Meet the Speaker: Chris Soucy

Chris Soucy is the Vice President of Business Development for Thoth Technology Inc., a position he has held for the past 2 years. His previous work included more than 30 years in managerial and supervisory positions with PPG Canada Inc.

Chris loves to enjoy the outdoors through wilderness canoe tripping and as a member of the Canadian Ski Patrol System. He has been a canoe instructor with the Ontario Recreational Canoeing and Kayaking Association for 3 years. His passions also include capturing moments in time as a wedding and still life photographer. 

1. What does this year’s TEDxAlgonquinPark theme, Think Outside, mean to you?

Currently living in Mississauga we spend too much time cooped up indoors. Working at the observatory provides me with all Algonquin has to offer in the great outdoors.

2. What is your favourite thing to do outside?

I combine two things, my passion for wilderness canoeing and photography.

3. What one thing should everyone know about you?

My thirst for knowledge of the universe and all of the complexities.

4. In the spirit of TED—Ideas Worth Spreading—tell us the best advice you’ve ever received and want to share with others.

 Interaction with people is one of the most important skills anyone can have. Listen; keep an open mind when sharing with others.

5. Without revealing the theme of your TEDxAlgonquinParkTalk, tell us the one thing you hope people will do after they hear you speak.

Come share the spectacle and history of Algonquin Park. It is an amazing place to explore.

Meet the Speaker: Boris Issaev

Boris Issaev is a co-founder of Parkbus initiative, the bus network connecting Toronto and Ottawa with national and provincial parks in Ontario. This project was launched in 2010, bringing together private and public stakeholders and rapidly growing to its current phase with 6 participating parks including Algonquin, Killarney, French River, Grundy Lake, Bruce Peninsula and Lion’s Head.

Boris is an avid outdoorsman and traveller, having visited over 30 countries and dozens of parks from Denali to Himalayas. He is currently completing International Masters of Business Administration at the Schulich School of Business and also holds a degree in Computer Science.

1. What does this year’s TEDxAlgonquinPark theme, Think Outside, mean to you?

To me Think Outside means not being bound by processes or assumptions that our surroundings sometimes impose on us, and instead creating brand new things from own convictions and own first-hand observations.

2. What is your favourite thing to do outside?

Stargazing. Because nothing puts our busy lives into context better than the solitude of nature, and the billions of stars in the universe of which our world is a tiny speck in space and time. 

3. What one thing should everyone know about you?

I am fascinated with optimization - whether it is traffic flow, backpacking expeditions or computer programs - I always look for ways to make things more efficient. 

4. In the spirit of TED—Ideas Worth Spreading—tell us the best advice you’ve ever received and want to share with others.

Start small, but aim high. This was the advice I received when we were starting Parkbus  - to build up the success on top of previous smaller successes. This has been essential in getting Parkbus, along with several other of my projects off the ground and ultimately successful.

5. Without revealing the theme of your TEDxAlgonquinParkTalk, tell us the one thing you hope people will do after they hear you speak. 

I wish people recognized that reacting to a change is becoming simply too late in today's world - instead, one must be proactive in anticipating the changes, and that is what can turn challenges into opportunities. That's quite vague, but that's probably as much as I can say without revealing the theme.

Meet the Speaker: Preston Ciere

Preston Ciere is a popular Canadian writer, speaker and outdoor advocate. He shares his stories of backcountry adventures, with the hope of inspiring others to embark on their own. Preston started portageur.ca to facilitate this: a website featuring stories, ideas and resources for those wanting to find their own connection to nature. Preston is happiest wandering the province with a canoe on his head, and sums up his attitude with the motto “If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.” When he’s not on the water or on a trail with his portaging canine Nancy, you can find Preston championing various programs and initiatives that promote the rewards of getting “out there”.

1. What does this year’s TEDxAlgonquinPark theme, Think Outside, mean to you?

Because we spend so much time inside now, we need to make a special effort to think about the outdoors, what it means to us, and to do so more often. Thinking about the implied ending ("... the box"), we should not only think about the outdoors, but also try to do so in ways we may not have previously. 

