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Past Events (2008/2009)


 
June 2009


Note: Ethics Breakfasts are now on the second Wednesday of each month...
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Ethics for Breakfast presents

Wednesday, June 10, 2009           7:15 - 8:30 am Ethics & the Conservation Economy                   with Ian Gill, President of Ecotrust Canada How can we establish new ethical codes of conduct in our economy and society? Too often, economic development models ignore environmental sustainability and social benefits to communities, particularly First Nations... [Read more]   Join Ian Gill as he discusses ways in our current economic crisis to build an ethical conservation economy based on what people need, and what the environment will sustain.                click here to RSVP   -or-  phone: 604-685-6560 DATE:            Wednesday, June 10th -- 7:15-8:30 am LOCATION:     BC Hydro Building                       333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver                       Check-in at Security Desk - Main floor lobby COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00                       (muffins, tea and coffee included)        click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560   About Our Speaker: Ian Gill is president and founder of Ecotrust Canada in Vancouver, B.C. and a director of Ecotrust in Portland, Ore. These non-profit organizations promote the emergence of a conservation economy in the coastal temperate rainforests of North America. Before creating Ecotrust Canada, Ian spent seven years as a television reporter with the CBC, and seven years as a senior reporter/editor with the Vancouver Sun. He is the author of the best-selling book... [Read more]

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Spirit at Work presents

Thursday, June 18th, 2009             12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Spirituality and Homelessness with Judy Graves, Coordinator, Tenant Assistance Program, City of Vancouver Does your spiritual heart reach out to people of all income levels? Many people view development projects as a valued sign of a city’s progress, revitalization and economic growth. But few consider the impact on the homeless and low-income tenants. Who considers the needs of these urban-dwellers when slick architectural plans are unveiled? And what does a city’s treatment of the homeless reveal about its spiritual health and well-being? Judy Graves has worked for City Hall on behalf of Vancouver’s homeless for 35 years. But she also sees her position as a spiritual calling. Join us to hear a passionate woman who works hard and cares deeply for people 'on the street'... [Read more]                click here to RSVP   -or-  phone: 604.685-6560 DATE:           Thursday, June 18, 2009  –  12:00 - 1:30 pm LOCATION:   Main Floor, Conference Rooms, Terasen Building,                      1111 W. Georgia St. (at Thurlow), Vancouver Cost:             Without lunch: $10                      With lunch:  non-members - $20;  members - $15 Lunch:          Catered sandwiches, salad, tea and coffee                         ____________________________ About Our Speaker: Judy Graves received an honourary Doctorate of Laws from the University of British Columbia in May 2009. This summer, she will act as an expert witness regarding the homeless in a court challenge to the Election Act. In 2008, she received the Reg Robson Award from the BC Civil Liberties Association and an honourary Doctorate of Sacred Letters from Corpus Christi College. She was also the featured speaker (in May 2008) at the national Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast in Ottawa. Judy has coordinated the City of Vancouver's Tenant Assistance Program since 1974... [Read more]               click here to RSVP   or phone: 604-685-6560

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May 2009

Ethics for Breakfast presents

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009           7:15 - 8:30 am Ethics & Leaky Condos     with John Haythorne,  Registered Professional Engineer, Lawyer and Partner, Fraser Milner Casgrain What role does ethics play in the construction and upkeep of our homes? All Vancouverites have witnessed leaky condo developments, their exterior walls or roofs soggy and in repair under plastic tarpaulins. Too many unfortunate residents have suffered financial stress, damages and legal hardships when their own condo unit or building fell victim to leaks. What happens when profits and quick returns for construction and engineering companies override business ethics? What legal steps have condo-dwellers taken when contractors denied responsibility? Join John Haythorne as he shares his stories and experience... [Read more]                click here to RSVP   -or-  phone: 604-685-6560 DATE:            Wednesday, May 13th -- 7:15-8:30 am LOCATION:     BC Hydro Building                       333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver                       Check-in at Security Desk - Main floor lobby COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00                       (muffins, tea and coffee included)      click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560   About Our Speaker: Rated one of the world’s leading lawyers for business, John Haythorne is a registered professional engineer, lawyer and law firm partner who specializes in construction, engineering and infrastructure. After a career in construction litigation, he now advises owners on legal issues relating to design and construction. He has acted for municipal, healthcare authorities and the Province of B.C... [Read more]

