Mitchell Marcus “City Building Through Creativity: the Redevelopment of the Downsview Airport Lands” (Spring Talk #5 Summary)

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Our last Spring Talk for the season had Mitchell Marcus talking about how to be creative with one of the largest underused open spaces in the city, indeed in any city in North America. At first, Mitchell gave us some of his own artistic background in theatre to tell us how he came to be working for a developer, Northview Developments. He is the founding director of The Musical Stage Company, which has produced several original musicals. However, his wise mother encouraged him to have a plan B: he started a business degree, didn`t like it at first, but after many years in the creative arts he was looking for more avenues in which to be creative. The opportunity came when he was offered the position of Executive Director of site activation and programming for the Downsview Airport Lands redevelopment project.

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Academy AGM – June 2, 2023

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The Academy AGM is scheduled on June 2, 2023 at 10:00 am at Tartu. Coffee and treats will be served. Don’t forget to register! REGISTER FOR THE AGM >

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Reminder – JOIN / RENEW and Register for Workshops

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Registration for Academy workshops is now available.  JOIN / RENEW and then choose your workshops. Be sure to do so before randomization on June 15. For questions or changes, email registerattheacademy@gmail.com. JOIN / RENEW >

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Join us for Spring and Summer Walks!

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We have added walks from May to August. Join fellow Academy members to explore interesting locations around Toronto! Check the Upcoming Walks page for full details >

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Andrew Kirsch: “Discussion with a Spy: What CSIS is, What it does, and Why It’s Important to Know More About It” (Spring Talk #4 Summary)

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How does spying happen in Canada, and should we be worried about it? Andrew Kirsch’s Spring Talk was an interesting presentation of what has become a currently topical issue in Canada. He is a former Canadian intelligence officer, now working as a consultant in cybersecurity with Kirsch Consulting Group. His intention in the talk was to illuminate what our Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) does, the threats and challenges to come, and how we can better protect ourselves and our country.

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Dr. Jean Marmoreo – “MAiD: Where We Have Come, Where We Are Going” (Spring Talk #3 Summary)

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A well-attended Academy Spring Talk at Innes College featured Dr. Jean Marmoreo, a Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) assessor and provider since the enactment of Bill C-14 in 2016. Dr. Jean has been a family doctor for over 46 years, with an eclectic resume ranging from academic and author to trekker and marathon runner. She offered a comprehensive and thought-provoking examination of “the journey so far and the road ahead” in MAiD in Canada. Her presentation used beautiful visuals of vast and remote regions of Canada as a metaphor for the journey that the medical community and MAiD patients have followed in the last several years.

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The Honourable David Crombie – “Why the Upcoming Mayoral Race Matters” (Spring Talk # 2 Summary)

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Throughout his excellent talk David stressed the importance of the up-coming byelection for Mayor of Toronto. He said that people know about the services that the city provides but that we tend to take them for granted. They include such necessary services as Education, Public Health, Libraries, Child Care, Garbage Collection, Safe Water, The TTC, Emergency Services, Long term Care and Entertainment.

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Registration for 2023/24 Workshops Is Open!

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Registration for 2023 / 24 Workshops is now open. Click the Join / Renew button at the top of our website to renew or join the Academy and then you will be able to select your preferred workshops / courses. Note that it is NOT first come, first serve. You have an equal chance of getting into a workshop until we do Randomization in early June (date TBD). Check out our Workshops Page for a list of the workshops the Academy is offering for the coming year.

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