Barbara Dickson

Remembering Canada’s Bomb Girls

We welcome back Barbara Dickson! She is an award-winning, best-selling, multi-published author, film documentarian, and sought-after professionally-trained speaker and local historian. As a well-established journalist, Barbara Dickson’s magazine articles have appeared around the world as far away as South Africa, Germany, and California. Her debut novel, Mountains for Maddi, was published in 2009 to enthusiastic reviews. 

Dickson’s first non-fiction book, entitled, Bomb Girls: Trading Aprons for Ammo was released in September 2015. She has completed a follow-on book, entitled, Bomb Girls: United for Peace, which will feature 101 incredible Bomb Girls stories.

www.barbaradickson.ca

Mark Bulgutch

That's Why I'm a Journalist: Top Canadian Reporters Tell Their Most Unforgettable Stories

Mark will be speaking about his book, "That's Why I'm a Journalist: Top Canadian Reporters Tell Their Most Unforgettable Stories".  He will go over some of the stories in the book, explaining why he wrote the book and relating it to how journalism has changed in recent years.

Mark Bulgutch is retired from CBC News after a career that lasted almost 40 years. He was a reporter and line-up editor in Montreal, before moving to Toronto to work as a writer on The National, and then was the program’s line-up editor for 11 years.He became the senior producer of CBC News Specials, and then the Senior Executive Producer of CBC TV News and CBC Newsworld (now CBC News Network). He was responsible for all live news programming on both networks. His work has been recognized with 29 Gemini Award nominations, 13 Gemini Awards, 4 RTNDA Awards, the Canadian Journalism Foundation Award of Excellence, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Gold Ribbon Award, and the Gabriel Award from the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals for a documentary on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Sue and David Williams

An Adventure on the High Seas and the Journey Within

While in their early 50s, Sue, without an adventure-seeking bone in her body, and herhusband David, without any real blue water experience, left their three sons, cast off in their 37 foot sailboat from Hamilton Ontario, and headed east; destination the North Atlantic Ocean.

Sue subsequently wrote a compelling memoir, Ready to Come About, about the improbable, often perilous, ocean adventure.

She will read from her book and, together with David, will present a slide show of their life-altering year on the high seas.

Bruce Rhodes

A Journey Through the Northwest Passage

In his presentation, Bruce Rhodes will share his experience this past September traveling by expedition ship through Canada's Northwest Passage and the west coast of Greenland, with a focus on the troubling history of the community of Grise Fiord in Northern Nunavut.

Bruce began his travel to the far north in October 2015 when he volunteered for a candidate running in the federal election in Yukon. In 201B Bruce visited the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, halfway between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole, his first of four journeys above the Arctic Circle. Since then Bruce has hiked on the west cost of Greenland as well as on Baffin Island and Devon Island in Nunavut (2022), toured Yellowknife (April 2023), circumnavigated Iceland by ship, including its Arctic region (July 2023), and hiked and visited Inuit communities (both inhabited and ghost towns!) in northern Labrador and southeastern Nunavut (July 2024).

Dr. Gabriella Mastromonaco 

Building a Conservation Science Roadmap for Toronto Zoo

Gabriela Mastromonaco has spent more than 25 years working with assisted reproductive technologies in livestock and wildlife species. Her interest in comparative reproductive biology inspired her to complete a PhD at the University of Guelph in the department of Biomedical Sciences. As Manager of Reproductive Sciences at the Toronto Zoo, she has implemented research projects to investigate fundamental questions on the reproductive biology of non-domestic species with the goal of integrating results into conservation management programs. In her recent role as Senior Director of Wildlife Science, she works to build multi-disciplinary collaborations to support species recovery strategies ex situ and in situ. Gabriela currently maintains adjunct professor positions at four Canadian universities as part of her commitment to the training of future scientists and conservationists, and a research program that involves the full spectrum of reproductive technologies.

Harley Karulis, Historian

Richmond Hill History & Walk

Toronto History Walks was established in 2019 to confront indifference in Parkdale. Harley was hearing that the area was a slum and that there was no good reason to visit. He disagreed wholeheartedly and that’s how Toronto History Walks was born.   Toronto History Walks specializes in the history of Toronto. With well over 450 different historic routes to explore in Toronto, and approaching 2000 tours since inception back in 2019, they have covered the entire city!