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Spirit at Work presents   Thursday, May 21st, 2009       12:00 - 1:30 p.m.     Nature Spirituality in Cascadia: The sacred power of the Pacific Northwest     with Douglas Todd, Editor of Cascadia: The Elusive Utopia and Religion Writer/Blogger for The Vancouver Sun How do you define and nurture your own unique “spirituality of place”? Residents of the Pacific Northwest, from British Columbia to Oregon, savour the region’s remarkable mountains and forests, its rugged beaches and livable cities. But few know that the area, known as “Cascadia” for its cascading waterfalls, is home to the least institutionally religious people on the continent. That doesn’t mean we’re a haven of atheists. Instead, most of the 14 million residents of this untamed territory are often deeply spiritual, gaining their sense of the sacred through the humbling, spectacular presence of nature. Join us as Douglas Todd outlines the types of spiritual practices found in Cascadia, with a particular focus on nature spirituality. He’ll draw on the eclectic views offered in the 2008 book he edited, Cascadia: The Elusive Utopia. It features 15 leading contributors, from noted historian Jean Barman to Canadian poet laureate George Bowering.                                   click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604-685-6560 Date:           Thursday, May 21, 2009  –  12:00 - 1:30 pm Location:    Main Floor, Conference Rooms, Terasen Building,                    1111 W. Georgia St. (at Thurlow), Vancouver Cost:           Without lunch: $10                    With lunch:  non-members - $20;  members - $15 Lunch:        Catered sandwiches, salad, tea and coffee                               __________________________ About our Speaker: Douglas Todd is editor of Cascadia: The Elusive Utopia, published by Ronsdale Press in 2008. He is a blogger and long-time religion and philosophy writer for The Vancouver Sun and other newspapers. He has twice won the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award, which goes to the top spirituality writer in North America’s secular media... [Read more]                click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604-685-6560 back to top

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April 2009

 

Ethics for Breakfast presents

Wednesday, April 8, 2009         7:15 - 8:30 am Ethics & Youth: Strategies to Foster Change            with Ann Naymie, Leadership Development Coordinator,                          School Superintendents Association How can older generations guide the moral compass of today’s youth -- and what can we learn from them?  From combating global warming to the challenges of unemployment and a major recession, today’s young people face overwhelming problems and ethical dilemmas. Some don’t trust those who created these problems. But many hold positive visions of a better world, searching for ways to create and maintain a sustainable future through their values, environment and economy. Join speaker Ann Naymie as she explores: How can ethical leaders of older generations share their wisdom and experience to assist youth with much-needed guidance? What lessons from the past can help inform the future? How can elders connect with young people to support their hopes and dreams... and what can they teach us?                click here to RSVP   or phone: 604-685-6560                              - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DATE:            Wednesday, April 8th -- 7:15-8:30 am LOCATION:     BC Hydro Building                      333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver                      Check-in at Security Desk - Main floor lobby COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00                       (muffins, tea and coffee included)                              - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - About Our Speaker: Ann Naymie administered the Ethics Education Initiative for the BC School Superintendents Association’s (BCSSA). She has also taught ethics courses at the Justice Institute of BC, Royal Roads University, and through the Institute for Global Ethics (Canada). As BCSSA’s Coordinator for Leadership Development, Ann designed, managed and implemented educational programs, including online training for prospective superintendents and a leadership program for First Nations educators. She also co-designed a program to facilitate meaningful parent-teacher dialogue for the School Leadership Centre at UBC which was piloted in several elementary and secondary schools in BC. Ann also co-teaches mentoring for the Justice Institute of B.C., and gives film courses at the Vancouver Film School and Emily Carr University of Art & Design.                 click here to RSVP   or phone: 604-685-6560

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Spirit at Work presents   Thursday, April 16th, 2009           12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Spirit on Stage: Humour and Disability with David Roche, Stand-up Comedian, Inspirational Humourist, and Author of The Church of 80% Sincerity: “the church of choice for recovering perfectionists.” How can we make our shadow side...                                     ...a gift to ourselves and others? Born with a severe facial disfigurement, he endured many surgeries and heavy radiation therapy as an infant and child. He’s had people spit on him and call him a monster. He was even rejected from a seminary because his appearance would "bring him disrespect as a priest," he was told. Yet inspirational humourist David Roche, author and international speaker, has transformed his disability into a source of compelling spiritual growth and positive motivation for others. He says: “My face is a gift, because... [Read more]                                   click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604.685-6560 DATE:           Thursday, April 16, 2009  –  12:00 - 1:30 pm LOCATION:   Main Floor, Conference Rooms, Terasen Building,                      1111 W. Georgia St. (at Thurlow), Vancouver Cost:             Without lunch: $10                      With lunch:  non-members - $20;  members - $15 Lunch:          Catered sandwiches, salad, tea and coffee                               __________________________ About our Speaker: David Roche is a stand-up comedian, author and international motivational speaker. He performed his signature one-man show, "The Church of 80% Sincerity," at the Clinton White House, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC and the Olympics Arts Festival in Sydney, Australia. He has also headlined across the U.S., Canada, England, New Zealand, Australia and Russia, and garnered media attention around the globe, including a profile by Paula Zahn on CNN. [Read more] “In laughing at himself, David Roche tricks us into laughing at ourselves, and thus disarmed, we dare to challenge our fears and assumptions.”     -- Bonnie Sherr Klein, Award-winning Documentary Filmmaker and Author                click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604.685-6560 back to top

