On January 29th and 30th, all are invited to revisit the past while engaging in important topics of the present. The 2025 conference features keynotes from two venerable Canadians along with a number of scholars and practitioners as the conference presents The UN at 80.

Stretching over two days, this conference commemorates the 80^th anniversary of the United Nations offering expert insights into the UN, it’s history, the significance of the 80-year milestone, and critical current and future UN-related topics.

On January 29, the conference begins at 6:00 p.m. with the Paul Buteux Memorial Lecture, delivered by Hon. Bob Rae, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations in New York. The keynote is followed by a Davos style Q&A with Hon. Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and longtime Winnipeg advocate. This event takes place at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Register for this event.

The second day of the conference (January 30) offers two panels of experts plus keynote speaker Hon. Dr. Lloyd Axworthy. Day two events take place in the MPR, 2^nd floor UMSU University Centre.

• Panel One: UN Peacekeeping, 10:00 am – 11:15 am
• Panel Two: UN of the Present and Future, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
• Keynote: Hon. Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, The UN at 80: Reflections, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm (includes Q&A). Register for this keynote.

The PSSC is the leading Manitoba-based forum on international affairs, defence and security which regularly leaves marks not only in Canadian strategic thinking but more broadly on the continent. Created by Dr. Paul Buteux and organized by the students of the Department of Political Studies at UM, the conference aims to challenge conventional wisdom in the field and present policymakers with alternatives for the future. Since its inauguration in 1985, the J.W. Dafoe PSSC has proudly hosted a multiplicity of academics, activists, government officials, media and students from across Canada, the United States and Europe. It is free and open to the public.

Student organizers for the 2025 PSSC are: Madlin Murad (political studies undergraduate), Cooper Roy (political studies undergraduate), David Sopotyk (political studies MA), Lindsay Speirs (political studies MA) and Sasha Tiaglei (political studies and Central and East European studies undergraduate). The group is guided by Dr. Andrea Charron, professor of political studies and director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies.

Attendees can reserve their free tickets to PSSC events and find more information on the speakers and sponsors on the PSSC conference webpage. Questions may be directed to PSSC@umanitoba.ca or visit them on Instagram or X @umpssc.

Start the new year off with important and timely political and international affairs discussions at these upcoming events.

Meet the Ensemble

This talented group is made up of ten dynamic students from diverse backgrounds, including first through fourth-year students from the Faculty of Music, as well as two exceptional performers from outside the faculty. Here’s a closer look at some of the remarkable individuals who will be representing the University:

• Jackson Bartel (Second Year, Music): A strong team player, Jackson’s individual contributions inspire those around him. 
• Andy Chiu (Third Year, Psychology): After performing in percussion ensembles in Hong Kong, Andy bring experience and positive energy to the ensemble.
• Karen Georgy (First Year, Music): With fresh energy, Karen’s enthusiasm is infectious and brings vitality to the group.
• Nathan Gibbens (Third Year, Music): With a passion for performance, Nate brings commitment and consistency to the ensemble. 
• Maggie Koreen (Fourth Year, Music): Combining her love for music and theatre, Maggie’s performance skills endear her to audiences of all types.
• Melody Pearson-Monroe (Second Year, Music): Balancing her passion for percussion with her love for singing, her “melodious” touch adds finesse to her performances.
• Travis Singbeil (Second Year, Science): Joining the ensemble this year from the faculty of science, Travis’ creativity and detail-oriented approach makes him a fantastic new member of the ensemble. 
• Will Spencler (First Year, Music): Bringing enthusiasm for every task he pursues, Will’s zest for learning motivates everyone around him!
• Eric Tarant (First Year, Music): Joining the ensemble this year, Eric brings perseverance and a love for collaboration to every rehearsal.
• Emma Wynne (Fourth Year, Music): Committed to music education, Emma’s musical and leadership skills share confidence and support to everyone who performs with her. 

The Heart of the Performance

At the heart of the ensemble’s presentation is Paul Lansky’s percussion quartet “Threads,” a ten-movement piece that serves as a framework for exploring community-based rehearsal skills. Each movement will feature different quartets of students, allowing for an array of group interactions and dynamic leadership roles. This innovative approach aims to create a rich tapestry of musical expression and collaboration, drawing on the wide-ranging sonic qualities of percussion instruments.