Harley Karulis completed studies in Communications and Creative Writing and Screenwriting with an emphasis on horror writing. He also enrolled in film studies at George Brown College and wrote, directed and made a cameo appearance as the demon in his first short horror film.

Eli Lukawitz

Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts - Backstage Tour

Born in Toronto, Eli has spent the last 35 years in Theatre industry in a variety of roles. A graduate of York University, Eli has been a professional actor, director, producer and arts administrator. A veteran of over 50 professional productions, Eli’s touring company played theatres across the country, culminating in a Dora award nomination for his production of Of Mice and Men. In 2007, Eli joined the City of Richmond Hill as the Education Coordinator for the new Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. Soon after he assumed the position of Marketing and Development Coordinator, a role he held for 14 years. Most recently, Eli assumed the reins for the RHCPA and has been in that role since November of 2021.

Sharon Lauricella 

How to Be Good at Using Generative AI: A Guide for Beginners

Sharon Lauricella is the inaugural Teaching Scholar in Residence at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa, Ontario. She holds a position as Full Professor in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities and is a scholar of Communication and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Sharon holds a doctoral degree from the University of Cambridge (UK), a BA from Wheaton College (Massachusetts), and a Certificate in Higher Education Teaching from the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University. Her research focuses on teaching with technology, mental health of undergraduate students, and the value of fun and play in higher education.

Christine Ibbotson

Longevity & How to Create a Lifelong Income in Retirement 

Is that possible? Can you create certainty in an uncertain world? Can you protect yourself against market volatility and ensure you don’t run out of money? Absolutely! No matter what your current financial situation is right now, Chris will show you how to do just that!   Seniors need to be creative when it comes to money, life experiences and living their life to the fullest.  This is a fun and interactive talk about just how to do that. Chris welcomes all to join in to really explore all your options with money, taxation, and living well.....for longer!

Christine Ibbotson is the person behind the Canadian “Ask The Money Lady” brand. She writes a weekly syndicated column called “Ask The Money Lady” for over 720 Newspapers in Canada with 22 million readers. She also can be heard on over 300 radio stations across Canada which either play her talk radio shows, or her money minute shows every day, Monday to Friday.

She also has an “Ask The Money Lady” show that plays every day, in every province on CTV Morning Live at 7:30 am and Monday to Friday on BNN “The Street” and the “Market Call”.

Christine has been in the financial industry for over 30 years but no longer sells financial products, insurance or bank services anymore.  Now she only provides personalized, unbiased financial advice in an honest, nonjudgmental, and straightforward manner.

Phil Craig

D-Day 80 Years On

Phil Craig is Co-Founder, Lead Historian and Master Story-Teller for Liberation Tours. He's also a professional actor with numerous credits in film, television and stage including seasons with the prestigious Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada. In 2014 Phil embarked on a world tour in the highly successful stage production The Last Confession starring David Suchet (who many will know as BBC’s Inspector Hercule Poirot). Film-goers will recognize Phil as Rachel McAdams’ father in the hit movie The Time Traveler’s Wife or recall seeing him with Russel Crowe in Cinderella Man, or alongside Ralph Fiennes in David Cronenburg’s Spider. More recently he appears in the award winning Hardy Boys series and guest starred in the NBC mini-series Five Days at Memorial. He can also be seen in The Handmaid’s Tale, The Exorcist and in the acclaimed Netflix horror series Hemlock Grove. He has contributed several memorable characters for the CBC hit series Murdoch Mysteries and continues to lend his voice to numerous radio ad spots. Much to his chagrin, he is often remembered as the guy in the Lotto 6/49 commercial that gives away cottages to his family – and that commercial was a long time ago!

Phil has been guiding battlefield tours for over ten years where his combination of story-telling skills, knowledge and passion for history takes you inside the battle in a way that few historians can. He has been studying military history since his teenage years and has made numerous trips to the battlefields of Europe to investigate, research and remember. Some of the most poignant spots we visit have come as the result of Phil ‘tripping over them’ during his battlefield discovery tours.

