May | 2023 | Royal Canadian Legion, US Branch #25

An item from a fellow Canadian organization in the Bay Area. The Branch congratulates Director Bloemraad on her 10 years of leadership. She and her team have been wonderful partners with the Royal Canadian Legion. We also look forward to working with interim Director Rhodes.

Canadian Studies Announcements

In This Issue:

Program News

An important update on program leadership

News from Canada

Former Sproul Fellow Heather Hudson advocates for internet connectivity in Canada’s far north

External Events

Université de Montréal Alumni Cocktail Reception
The Lost Faculties: Rocking the Centennial!
Friends of Canada at SF Pride
Digital Moose Lounge Canada Day Picnic

A Message from Director Bloemraad

To our dear Canadian Studies community:

It is with mixed emotions that I am writing to inform you of the impending end of my term as director of the Canadian Studies Program, effective July 1.

After ten years directing the program, it is strange to step back from this position, which has occupied so much of my energies and been such an important place of community. Nevertheless, I believe it is time to pass the baton. New leadership will help us bring new perspectives to Canadian Studies, and help us grow in exciting and unexpected ways.

I am thus delighted to announce that my longtime co-director, Professor Richard A. Rhodes, has agreed to succeed me as the program’s interim director. Professor Rhodes is a professor emeritus of linguistics, specializing in North American Indigenous languages. He received his Ph.D. in from the University of Michigan, where he also taught for ten years. He joined the faculty at UC Berkeley in 1986, and taught in the Department of Linguistics until his recent retirement.

Rich has been involved with Canadian Studies since its early days, and has been a great support during my tenure as director, including running the program while I was on sabbatical in 2016-17. He brings significant experience in campus administration to his

new role, having served as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies in the College of Letters & Science for many years. I believe that he will provide important continuity as we search for a new permanent director, and I feel very confident leaving the program in his capable hands.

It has been an absolute privilege to serve as director of Canadian Studies for the last decade. I’m proud to say that I’m ending my term knowing that this program is not only a national leader in our field, but also poised for additional growth. And, of course, I will continue to stay engaged with the program, so I have no doubt that we will see each other again soon!

Sincerely,

Irene Bloemraad

Program Director

Thomas G. Barnes Chair in Canadian Studies

NEWS FROM CANADA

Former Sproul Fellow Heather Hudson Advocates for Internet Connectivity in Canada’s Far North

Former Canadian Studies Sproul Fellow Dr. Heather Hudson was recently in Canada, where she testified at a government hearing on the urgent need to improve internet options for communities in Canada’s far north.

The hearing, which was held in late April in Whitehorse, Yukon, was organized by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Dr. Hudson, who has conducted extensive communications policy research in Alaska and northern Canada, testified alongside representatives of the First Mile Connectivity Consortium (FMCC), a national organization of Indigenous internet service providers.

Dr. Hudson and the FMCC addressed how the present territorial internet monopoly fails to meet the needs of the region’s inhabitants, which are largely First Nations communities. Locals face higher prices and slower service than southern provinces, which puts them at a major economic and social disadvantage. Excessive costs and poor service mean people often cannot access essential services such as banking, education, or healthcare, for which an internet connection is now almost essential.

These expert witnesses stressed that future development of these regions will rely on developing affordable, reliable broadband. Dr. Hudson provided support to FMCC representatives’ claims that smaller companies could feasibly and cheaply service large, remote areas. Together, they advocated that Indigenous-led service providers would be well-positioned to compete with the incumbent service providers, and urged the CRTC to reform regulatory barriers that inhibit competition from small companies.

EXTERNAL EVENTS

Université de Montréal Alumni Cocktail Reception

May 31/June 1 | San Francisco & Los Angeles, CA | RSVP

The Université de Montréal invites its California alumni to network with fellow alumni and UdeM senior leadership over cocktails at two special receptions. University rector Daniel Jutras will be in attendance, as will Michael Pecho, vice-rector for alumni relations and philanthropy. Attendance is free, but registration is required and limited to university alumni.

The San Francisco reception will be hosted by Wilson Sonsini (One Market Plaza Spear Tower, 19th Floor), at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, May 31.

For Los Angeles-based alumni, a second reception will take place at 6:30 pm on Thursday, June 1 at the official residence of the government of Quebec in Beverly Hills.

The Lost Faculties: Rocking the Centennial!

Monday, June 5 | 7:30 pm | Berkeley, CA | RSVP

The UC Berkeley School of Optometry invites you to an evening of music and dancing in celebration of the school’s 100th anniversary, featuring the Canadian band the Lost Faculties! Founded in 2000, the band recruits its members from current and former staff of the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science. Performers will include Berkeley Optometry dean (and Canadian Studies affiliate) John Flanagan on bass guitar!

The Lost Faculties play a mixture of classic and contemporary rock and R&B, including Canadian icons like the Tragically Hip and Tom Cochrane. They have performed at student and professional events and fundraisers across the US and Canada.

The event will take place at Cornerstone Berkeley. Admission is free, but guests are requested to confirm their attendance via the link above.

Friends of Canada at SF Pride

Sun., June 25 | 4:00 pm | San Francisco, CA | RSVP

Consul General of Canada Rana Sarkar cordially invites you to join Canadians marching in the 2023 San Francisco Pride Parade! The theme of this year’s parade is “Looking Back and Moving Forward.”

All are welcome to join the Consulate group on Sunday, June 25th with their families and friends to celebrate diversity and to support the LGBTQ2+ members of our communities here in San Francisco, at home in Canada, and abroad. The exact assembly location and time will be announced approximately one week prior to the parade. Please register via the link above to receive updates.

Digital Moose Lounge Canada Day Picnic

Sat., July 1 | 11:30 am | Woodside, CA | Buy tickets

Celebrate Canada’s 156th birthday with your fellow Bay Area Canadians at the Digital Moose Lounge’s ever-popular Canada Day Picnic. Enjoy an afternoon under the redwoods, with fun activities & games to keep kids and adults alike entertained. Meet new friends and reconnect with old ones as we embrace our heritage and celebrate with patriotic pride.

Tickets are expected to sell out, so get your early!