Polar bears were supposed to be dangerously diminished in numbers by the year 2015. Instead they are thriving in record numbers. In this lecture, John Felvinci explains why they are faring so well, and then speculates why this prediction and other pessimistic predictions have not been borne out. This is a zoom class- you can watch from the comfort of your home or in the company of others at KSC

In her new body of work, Bree Apperly explores the impact of technology on our society, feminist expression in a capitalist system, and what she sees as the compromised nature of modern life. Through a playful display of repurposed objects and photographs, the prominent white gallery plinth and typical framing devices are disrupted and reimagined. Apperley’s interpretation of the world and aesthetic vision proposes an alternative to our fraught cultural moment.

A hospital admission comes with a wide variety of experiences. For some, while in hospital, a new diagnosis or change in care plan means that a patient or the patient’s family are processing far more than anticipated. Spiritual Care addresses the internal dynamics of meaning-making and re-centering ourselves with purpose. In a hospital setting, a Spiritual Health Practitioner is invited to join the care team when a patient or family member consents to more conversation about their diagnosis, death, or changing capacities. This offering of care in Canada has been long-standing, as 2025 marked 100 years for the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care. Here in Kamloops, spiritual care has been available at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) for nearly 30 years. Emotional support, spiritual care, or religious liaising looks different for every patient. In this course, you will hear from Jane Gingrich, Spiritual Health Practitioner, about spiritual care with RIH in Kamloops. She will also point out local research people have access to.

Books open doors to ideas, history, and understanding, but today, those doors are closing.  Across North America, efforts to ban or restrict books are growing, from school libraries to public collections.  Even Canada is seeing challenges to what we can read.  This talk will cover why the freedom to read matters, the challenge of balancing inclusion and free expression, and what censorship looks like today in Canada and the USA.  It will explore notable cases, the rise of mass book challenges, and how librarians and advocates are fighting back.  Discover what’s at stake, the controversies, and how we can protect the right to read for everyone.

We are welcoming Denis back to present the government of Canada’s proactive approach to safeguarding Canada’s in the rapidly changing Far North in terms of environmental challenges, geopolitical manoeuvring, indigenous population considerations and military developments.

A zoom class, so you can enjoy the presentation in the comfort of your home or in the company of others at KSC.

Participants in this on-site tour will have an opportunity to explore the grounds of this horticultural garden and learn about Gardengate’s use of sustainable practices for growing. The tour will enhance your understanding of the program, which entails mental health, volunteerism, and food security.  The tour will also include the newer commercial kitchen, which incorporates the Food Hub program. The building also houses existing programming and a wide variety of community groups.

This Come to the Concert’s title, Infinite Bach, may appear exaggeration at first, but isn’t in reality. Composers of all times and traditions have revered Bach’s works and have turned to Bach for melodic inspiration and structural innovation. His musical gifts seem inexhaustible — infinite.  This concert’s ensemble of strings, oboe and bassoon play the music of Canadian composers Mathieu Lussier, and Marjan Mozetich.  The high point of the concert, however, lies in Infinite Bach Recomposed, the work of Norwegian composer Johan Ullén, who reimagines Baroque keyboard and violin concertos of Bach.  This will be an opportunity to consider once more the issue of “recomposition.”

Machii is eager to share her reflections on the inside of Findhorn Sanctuary, taking us into the planning and poetry behind building an intentional community. From forty pound cabbages, Devas & Elements to co-creation, Machii highlights moments of insight that shine an encouraging light forward in building a community based on love.

We will look at the benefits of reducing, but not eliminating altogether, the amount of water we use in our gardens.  We will also discuss principles and tips for doing this.  In addition, we will look at issues around the use of mulch while considering the FireSmart principles.

The class will offer us an overview of progress being made in green burials, in Kamloops specifically but not exclusively, as well as opening discussion on any of our questions around death and dying, including MAID.

In December of 2011, Greg was invited to join a team traveling to Kenya to help survey 4,000 acres for possible community gardens the following January. This opportunity led to many return trips to Kenya (and one trip to Haiti). Greg will share his experiences traveling with teams from Canada to begin construction of the gardens and to teach skills (such as tree climbing with a harness on a rope and working with a chainsaw) over the many trips that continued this work. Come hear stories of the people he has met and his experiences sharing his skills and knowledge building sustainable agricultural gardens and instructing on the pruning and care of tropical trees that provide food and shade. Working with Mully Children’s Family, an orphanage and vocational school located southeast of Nairobi, his goal is to train an instructor who can take over his job.

In this class, the more uplifting areas of ethical and transformative uses of AI that are emerging, and the factors that shape how they may succeed will be discussed.  Suggestions that were submitted after the last class Shannon taught will be tied in as the basis for this class.