Speakers 2024-2025

Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 10:30 am
UBC Cecil Green Park House
Speaker: Ann Kumpula, Bachelor of Business Administration, Chartered Professional Accountant, experience in various industries and capacities ranging from Financial Controller to Credit Manager
Topic: Fraud protection

Bio: Ann Kumpula has been a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC since 1988. She has a Bachelor of Business Administration from SFU; articled with Coopers & Lybrand in Vancouver. Ann is currently retired after working in a variety of industries; capacities ranging from Credit Manager to Financial Controller; enjoys presenting seminars on financial-related topics.

 

 

 

 

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November 12, 2024, 10:30 am
UBC Cecil Green Park House
Speaker: Michael Kluckner, Artist/illustrator, author, heritage activist
Topic: Surviving Vancouver

Bio: Michael Kluckner is an author and artist/illustrator best-known for his books on Vancouver and BC history and his advocacy, in books including the 1990 Vanishing Vancouver, for the preservation of historic neighbourhoods and their buildings. He has also written humorous memoirs of life on a sheep farm, travel books, and graphic novels including Toshiko, a story of the Japanese-Canadian internment during the Second World War. His most recent book, Surviving Vancouver, explores “surviving” as an adjective – what are the surviving neighbourhoods of the city? – as well as “surviving” as a verb, how people are surviving in this city of besieged tenants and huge gaps between the rich and the poor. He lives in Grandview with his wife Christine Allen, an author in her own right including A Year at Killara Farm, which Michael illustrated.

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February 11, 2025, 10:30 am (via Zoom)
Speaker: Dr. Melissa Lem, Vancouver Family Physician; President Canadian Physicians for the Environment; Director PaRx; CBC radio, CTV contributor; Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC Faculty of Medicine.
Topic: Prescribing Nature for Personal and Planetary Health

Bio: Dr. Melissa Lem is a Vancouver family physician who also works in rural and northern communities within Canada. Director of PaRx, Canada’s national nature prescription program powered by the BC Parks Foundation, and President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, she is an internationally recognized leader in the field of nature and health.

As a widely published writer, climate change panellist on CBC Radio’s Early Edition, in-house medical columnist for CBC TV Vancouver, and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia, one of her major priorities is knowledge translation. She is currently a co-investigator and advisor on two international nature prescription research projects (PANDA and RESONATE) with total funding of $10M+.

Dr. Lem was the inaugural winner of University College’s Young Alumni of Influence Award at the University of Toronto, recipient of a 2024 YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Environmental Sustainability and 2022 Adult Nature Inspiration Award from the Canadian Museum of Nature, and sits on the Advisory Committee of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas Health and Wellbeing Specialist Group.

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March 11, 2025, 10:30 am
Speaker: Corina Stainsby, Seniors Real Estate Specialist; Accredited Seniors Agent
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Linda Chu, Professional Organizers Canada; Founder of ‘Out of Chaos’
Topic: Downsizing, Organizing and Aging in Place.

Bio: Corina Stainsby, founder of Heart and Home is a professional consultant on aging and combines her healthcare experience and real estate expertise to support seniors in their later years. Using her background as an Occupational Therapist and certification as a Lifestyle 55+ Master Realtor® , Corina specializes in downsizing, age-in-place strategies and personalized real estate solutions.

At Heart and Home, Corina Stainsby provides her clients with a team of compassionate and experienced professionals, committed to helping seniors maintain their independence, well being and quality of life.

Corina Stainsby understands the challenges of later in life transitions and is here to provide her clients with resources and guidance. Her mission is to empower older adults to be able to make informed decisions as they age, and to find and create homes where they can settle down, thrive, and love where they live.

Bio: Linda Chu is a seasoned professional organizer and move manager with a passion for bringing order to chaos. With over two decades of experience in the industry, Linda has honed her skills in decluttering, organizing, and facilitating smooth relocations for her clients. As a move manager, the team at Out of Chaos excels in coordinating every aspect of a move, from packing and logistics to unpacking and setup, ensuring a seamless transaction for her clients.

She understands first-hand how difficult it is for homeowners who are downsizing to deal with all the overflow of possessions in your home. Her presentation today will explore the options that are available when “Your Kids Don’t Want Your Stuff.”