Guest Speakers for 2025-26
Presenter: September Activity Showcase
Topic:
It is hard to believe that we are only a few days away from the start of another exciting Probus Season. As has become our tradition, our September General Meeting on Wednesday September 9th at 10 am, will be dedicated to an information and sign-up session for our various activity groups. Our hard-working activity coordinators will be putting together tables to advertise their activities and answer your questions about joining these groups. Sign-up for activities will be available. Each table will also have a prize available, so by dropping by the table you can submit your name in the draw which will occur at the end of the session.
This year we will have two new activities - read further in the newsletter to find out more:
- PODs (Probus on Discovery): Lorna Eadie Hocking
- Catan: Janice Koehler
Presenter: Our Annual General Meeting
Topic:
Our AGM will be held at the Hanover Legion on June 10 from 10:00 am until 11:45 am.
We need a quorum of 25% of our members (roughly 75) to be present in order that we can conduct necessary business at the AGM so your attendance would be greatly appreciated.
As there were no substantive motions brought forward by the Management Committee or membership to discuss, at the meeting we will:
- Approve this fiscal year's financials and budget for next year
- Approve the slate of candidates for next year's Management Committee
- Consider a motion to remove street addresses from the membership directory
We look forward to seeing you at the AGM where a hot lunch and musical entertainment will follow the meeting.
Best Regards,
Terry Koehler, HAPC President
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Presenter: Dr. Christopher DiCarlo
Topic: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
Dr. Christopher DiCarlo is a philosopher, educator, and author. He is the Principal and Founder of Critical Thinking Solutions, a consulting business for individuals, corporations, and not-for-profits in both the private and public sectors. He currently holds the position of Senior Researcher and Ethicist at Convergence Analysis – an international organization focusing on AI Risk and Governance.
Dr. DiCarlo is also the Ethics Chair for the Canadian Mental Health Association (Waterloo/Wellington) and is also a lifetime member of Humanist Canada and an Expert Advisor for the Centre for Inquiry Canada. He often teaches at The Life Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University and is a past Visiting Research Scholar at Harvard University in the Department of Anthropology and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Dr. DiCarlo has won several awards including TV Ontario’s Big Ideas Best Lecturer in Ontario Award and Canada’s Humanist of the Year.
Dr. DiCarlo is the author of several books and his best-seller - How to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass: A Critical Thinker’s Guide to Asking the Right Questions - was released by Prometheus Books as a 2nd Edition to mark its 10th-year anniversary. So You Think You Can Think: Tools for Intelligent Conversations and Getting Along was released in 2020. And his current book is Building a God: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and the Race to Control It.
Dr. DiCarlo also hosts a podcast called: All Things Considered in which he engages in free and open discussion about current, important issues with world thought leaders, politicians, and entertainers through the lens of Critical Thinking and Ethical Reasoning.
Presenter: Gem Munro
Topic: It Starts with Mothers
Gem Munro has spent his life standing up for human rights and human potential.
He's a best-selling author, with books that reflect his background of extreme and varied experiences.
His novels portray the danger and beauty of life in remote Arctic Indigenous communities, the precarious absurdity of life in South Asian mega-slums, and the hidden underbelly of Canada's urban racism.
He and Tanyss have worked as a team throughout her career in education, transforming educational opportunities for Indigenous youth across Canada and overseas.
In recognition of his work, Gem was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Gem's career has exposed him to the extremities of human circumstance, and imbued him with a deep love for humanity and an insight into human nature. These traits are the hallmarks of his writing.
Presenter: Julie Mackenzie
Topic: All about The Bridge Learning Center
Julie Mackenzie is owner of the Bridge Learning Center.
Before embarking on my business venture at The Bridge, she taught in public, separate, and public schools for over 20 years.
However, through my teaching experiences, I realized that our current school model doesn't allow for all children to achieve all the expectations placed on them in the time frame we give. Unfortunately, many of these gaps in our students learning include basic-necessities for living– like reading and mathematics.
In February of 2020, she decided to combine her passion for teaching, with her desire to serve others in our community, and to grow her own learning in the process.
Ready to teach. Ready to serve. And ready to celebrate incredible accomplishments with some of our local, struggling kids.