2. What is your favourite thing to do outside?

Portaging. The best stuff is over the portage. It's great exercise, gets you to some great places, immerses yourself further into the wilderness, and if you do it right, leaves no trace that you were there. I love being on the water and connecting with nature, where fewer people tend to follow.

3. What one thing should everyone know about you?

I adopted a canine companion named Nancy, rescued from Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. She's the perfect camping sidekick (or maybe I'm her's) who took to the Ontario backcountry as if she'd been born there. Oh also, I look great in shorts. 

4. In the spirit of TED—Ideas Worth Spreading—tell us the best advice you’ve ever received and want to share with others.

The best advice I've received is about how to give advice: A person needs to be ready and open before they can learn something or accept information. It's one of those wise-old-man pieces of knowledge that I was lucky enough to have explained to me - demonstrated, really. If you want to teach something, you need to wait for the right moment and present it in such a way that is not confrontational or judgemental, but instead is interesting and relatable. A friendly "How's it going?" works way better than "Let me show you the right way to do that". Another way I use this advice is though humour and story-telling to get my views across - never pushing or preaching - and it's especially effective when I am the butt of the jokes. 

5. Without revealing the theme of your TEDxAlgonquinParkTalk, tell us the one thing you hope people will do after they hear you speak.

They'll get outside. They'll go on an adventure to find a far off place on the other side of the portage and enjoy the scenery. And they'll bring a friend. 

Meet the Speaker: Lyndsey Mask

Lyndsey Mask is the Educational Coordinator with Shaw Woods Outdoor Education Centre, a not-for-profit organization based in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Lyndsey attended Nipissing University and graduated as a teacher in the spring of 2008. She fell in love with outdoor education when working as a Natural Heritage Education (NHE) Interpreter at Balsam Lake Provincial Park in the summer of 2008. She went on to become an NHE Leader at Grundy Lake Provincial Park in 2009 and since then has dedicated herself to bringing the classroom and the natural environment together. From the fall of 2012 to the spring of 2013, the Shaw Woods Outdoor Education Centre had almost 1, 300 students visit from around Renfrew County. Lyndsey will work with dedicated volunteers to help spread the message that children and nature go hand in hand.

1. What does this year’s TEDxAlgonquinPark theme, Think Outside, mean to you?

“Think Outside” indicates a sense of freedom of thought and imagination. The ability to question without cause or justification, like the innocence of a child. To harness an independence that fosters growth and appreciation for a person’s own ability to reach limitless potential. Experiencing this freedom is much simpler to obtain when connected to nature.

2. What is your favourite thing to do outside?

My favourite thing to do outside is watch my two little girls play; whether it be with rocks, sticks, or mud; to see them get full of soil and run bare foot through the grass; to enjoy the precious moments when they learn to swim underwater, ride their bicycles, and jump on the trampoline; to water and talk to the flowers; to pick beans fresh from the garden; to experience life, through their eyes and their imaginations.

3. What one thing should everyone know about you?

I am a very proud Mom of two incredibly adorable girls. My oldest, turning four November 2013, is named Paytience; my youngest, turning two September 2013, is named Hope.

4. In the spirit of TED—Ideas Worth Spreading—tell us the best advice you’ve ever received and want to share with others.

“Be Still”.

5. Without revealing the theme of your TEDxAlgonquinParkTalk, tell us the one thing you hope people will do after they hear you speak.

I would like if people would reconsider the fast paced society that surrounds us, and to reconnect with a much simpler time. A time when wastefulness didn’t make sense, when everything had a purpose, when the natural world was in abundance. To get people to realize that the best medicine is truly amongst the trees and in order to heal this planet and its people, we need to start paying attention.

Meet the Speaker: Martyn Obbard

Martyn Obbard is a Research Scientist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and an Adjunct Professor at Trent University. His work with the Wildlife Research and Development Section of the MNR includes research on both black bears and polar bears. Martyn lives near Peterborough, Ontario.

1. What does this year’s TEDxAlgonquinPark theme, Think Outside, mean to you?

In general, it is a call to members of the public to include outdoor activities in such special places as Algonquin Park in their life experience, but it’s also a call to think outside the box about our relationship with the environment and wildlife.

