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Western Canada Addiction Forum

Coming Together.

Building Connections.

Challenging our Differences.

A big thank you from all of us at WCAF for the success of our 2023 event. Save the date for our 2024 forum May 31-June 1.

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Delta Grand Okanagan

1310 Water St, Kelowna, BC

Immerse yourself in a lakeside ambiance at Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort. Set on Okanagan Lake and surrounded by picturesque mountains, their urban resort offers stylish hotel rooms and suites with deluxe amenities.

Experience the Delta Hotels by Marriott Grand Okanagan Resort at our event, May 26-27, 2023.

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20

Speakers

14

Sessions

2023 Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Nady el-Guebaly

​Dr. el-Guebaly has selected The Impact Society, in Calgary, as the organization to receive his $2,500 prize donation from WCAF.

Over Dr. Nady el-Guebaly’s 50 years of excellence in addiction and mental health treatment, he has championed the need for evidence to guide addiction practice where his influential research has spanned all types of addiction addressing diverse areas from the adult children of people with alcohol addiction to psychiatric comorbidity in addiction to gambling disorder. Throughout he has taken on leadership roles and been a founding member of the major national and international addiction societies. Dr el-Guebaly’s internationally recognized and pioneering research, teaching, and advocacy has helped take addiction from a field where it was struggling to be recognized for legitimacy to where it is the robust and specialized field of today. Dr. el-Guebaly was awarded the Order of Canada in 2017. When presenting him the award, The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, cited Dr. el-Guebaly “for his leadership on addictions research and treatment, particularly for his efforts to have addictions treated as a mental health issue.” Dr. el-Guebaly is a founding member and consulting psychiatrist at the Addiction Centre in Calgary and is internationally recognized within the field of addiction medicine. He has been instrumental in the creation of a variety of professional societies, academic journals and treatment programs that advance the quality of addiction services globally. His clinical expertise and ability to connect with patients, making them feel seen, heard and valued combined with the extensive contributions to our field all contribute to why the WCAF chose Dr. el-Guebaly as the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

2023 Early Career Leadership Award

Dr. Martha Ignaszewski

Dr. Ignaszewski has selected Watari Counselling and Support Services in Vancouver, as the organization to receive her $2,500 prize donation from WCAF.

Dr. Ignaszewski is a Harvard and UCSF trained child, adolescent, adult and addiction psychiatrist who moved back to Vancouver following completion of her Fellowship in Addiction Psychiatry less than three years ago. Since then, she has embraced her roles as Education Lead for the Vancouver General Hospital’s Complex Pain and Addiction Service and as Director of Fellowships & Off-Service Postgrad Education for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at BC Children’s Hospital. Additionally, she has demonstrated outstanding leadership in her Clinical Lead position with the Substance Use Response and Facilitation (SURF) team at BC Children’s and Women’s Hospitals, where she has implemented a new inter-disciplinary consult service responding to the complex needs of children and youth and families presenting to the hospital. Her clinical expertise in concurrent disorders and OUD management, impressive interpersonal, teaching and mentoring skills, and passion for her work in responding to the overdose crisis all contribute to her being the applauded recipient of this year’s award.

2023 Effectuating Change in the Field Award

Dr. Julie Samson and Dr. Louisa Marion-Bellemare from Timmins, Ontario. 

Drs. Samson and Marion-Bellemare have selected the Timmins and District Hospital Foundation Withdrawal Management Program to receive their $10,000 prize from WCAF.

