We are thrilled to announce the Western Canadian Reason Conference, 2025!
Our third conference will be held May 2nd to 4th 2025 at the Sandman Hotel in Downtown Calgary. The whole conference, including receptions, speakers and vendors, will be at the Sandman. It is on the corner of 8th St and 7th Ave SW in downtown Calgary, on the CTrain line for easy access. You can book directly with the Sandman if you want to stay at the hotel.
We are elated to announce that Seth Andrews is returning for 2025. Seth both entertained and educated us at the first conference in 2023. TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
Here are the highlights of our Speakers for 2025. Check out their full bios and details on our Speakers 2025 page
Seth Andrews – Keynote Speaker
Seth Andrews is a former evangelical and Christian broadcaster who now hosts The Thinking Atheist…one of the most popular podcasts and online atheist communities in the world. The Thinking Atheist is not a person. It is an icon encouraging all to reject faith and pursue reason and evidence.
Seth has authored five books, including his latest offering, “Christianity Made Me Talk Like an Idiot.” He also hosts a second podcast, “True Stories with Seth Andrews.”
With a mix of humor and heart, Seth Andrews has spoken for audiences large and small in the U.S, Canada, Europe, and Australia about his former faith, the promotion of science and skepticism, the importance of Humanism in this often crazy world, and why we should all pursue a personal relationship with reality.
Forrest Valkai – Featured Speaker
Forrest is a biologist and science communicator known for his infectious enthusiasm and boundless love for life. Renowned for his engaging presence on YouTube and TikTok, his dynamic presentations at conferences and conventions, and hosting shows like SkepTalk and The Atheist Experience, Forrest brings together captivating science lessons, thought-provoking discussions on skepticism, and heartfelt advocacy for social progress.
Over the course of his online career, Forrest has championed science and reason, raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity, and taught audiences of all ages to love science and each other. Whether you’re diving into the wonders of evolution, questioning and deconstructing long-held beliefs, or simply wanting to make the world a better place, Forrest is hard at work cultivating a conscientious community for people who strive to be kind, to stay curious, and to never stop learning! His official Website – ValkaiLabs.com. Forrest is also the Renegade Science Teacher on YouTube..
Dr Eugenie Scott
Dr. Scott is the former Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education, Inc., a not-for-profit membership organization of scientists, teachers, and others that works to improve the teaching of science as a way of knowing, the teaching of evolution, and the teaching of climate change. A former college professor, Dr. Scott is an internationally-known expert on the creationism and evolution controversy and science denialism and is called upon by the press and other media to explain science to the general public.
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Susan Gerbic
Susan Gerbic founded and runs the crowd-sourced project Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW) which has written over 2 thousand Wikipedia articles concerning science, pseudoscience and people of science. With over a hundred editors from all over the world, located in a private Facebook group called The Secret Cabal they work in many languages and are always looking for more people to train for the team.
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Dr. Rodney Schmaltz
Dr. Rodney Schmaltz is an associate professor of psychology at MacEwan University, specializing in scientific thinking, skepticism, and misinformation. He has presented at national and international conferences, including TEDx, where he explored how skepticism can foster empathy. His research examines how people evaluate extraordinary claims, why misinformation is so persuasive, and the challenges of promoting scientific literacy.
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Dr Aaron Devor
Dr Aaron Devor, PhD, FSSSS, FSTLHE, is an internationally recognized leader in Transgender Studies who has been studying and teaching about transgender topics since the early 1980s. He established and holds the world’s first Chair in Transgender Studies; initiated and hosts the international, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational Moving Trans History Forward conferences; and founded and is the subject matter expert for the world’s largest Transgender Archives. He has published widely on transgender topics, including as an author of four books and editor of another.
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All the videos from our 2024 Speakers can be found here. Take a look and see what you missed or remember the great speakers we had.
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Please note that all the Speakers are choosing their own topics and own their presentations. WeCanReason and the Rocky Mountain Atheist Society do not review or edit any part of them. The views expressed are solely those of the Speaker. WeCanReason is about critical thinking; disagreements should be resolved in a constructive manner and without personal attacks. Challenge ideas not people.
We hope you will join us and look forward to meeting you!
If you would like to support the work of WCR or RMA, please consider a donation or purchasing an annual membership for just $20. Thank you!
Thank you to our generous sponsors who have helped make WeCanReason 2025 a success. Please visit them and consider supporting these organizations.
