Speakers
Speaker | Date | Topic |
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Maureen Gordon / Katherine McRae | Jul 16, 2025 |
Hey, Neighbour: Behind the popular BC bear viewing industry’s heartful outreach campaign to American
![]() Maureen Gordon Katherine McRae .Katherine MacRae is the Executive Director of the Commercial Bear Viewing Association of British Columbia (CBVA), where she leads industry-wide efforts to promote sustainable wildlife tourism, protect bear habitats, and ensure the long-term viability of bear viewing in the province. Representing 26 operators and more than 1,000 trained guides, Katherine works closely with government, Indigenous communities, and conservation partners to set high standards for safety, stewardship, and education in bear viewing. Her leadership has helped position the CBVA as a model for responsible wildlife tourism in Canada and beyond. With over twenty years of experience in the tourism sector, Katherine’s career has taken her from dive instruction in the Caribbean to managing remote wilderness lodges in British Columbia. Her passion for sustainable tourism led her to complete a Master of Arts in Tourism Management at Royal Roads University, where she received the Founders’ Award for Leadership and the Tourism Industry Partnership Award. Katherine is also Co-Vice Chair of the Adventure Tourism Coalition and the President of the Wilderness Tourism Association. In recognition of her contributions to Canada’s tourism industry and conservation efforts, she was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal. |
Rotary Breakfast Networking Meeting | Jul 23, 2025 |
Meet, Mingle, Lead
Rotary Breakfast Meeting – Meet, Mingle, Lead Looking to grow your network, learn from experienced leaders, and connect with like-minded changemakers in Victoria? Join us for a Rotary Breakfast Networking Meeting—a welcoming, low-pressure space to meet professionals across sectors, build meaningful connections, and learn how Harbourside Rotary supports leadership, service, and personal growth. Whether you're new to the city, building your business/career, or curious about community impact, this is a chance to expand your network and explore what Rotary can offer |
No Breakfast Meeting, Instead, Evening Event. | Jul 30, 2025 |
Rotary Happy Hour Social – Connect, Unwind, Get Inspired
![]() Looking to meet new people, share ideas, and grow your network? Join us for an after-work Happy Hour Social designed for young professionals, students, creatives, entrepreneurs, and community-minded folks who want to connect in a relaxed, welcoming environment. This is your chance to mingle with Rotarians and community leaders, learn about mentorship, leadership and service opportunities, and discover how Rotary is evolving to support the next generation of changemakers.
💡 What to Expect:
Date: July 30 2025 Time: 5:30–7:30 PM Location: 5th St Bar & Grill, 1028 Hillside Ave, Victoria, BC |
TBA | Aug 06, 2025 |
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Julian Daly | Aug 13, 2025 |
Moving from despair to hope – the homeless and addiction journey we need to make in Victoria.
![]() Julian Daly - Born in Ireland, Julian has over 35 years experience working in non-profit, government and private sectors in Canada, the UK, Indonesia and his country of birth. The vast majority of his working life has been spent at the margins of society -- in particular in the inner city communities of London, UK, and Edmonton, Alberta -- seeking to achieve some degree of social justice for those served through a combination of practical, needs-based programming and advocacy. He has been a frontline worker and a manager in a wide range of programs and projects over the years, which have included housing, poverty reduction, community engagement, HIV/AIDS, harm reduction, the differently abled, employment, youth services, social enterprises, health, education, and children and family services.
"Moving from despair to hope – the homeless and addiction journey we need to make in Victoria. It's a journey that demands more than emergency responses—it requires long-term, compassionate solutions that restore dignity and build resilience. At Our Place, we're seeing every day what’s possible when people are given the structure, support, and belief they need to rebuild their lives. This is a community challenge—and a community opportunity." |
TBA | Aug 20, 2025 |
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Don Juzwishin | Aug 27, 2025 |
“Aging Smart: Crossing the Digital Divide Before We Fall In”
![]() Canada is aging fast, but our digital systems are not keeping up. This talk explores how digital technologies—from wearables to remote monitoring—can help older adults live with dignity, independence, and better health outcomes. But to make this promise real, we must bridge the design, access, and trust gaps that keep too many seniors on the wrong side of the digital chasm. Don brings over 40 years of experience in health care administration, research, and education with a focus on the effective integration of science and values to shape health policy, drive health care reform, and advance health informatics. He serves as an adjunct professor at the Universities of Victoria, Alberta, and Calgary, and is the Editor-in-Chief of Healthcare Management Forum. Don is also a challenge lead for AGE-WELL, Canada’s technology and aging network, a member of the CIHR Institute of Aging Regional Council and Board member of the Health Data Research Network. He is the co-author of A History of Public Health in Alberta, 1919–2019 and AgeTech Innovations in Healthcare for Older Adults due to be released in July 2025. Retired on Vancouver Island he takes long walks on fields of green with a stick hitting a tiny ball. |
Paul Latour | Sep 03, 2025 |
The power of business combined with social impact on those rebuilding their lives after recovery
![]() Paul will focus on social enterprises, how meaningful work empowers healthy people coming out of recovery, impacting homelessness and addiction; the power of business combined with social impact; and what that all looks like when in action. Paul will discuss how Your Place fits within Our Place’s broader Healing Pathway, providing the final step: meaningful, living-wage employment for individuals rebuilding their lives after recovery. Our first enterprise, a professional landscaping company, is already delivering top-tier services across Greater Victoria — while changing lives in the process. It’s a story of hope, purpose, and second chances |
TBA | Sep 10, 2025 |
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TBA | Sep 17, 2025 |
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TBA | Sep 24, 2025 |
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TBA | Oct 01, 2025 |
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TBA | Oct 08, 2025 |
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Mayor Marianne Alto | Oct 15, 2025 |
![]() Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto is a facilitator by trade with university degrees in law and science. A businesswoman active in community causes for decades, Marianne was first elected to Victoria City Council in 2010, and elected as Mayor in 2022. Mayor Alto is the co-chair of the BC Urban Mayors’ Caucus, and is a board member on the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board, BC Transit, the Victoria Reginal Transit Commission, the CRD, and many CRD committees. An advocate for equity, inclusion, and fairness, Mayor Alto’s work this term has centered around community safety and wellbeing, reconciliation, sustainable cities, housing, governance, and relationship building. |
TBA | Oct 22, 2025 |
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TBA | Oct 29, 2025 |
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TBA | Nov 05, 2025 |
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TBA | Nov 12, 2025 |
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TBA | Nov 19, 2025 |
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TBA | Nov 26, 2025 |
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TBA | Dec 03, 2025 |
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TBA | Dec 10, 2025 |
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TBA | Dec 17, 2025 |
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TBA | Dec 24, 2025 |
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TBA | Dec 31, 2025 |
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TBA | Jan 07, 2026 |
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