Described by Lansky as a “cantata” for percussion, “Threads” intricately weaves together arias, choruses, and recitatives, showcasing the diverse sounds of percussion—from the lyrical to the forceful. This exploration will not only enhance the students’ musicianship but also foster a deeper connection within the ensemble and their audience.

Looking Ahead

The University of Manitoba Percussion Ensemble will be traveling to Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia from October 17-20, ready to engage with percussionists and researchers from across Canada. The ensemble is not only looking forward to performing but also to learning from the wealth of knowledge shared at the conference, hosted by the Canadian Percussion Network. 

As they prepare to take the stage, these talented students exemplify the spirit of collaboration, creativity, and community that defines the University of Manitoba’s music program. Keep an eye out for their inspiring journey, as they connect threads of rhythm, melody, and friendship across the country!

The goal of the conference is to build capacity, at the different levels of systems that support children, families, and communities in the Prairie Provinces, while ensuring respect for needs for engagement of First Nations and Métis communities in the delivery of child welfare services. 

The conference will be hosted by Michael Redhead Champagne and feature keynote speakers: Clemene Hornbrook, Earl C. Stevenson, Carey Newman and Brittany Mathews. 

Registration for the conference is now open, inviting professionals, scholars, and advocates to join this transformative dialogue. As the PCWC continues its mission to reshape the future of child welfare, participants are urged to seize this opportunity to be part of the conversation and drive meaningful progress forward. 

For more information and to register, visit: https://umanitoba.ca/social-work/pcwc2024  

Since 2010, CIMVHR has built a network of 46 Canadian universities which address collectively the health research requirements of the Canadian military, Veterans, and their families. The institute acts as a conduit between the academic community and research funding organizations. CIMVHR works to enhance the health and well-being for the diverse population of Canada’s military personnel, Veterans, public safety personnel and their families. By engaging academic and government research resources, fostering new research, and promoting knowledge translation, CIMVHR plays a crucial role in addressing this population’s unique risks and needs.

Annually, CIMVHR Forum serves as a platform for thought leaders across various sectors to exchange insights, collaborate, and showcase advancements in research and ideas for the betterment of our military personnel, Veterans and their families.

As a co-host for the event, the University of Manitoba benefits from showcasing the talent of our researchers and students.

For more information, please contact the University of Manitoba research committee for the event – Dr. Jitender Sareen (Psychiatry), Ms. Janice Tilly (Interdisciplinary PhD Student) or Dr. Andrea Charron (Centre for Defence and Security Studies).

We want to acknowledge and thank those who have contributed to the co-sponsorship of this forum: Department of Psychiatry, Department of Community Health Services, College of Nursing, Centre for Defence and Security Studies, Price Faculty of Engineering, the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, and funding from UM Conference Sponsorship Program.

We invite academics and students from across disciplines to participate. We hope to see you there!

Register online.  

Dr. Michael Ungar, Strangers in New Homelands Conference Keynote Speaker 2023

Michael Ungar, Ph.D., world-renowned Resilience Expert, Director of the Resilience Research Centre at Dalhousie University, and Canada Research Chair in Child, Family and Community Resilience is this year’s keynote guest speaker at the 13^th edition of the Strangers in New Homelands Conference on Migration and Settlement hosted by the Faculty of Social Work.

This conference is organized in collaboration with newcomer service agencies and scholars from across the world. The conference will run from May 31 to June 2, 2023 at the CanadInns Destination Centre Polo Park in Winnipeg.

This year’s main theme is Challenges and opportunities in world migration and settlement in the continuous era of global conflicts and post-COVID-19 global pandemic.

“This 13^th edition of the conference is being held at a time when many global disruptions associated with the raging COVID-19 pandemic, and current armed conflicts around the world have completely altered the global migration landscape”, says Michael Baffoe, Ph.D., Conference Chair.

“In most cases, refugee activity such as the ones from Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Syria have increased, resulting in uneven welcoming and reception from host countries. We have observed that regular migration, including international student movements, has been severely restricted as many countries grapple with controlling the spread of the pandemic within their national borders. In some cases, some nations are simply using the pandemic as an excuse to increase restrictions to current migration and refugee activity,” says Baffoe.

The Conference brings together academics, graduate students, non-governmental organizations, and government representatives and will examine these issues from the perspectives of academic researchers and settlement practitioners.

