September 24, 2024
Karen Rathwell
Chair, Guelph Coalition for Social Justice
Building Community Engagement with Climate Action – Our Journey
After retiring in 2011 from a 28-year career in public education, Karen pursued her keen interest in plastic waste/recycling and local and global water issues. She brings her enthusiasm for life and her love of water to her volunteer work, both at Water Watchers and as the Chair of the Guelph Wellington Coalition for Social Justice.
Two of Karen’s primary goals, in her volunteer roles, are to encourage more people to engage in crucial local issues and to build a network of community members who support the social justice and water related challenges we are now facing. She aspires to being a “good ancestor”, leaving behind a legacy of equity, pure air, soil and abundant, potable water for generations to come. She believes this can be achieved through teamwork, commitment and a shared collective vision. Karen Rathwell lives in Guelph Ontario.
October 22, 2024
Janice Mason Steeves
Bloom – Coming to Art in Later Life
Born in Saskatchewan, Janice Mason Steeves graduated with an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Manitoba. She held School Psychology positions before leaving the field to focus on painting. Further studies were completed at the Ontario College of Art and Design. Janice is represented by galleries in Canada and has work in public, corporate, and private collections in North America and internationally. She has been awarded artist residencies in Spain, Ireland, Sweden, Iceland and the U.S.
Janice is passionate about helping artists form a deeper connection to the earth and to that end, she has developed an art teaching initiative called Workshops in Wild Places. In these unique workshops, we travel to remote locations throughout the world to experience the beauty, energy and power of the wild landscape, to deeply connect with it and then, through a contemplative and creative process, translate that response into abstract paintings.
Janice’s book Bloom: On Becoming an Artist Later in Life is an inspirational look at how our older years are a time of inner soul work and continued growth through our creativity.
Author Kathy Stinson writes, [This book is ] “A wonderful mix of anecdotes about the author’s own personal journey as a visual artist, the stories of the men and women she interviewed, and her research into creativity and aging. An inspiring read for anyone thinking it’s too late to indulge their long-ignored creative impulses, as an artist in any field.”
November 26, 2024
Jan Feduck
Food Historian, Elora, ON
Dining Out with History – A Tasty Trip Back in Time
Jan will talk about her book “Dining Out with History (At Atlantic Canada Historic Sites). she will enlighten us on the process of writing her book as well as self publishing and then being picked up by a publishing house. She will do a reading of one of the short stories.
Jan often appears in period costume and provides tasty food samples of a bygone era. She will also highlight food fashion from Wellington County from earlier times.
January 28, 2025
Ian Evans
Adventurer, Elora Ontario
Lunatic – Life Begins at the end of your Comfort Zone
Ian Evans has embraced adventure all his life – from scaling the shed roof at aged 3 to skiing to the South Pole at 58. He has climbed 5 of the 7 Summits, cycled 5,000 kms unsupported across Australia (twice) around the coastline of Iceland, to the Arctic Ocean, 8,000 kms across Canada and run 10 marathons. Ian is a gifted speaker, philanthropist, founder of the Elora Adventure Film Festival and co-founder of the Elora Adventurers.
Ian will share photos, stories and recount some of his “Out there” experiences and lessons learned from expeditions around the globe. Ian Lives in Elora.
February 25, 2025
Susan Glasauer
Associate Professor, Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph
Protecting Canada’s Wetlands
Dr. Susan Glasauer is a faculty member in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph, and the president for the Canadian chapter of the Society for Wetland Scientists. She completed an undergraduate degree in Plant and Soil Biology and a Masters in Soil Chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley, and a doctoral degree at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. Following several years as an environmental consultant, with wetland restoration projects in Nigeria, she joined Dr. Terry Beveridge at the University of Guelph as a post-doctoral researcher. She joined the faculty of Land Resource Science (now Environmental Sciences) at U. Guelph in 2003.
Her research has two main directions: the ability of wetlands to retain elements of concern such as arsenic and uranium, and the changing capacity of wetlands to store carbon in response to the climate crisis. These biological hotspots are affectionately called “Earth’s kidneys” for their astonishing ability to clean up water. Canada holds almost one quarter of the world’s wetlands; this presents us with rights and obligations in our stewardship of a globally vital resource. She will discuss her research and the future of wetlands in a changing climate world.
March 25, 2025
Tracey Galloway
Associate Professor and Chair, Dept. of Anthropology, U of T Mississauga
Food Insecurity in Canada’s North.
Dr. Galloway is a community health scholar whose research addresses the health priorities of circumpolar Indigenous people. Her research program involves reduction of the impact of chronic disease through applied health policy research.
Current projects include evaluation of the impact of the Nutrition North Canada food subsidy program on food security; qualitative assessment of Inuit people’s health care experiences; and analysis of the role of transportation infrastructure as a mediator of health service access for Indigenous people living in remote, northern communities.
Dr. Galloway has a track record of respectful engagement and successful collaboration with northern communities and organizations. Through research and advocacy, she maintains close working relationships with health experts and policy-makers in Canada’s Inuit regions. She works closely with government, land claim and Indigenous organizations in Canada’s territories and is Expert Consultant to the National Inuit Food Security Working Group and the Nunavut Food Security Coalition.
April 22, 2025
Julia Grady
Social Entrepreneurship -10C
Working with long-term community benefit as her core purpose, Julia has led 10C through nearly 15 years of innovation, expanding into new project areas and providing a voice for valuable community content – and action.
Julia is passionate about connection, community building, placemaking and demonstrating the linked potential of social finance and social enterprise, as 10C continues to explore locally relevant changemaking projects. Using design thinking practices, she likes to make connections between multiple problems that might align to possible solutions, and enjoys seeing systems in complex multi-layered ways.
On the personal side, Julia strives for authenticity and prefers deep open-hearted conversations. A confidante of many, she has an ability to help others find their strengths by embracing their unknowns. With decades of experience as an entrepreneur, Julia can assist with the fortitude and self-awareness necessary on an entrepreneurial journey. #tenacity
May 27, 2025
Jay Wilson
Historian, Author, Raconteur
Gwelf Early Days – The Indoor Version
Think of it as a walking tour, whereby you never leave your seat. Historical images and a plethora of sound effects compliment the stories as Jay transports you to 19th century Guelph. Travel through time from 1827-1897, the first 70 years, as Guelph grows from a hamlet, to a village, to a town and soon, city. True stories recited exactly as written; stories about tornadoes, weddings, children, and whisky. Stories such as The Felling of the Tree, The Baby Contest, Clearing the Land, The First Four To Die, Guelph’s First Blushing Bride, Temperance and Railway Fever. Plus the words of local 19th century versifiers describing life in this new settlement. It’s a moving theatrical journey. Prepare to be transported.
His love of local history combined with a flair for storytelling has evolved into JayWalking Guelph – Walking tours, stories, recitations and small-scale theatre productions. In addition to JayWalking Guelph, Jay has created JayWalking Alton with the Alton Mill Arts Centre and is currently touring a one-man show, Lilt of Laughter, Trace of Tears, written by an old family friend Charlene Herrold.