Now Live: Fall 2026 Community Learning Series
This fall, The Whistler Institute brings thought leaders, researchers, and community changemakers to Whistler to explore ideas with both local relevance and broader significance.
Our Fall 2026 series examine leadership, healthy aging, and brain health—topics that shape the well-being and resilience of individuals, organizations, and communities.
Each presentation is designed to spark curiosity, encourage critical thinking, and provide practical insights that participants can apply in their personal, professional, and community lives.
Our Guiding Principles:
Explore topics with global significance and local relevance
Feature experts who are insightful, engaging, and accessible
Encourage active learning, critical thinking, and respectful dialogue
Share practical ideas that inform personal and community decision-making
Position Whistler as a platform for conversations that matter
Join us for another season of learning, dialogue, and community connection.
Leading with Purpose: Lessons from Civic & Community Leaders
What it takes to serve, govern and build community
Aging in the Right Place
What helps us live well, stay connected, and age with purpose
Brain Health: What We Know, What We Can Do
Understanding healthy aging, neurological health, and the science shaping our future
Our Spring 2027 Planning Is Under Way
We have additional events in development that require community support to come to life. By becoming a community partner, sponsor, or donor, you can help bring more thought-provoking speaker events to Whistler. To explore opportunities, please email us at contact@whistlerinstitute.com.
Our Supporters
Event Format
Our speaker events are held in the theatre at the Maury Young Arts Centre, located at 4335 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, BC.
Doors open at 5.30pm with the speaker (or panelists) starting at 6.00pm. An audience Q&A follows all presentations.
A cash bar is open in the Gallery from 5.30pm onwards.
Respectful Dialogue Agreement
As part of our commitment to fostering an inclusive and thoughtful space for meaningful dialogue, all attendees of the Global Perspectives Speaker Series are required to accept the Respectful Dialogue Agreement. This agreement reflects our shared responsibility to engage in discussions that strengthen our community and deepen our understanding of the world.
When you join us, we invite you to bring:
- CURIOSITY – Approach discussions with a genuine desire to learn, ask thoughtful questions, and explore new ideas with an open mind.
- INTEGRITY – Engage with honesty, thoughtfulness, and a commitment to truth-seeking, even when perspectives differ.
- COLLABORATION – Recognize that meaningful change and deeper understanding come from exchanging ideas and working together.
- RESILIENCE – Embrace challenging conversations with patience and an open heart, understanding that growth often comes through discomfort.
- RESPECT – Foster a space where all voices are valued, ensuring that dialogue remains considerate and inclusive.
Together, we create an environment where curiosity is encouraged, perspectives are broadened, and ideas inspire action. Thank you for being part of this conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Attendees are encouraged to arrive at 5:30pm, when doors open. There is a cash bar open at that time, too, serving light refreshments. Speakers begin at 6:00pm.
Topics are selected based on a blend of community input, global conversation trends, and input from our Global Perspectives Speaker Series Committee. If you would like to suggest a future topic, please complete the post-event survey or share suggestions with contact@whistlerinstitute.com.
The 2025-2026 Global Perspectives Speaker Series features four different events from October through to May. Individual events cost $30.00, or you can purchase a Season Pass for $120.
Yes, absolutely! Speakers are typically onsite for doors opening; otherwise there is the opportunity to meet speakers post-event (7.30pm).
Yes, we always welcome the support of sponsors and donors to grow our programming! Please email contact@whistlerinstitute.com to learn more about our sponsor opportunities.
Past Speaker Series Events:
- Decoding Global Climate Policy with Dr. Mark Jaccard (Apr 2026)
- When Worry Becomes More: Understanding Anxiety in Todays Youth (Mar 2026)
- Unpacking Cryptocurrency and its Global Future (Nov 2025)
- Peaks & Pressures: From Resort to Resilient Mountain Towns (Oct 2025)
- Melting Glaciers, Healthy Watersheds & You (April 2025)
- Democracy & Science: Anecdotes, Positive Notes & a Forward-Thinking Approach (March 2025)
- Raising Healthy, High-Performance Athletes (February 2025)
- AI: Ethics, Empathy & Humanizing Technology (January 2025)
- Mother Nature v. Okanagan Wineries: a Climate Conundrum (November 2024)
- My Journey to the Invictus Games (September 2024)
- Concussions: Advances in prevention, identification and treatment (April 2024)
- The Future of Health Care (March 2024)
- Higher Education: The Next Paradigm (October, 2023)
- Canada, the Asian Century, and what comes next (Sept, 2023)
- A Roof Over Our Heads: Exploring Mountain Resort Housing Possibilities (April, 2023)
- The Role of the Olympic Movement in an Ever-Changing World (April, 2022)
- Climate Emergency – An Action Guide for Citizens (Dec 9, 2021)
- Tourism: Building Back Better (May 14, 2021)
- How Autonomous Vehicles Could Shape Whistler (Sept, 2020)
- Gearing Up for the Electric Vehicle Economy (Nov, 2019)