To register for this conference, please visit: umanitoba.ca/social-work/strangers-conference

The PSSC is the leading Manitoba-based forum on international affairs, defence and security which regularly leaves marks not only in Canadian strategic thinking but more broadly on the continent. 

Free and open to the public, this annual conference features distinguished Canadian and international speakers exploring issues in international affairs and their implications for Canada. The conference aims to challenge conventional wisdom in the field and present policymakers with alternatives for the future.

Attendees can reserve their free tickets to PSSC events and find more information on the speakers, locations and parking on the PSSC conference webpage. 

The Winnipeg Free Press reported on Ms. Redfern’s talk to be held February 1 at 6:30 p.m. at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights:

An Arctic figurehead is entering Winnipeg with dreams of economic growth and a mission to spread awareness of Northern Canadian issues.

Madeleine Redfern will speak at the Paul Buteux Memorial Lecture on February 1

“There is an unprecedented opportunity to make smart and strategic investments that are transformative in our territory,” said Madeleine Redfern, a former mayor of Iqaluit. She plans to hammer home the point at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights Wednesday. Redfern is the keynote speaker of a free University of Manitoba conference.

Ottawa has announced billions of dollars in investment for Canada’s North in recent years. Lately, much of the money has been focused on the North American Aerospace Defense Command (Norad) and heightening security measures in Canada’s Arctic, which is near Russia.

Last June, National Defence Minister Anita Anand announced Canada would spend $4.9 billion over six years on modernizing Norad. In April, Ottawa committed $845 million to housing in Nunavut, to be spent over seven years.

“There’s a need for collaboration with Inuit stakeholders, not just military coming in saying, ‘We’re going to put this infrastructure on your land,’” said Nicholas Glesby, a University of Manitoba political studies graduate student. Glesby is one of four student organizers of the Political Studies Students’ Conference. Last year’s graduates chose the conference’s topic — “The Arctic is Hot” — mere weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The war has knocked life in Nunavut on its head, noted Redfern. She lives in Iqaluit and has watched the price of fuel and food leap. Not that she has much time to watch — she’s the chief operating officer of CanArctic Inuit Networks, which aims to bring fibre optic cable up north. She’s also president of Ajungi Arctic Consulting, among other things.

“If we’re going to have a conversation about Canada’s Arctic, we need to hear from her, what she thinks infrastructure in the Canadian Arctic should look like,” said Andrea Charron, a political studies professor who co-organized the conference. She called Redfern a “telecommunications guru.”

“We want the (government) investments to be… dual purpose,” Redfern said. The last time Ottawa heavily invested in Nunavut was around the Cold War, she added. “We had many of our people living near these sites and going to the dumps to find and forage building materials and food,” Redfern said. “I’m strongly committed to ensuring that that doesn’t happen again.”

Around 37,000 people live in Nunavut, according to Statistics Canada’s latest census. In 2018, 32.4 per cent of children in Nunavut faced poverty, a Campaign 2000 report noted. Ottawa is committed to working with Indigenous and northern communities as it modernizes Norad, Anand said in her June speech.

Redfern would like to see Indigenous-led building, owning and managing of future infrastructure. “There’s a boomerang of the money that goes to southern businesses,” she said.

The major Rogers outage of 2022 — which halted business services and personal phone and internet use for millions across Canada — happens on a smaller scale in northern communities regularly, Redfern said. “Our telecommunications are unreliable and unstable,” she said. “It is predictably unpredictable.” During pandemic-era lockdowns, Redfern would have up to four back-up plans before each Zoom meeting.

Northerners are reliant on satellite and diesel. Many airplane runways are too short and unpaved, limiting the planes that can fly into Nunavut and the amount of food they can bring, Redfern said. Nunavut’s residents are constantly limiting water use due to a shortage. Last year, the territory announced a state of emergency as experts re-evaluated water infrastructure.

“There is this opportunity, with the billions of dollars that are going to be invested in Canada’s Arctic, to make tremendous and transformative investments,” Redfern said. Spreading the word is part of the journey, she added.

Charron met Redfern at an Ontario conference last year and asked her to speak in Winnipeg. “We need to start paying more attention to 40 per cent of Canada’s land mass,” Charron said. After all, Winnipeg is Norad’s Canadian headquarters, she added.