Innovation is at the core of OUD care and Addiction Medicine and is captured in research and policy. An aim to inspire and support the growth of a more relevant, responsive and effective national development through innovation can create a world free of stigma.  As such, WCAF would like to celebrate and recognize a Canadian  individual(s) or organization that is doing impactful and innovative work. Dr. Samson and Dr. Marion-Bellemare work in the Emergency department in Timmins, Ontario and saw firsthand how prevalent the opioid crisis was in their community. Based on their experience with patients, they knew things had to change and that people could not continue to die in their city. They decided to take action! Both doctors have spent many hours engaging with the community, they: - Were instrumental in the establishment of a medical withdrawal management unit at Timmins and District Hospital as well as an addiction medicine consult team. - Established a primary care clinic at, the homeless shelter, Living Space to help alleviate the pressure on the emergency department. - Started virtual clinics for substance use disorders in the northern Ontario James Bay coastal communities of Attawapiskat and Kashechewan. - Provided education to physicians in the community, hospital, and region to improve their knowledge and feel more comfortable treating patients with buprenorphine/naloxone for opioid use disorder. - Presented to City of Timmins council on several occasions, to bring awareness about the crisis facing their community and asking for support for their efforts. - Were key players in the organization of the Safe Consumption site (Safe Health Site Timmins) in their community which opened in 2022. - Have been actively involved in educating other communities across our country regarding their innovative approach for treating patients with opiate use disorder and creating change at a hospital and community level. These two doctors are an inspiration. Their passion, hard work and drive to create the change needed to support those experiencing opioid use disorder is truly inspirational and worthy of this year’s Effectuating Change award.

We acknowledge and thank Indivior Canada for the sponsorship that has supported the Western Canada Addiction Forum to be able to provide the three awards related to Innovation in Opioid Use Disorder Care and recognizing excellence in our field.

In 2024, we will be implementing a nomination process where our partners in the community will be able to participate and submit your nominations!

2023 Innovation in Opioid Use Disorder Care Awards

Our 2023 Distinguished Speakers

Dr. Charissa Patricelli

MD CCFP(AM) FCFP dipABAM FASAM

A family physician with a Fellowship in Addiction Medicine. She is the Director of Perinatal Addictions at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre and Medical Director of the Families in Recovery (FIR) program. FIR is a leader in providing obstetrical, medical, harm reduction, stabilization and recovery oriented care for pregnant and newly delivered women in a mother baby dyad togetherness model. Dr. Patricelli has been a leader in the development and integration of the FIR research program, and an enhanced model of care for mothers and newborns impacted by substance use disorder. She is passionate about learning together with interprofessional teams and enhancing our healthcare system to deliver patient and family centred compassionate care.

Keith King

MPH, RN, CPSO

Keith King (He/They) is a Michif Ayahkwew (Two Spirit) from Notikewin, Alberta in Treaty 8 territory. They are currently living in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta) where they are enrolled in the PhD program with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. Here, they are working with the Metis Nation of Alberta to explore HPV-related cancer prevention across the homeland. They are also an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta, and a sessional instructor at MacEwan University. Keith an oskapiew to Dr. Elder Grandmother Doreen Spence, from Saddle Lake Cree Nation, a member of Lii Taab Otapisimiwak, and works closely with the Health Department at the Metis Nation of Alberta. Keith also volunteers with a number of communities including the Metis Nation of Alberta, Metis Nation of Ontario, the Manitoba Metis Federation, the Edmonton 2Spirit Society, and various charities. Keith is a former board director of the Pain Society of Alberta, and a co-founder of the Alberta Pain Strategy, inviting diverse community voices to the field of pain, and a trauma-informed, recovery-oriented perspective in his work.

Keir Macdonald

LLB, BA, MBA

Keir is the Chief Executive Officer of Coast Mental Health, a multi-service agency dedicated to providing support, advocacy and promoting the recovery of people with mental illness. Keir previously held the role of Chief Executive Officer with Phoenix Society which is recognized as an organization that operates one of the largest recovery communities in Canada. The organization co-locates bed based substance use treatment, housing, employment and education services all on one campus of care. Prior to joining the Phoenix Society, Keir worked for several years with Lookout Housing & Health Society, where he held the positions of Deputy Executive Director and later Chief Operating Officer. In this role he guided Lookout’s operations through the onset of British Columbia’s public health emergency in 2016, rapidly scaling up harm reduction interventions in Vancouver, Surrey and Victoria. Keir was born in Canberra, Australia and is a graduate of the Australian National University where he holds a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws and a Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice. More recently, Keir completed his MBA at the Simon Fraser University and the Advanced Health Leadership Program with the Rotman School of Business in Toronto. He is a purpose-driven and entrepreneurial senior executive with extensive progressive leadership with a specific focus on homelessness services, housing and health programs. Keir is most passionate about working to develop services for people facing barriers related to substance use, mental health and poverty.

