Alberta's Future - Is Post-Secondary Education the Answer?
Brad Lafortune, Public Interest Alberta
Thursday, May 21, 2026 12:00 PM
Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization
This Presentation will make the case for Alberta’s future prosperity, founded on strong post-secondary institutions and accessible higher education. It will include an overview of how post-secondary institutions benefit communities and the economy. The presentation will also suggest that the current UCP government’s actions downplay the value of a well-rounded post-secondary education. Speaker: Brad Lafortune Brad Lafortune is the Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta and lives in Edmonton on Treaty 6 territory with his daughter.
How Can Everyday Observation Become Conservation Action?
Brook Skagen, P.Biol., RTAg., AWB®, Owner and Principal Ecologist of Larkfir Conservation Services
Thursday, May 28, 2026 12:00 PM
Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization
Southern Alberta’s grasslands are among the most biodiverse and most endangered ecosystems in the world. Yet they are often perceived as familiar, quiet, or even unremarkable. In landscapes like these, ecological change can unfold gradually and largely unnoticed, allowing species and habitats to decline without broad public awareness. This presentation explores how everyday observation plays a critical role in conservation. Using a local example from southern Alberta, the talk introduces the foundations of ecology, the study of living things and their interactions, and demonstrates how small, consistent acts of noticing can reveal meaningful ecological patterns.
What problem is Bill 28 trying to solve, and how is it likely to affect libraries and library users across Alberta?
Terra Plato and Robin Hepher, CEO of the Lethbridge Public Library and CEO of Chinook Arch Regional Library System
Thursday, June 11, 2026 12:00 PM
Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization
With the recent introduction of Bill 28, also known as The Municipal Affairs and Housing Statutes Amendment Act, the Government of Alberta is dramatically altering the landscape of public library governance and accountability. The Bill, which grants significant new powers to the Minister of Municipal Affairs, presents philosophical and practical challenges for all public library boards in Alberta. This presentation will explore the consequences of this new legislation, and how it stands to alter a robust and long-standing model based on local governance and community accountability.