world and maybe ruffled a few feathers along the way.
This lecture series explores a wide range of women throughout time who have been independent thinkers, ground breakers and troublemakers. Some are well known, and others should be. Beginning with the intriguing women of classical times, we move through history to look at famous women such as Catherine the Great and Amelia Earhart and finish with Badass Canadians who are making a difference in our world today.
Dr. John Walsh, University of Guelph
During the often tumultuous reigns of the Julio-Claudian emperors, plots and power struggles pitted the most ambitious members of the royal court against each other in a deadly game of Realpolitik. Our talk will look at some of the most ruthless participants in these high stakes games of power politics: the ‘badass’ who conspired, plotted, and murdered their way into history.
Dr John Walsh
Dr John Walsh is a faculty member in the Classical Studies Program at the University of Guelph. As an undergraduate alumnus of the University of Guelph, he was delighted to return from New Zealand in 2009 to teach in the same program from which he graduated. John’s primary research and publications follow from his dissertation, which examined rhetorical and literary devices employed by the Sicilian 1st century BC author Didorous Siculus. In addition, he has also published on subjects in Hellenistic propaganda, the ancient economy, Latin language teaching, counter-insurgency theory, and leadership theory. Recently, he has also tried his hand at publishing a graphic novel, The Poppies of Troy, which adds to the countless number of works inspired by Homer’s Iliad. After his lecture, Dr. Walsh may be contacted at waljo@uoguelph.ca for any follow-up questions or information.
Dr. Sally Hickson, University of Guelph
Like today’s famous collectors of contemporary art, Isabella d’Este, First Lady of Mantua, was always avidly searching for ‘the latest thing’. One of the most acquisitive minds of the Renaissance, she influenced the contemporary art scene during the Renaissance, pursuing the latest art stars (Leonardo, Raphael), trading on insider information about available and not-so-available ancient sculptures, coins and jewels, and actively patronizing artists who were the best imitators of the ancients. She liked new copies of old statues, and commissioned new painted inventions based on ancient themes. Her taste, originality and singular pursuit of art influenced the entire Renaissance.
Dr. Sally Hickson
Dr. Sally Hickson (PhD Queen’s 2003) is currently Director of the School of English & Theatre Studies and former Director of the School of Fine Art & Music (2014-2019). She is an Associate Professor of Art History and a specialist in European Renaissance and Italian Baroque art and architecture, with interests in women’s patronage, self-representation and identity; exchanges of material culture among early modern women as a form of social networking, the creation of the social self, and the history of collections and collecting. She is the author of two books, numerous scholarly articles, and a number of essays for the online art history site Smarthistory, and has taught art history courses in Venice and Sorrento, Italy. After her lecture, Dr. Hickson may be contacted at shickson@uoguelph.ca for any follow-up questions or information.
Lenard (Len) G. Friesen, Wilfrid Laurier University
You want bad-ass women?
How’s this? Catherine hates her hubby, Peter III, so she joins a successful plot in 1762 that overthrows and murders him, the Tsar of all the Russias. The conspirators think that Catherine will do their bidding as new monarch in Peter’s place, but they forget one thing: that Catherine is one bad-ass woman.
Paul, her son, sure knew who she was. He liked his dad, not his mom, so spends most of his time hiding from mighty Catherine in power. Of course, he comes to power when Catherine dies in 1796. Even then Paul – the son whom the mother never cared for - will be killed in 1801 in another palace coup led by Paul’s son Alexander. And who raised Alexander? His bad-ass grandma Catherine!
Oh, and in between Catherine ruled and changed the Russian empire in an extraordinary way. You’ll see what I mean.
Len Friesen
Len Friesen is not a stranger to many at TALG, having done a series previously on the Soviet century. He grew up in the Niagara region, the child of refugees from the Soviet Union. He did doctoral studies at the University of Toronto, though it included a memorable year spent with his wife and children living in Gorbachev’s Soviet Union. Friesen has been a professor of Russian history and International Relations History at Wilfrid Laurier University since 1994. He and Mary have three children, three in-laws, and seven grandchildren. He lives in Waterloo, though also part-time in outer Lion’s Head. After his lecture, Prof. Friesen may be contacted at lfriesen@wlu.ca for any follow-up questions or information.
Ron Ross
Amelia Earhart was a cheerful, outgoing woman, and the most famous female pilot in the world in the 1930s. She developed her interest in flying while living in Toronto during the Great War. She set multiple records in aviation, as well as being a champion of women’s rights and a tireless crusader for commercial air travel. She disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 near the end of her attempt to fly around the world. Although the circumstances of her disappearance are still often the subject of debate, this presentation should provide attendees with enough information to form a considered opinion about her death.
Ron Ross
Ron Ross was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland. After two years of mandatory National Service in the British Army, he emigrated to Canada in 1961. He spent 35 years in management with IBM Canada before retiring to run his own IT consulting company, finally retiring in 2007. He lives in Guelph with his wife of 63 years, where he spends much of his time managing a not-for-profit internet forum for soccer fans, and writing short stories and essays, many of a historical nature. He is a licenced pilot. After his lecture, he may be contacted at ronaldross@rogers.com for any follow-up questions or information.
Ron Ross
There is probably no female scientist more famous than Marie Curie. For her breakthrough work in physics and chemistry, she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win two Nobel Prizes. Marie Curie coined the word “radioactivity”. She had to overcome a lifetime of misogyny and xenophobia as well as personal tragedies that, at one point, drove her to the brink of suicide. Attendees will learn about Marie Curie the dedicated, brilliant scientist, but also about the shy, introverted woman of humble Polish origins with a tumultuous personal life.