Dr. David Crockford

MD, FRCPC, DABPN, CCSAM, DLFAPA, DFCPA

A Clinical Professor with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Calgary. He is a consulting psychiatrist to the Foothills Medical Centre Addiction Program, Early Psychosis Intervention Program, and Adult Psychosis Program, treating patients with concurrent disorders. He is certified in Addiction Medicine by the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine, is on their board of directors and is Deputy Editor of the Canadian Journal of Addiction. His published work focuses on education in addiction, gambling disorder, functional brain neuroimaging, and concurrent psychiatric and substance use disorders. He is the past Chair of the Addictions Section for the Canadian Psychiatric Association as well as prior International Area Director and International Member-at-Large for the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. He is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and Distinguished Fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Julius Elefante

BSN, MD, FRCPC

A psychiatrist and a Clinical Assistant Professor with the University of British Columbia, completed his medical degree and residency in psychiatry at UBC, an addiction medicine fellowship through Saint Paul’s Hospital, and a postdoctoral research fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. He currently works at Saint Paul’s Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital in the areas of consultation-liaison, acute, concurrent disorders, and general adult psychiatry. Before medicine, he worked as a registered nurse for several years.

Dr. Robert Fox

MD CCFP FCFP (C)ISAM (C)AAMRO

Dr. Fox is a family physician and addiction medicine specialist in a rural indigenous community. He understands the challenges of integrating addictions into primary care. He enjoys learning about other’s solutions and sharing his own. He completed his MD at the University of Alberta and Family Medicine residency at Queen’s University. After thirteen years in practice he took a sabbatical year to complete the St. Paul’s Hospital Addiction Medicine Fellowship. He is passionate about integrating addictions care into his Family Practice. He also provided addictions consultations for Fraser Health’s Riverstone outpatient addictions clinic for three years. He is now the consulting primary care and addictions specialist at A’yelexw Centre for Hope and Healing, an adult treatment centre on Seabird Island First Nation and at Traverse, a youth treatment in Chilliwack. He has also hosted the BCCSU “Addiction Medicine Podcast” and served on the working committee to develop British Columbia’s High Risk Drinking and Alcohol Use Disorder Guidelines.

Dr. Philip Tibbo

B.Sc. (Hons) 

Dr. Tibbo received his B.Sc. (Hons) from Mount Alison University in Sackville, NB, and his MD from Memorial University of Newfoundland. He completed his residency in psychiatry at the University of Alberta and following this joined the staff at the University of Alberta Hospital as a clinician and researcher. He was instrumental in the development of and co-directed both the Bebensee Schizophrenia Research Unit and the Edmonton Early Psychosis Intervention Clinic. In 2008 Dr. Tibbo was named the first Dr. Paul Janssen Chair in Psychotic Disorders, an endowed research chair, at Dalhousie University in Halifax NS. He is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry with a cross-appointment in Psychology and Neuroscience at Dalhousie University. He is Director of Research for the Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie and Clinical Director of the provincial Early Psychosis Intervention Nova Scotia (EPINS) program for Nova Scotia Health. Dr Tibbo is President of the Canadian Consortium for Early Intervention in Psychosis (CCEIP), helping to advance early intervention care at the national level. Dr. Tibbo’s publications are primarily in the area of schizophrenia with his current foci of study including individuals at the early phase of, and at risk for, a psychotic illness. Dr. Tibbo’s areas of research include application of in vivo brain neuroimaging techniques to study psychosis as well as research interests in co-morbidities in schizophrenia (primarily substance misuse and psychosis), pathways to care/service delivery, education, and non- pharmacological treatment options. He is funded by local and national peer reviewed funding agencies and well published in leading journals. Dr Tibbo was a recipient of the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health’s Champion of Mental Health Research award in 2017 and the 2018 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Prix d’Excellence - Specialist of the Year (region 5).

