Can Geo Talks

Can Geo Talks is a dynamic speaker series featuring some of the most fascinating individuals working in the fields of geography, exploration, environmental science, journalism, history and more. Past presenters include world-renowned cave diver and Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer-in-Residence Jill Heinerth, actor and comedian Sir Michael Palin, award-winning photographer Michelle Valberg, marine archaeologist Mensun Bound, journalist and author Whit Fraser, and bestselling author and RCGS Westaway Explorer-in-Residence Adam Shoalts. 

Talks are held monthly from February to June and September to November. Unless otherwise specified, all talks take place in person at Canada’s Centre for Geography and Exploration, the headquarters of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society located at 50 Sussex Drive in Ottawa. Information about upcoming talks will be posted here. Admission for the talks is free; please consider supporting future events by donating to the Society. 

Upcoming talks

Details on upcoming talks will be posted here. Make sure you’re opted in to receive news about our upcoming events at 50 Sussex to be the first to know!

Wednesday, June 17 — Mountain Voices

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Join Canadian Geographic and the Mountain Legacy Project for a celebration of Canada’s western mountains — and reflections on a century of change.

Through imagery and prose, Mountain Voices celebrates a love for Canada’s western mountains. The book features 50 diverse voices, including alpinists, artists, Indigenous knowledge holders, park and land managers, interdisciplinary scientists, archivists, and historians. Each contributor shares a unique and fascinating perspective through a short essay accompanied by a pair of photographs – an archival image, and a current repeated pair – drawn from the remarkable archive of the Mountain Legacy Project. Mountain Voices brings Canadian mountain landscapes, and change over time, to life through the passion and devotion of those who care for the mountains deeply. 

About the panellists: 

JILL DELANEY is the retired lead archivist in Specialized Media at Library and Archives Canada, where she worked on the acquisition and appraisal of documentary photography. She co-ordinated access to, and conducted research on, historical mountain photography for the Mountain Legacy Project. She holds a doctorate in Art History and Theory from SUNY-Binghamton. Jill’s publications include “An Inconvenient Truth. Scientific Photography and Archival Ambivalence” (Archivaria 2008) and an entry in Yousuf Karsh: Heroes of Light and Shadow.

ERIC HIGGS is a founder of the Mountain Legacy Project, and professor in the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. He is fascinated by ecological restoration, especially in landscapes being reshaped by climate change, species movements and shifting cultural values.

IAN MACLAREN is a professor emeritus at the University of Alberta. He is the author of Mapper of Mountains: M.P. Bridgland in the Canadian Rockies, 1902-1930, and in 2024, the four-volume Paul Kane’s Travels in Indigenous North America Writings and Art, Life and Times.

KRISTEN WALSH joined the Mountain Legacy Project in 2014. Ever since, she has been blown away by the magic of the mountains and their unique weather. Kristen currently works on national climate change assessments, is an active member of the Alpine Club of Canada, and search and rescue volunteer. Kristen enjoys scrambling, ski mountaineering, and tarn hopping from one high elevation cold swim to the next.

About the Mountain Legacy Project 

The Mountain Legacy Project explores changes in Canada’s mountain landscapes. Working with the world’s largest collection of systematic historical mountain photographs, MLP researchers follow the footsteps of intrepid surveyors to retake the original images. The project engages with university researchers, managers, practitioners and mountain communities in order to understand the how and why ecosystems, landscapes, human communities change over time. Based in the School of Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria, our work since 1998 involves repeat photography, archival research, image interpretation and analysis, software development, and making the image pairs widely available. 

Admission for this event is pay-what-you-can. Your donation to the Royal Canadian Geographical Society helps us offer more insightful public programming like this!

Register now

ICYMI

Check out these recordings of our recent talks!

Ryan Tidman & Maxime Légaré-Vézina
Trina Moyles
Ian MacLaren
David Geselbracht

Browse photos from past events

Explorer and bestselling author Adam Shoalts recounts an expedition he undertook from Lake Erie to the Arctic during one of two sold-out talks on Nov. 27, 2023.
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Explorer and bestselling author Adam Shoalts recounts an expedition he undertook from Lake Erie to the Arctic during one of two sold-out talks on Nov. 27, 2023.
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Journalist Karen Pinchin discusses her first book, Kings of Their Own Ocean, on Sept. 21, 2023.
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Glaciologist Anna Crawford speaks about her work on the Milne Ice Shelf on Nov. 3, 2022. (Photo: Tanya Kirnishni/Can Geo)
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Glaciologist Anna Crawford speaks about her work on the Milne Ice Shelf on Nov. 3, 2022. (Photo: Tanya Kirnishni/Can Geo)
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Russell Potter and Mary Williamson sign copies of May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth, a collection of the private correspondence of Sir John Franklin’s officers and men, after their talk on Sept. 26, 2022. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
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Russell Potter, Peter Carney and Mary Williamson give a talk on their book May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth, a first-of-its-kind collection of the private correspondence of Sir John Franklin’s officers and men, on Sept. 26, 2022. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
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Guests explore a giant floor map of the circumpolar Arctic before a talk on the Franklin expedition on Sept. 26, 2022. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
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World-renowned cave diver and Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer-in-Residence Jill Heinerth gives a talk about her book, Into the Planet, on Sept. 13, 2019.
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Jill Heinerth signs a copy of her book, Into the Planet, for a young fan on Sept. 13, 2019. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
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Wildlife photographer Michelle Valberg gives a Can Geo Talk on Nov. 7, 2019. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
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Large-format photos by Michelle Valberg surround the audience during her Can Geo Talk on Nov. 7, 2019. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
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Wildlife photographer Michelle Valberg gives a Can Geo Talk on Nov. 7, 2019. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
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Michael Palin presents a Can Geo Talk on his book Erebus, a history of the doomed ship, in Ottawa on Oct. 19, 2018. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
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Michael Palin greets a fan after his Can Geo Talk in Ottawa on Oct. 19, 2018. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
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Michael Palin ready to sign books following his Can Geo Talk in Ottawa on Oct. 19, 2018. (Photo: Ben Powless/Can Geo)
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