TIckets available Monday, February 11 at 9 am in conversation with Patti-Ann Finlay, Adjunct Professor,Wilfrid Laurier University In 2018, International Women’s Day was a #PressForProgress. In 2019, we’re trying to #BalanceForBetter, and build a more gender-balanced world. But what do these slogans mean for working women – and particularly for women who work in media and help frame the way we see current events, breaking news stories, and our rapidly changing world? Join us for a compelling conversation with award-winning journalists Lisa LaFlamme of CTV and Michelle Shephard, formerly of the Toronto Star and now an independent documentary filmmaker. They’ll discuss the ways that being a woman has impacted their experiences, challenges, and successes in media, and how news teams can do a better job of representing women’s voices in all stories – including on women’s issues.


Lisa LaFlamme is a trailblazer for women in Canadian news, and has led the country’s #1 newscast as chief anchor and senior editor of CTV National News since 2011. From her hometown of Kitchener, she went on to become a national and international correspondent, covering 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, the G20 riots, the Haiti earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, and every Canadian federal election since 1997. She has earned multiple awards, including Canadian Screen Awards for Best National Newscast in 2018 and Best National News Anchor in 2017. She was appointed to the Order of Ontario in 2016. Michelle Shephard is a journalist, author and filmmaker who as covered issues of terrorism and human rights since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. During her two decades at the Toronto Star she reported from more than 25 countries, including Yemen, Syria and Pakistan.
Her 2015 documentary Guantanamo’s Child premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won Canadian Screen Awards. She has written two books: Guantanomo’s Child: The Story of Omar Khadr, and Decade of Fear: Reporting from Terrorism’s Grey Zone. She is a three-time winner of the National Newspaper Award and has also earned the Governor-General’s Michener Award. Event starts at 7 pmSocial Hour 6 - 7 pm This is a licensed event. Descendants Beer & Beverage Co. will be on site; cash bar. enjoy live music by Jontue Elanvisit with a therapy dogget connected to personalized library services ***Limit two tickets per valid email address. As events are free, it is our policy to overbook. In case of a full program, your reservation may not guarantee admission.
Unclaimed reservations will be released to standby customers ten minutes prior to the start of the program. We recommend that you arrive early.***