Dr. Ken Tupper

PhD

Director of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction in the BC Ministry of Health, where he works with health authorities and other key health system partners to develop, implement and monitor provincial health policy to prevent and respond to problematic drug use and associated harms. From 2013-2017, Kenneth was a member of the Methadone Maintenance Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia. In addition to his almost 20 years of experience in public health policy development, Kenneth has published in numerous peer reviewed academic journals, presented at international health and drug policy conferences, and has twice been appointed to Canadian delegations to high-level United Nations international drug policy meetings.

Sarah Rush

MSW, RSW

Social Worker at BC Children’s Hospital Substance Use Response and Facilitation Program (SURF). Sarah has over a decade of experience as a registered Social Worker, providing clinical support to children, youth, and adults, with a specialization in substance use. Her passion is working with youth with concurrent disorders and supporting families in navigating our health care system. Sarah’s clinical skills have been informed by a wide range of inpatient and outpatient settings in Vancouver, including Heartwood Center for Women, St. Paul’s Rapid Access Addiction Clinic (RAAC), and Pender Community Health Clinic. Most recently, Sarah has worked in consultation teams at BC Children’s Hospital, including the Compass Program and the SURF Team. Sarah is guided by the principles of trauma-informed practice, client-centered care, and anti-oppressive theory. Beyond client based services, Sarah runs education workshops for service providers and lawyers on topics including children rights, trauma informed practice and child and youth mental health. Sarah developed a provincial wide program that provides legal rights education to high school youth. Sarah is trained in a variety of evidence based treatment approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT), Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT), mindfulness and play therapy. In her spare time, Sarah loves to kayak, read, cross country ski, and create puppet shows.

Dr. James Wang

MD

James Wang is a pediatrician and Adolescent Medicine subspecialist based in Vancouver, where he completed his post-graduate training at BC Children's Hospital. He is currently completing his fellowship at the BC Centre on Substance Use and will become the first Canadian-trained pediatric specialist in Addiction Medicine.

Dr. Nick Mathew

MD, ABPN, FRCPC

Dr. Mathew completed an addiction psychiatry fellowship at Yale University and a forensic psychiatry fellowship at the University of British Columbia. He is board certified in addiction psychiatry, addiction medicine and forensic psychiatry. He is a clinical associate professor at the University of British Columbia. All opinions expressed are his own and not affiliated to any organization.

Dr. Launette Rieb

MD, MSc, CCFP(AM), FCFP, DABAM, FASAM

A family physician and Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia. She is certified in Addiction Medicine in the US and Canada. She was the co-creator and initial physician director of BC’s first Addiction Medicine Fellowship. Dr. Rieb has over 35 publications in the areas of pain and addiction. She is on staff at St. Paul’s Hospital and works clinically at ActumHealth where she is a consultant within an interprofessional team that treats injured workers with concurrent pain, addiction, and mental health issues. Dr. Rieb is the recipient of the BC College of Family Physicians Exceptional Teacher Honour.