2. What is your favourite thing to do outside?

Backcountry canoeing and camping.

3. What one thing should everyone know about you?

I’ve been a Detroit Red Wings fan since 1959.

4. In the spirit of TED—Ideas Worth Spreading—tell us the best advice you’ve ever received and want to share with others.

You are only here once so follow your dreams and they will take you where you should go.

5. Without revealing the theme of your TEDxAlgonquinPark Talk, tell us the one thing you hope people will do after they hear you speak.

Introspectively evaluate their own attitudes towards wildlife.

In case you missed it on our Facebook page, here's a video of Dr. Obbard showing Rick Mercer what a day in the life of a bear researcher looks like.

Meet the Speaker: Kevin Callan

Kevin Callan, a.k.a. The Happy Camper, has two goals: to entertain you and to encourage you to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. He wants to shatter the myth that you need to be a survival expert in order to experience the richness that wilderness adventures can provide. He lives in Peterborough, Ontario.

1. What does this year’s TEDxAlgonquinPark theme, Think Outside, mean to you?

I've dedicated most of my life to get more and more people outdoors - they won't protect it if they're not connected to it. This is why I'm so honoured and excited to be asked to speak at this year's TEDxAlgonquin.

2. What is your favourite thing to do outside?

Canoeing is my favourite way to get into the wilderness - its not my only way though. I love to backpack and winter camp with a freight toboggan and hot tent. But to me, the canoe is the best way to get into intimate places to soak in the solitude. 

3. What one thing should everyone know about you?

I'm passionate about being outdoors - but I also use a lot of humour to help share my message. Laughing along the long portage is sometimes the only way I'll get to the other end. 

4. In the spirit of TED—Ideas Worth Spreading—tell us the best advice you’ve ever received and want to share with others.

Kirk Wipper once said my main purpose in life is to get people enthused about being outdoors

5. Without revealing the theme of your TEDxAlgonquinPark Talk, tell us the one thing you hope people will do after they hear you speak.

I hope they'll want to head out into the interior of the park for a long, solid trip immediately after my talk. 

Meet the Speaker: Jeffrey McMurtrie

Jeffrey McMurtrie is one of the speakers at this year's TEDxAlgonquinPark. Jeff first visited Algonquin Park when he was eight. He fell in love with it and has since been back many, many times. He has spent over 500 days exploring the park in order to create a highly detailed map—Jeff’s Map—which he offers up for free online so that others can explore Algonquin Park, too. Jeff lives in Toronto.

1. What does this year’s TEDxAlgonquinPark theme, Think Outside, mean to you?

I think it speaks to the fact that we all need to try and step back and think more actively. It's all too easy to fall into the trap of zoning out and doing things the way they're 'supposed to be done'. But that just leads to mediocrity. 

2. What is your favourite thing to do outside?

Exploring off the beaten path. It all started when some friends who'd been canoeing in Algonquin for 50 years asked if I wanted to go along with them on a bushwhack to a small lake away from a canoe route. Right away the whole concept of going places that so few others have been really intrigued me. Now most of my trips involve trekking to a lake or two nearby my route or retracing an old route in its entirety.

3. What one thing should everyone know about you?

I'm young and often l don't know any better. That leads to a lot of discovering 'what not to do,' but it frequently also frees me from the assumptions and baggage that come with knowing the 'right' way of doing things.

4. In the spirit of TED—Ideas Worth Spreading—tell us the best advice you’ve ever received and want to share with others.

Somewhat related to the last question - making mistakes isn't a bad thing. In fact, every time you make a mistake you're just that much closer to finding the right answer. All too often people see mistakes as a deficiency of character when in fact they're just a part of learning. Without making mistakes we can't improve.

5. Without revealing the theme of your TEDxAlgonquinParkTalk, tell us the one thing you hope people will do after they hear you speak.

Approach problems with a more open mindset. That's a pretty lofty goal - after all, it's basically asking someone to change the way they interact with the world all because of a talk they watched. But I think that all too often we're limited not by our abilities, but by our preconceptions, and I think that sometimes all we need is someone to remind us of that.