A BRAND NEW NLC SERIES — APRIL 4 THROUGH MAY 16, 2024

MIGRATION: HOW MOVEMENT CHANGES THE WORLD

Featuring international affairs correspondent DOUG SAUNDERS, acclaimed author and journalist KAMAL AL-SOLAYLEE, bird watching, and so much more!

Migration is not a new phenomenon, nor is it unusual. Since the day life appeared on this planet, it’s been on the move. Plants, animals, and ultimately people followed needed resources as climate, geography and man-made borders evolved — a pattern that continues to this day. In our new inter-disciplinary series, we examine the impact on geopolitics, societies, public health, the environment and ourselves.

Eight great events that explore how movement changes the world

April 4: Presenter Doug Saunders, author and Globe and Mail columnist, has followed migration pathways in a dozen countries to understand the forces motivating people to seek a new home. His multimedia presentation will showcase what he learned among people fleeing conflicts, failed states, economic troubles and climate change, with a discussion of the policies that could make immigration more manageable and safer for receiving countries like Canada, and less perilous for those forced to flee. RECORDING OF THIS EVENT AVAILABLE ON TICKET PAGE

April 11: Presenter Melissa Kelly’s research explores how migrants and refugees experience settlement, and how small communities have become increasingly popular destinations for newcomers to Canada. As they put down roots, their individual experiences and narratives intertwine with the communities that receive them. This talk explores how newcomers and more established Canadians are negotiating shared futures and building stronger communities. RECORDING OF THIS EVENT AVAILABLE ON TICKET PAGE

April 25: ZOOM ONLY EVENT — Presenter Kamal Al-Solaylee explores one of the most natural yet frequently misunderstood human experiences: our desire to return to the homeland. Drawing on insights from his recent book, Al-Solaylee explores the many meanings and stories of return through historical analysis, storytelling and on-the-ground reporting from Jamaica, Spain, Northern Ireland, Ghana, Taiwan, Israel and Palestine.

April 26: Book discussion — When Kate Beaton migrated west to work in Alberta’s oilsands, she didn’t know what to expect — other than a job that would allow her to pay down her student loans.  In her graphic-novel Ducks, she portrays the industry as one burdened by misogyny and corporate interests — but also a place where employees can find unexpected acts of kindness and a tight-knit community. Join this book discussion moderated by Mary Ladky. Limited to 45 people.

May 2: Presenter David Fisman, professor of epidemiology, will explore how in most of history and in most places, periodic disruptions of normal life by waves of communicable diseases have been facts of life. Communicable diseases have been regarded as almost mystical threats introduced by rivals, enemies or strangers, but their spread has also legitimately been fostered by trade, travel, conquest and commerce. He will review some historical ideas and events, and then fast-forward to our current connected age, looking at what borders can and can’t do and the implications for public health and prevention.

May 9: Presenter and ecologist Ryan Norris will discuss some of the work his lab has been doing over the past 20 years to track small-bodied migratory animals such as warblers, sparrows and butterflies — which make up the majority of the migratory community on the planet — over vast distances and across international borders. He will explain the implications this work has for understanding their ecology and conserving this rapidly declining group of animals. 

May 10: Outing — NLC and Willow Beach Field Naturalists invite you to grab your binoculars and join us for a morning of spring birding. This outing is for all birding abilities and physical mobility, including beginner birders! We'll explore a section of the Northumberland County Forest, looking for the latest spring arrivals, some that are passing through and others that may be summer residents. Typical sightings at this time of year in the forest include Eastern Towhees, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, a variety of warbler species, Catbirds, sparrows, wrens and thrushes — to name only a few! Group leaders will help you listen for, spot and identify birds, while answering questions. Rain day Monday, May 13. Limited to 40 people.

May 16: Presentation and Panel on Migrant Workers — More than 70,000 migrant agricultural workers (MAWs) were employed in Canada in 2022, almost half in Ontario. Drawing on more than a decade of community-based health research with MAWs, this panel explores structural vulnerabilities, common health problems, the social determinants of health, and barriers to accessing health care and social services. The importance of community support and social inclusion in fostering wellness and as buffering variables against poor mental health will be highlighted. Members of Cobourg’s Horizons of Friendship will discuss their Migrant Worker Outreach Program and how they support the health, legal, and social status of migrant workers in Northumberland County.

MIGRATION CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

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