Professor Patrice Dutil, MA, PhD, is one of Canada’s most energetic champions of political history—a political science professor, author, commentator, and all‑around ideas enthusiast who brings the past to life with curiosity and flair. He has written, co-authored, or edited fourteen books so far. He frequently comments on public affairs on the radio, TV and national media.

[Post meeting synopsis] Whiffers enjoyed an evening of …. Continue reading Dr. Patrice Dutil, Reconciling with John A. Macdonald, April 28, 2026 →

Myke Healy is Assistant Head – Teaching & Learning at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario, where he leads academic strategy, faculty development, and curricular innovation.  Myke attended UCC and has BAH & B.Ed degrees from Queen’s University. He also holds a Professional Master of Education in assessment and evaluation from Queen’s and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Calgary, researching generative AI and academic integrity in K-12 education through interviews with independent school leaders across Canada. 
Myke’s talk was riveting, insightful and thought provoking. Accompanied by an excellent presentation with informative graphics and videos, Myke covered the issues from the educators’, the students’, the parents’ and the institutions’ perspectives. His message was that there is no simple answer to the topic’s question but that some best practices are emerging to continue delivery of relevant and equitable education opportunities in the evolving new AI-dominated world. Continue reading Myke Healy, M. Ed. OCT, Can Schools Survive Artificial Intelligence? March 31, 2026 →

Theatre as an Antidote to Social Division

Gideon Arthurs is the Executive Director of Soulpepper Theatre Company and the Young Centre for the Performing Arts, a role he assumed in 2022. A seasoned arts leader with a strong track record in institutional transformation, Arthurs previously served as the CEO of the National Theatre School of Canada (2014–2022), where he spearheaded major initiatives to modernize the curriculum and enhance diversity, including the rescue and revitalization of the Sears Drama Festival.

Whiffers heard a most impassioned presentation on Soulpepper’s strategy to be as relevant as possible in an increasingly disconnected society. Gideon elaborated about the real societal need for the theatre’s Public Domain initiative and its success in creating a free, open-access cultural hub that is strengthening social connection and civic life in Toronto through participation in the arts. Continue reading Gideon Arthurs – Executive Director, Soulpepper Theatre – February 24, 2026 →

Andrew Coyne is one of Canada’s most respected and influential political journalists. With a career spanning more than three decades, he has provided sharp, insightful commentary on national affairs for the country’s leading publications. Andrew last spoke to the Whiff in 2017 and a lot has transpired in Canadian and US politics since then for him to discuss with us this time.
Continue reading Andrew Coyne, “Media in Decline, Democracy in Crisis: How Each Can Be Turned Around”, October 28, 2025 →

David Wilson is Professor of Celtic Studies and History at the University of Toronto and General Editor of the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. He is the author or editor of twelve books, including a prize-winning two-volume biography of Thomas D’Arcy McGee. His most recent work, Canadian Spy Story: Irish Revolutionaries and the Secret Police, has won multiple awards. He was interviewed for his previous book The History of the Future here.

Continue reading David A. Wilson, Professor. Spies, Rogues, and Informers: Irish Revolutionaries and the Canadian Secret Police, Sept 30, 2025 →

Chris Fleming has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Cape Town in South Africa and has spent much of his 51-year career in research and management. He has authored or co-authored over 90 technical publications, been awarded 14 patents, and contributed to several technical books on various aspects of extractive metallurgy. He has directed research teams and consulted in the industry on many hydrometallurgical projects and operations, particularly in gold leaching and recovery. He is recognized throughout the industry for his contributions to the commercialization of the carbon-in-pulp and resin-in-pulp processes in gold extraction, as well as for the development of the SART, Augment, and Hannah process for cyanide recovery and the Platsol process for the simultaneous recovery of base metals and platinum group metals by pressure oxidation. Whiffers enjoyed an evening of real education on a topic that most of us did not know much about.  People particularly enjoyed the historical perspective and putting gold in the current context. Continue reading Chris Fleming PhD, SGS Senior Metallurgical Consultant, “The Gold Market”, April 29, 2025 →

Ron Deibert, (O.C., O.Ont., PhD, University of British Columbia) is Professor of Political Science, and the founder and Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto. The Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary laboratory focusing on research, development, and high-level strategic policy and legal engagement at the intersection of information and communication technologies, human rights, and global security. In Feb 2025, Ron published Chasing Shadows and the story behind it is the subject of his talk. In this real-life spy thriller, cyber security expert Ron uncovers the unseemly marketplace for high-tech surveillance, professional disinformation, and computerized malfeasance. He reveals how his team of digital sleuths at the Citizen Lab have lifted the lid on dozens of covert operations targeting innocent citizens everywhere. You’ll never look at your smartphone the same way again. Continue reading Ronald Deibert, Founder and Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, March 25, 2025 →