Whistler, BC (September 15, 2025) – The Whistler Institute is proud to announce the 2025–2026 Global Perspectives Speaker Series line-up. This inspiring season brings global thought leaders to Whistler to share bold ideas that resonate both internationally and locally. Programming is based on subject matter requested by last season’s audiences, and fleshed out by the Global Perspectives Speaker Series Committee. Each event will delve into timely conversations, offering insight, inspiration, and a safe place for robust dialogue.
- October 23, 2025 — Peaks and Pressures: From Resort to Resilient Mountain Towns
Eric Callender (Ecosign Mountain Resort Planners) and Erick Villagomez (School of Community & Regional Planning, University of British Columbia) explore how mountain communities can evolve from recreation-based resorts into resilient, year-round places to live. - November 20, 2025 — Unpacking Cryptocurrency and Its Global Future
Victoria Lemieux (Blockchain@UBC) unpacks the fundamentals of cryptocurrency and its future impact on policy, business and society. - February 19, 2026 — When Worry Becomes More: Understanding Anxiety in Today’s Youth
Kimberley Da Silva (North Shore Anxiety Clinic) teaches parents, educators, and community members how to spot, support, and respond to anxiety in youth. - May 14, 2026 — Decoding Global Climate Policy
Mark Jaccard (BC Utilities Commission; Simon Fraser University) returns to Whistler to lead a conversation that cuts through climate confusion and discusses meaningful action on emissions.
“This series combines global vision with local relevance,” says Sue Adams, Board Chair of the Whistler Institute. “By bringing global thought leaders to our community, we can ignite conversations that help Whistler reflect, adapt, and lead. We’re grateful to the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation and the McLean Group for their generous support, which makes it possible to bring these important discussions to life.”
Tickets and series passes are now available at whistlerinstitute.com.
**Media Contact: contact@whistlerinstitute.com
The Global Perspectives Speaker Series (GPSS) is produced by one of the Whistler Institute’s working committees. Topics are selected based on a blend of community input, contemporary global conversations, and access to speakers. These evening events focus on the world’s greatest challenges, elevating leading experts and game changers to share bold ideas, new perspectives, and disruptive concepts that have the potential to create positive change in the world today and into the future.
About the Whistler Institute
The Whistler Institute is a registered charity funded through private donors, foundations, government grants, and fees for service. We facilitate and promote place-based learning opportunities, and our mission is to influence change and inspire minds through education and thought leadership. The Whistler Institute gratefully and respectfully acknowledges that we operate on the land now known as Whistler, located on the shared, unceded territories of the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Nation and Líl̓wat Nation.