Why X Matters is a four-part, limited series podcast that explores civic engagement by unpacking The Winnipeg Foundation’s Vital Signs® 2022. Join us each Thursday in September to hear from experts on the topics of Trust in Institutions, Sense of Belonging, The Environment, and The Empathy Deficit.
Welcome to Episode 3 of Why X Matters. This episode discusses the state of the environment, how we talk about it, and how the impacts of human activity and sustainability practices are core to the long-term health of the planet and its inhabitants. This episode highlights voices in the sector who are working to make a change, and discusses how to get the climate emergency on the upcoming election agenda. Our panel for this episode includes:
Julia-Simone Rutgers is Manitoba’s first dedicated climate reporter, covering environmental issues across the prairie province through a unique partnership between the Winnipeg Free Press and The Narwhal. Before taking on this new collaboration, Julia-Simone was a general assignment reporter with the Free Press and Star Metro Halifax, served as the first-ever writer in residence at the Walrus magazine and collected bylines in the Globe and Mail, the Coast and the Discourse.
Marshall Birch is the Indigenous Community Engagement Coordinator for Nature United’s Manitoba Boreal Program, where he supports communities in Northern Manitoba in pursuing goals related to stewardship of their territories. As a Métis Citizen, Marshall strongly believes in the importance of Indigenous-led conservation work to address key issues we face today, such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
Ron Thiessen is the Executive Director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Manitoba. Ron has been in leadership roles with Canadian nature conservation organizations for over 30 years and his post as Executive Director of CPAWS Manitoba began in 2006. Working with Indigenous nations, governments, and stakeholders, Ron has actively contributed to the establishment of 24 parks and protected areas in Manitoba, which combined total over three million hectares of healthy lands and waters conserved for future generations of people and wildlife.