Phil is co-founder of the Georgina Military Museum in Keswick, Ontario and has won many awards for his military historical work including the prestigious Ontario Heritage Trust Award. He recently became the proud recipient of the Minister of Veteran Affairs Commendation, awarded to individuals “who have contributed in an exemplary manner to the remembrance of the contributions, sacrifices and achievements of Veterans." Phil continues to make himself available as a guest speaker to ensure that the stories are never forgotten. He is the proud father of four university graduate children - two with Masters degrees and one pursuing her doctorate.

In his youth, Phil was a member of The Hastings Prince Edward Regiment Cadet Corps in Port Hope, home of famed ‘Hasty P's’ veteran and writer Farley Mowat, and he recently completed a term as a member of the Queen's York Rangers Regimental Council based at Fort York in Toronto.

Phil is a passionate traveler, whether it be the rolling hills of the Somme, the storied landscape of Britain or the more recent battlefields of Germany and Italy. They each have their poignant stories of service and sacrifice and Phil is honoured to be able to share them with you

Warren Hoselton

Professor Pricklethorn's Trees Please

"Professor Pricklethorn's Trees Please is an informative, engaging and educational presentation for children of all ages.  Through his green-tinted lenses, you will learn about what trees give us, how they make us feel, and how they work.  The fast-paced and interactive presentation will give you a new appreciation for one of this planet's most overlooked and underrated natural resources.  So gather under the canopy and let's give trees a chance!

Warren Hoselton, (Humber College Landscape Technology / Arboriculture Grad 1979 – 1982), from Cobourg ON, Warren served at the City of Toronto Parks Department for 40 years and spent his last 25 years as the Park Supervisor on Toronto Island. There he oversaw the operations of a unique park setting of 230 hectares that is often referred to as the jewel in the crown of Toronto’s Park System.  He is an ISA Certified Arborist (ON299) and previously an Urban Forestry Foreperson for the former Metro Toronto Municipality.  He has been serving on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Tree Fund since 2007 and is a 21-time Tour des Trees rider, the world’s largest fund raiser for trees, and has raised over 100k for Tree Research and Education.  He also serves as the event’s educational outreach lead on the annual tour that features his fast paced and highly animated “Professor Pricklethorn” tree presentations across North America.  In fact, he’s fresh off a tour that took him to several schools in Cape Cod area.  He is also contracted by the Toronto District School Board and other Ontario School Boards as an “External Presenter” for his “Trees Please” program.  He has presented to several horticultural and garden clubs as well.  He has won several awards for his work within the industry and within the community that he serves and most recently he was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Membership by the Ontario Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture.  To his credit, his has authored 3 workbooks for children to learn more about the benefits of urban trees.   Warren misses no opportunity to celebrate the urban tree and its critical role aligned with our well-being.

Mark Mendelson

Home Security and Public Safety Awareness

Mark Mendelson is the former lead homicide detective with the Toronto Police Service. Currently, he is the crime specialist and contributor with Bell Media, CTV and iHeart Radio Canada and is the owner of Mark Mendelson Consulting, a private investigation firm. He is a frequent contributor to crime and homicide documentaries and a loving father to 5 children, one of whom is his favourite.

Piers Steel

We will talk about this later: Procrastination

Dr. Piers Steel is a preeminent figure in the field of behavioral psychology and the author of 'The Procrastination Equation.' Dr. Steel, a distinguished professor and researcher, holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, and his groundbreaking work has significantly advanced our understanding of human motivation and procrastination. He has publications in prestigious academic journals and a well-earned reputation as a leading authority on procrastination. Beyond academia, Dr. Steel is a celebrated speaker and consultant, known for his ability to translate complex psychological concepts into practical, actionable advice. His insights have not only shaped scholarly discourse but have also provided real-world solutions to those struggling with procrastination.

Dr Steel will delve into the key insights from 'The Procrastination Equation,' where he'll explore the fascinating interplay of psychology and behavior behind procrastination. He'll blend cutting-edge science with a touch of humor, making the journey from understanding to overcoming procrastination both enlightening and entertaining. Get ready for an engaging review that not only enlightens but also amuses, as we unlock the secrets to beating procrastination once and for all