Keep ethics and spirituality alive
in your workplace
...
Join Workplace Centre
today!



Workplace Centre for
Spiritual & Ethical Development
Suite 204
2065 West 4th Ave.
Vancouver, B.C.
V6J 1N3


phone: 604.685.6560 
email:
info@workplacecentre.org


Workplace Centre Values
:

spiritual wholeness

cultural diversity

ethical business practices

wisdom of all
communities
of faith

individual dignity

environmental sensitivity


CO-FOUNDER OF
Ethics in Action Awards



Thank you to our
Sponsors:




 
for Ethics for Breakfast
meeting room






 
for Web communication








 
Website sponsor








 
past Web sponsor


homeaboutBREAKFASTLUNCHJOINCONTACTPAST SPEAKERS
Ethics for Breakfast Events


Mission
To provide a forum for inspiring speakers and conversations that promote ethical practices in business and everyday life.

When
        
2nd Wednesday of every month -- 7:15 to 8:30 am.

Where
Most often: BC Hydro, 333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, B.C.
(please check monthly announcement for Location Changes)

Cost
Members $7.00   Non-Members $10.00

Please RSVP to:  604-685-6560 or email:
rsvp@workplacecentre.org 

Ethics for Breakfast Chair, Conrad Guelke
________________________________________________


June 2010


Ethics for Breakfast presents

Wednesday, June 9, 2010
          7:15 - 8:30 am
 


Ethics and
Universal
Health Care:
How do we manage
climbing costs? 


          Open Forum -- with facilitator Sue Drinnan,
                 and numerous other Health Care Professionals

                                ___________________

How can we improve our health care system?

We know that we can't maintain today's healthcare system and expenditures as is, so something has to give. But what?

- What ethical questions need to be addressed when prioritising competing values?
- Where does accountability for one's own health (& chosen risks) come into play?
- What role do private providers play in our public system?
- What changes are needed to balance budget limitations with the responsibility
  of providing the best coverage to all citizens?

In a shift from our regular format, we will host an Open Forum Discussion on the challenges facing Canada's health care system, and where we need to go from here.

Among the participants will be a number of seasoned healthcare professionals, so don't miss your chance to bring your questions, perspectives and ideas as we begin to address this vital issue. And, if you have expertise in this area, please contact us to discuss incorporating your knowledge in this discussion.

                     ___________________________________



DATE:            Wednesday,
 June 9th -- 7:15-8:30 am

LOCATION     
CHANGE:       1500 West Georgia St., Suite 975
                      Corner of Cardero/Georgia 
(the building with the waterfall)
                      Parking is best on Alberni St.

COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00 
                     - muffins, tea and coffee included
                     - RSVP requested (if possible)



               click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560

                      ___________________________________

               
About Our Facilitator:

Sue Drinnan is a Certified Executive Coach and facilitator, and was a national leader in healthcare research for nine years.

In 2003, she founded Insight Leadership Development, a management consultancy firm specializing in workplace climate and top leadership talent development. In her work, she supports successful senior leaders and their teams to work even more effectively together.

Sue uses evidence-based tools and training in areas such as conflict resolution, emotional and social intelligence, creating mentoring/coaching cultures, change management, and working with personality type differences. For more information, see www.insightleadershipdevelopment.com.


               click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560




















































































- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

May 2010


Ethics for Breakfast presents

Wednesday, May 12, 2010
          7:15 - 8:30 am
 


Ethics and Health Care:
Patient
Empowerment
and Healing
 



with Dr. Nelie Johnson, MD, Family Physician and Quantum Healer




"I want to help people move out of fear to feeling empowered to contribute to their own healing." - Nelie Johnson

“Why do people get sick? How can they heal?” These were questions Dr. Nelie Johnson, a practicing family physician in Maple Ridge, near Vancouver B.C., since 1982, began asking herself some 20 years ago, early in her career. Despite the many strengths of Western Medicine, it did not offer enough answers and Dr. Johnson sought for them elsewhere... 

This morning's talk/discussion will explore the impact of thoughts, beliefs and emotions on health ("the quantum factor"), and an expanded model of disease that creates potential for better patient outcomes and healing.

                      ___________________________________



DATE:            Wednesday,
 May 12th -- 7:15-8:30 am

LOCATION     
CHANGE:       1500 West Georgia St., Suite 975
                      Corner of Cardero/Georgia 
(the building with the waterfall)
                      Parking is best on Alberni St.

COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00 
                     - muffins, tea and coffee included
                     - RSVP requested (if possible)



               click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560
  
                __________________________________

               
About Our Speaker:

Dr. Nelie Johnson,MD   (BSc (Hon Biochem) 1971, MD (UBC 1976) 

After over 30 years of medical practice and more than a dozen years of training and experience in several healing modalities, Dr. Nelie Johnson now focuses her work on supporting and guiding people to bring out their inner healer – to access, express and release the emotions and thoughts that are at the root of their disease or ‘dis-ease’... [Read more]

(For more on Dr. Johnson's work, see www.keystototalhealing.com)


               click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560










































































- - - - - - - - - - - - -

April 2010


Ethics for Breakfast presents

Wednesday, April 14, 2010
            7:15 - 8:30 am

 

The Ethics of Real Estate:
Are professional standards enough?

 


with Kim SpencerManager, Professional Standards Department,
Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver



                 What recourse do you have against
             inappropriate conduct by a REALTOR®?*

Whether it’s facing the challenge of a multiple-offer bidding war or dealing with difficult negotiations, local REALTORS® frequently face ethical challenges. But thankfully, the public can voice related complaints and seek resolutions through an official body: the professional standards department of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver... [Read more]

* REALTORS® are Canadian licensed real estate agents who belong to a real estate board and are subject to both the board’s code of ethics and the Real Estate Services Act. Real estate agents who do not join a real estate board are subject solely to the Act.


              click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560


DATE:            Wednesday,
 April 14th -- 7:15-8:30 am

LOCATION     
CHANGE:       1500 West Georgia St., Suite 975
                      Corner of Cardero/Georgia 
(the building with the waterfall)
                      Parking is best on Alberni St.

COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00 
                     - muffins, tea and coffee included
                     - RSVP requested (if possible)


                            ___________________________________

               
About Our Speaker:

Kim Spencer, known as the “Ethics Guy®”, manages the Professional Standards Department of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver. His mission is to raise professional standards by promoting and nurturing ethical conduct, fair business dealings and exemplary cooperation between members. Kim has 30 years of experience in the real estate industry... [Read more]


               click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560


































































- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


March 2010


Ethics for Breakfast presents

Wednesday, March 10, 2010
            7:15 - 8:30 am

 

Rich or Poor:
Do circumstances change our ethics?

 


with Floyd MurphyBusinessman and Financial Planner, CFP, CLU, CHFC


 Do people in flophouses and those in penthouses
                 live by the same ethical code?

When Floyd Murphy arrived in Vancouver in 1968, at the age of 20, he had no money, job, family or other support. From his single room in the Regal Hotel on Granville Street, he knew only alcoholics, drug addicts, "working women" and other troubled individuals.

Since then, he has established a successful business, travelled the world, and no longer has to worry about how to pay the bills. But today, he finds parallels between his old and new life: Has the ethical behaviour of his acquaintances changed that dramatically?

Join Floyd as he shares his compelling personal and work stories, and challenges common misperceptions about success and morality. Just because you have money, does that mean you are ethical?


              click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560


DATE:            Wednesday,
 March 10th -- 7:15-8:30 am

LOCATION     
CHANGE:       1500 West Georgia St., Suite 975 -- Meet in building lobby
                      Corner of Cardero/Georgia 
(the building with the waterfall)
                      Parking is best on Alberni St.

COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00 
                     (muffins, tea and coffee included)



                            ___________________________________

               
About Our Speaker:

Floyd Murphy is a Vancouver chartered financial consultant and certified financial planner. He and his wife Gloria own and operate five insurance companies. He is a founding member and president of the Nakamun Group and has an extensive background in the financial and retirement industries, estate planning and risk management.

Floyd served on the national board of the Life Underwriters Association of Canada (now Advocis) for nine years, including a year as chair and CEO... [Read more]


               click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560









































































- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

January 2010


Ethics for Breakfast presents

Wednesday, January 13, 2010
               7:15 - 8:30 am


 
2010 Winter Olympics:
When ethics,
spending and
civil liberties collide

 
 
 
with David EbyExecutive Director, B.C. Civil Liberties Association


                Have authorities suppressed free speech,
            personal rights & opposition to the Olympics?

With glossy new sports venues and millions of dollars' worth of ads and merchandising, Vancouver looks poised to make the 2010 Winter Olympic Games a global success. But as the city prepares to host this mega-event, are Canada's democratic traditions and ethics under threat? How do Olympic spending and initiatives relate to free expression, free assembly and democratic rights?

Join us as David Eby addresses the ethical implications of hosting the 2010 Olympic Games... [Read more]


              click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560


DATE:            Wednesday,
 January 13th -- 7:15-8:30 am

LOCATION      1500 West Georgia St., Suite 975 -- Meet in building lobby
CHANGE:       Corner of Cardero St. -- (the building with the waterfall)
                      Parking is best on Alberni St.

COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00 
                     (muffins, tea and coffee included)



                            ___________________________________

               
About Our Speaker:

David Eby is Executive Director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and an adjunct Professor of Law at the University of British Columbia. He also serves as President of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and was one of ten members of the Vancouver Mayor's Homeless Emergency Action Team, which opened 400 temporary shelter beds last winter... [Read more]

(For more on David, also see www.bccla.org and davideby.blogspot.com.)


               click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560


































































- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

December 2009


Ethics for Breakfast presents


Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
             7:15 - 8:30 am




Ethics of Water Conservation: Why we need change

 

 
with Hans Schreier, Expert in International Water Resources Management and Professor, Faculty of Land & Food Systems,WestWater Research Unit, UBC


Canada is one of the highest users of domestic water in the world. How long can this last?

Canadians seem to believe that we have unlimited water supplies. Most people don’t want to meter their water consumption and won’t pay an appropriate price for its use. At the same time, consumers gladly spend money on bottled water while their community drinking water remains of high quality and is mostly safe. How ethical is our use of water?

Join water management expert Hans Schreier as he outlines why we urgently need a water conservation ethic. He’ll offer water conservation tips and answer questions such as... [Read more]


              click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560


DATE:            Wednesday,
 December 9th -- 7:15-8:30 am

LOCATION:     BC Hydro Building
                      333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver
                      2nd Floor Auditorium
                      Check-in at Security Desk (Main floor lobby)

COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00 
                     (muffins, tea and coffee included)



                            ___________________________________

               
About Our Speaker:

Hans Schreier is a Professor in the Faculty of Land & Food Systems and the Institute for Resources and Environment at UBC's WestWater Research Unit. His specialty fields include the land-use impact on water and climate change, and he recently spent four years as co-leader of the Watershed Strategy Program at Canada’s National Centre of Excellence on Clean Water.

For almost three decades, Hans has taught training courses in water resources management in 17 countries. He has received numerous related awards, including the 2004 Science in Action Award from the United Nations... [Read more]
 
"Hans Schreier has spent a career making a difference in the lives of Canadians and people around the world. ...[His] contribution to water issues is too great to ever be measured." Dr. Mark Servos, Scientific Director, Canadian Water Network


               click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560













































































- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


November 2009

*Note Change to Thursday -- Due to Nov. 11 Holiday*

 

Ethics for Breakfast presents


Thursday, November 12, 2009
             7:15 - 8:30 am




Mediation & HR: The Ethics of Confidentiality

 
 

with Laura ReidCRC, CHRP, Mediator and Partner, Arlyn Reid (HR firm)


                     Do you know confidential information 
                         
that puts you in moral conflict?

As any whistleblower knows, going public with confidential business information can have huge implications, from arrests to lawsuits. Whether it’s revealing corporate wrongdoing or excessive overspending, it takes courage to speak out about company secrets. Join Laura Reid as she discusses what social and business expectations we hold around the issue of confidentiality and how this affects the choices we make... [Read more]


              click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560


DATE:            THURSDAY,
 November 12th -- 7:15-8:30 am

LOCATION:     BC Hydro Building
                      333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver
                      2nd Floor Auditorium
                      Check-in at Security Desk (Main floor lobby)

COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00 
                     (muffins, tea and coffee included)



                            ___________________________________

               
About Our Speaker:

Laura Reid is a mediator, senior management consultant, Senior HR Advisor and Partner of the HR firm Arlyn Reid, where she provides human resources, mediation and training services to organizations. Laura has worked in law firms since 1979, most recently as HR Manager at McCarthy Tetrault. Besides a business administration degree, she has received mediation training through the Justice Institute of B.C... [Read more] (Also see www.arlynreid.net) 


               click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560

































































- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

October 2009


Ethics for Breakfast presents


Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
             7:15 - 8:30 am



Ethics and
Happiness


 
 
with Charles Montgomery
Award-winning Journalist, Photographer and Author of The Shark God (aka The Last Heathen, winner of two book awards)



Ours is one of the most beautiful, vibrant, and livable cities in the world. Why aren’t we happy?
-Sad City, Vancouver Magazine, 09/08

A groundbreaking study last year found that despite our glorious mountains and ocean, mild weather, good health and Olympic future, Vancouverites are just not as happy as people in St. John or Winnipeg.

So what makes a "happy city," and an ethical one? Is it wealth, new condos, waterfront views and faster transportation? Is it kindness and seeking a common good? How much do family, knowing our neighbours and meaningful work matter?

