City announces Kingston Climate Change Symposium 2022 speaker line-up
Early in the new year, the City of Kingston and Sustainable Kingston invite area residents to hear from an all-star line-up of speakers at the free, virtual 2022 Kingston Climate Change Symposium.
“Each year, we strive to bring diverse voices together to inform and inspire our community to take climate action. This year, we are overjoyed to announce that Sheila Watt-Cloutier will deliver the keynote address,” said Geoff Hendry, Manager of Communications and Business Development at Sustainable Kingston.
Watt-Cloutier is well known around the world for her work highlighting the impacts of climate change, specifically on Canada’s North, according to a release from the City. She has been recognized for her advocacy work with a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, Officer of the Order of Canada, and is the recipient of the Aboriginal Achievement Award and the UN Champion of the Earth Award. She is also the author of The Right to be Cold: One Woman’s story of protecting her culture, the arctic and the whole planet.
On Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022, Watt-Clouthier will speak to symposium attendees, leaving them feeling connected, inspired and ready to take action, according to the release, alongside two other confirmed speakers:
- Ali Hassan – A well-known CBC broadcaster, Hassan will be the symposium’s emcee. He has hosted such programs as CBC’s Laugh out Loud, q, As it Happens, and the always-popular Canada Reads.
- Johanna Wagstaffe – In 2021, one of the most unforgettable and devastating impacts of climate change occurred in British Columbia, where forest fires threatened public health and homes. Wagstaffe covered these fires as a meteorologist and science reporter for CBC News Network and will also share her experiences at the symposium.
More speakers will be announced closer to the event date, according to the release.
To ensure everyone who wants to attend this event has a spot, the City and Sustainable Kingston have teamed up to make this a free event for the second year in a row. In lieu of payment, attendees are asked to donate to the Kingston Community Climate Action Fund, if they are able to do so. The Kingston Community Climate Action Fund helps local non-profits and charities realize projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Climate change is a community issue that requires a community response,” said Hendry.
To attend the event, RSVP now: https://www.sustainablekingston.com/2022-climate-change-symposium. Tickets are limited. If the Zoom event is full, overflow participants will be able to livestream the event from home, work or school on the City of Kingston’s YouTube channel.
“At Sustainable Kingston, we’re often asked by residents, ‘what can I do?’ Being informed and being engaged in events and conversations like the one we’ll have on January 13th is a great place to start,” said Hendry. “Please, come and be inspired!”