Redfern, the first Inuk to be given Supreme Court of Canada clerkship, will be on a panel discussing governance and homeland Thursday.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to showcase the work and collaboration that could happen between… Nunavut with Manitoba,” said Nastania Mullin, the Manitoba Inuit Association’s CEO. He’ll attend the conference and hopes to work with Redfern on her goals, he said.

On March 27 and 28, 2019, the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Social Work hosted Poverty and Social Inclusion for Families in Manitoba as part of the Families in Canada Conference 2019 that took place in Ottawa and simultaneously at co-hosting university partners across the country.

The national theme of the conference focused on the use of both big (social indicators) and little (qualitative) data to improve family policy and practice within Canada. The local theme focused on the intersection of data with social inclusion and poverty affecting families in Manitoba. The satellite event welcomed students, academics, funders, non-profit leaders and community members.

The conference would not have been a success without the many enriching presentations throughout the two days.

Alex Singer, department of family medicine, University of Manitoba, discussed collecting data to improve the quality of care delivered to families and informed registrants on the basics of applying quality improvement and measurement methodologies to benefit the care of the families.

Noralou Roos, Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, spoke about the effective dissemination of information about available benefits to poor families.

Albert Boakye, Social Planning Council of Winnipeg and Chris Green, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, introduced the Manitoba Collaborative Data Portal, an accessible source of neighbourhood data. They showcased how the portal could potentially support evidence-informed community discussion, planning, and action.

Cheryle Dreaver, First Nations Family Advocate Office explained how poverty exacerbates an already negative relationship between CFS agencies, and First Nations and discussed ways to improve child welfare services for poor Indigenous families.

Panel presentations were given by the Coalition of Manitoba Cultural Communities for Families Inc. that presented a model of inclusion for cultural communities and families and a panel chaired by Carolyn Peters, New Directions Inc., presented on using program evaluation for social advocacy as well as accountability and evaluation. Thank for to our panel presenters: Florence Ngozi Okwudili, Shorsh Kurd Palani, Steven Feldgaier, Aynslie Hinds, Marianne Krawchuk, Cynthia Drebot, and Javier Mignone.

“It was a stimulating and useful two days and we are grateful to the local planning committee composed of colleagues at the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority; as well as a large range of community agencies,” says planning committee co-chair Sid Frankel, University of Manitoba.

“I always wear my beadwork on my clothing. It’s something that represents me as First Nation,” Baker says, adding she learned beading from her mother 45 years ago, and is now passing it on to her two daughters, granddaughters and nieces. She also teaches beading at her school as president of a bead club, and continues to learn more crafts from elders.

A student teacher from Yukon College in her third year, Baker was participating in one of 47 sessions offered for educators attending from across Western Canada as the faculty hosted WestCAST 2018, a three-day conference—the last of which showcased Indigenous culture.  Baker could relate to the importance of including Indigenous content in the workshops.

“If you include beading in your school, it’s going to bring together the community,” Baker says, adding that the craft is done groups.
“A beading circle brings ladies together to support each other,” she said, adding that during sessions at her school, participants help each other by making graduation dresses.

In addition to workshops, the conference also featured performers such as Renee Lamoureux, and Juno-award winner William Prince. Keynote speakers included Paige Fisher, a Vancouver Island University professor, referring to herself as a scholar-practitioner and Winnipeg School Division superintendent, Pauline Clarke.

On the last day of the conference, Niigaan Sinclair, a U of M associate professor of native studies, spoke about Indigenous cultural traditions and how they relate to building relationships out of a sense of trust and responsibility. One example being the convention of offering tobacco.

“That is the story of Manitoba. Period. That is the story of the Prairies. Period. That is the story of Canada. Period. We offer gifts, and when reciprocated appropriately, those gifts make a community,” Sinclair said, referring to the story of Chief Peguis, who negotiated with Lord Selkirk for settlers to live along the Red River in exchange for an annual offering of 100 pounds of tobacco.

“He offered tobacco once, and never came back … Treaties are not about ownership, they are about relationship. What do you do when a relative doesn’t return a gift? … That’s the treaties,” he said, sketching Canada’s history with First Nations as one where government consultation is “purely ornamental”, protesters caring feathers and drums meeting with armed police, and Indigenous Peoples commonly characterized as a problem.

