Category Archives: Past

Past

Dr. Chris Twigge-Molecey, Understanding China’s global ambitions and the Belt and Road Initiative, April 25, 2023

Chris Twigge-Molecey. PhD., P.Eng., FCIM, FCAE
Click here to jump to the RSVP below the speaker’s bio.

Fellow Whiffer, Chris Twigge-Molecey, has been asked to give us an update on his March 2019 talk on China. With the coronation of Xi Jinping for a third term as CCP General Secretary, have China’s global ambitions changed and what should we, as Canadians, really worry about?

Chris has been developing and leading businesses in China for over 20 years and brings to us a businessman’s perspective on opportunities during these times of troubled bi-lateral relations. Swamped with stories of Chinese IP theft and election interference, we have lost sight of the Belt and Road Initiative, (the BRI), China’s massive and largely successful geopolitical strategy.
Continue reading Dr. Chris Twigge-Molecey, Understanding China’s global ambitions and the Belt and Road Initiative, April 25, 2023 →

Past

Ken Powell, “Civilizations Collide in the Search For a Northwest Passage”, March 28, 2023

RSVP by Mar 22nd to attend in person.
[N.B., this will not be a Whiff@Home meeting.]

Click here to jump to the RSVP below the speaker’s bio.

Ken is a long time active member of the Toronto Whiff who now lives in Peterborough. Born and raised in North Toronto, his post-secondary education saw him attend Ridley College and then the University of Toronto, majoring in psychology. He then began a 30-year executive career with Imperial Oil Limited, Exxon Corporation and Esso Inter-America which meant moving 18 times to support his roles in marketing, strategic planning and human resources. In his 50s, he joined accounting giant Coopers and Lybrand as a management consultant and, on behalf of the Canadian Executive Services Organization, served as a company consultant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia until his dream job was offered to him – running Outward Bound Canada.
Continue reading Ken Powell, “Civilizations Collide in the Search For a Northwest Passage”, March 28, 2023 →

Past

John Anderson Fraser, The Monarchy in Canada: an update, February 28, 2023

RSVP by Feb 23rd to attend in person.
[N.B., this will not be a Whiff@Home meeting.]

Click here to jump to the RSVP below the speaker’s bio.

John Fraser is no stranger to the Whiff membership. John first spoke to us 12 years ago, when his topic was Through a glass darkly: Why academics (and journalists) should never try to predict anything. His most recent talk was at our November 2020 Whiff@Home meeting on What to do about China!. Following that meeting, he became a member of the Whiff.

John Fraser has been a reporter, columnist, editor, ombudsman and benefactor. (Click for more biographic details.)

With the passing of Elizabeth Regina and the upcoming coronation of our new King, John’s many years of being an ardent proponent and debater in defence of the Crown make him the ideal speaker to give us an Update on the Monarchy in Canada. He graciously acquiesced to the Speakers Bureau’s request to speak to us again, this time about how things have changed since his 2012 book The Secret of the Crown: Canada’s Affair with Royalty. Whiffers, family and friends will enjoy another thought provoking talk by a great Canadian journalist.

The meeting will be held at the Royal Canadian Military Institute, 426 University Ave. Unfortunately as our tech gurus are both travelling, there won’t be a Whiff@Home option for this meeting.

Join fellow Whiffers on Tuesday, February 28th
The reception at the RCMI begins at 6:00 pm.

Sorry, but the deadline to RSVP for this meeting has passed.
Past

Dr Alexander Louie, Scientist, and Bev Moir, Lung Cancer Advocate: “Why lung cancer should be on your radar”, January 31, 2023

RSVPing for RCYC dinner is now closed  
Click here to jump to the RSVP for Whiff@Home below the speaker’s bio.

bev moir
Bev Moir, BScN, MHSc
Bev Moir‘s career took her from ‘health’ care to ‘wealth’ care. After completing a nursing science degree at Queen’s University and a graduate degree in health administration at the University of Alberta, she spent 20 years in health care, primarily in academic tertiary care settings. During the early 1990s, she sought another opportunity and spent 26 years at Scotia Wealth Management, building and leading a wealth advisory practice. In 2019, Bev was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and given a life expectancy of six months to three years. As the reality hit, it’s not surprising her priorities shifted. By February 1, 2020, she successfully transitioned her practice to another Scotia Wealth advisor to spend her remaining time with family and friends doing what she enjoys. Continue reading Dr Alexander Louie, Scientist, and Bev Moir, Lung Cancer Advocate: “Why lung cancer should be on your radar”, January 31, 2023 →
Past

Ted Barris, Author, Journalist, Latest Book: Battle of the Atlantic: Gauntlet to Victory, November 29, 2022

RSVP by Nov 23rd to attend in person
Click here to jump to the RSVP below the speaker’s bio.