Dr. Martha Ignaszewski

MD, FRCPCP

Dr. Ignaszewski is a Harvard and UCSF trained psychiatrist with board certification in Adult, Addiction, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Canada and the USA. She is the Senior Medical Director of Substance Use and Concurrent Disorders and the Clinical Lead of the Substance Use Response and Facilitation (SURF) Service at BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital, and works as the Education Lead and Consulting Psychiatrist with the Complex Pain and Addiction Service (CPAS) at Vancouver General Hospital. She is also an early career researcher and a Research Scientist Co-Lead of the Substance Use Disorder Clinical Research Unit at the Hope to Health Research & Innovation Complex with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. Dr. Ignaszewski is passionate about medical education and working with learners across the educational spectrum. Reducing the stigma of addiction and psychiatric conditions, and providing an understanding about the developmental perspective and impacts of social determinants of health on substance use disorders, and the intersection between addiction and concurrent disorders are areas of focus with learners and clinically. Dr. Ignaszewski possesses a background in clinical excellence and research and has held many leadership positions including past roles with the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP) and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). She has received many awards in recognition of her work including the inaugural WCAF Early Career Leadership Award in Opioid Use Disorder and is thrilled to be joining the WCAF Planning Committee, and previously has been awarded the ASAM Ruth Fox Scholarship Award, the AACAP Educational Outreach Program Award for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residents and the Stuart J. Goldman Psychiatry Education Award, among others. Dr. Ignaszewski has been a speaker at national conferences including the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, the California Society of Addiction Medicine, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Meeting, and the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, and served on the Scientific Program Committee for the 2020 Virtual Annual Conference. She has authored 33 peer reviewed publications and abstracts in notable journals.​

Dr. Annabel Mead

MBBS, FAChAM, DABAM

Physician (Specialist in Addiction Medicine)

Practicing addiction medicine for over 20 years with expertise in women’s health, concurrent psychiatric disorders and pain management. She is a Fellow of the Australasian Chapter of Addiction Medicine, a diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine and Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC. Dr. Mead has worked in many community, inpatient and outpatient treatment settings in Vancouver. These include the Addiction Medicine Consult Service at St Paul’s Hospital and New Dawn Recovery House. She holds the positions of Senior Medical Director, Mental Health and Substance Use, BC Women’s Hospital; Medical Director for BC Correctional Health Services and is the medical lead for the BC Provincial Perinatal Substance Use program.

Dr. Atul Khullar

MD, MSc, FRCPC, DABPN (Cert. Sleep Medicine), FAASM

A psychiatrist and sleep specialist who focuses on the integrative management of obesity, sleep, mood/anxiety and attention deficit disorders in age groups from adolescence onwards. Recently, he has gained expertise in the selective use of ketamine for resistant mood disorders. He completed his medical school and residency at the University of Alberta, and a sleep and mood/anxiety disorders fellowship at the University of Toronto. He has additional pediatric sleep medicine training from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Khullar is board-certified in Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine in both Canada and the United States. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, and a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Alberta. Actively involved in research and education, Dr. Khullar has given more than 600 invited presentations to public and professional audiences worldwide. He has published a number of articles and chapters as well as chaired more than 20 national CME programs in his specialized areas. Currently, he is the medical director of the Northern Alberta Sleep Clinic in Edmonton. Dr. Khullar is also a senior consultant for the Grey Nuns Hospital, the Edmonton Oilers, the Newly Institute and MedSleep, a Canada-wide network of community sleep clinics. He has also worked with the Canadian Winter Olympic team in the past.

Dr. Milan Khara

MBChB, CCFP, Dip. ABAM

Dr. Milan Khara joined Vancouver Coastal Health in 2003 having previously worked as an Addiction Medicine Consultant at CAMH in Toronto. Certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, his current work primarily focuses on treating tobacco use disorder but also extends into other areas of tobacco control. Clinical commitments include leading the Vancouver General Hospital Smoking Cessation Clinic. Dr. Khara has also been involved in the training of health care professionals to optimally treat tobacco use disorder including supporting the CAMH TEACH project. More recently, he has been involved in initiatives to combat the rise in electronic cigarette use in high schools, speaking with legislators, educators, students and parents. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. Research interests have mainly focused on “hard to treat” populations and have been published in medical journals. Dr. Khara has also been involved in many areas of tobacco control advocacy including providing testimony in challenges to smoke- free legislation. He has also appeared as an expert witness before the Standing Committee on Health to contribute to the development of a federal regulatory framework for electronic cigarettes.