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March 2009

 

Ethics for Breakfast presents

20th Anniversary Event Wednesday, March 11th, 2008             7:15 - 8:30 am  20 Years   of Ethics:     How have things  changed?                     with Terry Anderson and Conrad Guelke,                two of the pioneers of the "Ethics for Breakfast" program,                              and moderator Brian Fraser                                  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Do your ethical standards stay the same at home and at work, regardless of the issue?  As children, many of us learned that "white lies" are okay. In recent years, we’ve seen corporate fraud and corruption (from Enron to mortgage lenders) taint the practice of business ethics at the highest levels. Has our notion of ethics, both at the individual and societal level, grown too malleable in the last few decades? Is ethics now a one-size-fits-all approach? Are we more -or- less ethical in business than we were in the 1980s? Twenty years ago, the Workplace Ministry Society and the Vancouver School of Theology launched "Ethics for Breakfast," a series on ethical issues designed for the downtown business community. Our speakers today helped pioneer that program. Join panelists Terry Anderson and Conrad Guelke, with moderator Brian Fraser, as they explore how ethics have changed in the past 20 years.                click here to RSVP   or phone: 604-685-6560                              - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DATE:            Wednesday, March 11th -- 7:15-8:30 am LOCATION:     BC Hydro Building                      333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver                      Check-in at Security Desk - Main floor lobby COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00                       (muffins, tea and coffee included)                              - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - About Our Speakers: Terry Anderson is an emeritus professor from the Vancouver School of Theology where his academic specialty was ethics. Currently, he is ethics consultant to the Tataskweyak Cree Nation in Manitoba on hydro development and serves on the Richmond Hospital Ethics Committee and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority Ethics Committee... [Read more]. Conrad Guelke, P. Eng., is principal of CSP Enterprises, a consulting business with a focus on strategy, planning and communications. He is a director of the Pacific Energy Innovation Association (PEIA) and a member of the Council of Elders of the David Suzuki Foundation. He has organized the Workplace Centre’s Ethics for Breakfast program since its inception in 1989... [Read more]. Moderator Brian Fraser is the Lead Provocateur of Jazzthink. He does professional speaking, consulting and executive coaching aimed at helping people and organizations achieve exceptional performance. Prior to launching Jazzthink, Brian served 16 years as Dean of St. Andrew’s Hall and Professor of History at Vancouver School of Theology... [Read more].                 click here to RSVP   or phone: 604-685-6560

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Spirit at Work presents 20th Anniversary Event        Thursday, March 19th, 2009           12:00-1:30pm     20 Years of Spirit at Work:   How have things changed?    with Harlene Walker, Founder,                            Jim Evans, Long-Term Chair and                           Gloria McArter, Ph.D., Board Member                                   (with moderator Brian Fraser) How do you nurture your soul while at work? Massive corporate layoffs. Widespread firing of employees. Executives blamed for organizational upheaval. In response to these events 20 years ago, visionary Harlene Walker offered a spiritual salve to Vancouver’s downtown business community: the Workplace Ministry Society. Over the past two decades, the Workplace Centre for Spiritual and Ethical Development (as it's now called) has hosted the monthly events Ethics for Breakfast and Spirit-at-Work luncheons, and co-founded the Ethics in Action Awards. This month, Founder Harlene and Chair Jim Evans will reflect on how public attitudes towards spirit in the workplace have changed over the last 20 years and the Centre's contribution to this. Gloria McArter will share how Board members are now more fully expressing and experiencing "spirit at the table" -- and thereby growing this energy with attendees, prospective members and the larger community. Brian Fraser will chair this lively panel discussion. [Read more]              click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604-685-6560 DATE:           Thursday, March 19, 2009  –  12:00 - 1:30 pm LOCATION:   Main Floor, Conference Rooms, Terasen Building,                      1111 W. Georgia St. (at Thurlow), Vancouver Cost:             Without lunch: $10                      With lunch:  non-members - $20;  members - $15 Lunch:          Catered sandwiches, salad, tea and coffee                               __________________________ About our Speakers: Harlene Walker is an ordained Minister of the United Church of Canada who practiced seeing "old truths in new ways." She is Founder of the Workplace Ministry Society, now the Workplace Centre for Spiritual and Ethical Development. Retired and living in Whistler, she has fostered an ecumenically shared ministry and a multi-faith partnership in this B.C. tourist resort... [Read more] Jim Evans is a Life Insurance Agent and Financial Planner who graduated from UBC with a bachelor of commerce degree. He was elected Treasurer of the Workplace Centre in 1995, becoming Chair in 1996. While Chair of the United Church’s Vancouver South Presbytery, he took part in Harlene Walker’s ordination. A Director of the Rotary Club of Vancouver... [Read more]. Gloria McArter, Ph.D. is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who works with individuals, couples, families, and workplaces issues in private practice in New Westminster, BC. She has almost 30 years’ experience as a trainer in human relations and communications. As a workshop leader and public speaker, Gloria focuses on the positive relationships between spirituality and mental, physical, and workplace wellness. She is a Board member of the Workplace Centre... [Read more] Moderator Brian Fraser is the Lead Provocateur of Jazzthink.  He does professional speaking, consulting, and executive coaching aimed at helping people and organizations achieve exceptional performance. Prior to launching Jazzthink, Brian served 16 years as Dean of St. Andrew’s Hall and Professor of History at Vancouver School of Theology.                                       click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604.685-6560 back to top

