NLC’S BRAND NEW FALL PROGRAM
“From coast to coast to coast” has never resonated more with Canadians. Our nation’s sovereignty, climate change, and Inuit self-determination are just some of the monumental issues impacting the Arctic region.
Learn about land, power and identity in the Canadian north from those who know it best.
6 Thursday evenings and 1 Friday morning, October 22-November 26, 2026
All events at the Cobourg Columbus Centre, 232 Spencer St. E.
Recording included in ticket price
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
The Making of Today’s Arctic: An Inuk’s Look at How We Got Here
This opening event offers a high-level introduction to the people, decisions, relationships, and forces that have shaped the Arctic we know today through the eyes of Jason Edmonds, an Inuk educator and expedition leader. He will discuss life before outside arrival, colonial expansion, trade and whaling, missionary activity, residential schools, settlement and relocation, sovereignty, resource extraction, and the militarization of the Arctic,
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 7:30 PM
Arctic Awakening: Chasing Explorers into the Northwest Passage
When author Ken McGoogan began his Arctic odyssey almost 30 years ago, there were three main storylines: the quest for the Northwest Passage, the discovery of the fate of Franklin, and the race to the North Pole. Six books (Fatal Passage, Lady Franklin's Revenge, Dead Reckoning, and Searching for Franklin: New Answers to the Great Arctic Mystery) and a dozen voyages have brought him to believe that more than the building of the national railway or a fur-trading empire, awakening to the Arctic is the Great Canadian Story.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 7:30 PM
Creation & Transformation: Defining Moments in Inuit Art
Darlene Coward Wight has been Curator of Inuit Art at the Winnipeg Art Gallery since 1986 and in that time has curated seventy-five exhibitions, some of which have toured throughout Canada and in Europe. A celebration of creative expression in the Canadian Arctic, her talk will describe the genesis and evolution of contemporary Inuit art, charting dramatic transformations over the decades.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 7:30 PM
Inuit Self-Government in Nunatsiavut
The Nunatsiavut Assembly operates on a consensus model without political parties, bringing together elected ordinary members, community leaders, and the regional president to pass laws, direct policy, and hold the executive branch accountable. In May 2026, Members of the Nunatsiavut Assembly elected Bryan Winters, Ordinary Member for the Constituency of Canada, as Speaker. Bryan will share his experiences of Inuit self-governance.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 7:30 PM
The Sovereignty Question: Who Owns the Arctic?
Could Greenland become part of the United States of America? Can Canada control the Northwest Passage? Is Russia or China a threat to Canadian sovereignty and security in the Arctic? As control over shipping routes like the Northwest Passage and access to seabed oil and gas remain contested, author and lawyer Michael Byers argues for international cooperation and highlights Inuit occupancy as a vital foundation for Canadian sovereignty claim.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 7:30 PM
On Guard for Thee: Our Military in the Arctic
Defence is distinct from sovereignty, but international and indigenous communities consider presence, posture and infrastructure to be core elements. Major General (ret) Scott Clancy who served as a Director General of the RCAF and Director of Operations for NORAD will describe the concepts, capabilities and limitations of Canada's military force, including the ability of NORAD, to defend the continent.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 10:00 AM
The Cost of Getting There: Tourism, Shipping, and Extraction in the Arctic
The Arctic is changing faster than most people realize. The cruise-ship boom everyone warned about – an issue with a lot of political bandwidth in the North – never really arrived. What did arrive was a wave of mining, sealift, and tanker vessel traffic that has been quietly reshaping the region's risks, its communities, and its politics. Sebastian Charge, the Director of Operations and Government Affairs for Adventure Canada, will share his perspective on the impact of expanding commercial activity on the land and people.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 7:30 PM
NLC has been bringing great speakers to Cobourg and Port Hope Ontario since 2005.
VISIT PAST PROGRAMS TO LEARN MORE.
Want to support what we do at Northumberland Learning Connection?
Northumberland Nights
During his presentation on AI and Music in our Spring 2026 program The Magic of Music, Dr. Gregory Newsome helped the NLC audience create our theme song. Take a listen!