Public Interest Alberta conference promises to mobilize citizenry
"Make Shift Happen: Mobilizing the Power of the People" is Public Interest Alberta’s (PIA) sixth annual advocacy conference. The conference will be held April 19–21 at the Chateau Louis Hotel & Conference Centre, 11727 Kingsway Avenue, Edmonton.
We live in critical times and, like the rest of the world, Alberta is faced with important decisions about how to respond to a growing economic crisis. Alberta’s government is determined to continue pushing privatization and underfunding public services that are fundamental to the social and economic wellbeing of families and communities. In light of this, Albertans must build awareness and engage the public to speak out and demand that the government be accountable for its actions. The PIA conference is just such an opportunity to work with other individuals and organizations to mobilize the power of the public and "Make Shift Happen."
The conference keynote speaker is writer John Ralston Saul. Plenary speakers will be Armine Yalnizyan, senior economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives; Dr. Danielle Martin, board chair, Canadian Doctors for Medicare; and Anil Naidoo, coordinator, Blue Planet Project.
The conference will feature three mobilization panels on social policy frameworks, public control of water and youth activism. Breakout sessions will give delegates a chance to hear from PIA’s task forces and will provide insight into successful mobilizing with those working in disability action, the Occupy movement, multicultural communities, information technology, healthcare, energy and queer rights.
For information and to register, visit the Public Interest Alberta website http://pialberta.org/. The poster "Make Shift Happen: Mobilizing the Power of the People" is available here.
Keynote Speaker
The conference’s keynote speaker is award-winning essayist and novelist John Ralston Saul. His works have been translated into more than a dozen languages and he has received national and international awards for his writing.
In addition to speaking in Edmonton, Saul will speak in Calgary on April 18, 7 p.m., at Knox United Church, 506-4th Street SW. Tickets are $20 and available by contacting the Arusha Centre, C/O The Old Y Building, #106, 223-12 Avenue SW, Calgary. Telephone: 403-270-3200.
Youth Activist Panel Speakers
Brigette DePape is a 22-year old writer and emerging community organizer. She is known by many for her peaceful protest in the Parliament of Canada as a Page in the Senate when she disrupted the throne speech with a "Stop Harper" sign. She’s currently organizing for social change with the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition.
Elizabeth Joy Donnelly Wingert is a strong unionist and a Grade 1 teacher in Madison, Wisconsin. She has been active for 10 years in her local teachers’ union, Madison Teachers Inc. (MTI), a union which has been a leader among urban teacher unions in the U.S. for more than 40 years. Wisconsin was the scene of a series of dramatic mass protests beginning in February 2011, in reaction to a right-wing attack on public workers and their right to collectively bargain. MTI was the first major union to engage in the protests.
