Tuesday, September 17 at 7:30 PM, online
Penny Rankin
Children’s Rights: Their Wellbeing and Safety Online
A brief history of children’s rights, current status and advocacy challenges
related to protecting minors online as we do in the “offline world”.
A self-described accidental activist, PENNY RANKIN is the past president of the Montreal Council of Women and currently serves as VP of the Provincial Council and as VP of Children and Youth for the National Council of Women of Canada.
She completed her studies in Early Childhood Education in the UK and spent two years teaching in central London.
In Canada, Penny resumed her passion for teaching. She volunteered with and served on several boards, including Les Amies du Neuro and Women Aware. She spent two years as the Executive Director of an inner-city mission.
In 2020, Penny’s dedication to advocacy led her to help establish “Canadians4Action,” an informal collective of NGOs and professionals dedicated to raising awareness and advocating for children’s rights and well-being online.
An active member of the Anglican Church of Canada, she sits on the Sexual Exploitation Working Group of the Canadian Council of Churches and is the Diocese Spokesperson on Human Trafficking.
A mother of three adult children, she lives with her husband in Montreal, where they enjoy travelling for pleasure and voluntourism (Guyana and the Philippines).
Tuesday, October 15 at 7:30 PM, online
Janet Torge
Healthy Aging, Healthy Housing
Anyone over 60 knows that, sooner or later, our lifestyle and housing will need some tinkering as we put on the years. But currently our choices are pretty slim – age in our current place or move into a residence. Have you ever met anyone who was excited about moving into a residence?
Alternatives to residential living are finally coming onto the scene. Sometimes it even looks like there might be a movement” afoot. I will explore
these new housing options showing up across Canada and worldwide. You might even find yourself looking forward to a new housing option in your future.
JANET TORGE is founder of Radical Resthomes, a co-living housing model for seniors. It was conceived some ten years ago when she realized that seniors come in all shapes and personalities and their housing should be as varied as they are. In other aspects of her life, she is a television documentary producer, writer and prenatal teacher. She’s been a radio
talk-show host, traffic reporter, Montreal Gazette columnist and cofounder of the first rape
relief centre in Canada.
Tuesday, October 29 at 7:30 PM, online
Stephen Schneider
A Critical Analysis of the Criminal Justice System: A Crime Prevention Perspective
The field of crime prevention arose as a critique of and an alternative to the criminal justice system (CJS). The argument is that the traditional
“cops, courts and corrections” approach is wholly insufficient in controlling crime in society.
Crime prevention is a proactive, community-based approach that reduces the opportunity for crime to occur in a particular time and place while also addressing the social determinants and underlying causes of criminality. Emphasis on alternatives such as social workers (to work with troubled
families), outreach workers (for at-risk youth and homeless populations), crisis navigators (to direct at-risk individuals to appropriate resources); conflict mediators (to prevent violence), community-based psychiatric
nurses (to deal with mental health emergencies), supervised group homes (for those with complex needs), restorative justice (as an alternative to courts), as well as addictions treatment centres and safe injection sites.
STEPHEN SCHNEIDER is a professor in the Department of Criminology at St. Mary’s University in Halifax.
His research projects have delved into money laundering, contraband smuggling, fraud and marine container port security, as well as innovations in combating organized crime. His insights have helped to shape federal organized crime enforcement policies and strategies. His expert testimony has been pivotal in federal and provincial criminal cases, charter cases and regulatory hearings.
He has worked extensively at the local level, developing community safety initiatives. He is currently completing a community safety plan for Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
He has a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of British Columbia, a M.Sc. in International Development from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Political Science from Carleton University.
Tuesday, November 26 at 7:30 PM, online
Harriet Schleifer
Sharing Canine Love With the Community
This talk will explore the mystery and power of therapy dogs. The canine human bond has developed over hundreds of years. Science is now discovering the emotional, social and medical benefits of our close association with dogs.
Who are therapy dogs and their handlers? How are they trained and where do they work?
HARRIET SCHLEIFER currently lives with three young Shetland Sheepdogs: Astra, Skye
and Misty.
She has trained dogs in life skills, canine sports and therapy work for 20 years. She has been a Canadian Kennel Club Rally judge since 2017 and a CKC Canine Good Neighbour Evaluator since 2019.
Harriet is the founder and Executive Director of Imagine Therapy Dogs, a non-profit, volunteer association, which organizes handler/dog team visits to diverse venues, including hospitals, seniors’ residences, schools and universities. The organization provides professional training and support for the dogs and their handlers.
St. James Literary Society 