Ron Ross
Ron Ross was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland. After two years of mandatory National Service in the British Army, he emigrated to Canada in 1961. He spent 35 years in management with IBM Canada before retiring to run his own IT consulting company, finally retiring in 2007. He lives in Guelph with his wife of 63 years, where he spends much of his time managing a not-for-profit internet forum for soccer fans, and writing short stories and essays, many of a historical nature. He is a licenced pilot. After his lecture, he may be contacted at ronaldross@rogers.com for any follow-up questions or information.
Kween, Guelph Black Heritage Society
Join Kween as she takes you on a journey through the “Life of a Woke Black Girl”. Kween will tell stories of her experiences of racism and discrimination growing up in Guelph and how it brought her to become a leader of the Black Lives Matter protests, a business owner and an Executive Director for a non-profit. Kween's self discovery explores the dimensions of living and growing up in a White society, while drawing connections to art, equality, and the multi-faceted hats she wears. While her life may not be a runway show, it's an opportunity to connect to real lived experiences of both grief and joy while growing in understanding of Black culture and history. “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” – Angela Davis
Kween
Born and raised in Thadinadonnih (Guelph), Kween is a University of Guelph Alumni, Valedictorian from the Randolph Academy for Performing Arts and a Black settler living out her passions. She is a dancer, teacher, actor, choreographer, director, producer, advocate, curator, marketing/social media guru, Ted X and International Speaker and co-contributing Author to 100 Women of Inspiration and The Stage Light Flickers.
Kween is the CEO and owner of The Kween Company, co-owns The Heels Academy and is the Executive Director and Social Justice Initiatives Coordinator for the Guelph Black Heritage Society. She was the leader of the Solidarity March in Support of BLM in 2020 and is also host and community producer on Rogers Channel 20 with “Diverse and Converse”, a BIPOC panel discussion. Kween specializes in EDI work especially for Violence, Oppression, Harm and Indigenous Relationship Building. She held a Residency with Guelph Dance in 2020/2021, was winner of Woman of the Year 2020, nominee for RBC Women of Influence 2021, Women of Inspiration 2021 Finalist and nominee for the RBC Canadian Entrepreneur Awards 2022 and Women Who Rock Awards 2022. After her lecture, Kween may be contacted at thekweencompany@gmail.com for any follow-up questions or information.
Ellie Joseph
The “Two Row on the Grand” canoe/kayak experience is a symbolic renewal of the Two Row Wampum- the original peace treaty between the Haudenosaunee and settler communities. Now in its eighth year, this grassroots initiative aims to build mutual respect and understanding of individual values and culture through friendship and summer fun. Ideally, this experience will result in long-lasting friendships, an increased understanding of each other, and our cultures, through friendship and peace.
Participants will partake in educational events given by knowledgeable Six Nations community members; treaties, cultural teachings, dance/social demonstrations, storytelling environmental concerns, and sharing circles are some of the programs that are presented. This ten day event begins in Cambridge and ends in Port Maitland where the Grand River empties into Lake Erie. In this presentation, Ellie Joseph will discuss the growth and development of this history in the making.
She will further share some of the trials and tribulations that she and her parents faced in seeking a formal education, obtaining housing security, fresh drinking water, and a host of other things that are taken for granted in communities outside of an Indigenous Reserve.
Ellie Joseph
Ellie Joseph is of the Mohawk Nation, Turtle Clan, born, raised, and still living on the Six Nations Reserve along the bank of The Grand River. She retired from a thirty-seven year tenure as a classroom teacher of Elementary Schools in our public school system many years ago, but remains an active volunteer in the education field.
After participating on the sixteen-day Two Row Renewal Campaign from Albany to Manhattan, New York, on The Hudson River in 2013, she was one of four participants who established what is now known as “Two Row on the Grand.” This ten-day paddle excursion, from Cambridge to Port Maitland, brings our Six Nations Community together with ally participants. Cultural teachings are presented along the way, encouraging healthy relationships, and connections to Mother Earth. Functioning as a grassroots-volunteer committee, they have watched this project’s participation more than double in size in its seven years of existence. Plans are already underway for Two Row on the Grand 2023. For more information, please visit www.tworowonthegrand.com.
Joanne Smith
Follow Joanne on her career path, weaving her way through the landscape of advertising over the past few decades. Advertising was a man’s business and over her tenure in the industry she experienced a changing landscape. A landscape that saw women fighting for a spot at the table and often that meant fighting against each other. When many chose a path of what could be seen as "badass" behaviour; being loud, scrapping to move up the ladder, Joanne chose to be noticed by making a difference. When others would push their way into the circle, Joanne worked to make sure people respected her and her abilities enough to make room for her.
The journey was not always smooth. After losing her job and personal loss that followed, Joanne had to find herself again. With an unexpected opportunity arising during the pandemic, she had new challenges to face. Learning new technology, understanding new clients, working with a new team and doing it all remotely.
Joanne Smith
Joanne Smith is a seasoned advertising agency practitioner with over 20 years experience in an industry filled with opportunity and pitfalls. As a woman forging her way through this landscape she used her strength of character, wit and collaborative personality to navigate the challenges working with clients like Subaru, RBC, SunLife, including the iconic rise and fall of BlackBerry.
Originally from the Guelph area, Joanne now lives outside Rockwood with her husband and daughter. She works creating safety and loss prevention training that is used across North America. Spare time is spent tending to her dogs, ducks as well as working at her pottery wheel. After her lecture, she may be contacted at jo.hindleysmith@gmail.com for any follow-up questions or information.
TALG welcomes your enquiries, input and feedback! We’d love to hear from you, whether you have a question, a great topic or speaker to suggest, or are interested in volunteering.
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