THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2014 ~ 2 P.M.

St. Andrew’s United Church
117 Bloor Street East, Toronto

GUEST SPEAKER: Deirdre Kelly

Columnist, The Globe and Mail

TOPIC: The Earthy Reality Behind the Ethereality: A Backstage History of the Ballerina from the Court of Louis XIV to the Present Day

Deirdre Kelly is the author of Ballerina: Sex, Scandal and Suffering Behind the Symbol of Perfection and her memoir, Paris Times Eight. An internationally recognized dance critic since 1985, she contributes to the International Dictionary of Ballet, Dance Gazette and www.criticsatlarge.ca. Currently the Globe and Mail’s style reporter and interior design columnist, she reports on lifestyle trends in fashion and home decor. Ms. Kelly will share her informed perspective on the ballerina.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014 ~ 2 P.M.

St. Andrew’s United Church
117 Bloor Street East, Toronto

GUEST SPEAKER: Lisa Wolff

Director of Policy and Education, UNICEF Canada

TOPIC: Are we a child-friendly country? Canada in international perspective

Who better to address this issue than Lisa Wolff? She has directed UNICEF’s domestic education and policy programs advancing the rights of Canada’s children for over a decade. As a member of the Advocacy Task Force for UNICEF internationally, Ms. Wolff represented Canada at the Yokohama and Rio Congresses against the Sexual Exploitation of Children. Lisa Wolff is also a Director of PREVNet, the Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children, and the North-South Partnership for First Nations Children.

THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2014 ~ 2 P.M.

St. Andrew’s United Church
117 Bloor Street East, Toronto

GUEST SPEAKER: Lynn Philip Hodgson

Historian

TOPIC: Camp-X

Best selling author and historian, volunteer Lynn Philip Hodgson, has spoken to over 100,000 school children about Camp-X which is still visible on the Whitby-Oshawa border. This paramilitary training institution was cooperatively established in 1941 by the British Security Co-Ordination, headed by Canadian Sir William Stephenson, and the Canadian government. Paramount objectives for the operation included training of Allied agents in sabotage, subversion, deception, intelligence and other “special means”.

THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014 ~ 2 P.M.

St. Andrew’s United Church
117 Bloor Street East, Toronto

GUEST SPEAKER: Paul Zammit

Nancy Eaton Director, Toronto Botanical Garden

TOPIC: Container Gardening: Four Seasons of Interest

From his unique designs at Plant World to his current work at the Toronto Botanical Garden, Mr. Zammit is well qualified to offer strategies for successful container gardening throughout the year. Mr. Zammit’s award-winning container designs have been showcased in such gardening magazines as Canadian Gardening. In 2008, he won first place in the Scotts Miracle-Gro, Do Up the Doorstep container competition at Canada Blooms.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 ~ 2 P.M.

St. Andrew’s United Church
117 Bloor Street East, Toronto

GUEST SPEAKER: Karen Hacker

Senior Vice-President of Human Resources, Volunteers and General Counsel for TORONTO 2015

TOPIC: She will prepare you for the upcoming PanAm Games with her talk, TORONTO2015: The People’s Games.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 ~ 2 P.M.

St. Andrew’s United Church
117 Bloor Street East, Toronto

GUEST SPEAKER: Lorna Marsden

Professor of Sociology and President Emerita, of both York University and Wilfrid Laurier University, former Senator Toronto- Taddle Creek.

TOPIC: As we approach his 200th birthday, it will be instructive as well as entertaining to hear about “Sir John A. Macdonald and the Sad Fate of Votes for Women."

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2014 ~ 2 P.M.

St. Andrew’s United Church
117 Bloor Street East, Toronto

GUEST SPEAKER: Raj Shoan

Commissioner, Ontario, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications

TOPIC: Commission on recent developments including unbundling and spam legislation.