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
Wednesday, September 25 — Roberta Bondar
Join Canadian Geographic as Canadian astronaut Dr. Roberta Bondar shares new views of endangered birds: from space, from the air, and from the surface.
Few people will visit outer space, travelling around Earth at 25 times the speed of sound, experiencing the emotional moment of seeing our world as a planet. Dr. Roberta Bondar’s view of Earth from space compelled her to re-visit her view of Earth from its surface. As the world’s first neuro-ophthalmologist in space, she creates and shares unique visual stories of the natural world. This allows us to see things from a new perspective – patterns and parallels that stimulate our adventurous and creative spirits. A common link between space and Earth is flight, and with little gravity in the free-fall of space, as an astronaut she could float from one surface to another – the closest human beings come to flying like a bird, unaided. Birds share our mortality and our imperative to survive as we see our own fragility in theirs. In her most recent book, Space for Birds, we meet two exemplary migratory species, the Western Hemisphere’s endangered Whooping Crane and the Eastern Hemisphere’s near threatened Lesser Flamingo, through three perspectives: from space, their extensive flight corridors; from the air, intriguing habitat relationships; and on Earth’s surface, intimate portraits of their species-specific behaviours.
Monday, September 30 — Marie Wilson
Join Canadian Geographic on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to hear from a former TRC commissioner on the enduring value of the commission and possibilities for the path forward.
Dr. Marie Wilson (CM, ONWT, MSC) spent six years crisscrossing the country as a commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. She has spoken throughout North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand on the potential of reconciliation. Born in Ontario, she has lived, studied, and worked as a journalist, teacher, professor, trainer, and executive in Canada, France, Burkina Faso, South Africa, and parts of South America. She lives in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to record the previously hidden history of more than a century of forced residential schooling for Indigenous children. In her new book, North of Nowhere, Commissioner Marie Wilson guides readers through her years witnessing survivor testimony across the country, providing her unique perspective on the personal toll and enduring public value of the commission with the skills of a journalist, the heart of a mother and grandmother, and the insights of a life as the spouse of a residential school survivor.
In this unparalleled account, she honours the voices of survivors who have called Canada to attention, determined to heal, reclaim, and thrive. Part vital public documentary, part probing memoir, North of Nowhere breathes fresh air into the possibilities of reconciliation amid the persistent legacy of residential schools.
Wednesday, October 30 — David Geselbracht
Join Canadian Geographic as journalist David Geselbracht shares inspiring stories of climate change resilience and adaptation from around the world.
Climate Hope is a boundary-crossing and highly readable survey of global efforts to tackle climate change, and it aims to replace our paralyzing fears with a restored sense of hope and determination. In this Can Geo Talk, journalist David Geselbracht will bring us behind the scenes of his reporting in multiple countries, revealing remarkable efforts to identify the causes and impacts of climate change—and devise crucial ways to address them. Geselbracht will share stories of hope, awe and wonder that encourage us to confront this long-term, world-warping phenomenon with a renewed sense of purpose and possibility.
ABOUT DAVID GESELBRACHT
David Geselbracht is an environmental journalist and lawyer. His writing has appeared in Canadian Geographic, The Globe and Mail and Broadview Magazine, among others. His writing focuses on climate change at the intersection of science, policy and culture. Geselbracht holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Geography from the University of Victoria; a Master of Journalism from the University of British Columbia; and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. He works as legal counsel for a national environmental NGO, and he and his wife live in B.C.’s East Kootenays.
Browse photos from past events
