Join us and Keep on Learning!

As a life-long learner, become a part of our stimulating lecture series to learn, question and share knowledge on a wide variety of topics focused on Understanding and Living in the 21st Century.

✓ Be first to know about fascinating upcoming lectures

✓ Receive exclusive insights and community updates

✓ Get priority notification for registration dates

✓ Never miss an opportunity to expand your horizons

Registration NOW CLOSED

2025 Winter Zoom Series
January 29th to February 26th

Great Speakers

Great Speakers

Great Topics

Great Topics

Zoom Lectures

Zoom Lectures

WINTER ZOOM SERIES 2025 – SAVE THE DATES!

Join us for

HTAL’s  5 Engaging, Energizing and Educational virtual lectures from the comfort of home.

When: Wednesdays – January 29th to February 26th

Time: 10 AM

Cost: $55.00 for all 5 webinars (including the recordings)

Program: 50 minute lecture followed by a question and answer opportunity. Note – Recordings of the lectures will be provided automatically for all paid registrants through a password protected link that will be sent by email after the “live” Zoom. Recordings will be available for 2 weeks after each lecture.

  • January 29 – Atrocities on the Atlantic
  • February 5 – Past Currents, Future Waves: The Evolution of Hamilton’s Port
  • February 12 – Last Chance Tourism: How Do We Create Positive Impacts in Destination Communities?
  • February 19 – Escape to Niagara: Exploring people, places and events along the Freedom Trail.
  • February 26 – Cold War 2.0

Winter Series Webinars

Registration is Now Closed.

Nate Hendley Speaker on January 29

Nate Hendley

January 29th, 2025 – 10AM

The torpedoing of Canadian hospital ship, Llandovery Castle, by a German submarine in World War One is a forgotten tragedy that forever changed war crime prosecutions. In 1921, the attack was prosecuted at the Leipzig War Crimes Trials.

In its ruling, the German Supreme Court set two epochal precedents: war crimes should be judged by international standards and following orders is not a defense for committing illegal acts in wartime.  These principles became central to the prosecution of Nazi-era war criminals.

The Llandovery Castle case was cited as a precedent by British, American, and Soviet prosecutors at other war crime trials to rebuff claims by Nazi defendants that they couldn’t be held responsible for their acts.

The principles established by the Leipzig court also helped shape the legal foundation of the International Criminal Court (ICC), inaugurated in 2002 to bring war criminals from around the world to justice.

Nate Hendley was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1966. His family moved to Canada shortly thereafter where he has lived ever since. Nate is a Toronto-based journalist and author. His work has appeared in The National Post, Maclean’s magazine, and numerous trade and business publications. He has also written scripts for podcasts, feature articles for the website of TVOntario and several books, primarily in the true-crime and history genres.

Nate’s last book, The Beatle Bandit won the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Non-Fiction 2022 and was nominated for a Heritage Toronto 2022 Book Award.

Nate’s latest book, Atrocity on the Atlantic, was published in February 2024 by Dundurn Press.

Ian Hamilton Speaker on February 5

Ian Hamilton

February 5th, 2025 – 10AM

Hamilton’s port has evolved from a small harbor in the early 19th century to a vital transportation hub for bulk goods, driven by industrial growth and its strategic location.

Today, as responsible stewards of the port lands, we manage a robust marine, road, and rail network to facilitate commerce and create prosperity.

Our focus is on providing sustainable solutions that deliver value to our communities and stakeholders while supporting economic growth and environmental stewardship.

Ian Hamilton is President & CEO of HOPA Ports (Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority). He assumed this role in 2017, after serving as the Port Authority’s Vice President of Business Development and Real Estate since 2008. Ian has been instrumental in developing working waterfronts in Hamilton, Oshawa, and Niagara by attracting new business and private investment, and creating an integrated marine network across Southern Ontario.

Ian possesses more than 25 years of experience in international transportation and logistics in Europe and North America, and has held progressively senior positions in the liner shipping industry, including Transatlantic Trade Director (Europe) for CP Ships and Business Development Manager for Hapag-Lloyd. Ian holds positions on various boards, including: Chamber of Marine Commerce, Association of Canadian Port Authorities (ACPA), The Hamilton Club, and Brigs Youth Sail Training.
Ian holds an MBA from Aston University (UK) and a BSc in business administration and economics from the College of Charleston, South Carolina.

Karla Boluk Speaker on February 12
Karla Boluk

February 12th, 2025 – 10AM

Overtourism is a relatively new word in our travel vocabulary.  From Barcelona to Pompeii, Churchill, Manitoba to Australia’s coral reefs, we hear and read so much these days about the societal and natural impacts of too many tourists overwhelming various locales.

Is it possible to continue to travel in a responsible fashion?

Can we become “place stewards” for the cities, towns and natural monuments we love to visit?

Dr. Karla Boluk’s innovative research looks at the concept of “place stewardship” and turns the problem of overtourism on its head by rethinking tourism as a “regenerative” activity.  She is looking at ways in which social entrepreneurs can enhance the quality of life and sustainable practices in popular tourist destinations thus positioning travel and tourism not as the enemy, but as a way to create positive change for the community.

In this talk, Dr. Boluk will also share the details of a current project that involves seniors and a beloved local destination.

Dr. Karla Boluk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Visiting Professor in the York Business School at York St. John University, UK, Co-chair of Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI), and recently appointed on the Global Roster of Experts by the International Science Committee to help inform global policy.

Her research seeks to examine ways in which tourism enhances the well-being and quality of life of those involved in or affected by tourism, positioning tourism as a mechanism for the creation of positive change. She is currently leading a SSHRC Grant exploring the role tourism social entrepreneurs play in supporting and progressing sustainability in both a local as well as a global framework.

Rochelle Bush Speaker on February 19
Rochelle Bush

February 19th, 2025 – 10AM

This talk relates to freedom seekers who escaped from enslavement in the United States by way of the Underground Railroad into Canada.

Rochelle Bush is a descendant of African American freedom seekers who settled in St. Catharines where she was born.

Rochelle is a Trustee and the resident historian of the Salem Chapel, BME Church Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Sites, and the owner and operator of Tubman Tours Canada.

Rochelle is a past Historical Society of St. Catharines Board Director, a past Board Member of the St. Catharines Museum, a certified Niagara Tourism Ambassador and a registered Niagara Parks tour guide. Rochelle is a Niagara College graduate.

George Takach Speaker on February 26
George Takach

February 26th, 2025 – 10AM

With wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and rising tensions around Taiwan and in the South China Sea, author and geopolitical analyst, George S. Takach, will explain what ties all these events together.

George believes we are in a new cold war, and that technology and innovation will be key to whether the democracies or the autocracies win this struggle. He will address what it all means for Canada specifically.

In addition, George will have thoughts on the new president who will occupy the White House in January 2025.

 

George has undergrad and law degrees from the University of Toronto, and an MA from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.

He practiced technology law for 35 + years as a partner at McCarthy Tetrault. During his legal career he was also an Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School for 22 years, a columnist for Lexpert Magazine, and wrote three books on tech/law topics.

Currently he writes books on technology and geopolitics for a general audience, including Cold War 2.0: Artificial Intelligence in the New Battle Between China, Russia and America.