Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

Liberal education and its role in the 21st century do not appear to be widely understood or valued in society as a whole. Many parents and prospective students are attracted to professional programs or applied studies perceiving that they are the best routes for gainful employment. The University of Lethbridge is committed to a strong liberal education program at the undergraduate level but needs...

Hurricanes, typhoons, killer heat waves, droughts, floods, wildfires — these things seem to be getting worse all the time. Are these events caused by global warming? Or are they just bad weather? Climate scientists are careful to explain that one cannot attribute any particular storm or wildfire to climate change alone. But there is strong evidence that global warming is steadily increasing the ch...

Hurricanes, typhoons, killer heat waves, droughts, floods, wildfires — these things seem to be getting worse all the time. Are these events caused by global warming? Or are they just bad weather? Climate scientists are careful to explain that one cannot attribute any particular storm or wildfire to climate change alone. But there is strong evidence that global warming is steadily increasing the ch...

At a time when The House of Commons, The Senate and all institutions generally are facing criticism, it can be argued that the long awaited reform of the Canadian Senate couldn’t come at a better time. Indeed, a group of Senators are working on reforms to make the institution less partisan and more effective. The initiative is still being defined and obviously not everyone agrees with recommended...

At a time when The House of Commons, The Senate and all institutions generally are facing criticism, it can be argued that the long awaited reform of the Canadian Senate couldn’t come at a better time. Indeed, a group of Senators are working on reforms to make the institution less partisan and more effective. The initiative is still being defined and obviously not everyone agrees with recommended...

In December 2015, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released their 94 “Calls to Action” calling on all forms of government to begin the process of Reconciliation. The Lethbridge Indigenous Sharing Network (LISN), which is a network of Urban Indigenous Agencies, came together to start discussing Urban Indigenous issues in Lethbridge. In 2016, Alberta Culture and Community Spirit an...

In December 2015, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released their 94 “Calls to Action” calling on all forms of government to begin the process of Reconciliation. The Lethbridge Indigenous Sharing Network (LISN), which is a network of Urban Indigenous Agencies, came together to start discussing Urban Indigenous issues in Lethbridge. In 2016, Alberta Culture and Community Spirit an...

During a white nationalists protest rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA on August 12, 2017, a 20-year-old man allegedly accelerated his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a woman, Heather Heyer, and wounding many others. This particular conflict over the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert Lee from Charlottesville had been brewing for months, but since the founding o...

During a white nationalists protest rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA on August 12, 2017, a 20-year-old man allegedly accelerated his car into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing a woman, Heather Heyer, and wounding many others. This particular conflict over the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert Lee from Charlottesville had been brewing for months, but since the founding o...

BikeMaps.org is a project that collects reports about cycling collisions and related data and presents the information on an interactive online map and through visualized data (bar charts). More importantly, it also provides information about near-misses, hazards, and bicycle thefts. What makes BikeMaps.org so interesting is that in addition to the official police reports, it collects information...

Racism is a serious world-wide issue and recently it was on display in Lethbridge, proving that racism is still alive in this community, despite efforts on many fronts to the contrary. Grad students from a local high school organized a “Cowboys and Indians” themed graduation party held off campus and images of students wearing headdresses, war paint and feathers was shared on social media. Many in...

Racism is a serious world-wide issue and recently it was on display in Lethbridge, proving that racism is still alive in this community, despite efforts on many fronts to the contrary. Grad students from a local high school organized a “Cowboys and Indians” themed graduation party held off campus and images of students wearing headdresses, war paint and feathers was shared on social media. Many in...

SACPA is proud to present this session as part of the Gordon Campbell Memorial Speaker Series. China is achieving Great Power status based on its economic prowess, its political clout and its increasingly capable military. With the US under President Trump seemingly less willing to lead, China has shown a willingness to take onto itself a much more prominent role. President Xi Jingping and Preside...

SACPA is proud to present this session as part of the Gordon Campbell Memorial Speaker Series. China is achieving Great Power status based on its economic prowess, its political clout and its increasingly capable military. With the US under President Trump seemingly less willing to lead, China has shown a willingness to take onto itself a much more prominent role. President Xi Jingping and Preside...

Canada has a long and sometimes forgotten history of accepting refugees dating back to its founding. This history connects with present-day refugee approaches and challenges that are in contrast with the emerging policies and attitudes south of our border and in many other countries. It is not only Canada’s reliance on a provision in the 1976 Immigration Act that allows for groups of individuals t...

Canada has a long and sometimes forgotten history of accepting refugees dating back to its founding. This history connects with present-day refugee approaches and challenges that are in contrast with the emerging policies and attitudes south of our border and in many other countries. It is not only Canada’s reliance on a provision in the 1976 Immigration Act that allows for groups of individuals t...

As police services struggle to address addictions and spin-off crime, it has become clear the days of a law and order-only approach are over. Crime and disorder are the effect, not the cause and while the concept of harm reduction may seem contrary to the fundamental principles of law enforcement, the reality is we cannot arrest our way out of this situation. There will always be a need for tradit...

As police services struggle to address addictions and spin-off crime, it has become clear the days of a law and order-only approach are over. Crime and disorder are the effect, not the cause and while the concept of harm reduction may seem contrary to the fundamental principles of law enforcement, the reality is we cannot arrest our way out of this situation. There will always be a need for tradit...

A number of factors contributed to the creation of Canada’s first public community college here in Lethbridge. A growing population, the prosperity of post-war southern Alberta with the size and wealth of the City, and the lack of post-secondary educational opportunities in the southern part of the province all factored into the formation of Lethbridge Junior College as it opened in 1957 with 38 s...

A number of factors contributed to the creation of Canada’s first public community college here in Lethbridge. A growing population, the prosperity of post-war southern Alberta with the size and wealth of the City, and the lack of post-secondary educational opportunities in the southern part of the province all factored into the formation of Lethbridge Junior College as it opened in 1957 with 38 s...

From its humble beginning at Lethbridge College in 1967 with 825 undergraduate students, the University of Lethbridge is now home to over 8400 students, including graduate students, at its campuses in Lethbridge and Calgary. The growth has been fairly steady – almost 4300 students at its 25th anniversary – but heavily driven by students from afar, particularly Calgary. Founded on the principals of...

From its humble beginning at Lethbridge College in 1967 with 825 undergraduate students, the University of Lethbridge is now home to over 8400 students, including graduate students, at its campuses in Lethbridge and Calgary. The growth has been fairly steady – almost 4300 students at its 25th anniversary – but heavily driven by students from afar, particularly Calgary. Founded on the principals of...

As the Syrian conflict enters its seventh year, almost half a million Syrians have been killed in the fighting, more than a million injured and nearly half the country's prewar population of 25 million have been displaced from their homes. What became known as the “Arab Spring” in 2011, toppled presidents of Tunisian, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and is ongoing. Peaceful protests also erupted in Syria, but...

As the Syrian conflict enters its seventh year, almost half a million Syrians have been killed in the fighting, more than a million injured and nearly half the country's prewar population of 25 million have been displaced from their homes. What became known as the “Arab Spring” in 2011, toppled presidents of Tunisian, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and is ongoing. Peaceful protests also erupted in Syria, but...

Former MP and federal Conservative cabinet minister Jason Kenney became the new leader of Alberta's Progressive Conservative (PC) Party on March 18, 2017. Kenney ran on a platform to unite Alberta conservatives by dissolving the PC Party and creating a single right-wing party under a new constitution combining with the Wildrose Party of Alberta. Wildrose Leader Brian Jean has roughly the same goal...