Third Age Learning Kitchener-Waterloo

History, information, facts, insight—do these give your brain a warm buzz? Third Age Learning (TAL) is the place for lifelong learners like you. Our vision: mature learners pursuing knowledge, exchanging ideas, and embracing innovation. You're invited to the upcoming lecture series planned by the TAL Kitchener-Waterloo chapter. Theme for the Fall 2026 series: "Eras of Turmoil: 1960s and Now," starting Oct. 13. Visit https://tal-kw.ca/ (Image by Dittmar Sauer from Pixabay)

As a follow-up to our Winter 2026 series “Being Canadian Today,” slides used by two of the presenters are now available on our website. Visit https://tal-kw.ca/lecture-series/being-canadian-today/ to see the slides shared by Meredith Vanstone ("Primary Care in 2025") and Jim Stanford ("Canada’s Economy After Trump: What Comes Next?"). Thank you to these presenters for sharing their knowledge, both through lectures and with these slides!

In his presentation “Canada’s Economy After Trump: What Comes Next?” economist Jim Stanford will explore President Donald Trump’s erratic trade actions and threats to annex Canada—actions that are causing enormous uncertainty and damage to Canada’s economy. He will review Trump’s (false) claims about the nature of the Canada-U.S. trade relationship and will consider what is required for Canada to build a national economy that is truly sovereign, value-added, and sustainable. This last lecture in our winter series will be presented via Zoom on Tuesday, March 3, at 1:30 p.m. Watch your email inbox for the link. For details, visit tal-kw.ca/lecture-series/being-canadian-today.

What do we know about Alexander Henry? Most of what we think we know about this eighteenth-century fur trader is wrong and is based on assertions by an English con artist. Henry’s actual biography is stranger than fiction, and the myths we’ve come to believe about him tell us much about the issues that Canada faces today, including relations with Indigenous people, continental and international trade, and the importance of factuality. Join Dr. Mark Humphries for an exciting detective story that reveals hidden truths about the Canada’s collective past. This lecture, titled “Stolen Words: How a Con Man Rewrote the History of Canada's Northwest,” will be presented via Zoom on Tuesday, Feb. 24, at 1:30 p.m. Watch your email inbox for the link. For details, visit tal-kw.ca/lecture-series/being-canadian-today.

Universities have been in the news lately, as they grapple with a bewildering set of issues and challenges ranging from budget deficits to demographic “cliffs,” protests and the limits of free speech, and the rapid spread of artificial intelligence. This presentation “Universities Under Pressure” will look past the headlines to better understand what’s happening on our campuses, and what it means for students and Canadian society. The speaker is Marcus Shantz, president of Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo. Subscribers to TAL-KW’s winter 2026 season, “Being Canadian Today,” will have access to this presentation via Zoom on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 1:30 p.m. Watch your email inbox for the link. For details on this presentation, visit tal-kw.ca/lecture-series/being-canadian-today.

A key pillar of the Liberal government’s policy platform in the October 2015 election was a substantial increase in immigration, aimed at boosting the Canadian economy. In 2024, the government reversed course, with new caps and regulations, and revisions to immigration targets. What economic lessons are to be learned from Canada’s 2015-2024 immigration experiment? In this lecture, economics professor Mikal Skuterud will answer these questions and offer a roadmap for regaining public confidence in Canada’s immigration system. Subscribers to TAL-KW’s winter 2026 season, “Being Canadian Today,” will have access to this presentation via Zoom on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 1:30 p.m. Watch your email inbox for the link. For details on this presentation, visit tal-kw.ca/lecture-series/being-canadian-today.

Can music connect people and build a more just society in Canada? Researcher, educator and singer Deanna Yerichuk believes it can. She will explore this theme in her upcoming lecture “How Canadian Artists Are Using Music for Social Impact.” In a country of great diversity in cultures, languages, abilities, geographies, music might seem like a surprising entry point to social change. Yet, community music offers an opportunity to create spaces of belonging and connection, to contribute to cultural reclamation and resurgence, and to develop artistry among diverse groups of people. Subscribers to TAL-KW’s winter 2026 season, “Being Canadian Today,” will have access to this presentation via Zoom on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at 1:30 p.m. Watch your email inbox for the link. For details, visit tal-kw.ca/lecture-series/being-canadian-today.

Join us on January 27 for the third lecture in our series, “Being Canadian Today.” Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, from the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University, will speak on the topic, “How Trade Tensions and Consumer Shifts Are Rewriting Canada’s Food Economy.” His presentation will examine how trade tensions and consumer boycotts, especially during the US-Canada trade war, have disrupted food supply chains, impacted grocers and farmers, and spurred policy shifts. He will also explore new consumer trends as Canadians respond to growing economic and geopolitical uncertainty. This lecture will be presented only on Zoom on Tuesday, January 27, at 1:30 p.m., for subscribers to the winter 2006 series.

You might have had trouble buying season tickets for the Winter 2006 series because of a website malfunction. We apologize. The link is active again so you should be able to buy them now. These lectures will be presented only via Zoom. Once you have bought your ticket, you should receive a link to the upcoming lecture. If you don’t receive it, please contact the TAL-KW registrar by email at [email protected]. PLEASE NOTE: The deadline for purchase is Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 11:59 p.m. After that you will not longer be able to register. Go to:

TAL-KW | Centre in the Square

Nearly one-sixth of Canadians do not have access to a regular primary care provider. Those who do may struggle to schedule and attend appointments, and to gain access to other healthcare services. Dr. Meredith Vanstone, a professor and researcher in the field of medicine at McMaster University, will speak on "Primary Care in 2025: What Brought Us to This Point and Where Do We Go from Here?" She will offer a primer to the primary care system in Ontario, tracing the roots of many of today’s challenges to policy legacies and educational traditions. She will explore what is necessary to improve the quality and sustainability of the Canadian publicly funded healthcare system. This is the second lecture in the winter series “Being Canadian Today,” presented by Third Age Learning K-W. It will be presented only on Zoom on Tuesday, January 20, at 1:30 p.m. There is still time for you to buy season tickets for this and the remaining six lectures in the series. Visit tal-kw.ca for more information.