Battle of the Atlantic, Ted BarrisTed Barris is an award-winning journalist, author, and broadcaster. His writing has regularly appeared in the national press, as well as magazines as diverse as Air Force, esprit de corps and Zoomer. He has also worked as host/contributor for most CBC Radio network programs, WNED’s Canada Files, and on TV Ontario. And after 18 years teaching, he recently retired as a full-time professor of journalism at Toronto’s Centennial College. Continue reading Ted Barris, Author, Journalist, Latest Book: Battle of the Atlantic: Gauntlet to Victory, November 29, 2022 →
Past

Jean Paul Gladu, Executive Director, Indigenous Resource Network, “Reconciliation from an Economic – Business Point of View”, October 25, 2022

Click here to jump to the RSVP below the speaker’s bio.

Jean Paul (JP) Gladu is currently Principal of Mokwateh and previously served as the President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) from September 2012 until April 2020. Anishinaabe from Thunder Bay, JP is a member of Sand Pont First Nation located on the eastern shores of Lake Nipigon, Ontario. JP completed a forestry technician diploma in 1993, obtained an undergraduate degree in forestry from Northern Arizona University in 2000, holds an Executive MBA from Queens University and the ICD.D from Rotman School of Management University of Toronto. Continue reading Jean Paul Gladu, Executive Director, Indigenous Resource Network, “Reconciliation from an Economic – Business Point of View”, October 25, 2022 →
Past

Robert Baines, CEO, NATO Association of Canada, September 27, 2022

NATO Goals & Canada’s Role
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Robert Charles Jefferys Baines, CD, MA, is the President and CEO of the NATO Association of Canada, where he is focused on communicating the importance of NATO and the international-rules based order to Canadians. The Association is a charitable non-profit which hosts events across Canada, publishes hundreds of articles online every year and engages young Canadians about NATO through social media. Robert is a regular commentator on NATO issues in the Canadian media and has represented the NATO Association at the side conferences of the 2016 NATO Warsaw Summit, the 2018 Brussels Summit and the 2019 NATO Leaders’ Meeting in London. Continue reading Robert Baines, CEO, NATO Association of Canada, September 27, 2022 →
Past

Dr. Amy Barron, PhD, “Digger, Teacher, Soldier, Spy”, What do archaeologists do when the world is at war? April 26, 2022

4:40 PM, April 26th, 2022
Click here to jump to the RSVP below the speaker’s bio.

What do archaeologists do when the world is at war? Surprisingly, many of them turn spy. During wartime, archaeologists on all sides have become involved with military intelligence, turning their in-depth knowledge of the land and the peoples they studied to support their countries at war. This was no more apparent than in the Middle East where prominent archaeologists played a very political game during the First World War. Some of these names, such as T.E. Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Arabia, would become legendary. Others, when the war was over, simply went back to their museums and their excavations. Continue reading Dr. Amy Barron, PhD, “Digger, Teacher, Soldier, Spy”, What do archaeologists do when the world is at war? April 26, 2022 →
Past

Andrew Kirsch, Inside Canadian Intelligence: A behind the scenes look at what the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is, what it does, and what it’s really like to serve on the front lines defending Canada against the evolving threats to our national security, March 29, 2022

Andrew Kirsch served as an intelligence officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for just under a decade (2008-2016). He held roles as a policy analyst and a field investigator, ultimately leading the special operations security team running covert warranted operations. Andrew’s talk will explain the need for the sort of grunt work he mostly did to make the sexier, tip-of-the-spear assignments possible; describe the challenges of “online dating from off the grid”; and burst a few bubbles for anyone gulled into mistaking Hollywood for reality. Continue reading Andrew Kirsch, Inside Canadian Intelligence: A behind the scenes look at what the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is, what it does, and what it’s really like to serve on the front lines defending Canada against the evolving threats to our national security, March 29, 2022 →
Past

James Lockyer CM, Criminal Defense Lawyer, Founding Director of Innocence Canada, February 22, 2022

James Lockyer CM, a founding director of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC), previously spoke to the Whiff in April 2010. He laid out the clear case that the justice system makes mistakes. These mistakes may have resulted from inadequate investigations, flawed forensic evidence, lying or mistaken witnesses, prosecutorial tunnel vision, or simple human error. His talk laid bare several examples of the inevitably devastating consequences that a wrongful conviction has had for some of his well known clients – Guy Paul Morin, David Milgaard, Robert Baltovich, James Driskell, Clayton Johnson, Steven Truscott and William Mullins-Johnson.  Since his last talk, the AIDWYC rebranded in 2016 as Innocence Canada, and adopted a new dynamic logo consisting of tally marks, one for each of the exonerations they have been involved in. Its team of pro-bono lawyers are currently reviewing approximately 80 claims of innocence. Continue reading James Lockyer CM, Criminal Defense Lawyer, Founding Director of Innocence Canada, February 22, 2022 →