Dr. Pouya Azar

MD, FRCPC, DABAM

Dr. Pouya Azar is the Head of the Complex Pain and Addiction Service (CPAS), a consult service under the Department of Psychiatry at Vancouver Coastal Health, which provides management of pain, mental health disorders, and substance use disorders across all clinical services at Vancouver General Hospital, UBC Hospital, and GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. He is also the Addiction Lead at Foundry Vancouver Granville, a consulting physician for adolescent addiction medicine at BC Children’s Hospital, a consulting physician for psychiatry and addiction medicine at British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, a consulting physician for the VGH Transitional Pain Clinic and a clinical instructor at the UBC Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Azar’s clinical and translational research focuses on the development of novel opioid agonist therapy initiation protocols.

Speaker Presentation Resources

Resources are submitted at the discretion of the speaker.  If you find a presentation particularly fascinating, ask your conference team and we will request resources and update this section.

Recognizing Trauma and Meaningful Conversations

Methamphetamine-induced Psychosis

Dr. Julius Elefante

Click here for Presentation

Vaping: Curse or Cure?

Dr. Milan Khara

Click here for Presentation

Complex Pain and Substance Use

Launette Rieb

Click here for Presentation

Approach to Trauma History in Primary Care

A Balanced Approach: How Harm Reduction and Recovery Services Work Together to Provide a Person-Centered Mental Health and Substance Use system

Keir Macdonald

Click here for Presentation

Trauma

Dr. Rob Tanguay

Click here for Presentation

Addiction Care in Corrections

Dr. Annabel Mead

Click here for Presentation

Those who help us make a difference

Our Exhibitors

Our Planning Committee

Dr. Rob Tanguay

Conference Co-Chair
BSc (Hons), MD, FRCPC, CISAM, CCSAM
Calgary, Alberta

Dr. Annabel Mead

Conference Co-Chair
MBBS, FAChAM, DABAM
Vancouver, British Columbia

Dr. George Budd

PharmD, FBCCSU, B.Sc.(Pharm), RPEBC, R.Ph
Vancouver, British Columbia

Robert De Clark

MSW
Victoria, British Columbia

Joan Hollihan

B.Comm
Calgary, Alberta

Dr. Morris Markentin

MD, CCFP (AM), FCFP
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Dr. Martha Ignaszewski

MD, FRCPCP

Vancouver, British Columbia

Platinum

Bronze

Bronze

Bronze

Bronze

Platinum

Not for Profit

Bronze

Not for Profit

Bronze

Reconciliation Comes First

The Western Canada Addiction Forum would like to acknowledge the land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Syilx (Okanagan) Peoples. The Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples have taken care of their homelands for thousands of years.

 

WCAF is respectful of the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples, their knowledge, language, and history, as well as their ongoing relationship to the land and natural world.

Speaker Presentation Resources

Resources are submitted at the discretion of the speaker.  If you find a presentation particularly fascinating, ask your conference team and we will request resources and update this section.

Recognizing Trauma and Meaningful Conversations

Methamphetamine-induced Psychosis

Dr. Julius Elefante

Click here for Presentation

Vaping: Curse or Cure?

Complex Pain and Substance Use

Dr. Launette Rieb

Click here for Presentation

Trauma

A Balanced Approach: How Harm Reduction and Recovery Services Work Together to Provide a Person-Centered Mental Health and Substance Use System

Approach to taking a Trauma History in Primary Care

2

conference days

25

speakers

14

hours of education

Contact Us

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Recovery Redefined

Where

Delta Grand Okanagan

Kelowna, BC

When

May 31 - June 1 2024

PAUL BRANDT, Our 2023 Keynote.

Paul Brandt is the Founder of #NotInMyCity, one of Canada’s leading initiatives combatting Human Trafficking, as well as the former Premier appointed Chair of the Alberta Human Trafficking Task Force.

​Country Music Hall of Fame Member Paul Brandt weaves in storytelling along with his hit songs to lead audiences to a deeper understanding of one of Canada’s fasted growing crimes.  He will speak about the Progressive Nature of Vulnerability and how Human Trafficking, Mental Health & Addictions, and Housing Insecurity among other influencing factors, can lead to an increased risk to individuals of being trafficked.

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