Join us as Charles shares insights he’s gained from research for his upcoming book, Happy City... He'll also talk about "Home for the Games," a project that connects rental accommodation during the Olympics with raising funds for Vancouver's most vulnerable citizens... [Read more]


              click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560


DATE:            Wednesday,
 October 14th -- 7:15-8:30 am

LOCATION:     BC Hydro Building
                      333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver
                      2nd Floor Auditorium
                      Check-in at Security Desk (Main floor lobby)

COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00 
                     (muffins, tea and coffee included)



                            ___________________________________

               
About Our Speaker:

Charles Montgomery is an award-winning author, journalist and photographer who tells stories about people, cities, science and myth. His next book, Happy City, will look at how urban planners are using the emerging science of happiness to fix broken cities around the world. His research has taken him to cities as diverse as Kabul, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Portland and Mexico City.

Charles' first book, The Last Heathen, was published in Canada to enthusiastic praise (and several awards), and re-published internationally as The Shark God. He has also written award-winning articles for... [Read more] 

Charles is also one of the moving spirits behind Home for the Games, a collective of Vancouver-area residents who want to help the city’s homeless...[Read more] (and see http://homeforthegames.com).


               click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560










































































- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


September 2009

Note: Ethics Breakfasts are now on the second Wednesday of each month...
_________________________________________________________________


Ethics for Breakfast presents

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
             7:15 - 8:30 am



Ethics,
Carbon & Politics in B.C.

 


      
 with James Tansey, President and Co-founder, Offsetters,
         a leading carbon offset organization in Vancouver, and Executive Director,
       
 Centre for Sustainability and Social Innovation, UBC


Are you tracking and reducing your climate impact?

What ethical and political challenges lie ahead in B.C., with only three months to go before the United Nations conference on climate change in Copenhagen?

Join James Tansey as he steers us through the climate change debate, both locally and globally, and discusses how each of us can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He’ll provide leading insights gleaned from his role as president and co-founder of Offsetters, a Vancouver-based organization that helps individuals and companies understand, reduce, track, and offset their climate impact...  [Read more]

  
             click here to RSVP   or  call:  604-685-6560



DATE:            Wednesday,
 September 9th -- 7:15-8:30 am

LOCATION:     BC Hydro Building
                      333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver
                      2nd Floor Auditorium
                      Check-in at Security Desk - Main floor lobby

COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00 
                     (muffins, tea and coffee included)

 

About Our Speaker:

James Tansey co-founded the carbon offset organization, Offsetters, in 2005 and is currently its President. He is also the Executive Director of the Centre for Sustainability and Social Innovation at UBC, and an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. He has taught MBA, MSc and EMBA courses, executive education, and undergraduate programs in the United Kingdom and Canada... [Read more]



            click here to RSVP   or  call:  604-685-6560
































































- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


June 2009

Note: Ethics Breakfasts are now on the second Wednesday of each month...
_________________________________________________________________


Ethics for Breakfast presents

Wednesday, June 10, 2009
          7:15 - 8:30 am



Ethics & the
Conservation
Economy


 
 
              with Ian GillPresident of Ecotrust Canada


How can we establish new ethical codes of conduct in our economy and society?

Too often, economic development models ignore environmental sustainability and social benefits to communities, particularly First Nations... [Read more]
 

Join Ian Gill as he discusses ways in our current economic crisis to build an ethical conservation economy based on what people need, and what the environment will sustain.



               click here to RSVP   -or-  phone: 604-685-6560


DATE:            Wednesday, June 10th -- 7:15-8:30 am

LOCATION:     BC Hydro Building
                      333 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver
                      Check-in at Security Desk - Main floor lobby

COST:           Members - $7.00     Non-Members - $10.00 
                     (muffins, tea and coffee included)



       click here to RSVP   or  call: 604-685-6560
 

About Our Speaker:

Ian Gill is president and founder of Ecotrust Canada in Vancouver, B.C. and a director of Ecotrust in Portland, Ore. These non-profit organizations promote the emergence of a conservation economy in the coastal temperate rainforests of North America.

Before creating Ecotrust Canada, Ian spent seven years as a television reporter with the CBC, and seven years as a senior reporter/editor with the Vancouver Sun. He is the author of the best-selling book... [Read more]
































































More Past Events

(or click on the Past Speakers tab
at the top/right of this page)



______________________________________________

back to top


Keep ethics and spirituality alive in your workplace
...
Join Workplace Centre today!

We gratefully acknowledge:
 
for the generous donation of a beautiful meeting space
for our monthly breakfast events.

To sponsor an event phone: 604.685-6560
or email:
info@workplacecentre.org




















 

homeaboutBREAKFASTLUNCHJOINCONTACTPAST SPEAKERS