Programme

Preliminary Schedule:

Friday, 30 November
4 PM

Registration
:30
5 PM
:30
6 PM
:30
7 PM
:30 Opening Session (O'Connor Room):

"Archaeology, Anthropology, and Eschatology"


Allan Daoust
8 PM
:30
9 PM
:30 Meet & Greet Reception
Sponsored by the Ottawa Skeptics
10 PM

Saturday, 1 December

Track 1:
Science & Skepticism

O'Connor Room

Track 2:
The Immaculate Convention

Victoria Room
9 AM Eugenie Scott
"Creationism du jour"		 Steve Tomlins:
"Studying Atheism in the Religion Department"
:15
:30
:45 Larry Moran
"Science vs. IDiots"		 Jim Linville:
"Reclaiming the Fairy Tales of Bronze-Age Goat-Herders: On the Virtues of Giving the Devil His Due"
10 AM
:15
:30 BREAK
:45 PZ Myers
"A despairing perspective on American education"		 Islam, atheism and society:
Heina Dadabhoy, Anila Asghar & Kevin Brown
11 AM
:15
:30 Audience Q+A, panel on science education (PZ Myers, Eugenie Scott, Larry Moran)
:45
12 PM
:15 LUNCH
:30
:45
1 PM Sara Mayhew Ophelia Benson:
"Does God hate women?"
:15
:30 Jeff Shallit
"Numerology"
:45 Vyckie Garrison:
"If the pre-millennial Christians are wrong about the End of the World, the Dominionists are going to make us wish there had been a Rapture!"
2 PM Q+A, panel on skeptivism
(Sara Mayhew, Jeff Shallit)
:15
:30 Eric MacDonald:
"This, really, is all about Elizabeth"
:45
3 PM BREAK
:15 BREAK
:30 The Reality Check podcast — live PANEL
Scholarship vs Faith:
Approaches to the study of religion
(Eric MacDonald, Jim Linville, Steven Tomlins, Vyckie Garrison)
:45
4 PM
:15
:30
:45
5 PM BREAK
:30
6 PM

Reception at the Canadian Museum of Nature
:30
7 PM
:30 Featured Talk:
PZ Myers

"Chance In Evolution"
8 PM
:30
9 PM
:30

Mix & Mingle at the Museum (to 1:00 am)

The Fossil Gallery and the Avian Gallery*
will be open for viewing




* Or in other words: the ancient extinct dinosaurs and the modern extant dinosaurs
10 PM
:30
11 PM
:30
12 AM
:30

Sunday, 2 December

Track 1:
Godless Ethics & Godless Communities

O'Connor Room

Track 2:
Miscellaneous

Victoria Room
9 AM Hank Fox
"Designing a Post-Religious Culture"		 "Pandemic disease and climate change:
Threats to humanity?"
Scientific perspectives on existential risk
Paul Beckwith (climate change)
and Alex Demarsh (epidemiology)
:15
:30 Udo Schuklenk
"Myths About Atheist Values"
:45
10 AM Ian Cromwell
"Don't Go In There! Discussing race and racism in the time of the zombie apocalypse"		 Audience Q+A & discussion
:15
:30 BREAK
:45 Chris DiCarlo
"The Future of Ethics:
Exorcising the Ghost in the Machine"		 Workshop: Parenting beyond belief
Annie Urban, Crystal Beauvais-Daoust
11 AM
:15 Godless Ethics and Godless Communities
(Chris DiCarlo, Ophelia Benson, Udo Schuklenk, Ian Cromwell, Hank Fox)
:30 Audience Q+A & discussion
:45
12 PM
:15 LUNCH
:30
:45
1 PM Workshop: Gender Issues

Canadian Secular Alliance Workshop

1:00 Veronica Abbass:
"Secularism in Action: Promoting the Separation of Church and State in Canada"

1:25 Gary Fitzgibbon:
"The new battleground for secular public schools in Ontario"

1:50 Justin Trottier:
"Free Speech: the foundation of our fundamental freedoms"

2:15 Leslie Rosenblood:
"The importance of secular governance for Canada"

2:40 Q+A & discussion

:15 Natalie Reed
:30
:45 Ania Bula
"—phobias and —isms"
2 PM
:15 Q+A & discussion
(Natalie Reed, Vyckie Garrison, PZ Myers, Ania Bula)
:30
:45
3 PM
:15 BREAK
:30

Secular Sing-Along
:45
4 PM
:15
:30
:45
5 PM CFI Member Events
Details TBA
:30
6 PM
:30
7 PM
:30
8 PM
:30
9 PM
:30

Note:

  • It is not necessary to preregister for the "tracks" in advance, and attendees are free to mix-and-match sessions from each track, as they wish.
  • The Friday evening Plenary session, and all daytime talks and events on Saturday and Sunday are at the Victoria Park Suites (377 O'Connor St, near the Museum of Nature).