“What you see are not the problem, they are the symptoms. The problem is that we continue to treat Indigenous People as a problem that we need to solve, instead of saying that they are the people who the solution that we need to partner with,” Sinclair said, referring to the teaching of the Two-Row Wampum. “We shall share the water together, but our two boats shall never meet.”

The takeaway for teachers is that no matter where they travel or what capacity they are serving, they are treaty people, whose role is to work in partnership with Indigenous Peoples.

“You have your path, and I have my path, and we are partners in this thing,” Sinclair said.

Each year this symposium brings together researchers and designers from across the region and around the world for scholarly exchange. Just as importantly, this interdisciplinary event gathers students and professors from all five allied disciplines within the Faculty – Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, Environmental Design, and City Planning. Each discipline takes turns leading this event. This year, Atmosphere was co-Chaired by Lisa Landrum and Liane Veness, representing the Department of Architecture and the Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (C.A.S.T.).

As the symposium title suggests, Atmosphere explores the ephemeral and experiential conditions of the enveloping world. Difficult to pin-down, capture and express, atmospheres are what designers and interpreters of the built environment strive to understand, generate and meaningfully engage.

Each year a sub-theme orients this atmospheric discourse. The theme of Fabrications was selected as a shared focus to celebrate and advance the Faculty of Architecture’s world-class fabrication facilities – including C.A.S.T. – while also generating critical discourse on the myriad ways of making that extend far beyond the digital.

Fabrications (in Latin fabrica) means to make. This synthetic topic encompasses places of making, activities of making, makers, and all things made. And what designers make is not reducible to material fabrications but includes narrative and cultural constructs. So, this Fabrications symposium invited participants to consider complexities of urban and social fabrics; intricacies of environmental skins, or mediating fabrics; potentials of building sites, workshops and all the contingencies of fabricating in situ; as well as the stories and arguments through which we make sense of our fabricated world – the fabled and fabulous narratives of fabricating truth.

Atmosphere 10: Fabrications included four distinguished keynote presentations, 16 peer-reviewed paper presentation, and ten installations, including an Ice Bar and ice sculptures in the courtyard, experimental films, the Brickworks student fabrications contest, and a live musical performance by a C.A.S.T. Research-in-Residence. A full program of presenters and abstracts may be seen on the website, www.atmos.ca, and downloaded here.

Stay tuned for announcements about Atmosphere 11: Adaptations.

Acknowledgements.
This symposium was made not only possible and pleasurable but intellectually provocative by the coordinated efforts of many contributors: Tali Budman, the student wizard behind the website and graphics; Brandy O’Reilly and Rob Freeman, the professionals in our communications office; the Cultural Events Committee, namely Marcella Eaton, Orly Linovski, Tijen Roshko and Kim Wiese; members of the CAST Committee, especially Lancelot Coar and Dietmar Straub, who helped shape the Fabrications theme; and other faculty serving as moderators and/or peer-reviewers, including Alan Tate, David van Vliet, and Neil Minuk. Many students contributed to the success of the event, especially a troupe of energetic student fabricators – Connery Friesen, Steven Hung, Jessica Piper, Andrew Simonson, Dylan Hewlett and Janine Kropla; and a team of Student Ambassadors – Kara Boboski, Simone Sucharov-Benarroch, Marina Herscovitch, Andrea Doussis, Rachel Teichroew, Medeleine Dafoe, Leah Komishon, and Sulah Kim. Atmosphere 10 was financially supported by the Faculty of Architecture’s Endowment Fund, the Faculty of Architecture, the Department of Architecture, the University of Manitoba Travel and Scholarship Fund, and generous material donations of a local fabrication shop WOODANCHOR.

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Importance of Teaching Multicultural Dance

As a teacher, it’s important to remember that everyone CAN dance. By using an approach that provides an opportunity for guided movement expression, all students can bring their unique abilities to create movement.

http://www.phecanada.ca/programs/dance/5-reasons-teach-dance

http://www.phecanada.ca/sites/default/files/physical_literacy/Teaching_Dance41.pdf

Multicultural Dance Ideas:

https://www.thepespecialist.com/dance2/

http://www.pecentral.org/lessonideas/searchresults.asp?category=56

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08Qysz2O7lU (Japanese Fan Dancing)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14yKrNcJskk (Chinese Fan Dancing)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w6WJxNgSmY (La Bastrigue -French Canada)

https://www.pinterest.ca/hilda1099/teach-kids-cultural-dances/