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February 2009


In celebration of the Olympic spirit, and the athletes who will compete
at the 2010 Olympic/Paralympic Games, one year from now...
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Spirit at Work presents

Thursday, February 19th, 2009               12:00 - 1:30pm   With Glowing Hearts: The Power of Purpose with Andrea Holmes, Summer & Winter Paralympic Athlete and Para-Pan Am Games medal winner Have you ever taken time to consider what you really want? In a world that is so busy and so full of instant gratification, we sometimes forget that it is okay to slow things down, look into the future, figure out what we really want, and set out to achieve it. That's what Andrea Holmes did. Born without her lower left leg, she was inspired by a one-legged athlete at the Salt Lake City Paralympic Games– and set her sights on competing at the Athens Games in 2004. Join us as Andrea shares her story and leads us in an exploration of purpose, focus, inner balance and outer performance. Balancing my heart and my mind, I believe, is one of my strengths and keys to success as an athlete, and a member of society. Being an athlete has also given me some great skills that I am able to translate into life outside of sport.                                       - Andrea Holmes                                           - - - - - - - - -              click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604.685-6560 Date:            Thursday, February 19, 2009 -- 12:00 - 1:30 pm Location:      Main Floor, Conference Rooms, Terasen Building,                      1111 W. Georgia St. (at Thurlow), Vancouver Cost:             Without lunch: $10                      With lunch:  non-members - $20;  members - $15 Lunch:          Catered sandwiches, salad, tea and coffee                               __________________________ About Our Speaker: West Vancouver resident Andrea Holmes was born without her lower left leg. Despite that, she became active in sports as a youth. But as she grew up, she found fewer and fewer opportunities to participate and lost the confidence that came from playing in sports. Inspired by a one-legged skier to compete at the Athens Paralympic Games in 2004, Andrea had to overcome many challenges – including finding a coach, changing sports and qualifying... [Read more] "Best Advice I've Ever Received" Driving with her father to the airport one day, Andrea said, "Dad, you better hug me because the next time you see me my life could be totally different." And he said to her, "Awesome. Go and change your life. You only get one chance at it, and you should make it how you want it to be."                click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604-685-6560 back to top

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Note: Ethics Breakfasts are now on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.
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Ethics for Breakfast presents

Wednesday, Feb. 11th, 2008             7:15 - 8:30 am Obama, Ethics and the Environment with Bob Worcester, Psychologist and Instructor (Ret.), Langara College, and President, Multi-Faith Action Society Can we move beyond self interest  -to-  what's good for all human beings, and the planet as a whole? In his inaugural address, President Barack Obama made reference to the biblical passage in Corinthians: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but now it is time to put away childish things." His politics also represents an emergence of the civil society model ("it takes a village to raise a child") and beyond the individualist-nationalist-free enterprise approach of George Bush. So what might ethical and environmental "maturity" look like? And how will this shift to civil society values change the way we deal with the environmental and ethical dilemmas that face us? Join us as Bob Worcester explores some of these dilemmas – from choosing among nuclear power, biofuels, wind/solar energy...  [Read more]             click here to RSVP   or phone: 604-685-6560 DATE:            Wednesday, February 11th -- 7:15-8:30 am LOCATION:     BC Hydro Building                      333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver                      Check-in at Security Desk - Main floor lobby COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00                       (muffins, tea and coffee included) About Our Speaker: Bob Worcester has an MA in Psychology and was an instructor in Psychology at Langara Community College for the past 35 years. A long-time member of Christ Church Cathedral (Anglican), he is the Chair of the Anglican Environmental Taskforce of the Diocese of New Westminster – and President of the Multi-faith Action Society, which sponsored the 2008 "Faith and the Environment" conference. ...[Read more]                 click here to RSVP   or phone: 604-685-6560