CSBA Congress 2025

Many delegates arriving at CSBA Congress and Gathering 2025 will be arriving either July 1 or July 2 in time to attend the formal opening event, set to take place at 6:00 pm on July 2 (doors open at 5:45 pm) at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (located at 300 Memorial Boulevard in Winnipeg).

For those who arrive early, the following optional events are being offered on a first come, first serve basis. Please use the registration page to book an activity, if interested in participating in these activities. We hope that many of our guests will wish to take advantage of these options, with something for everyone across our vibrant arts, history/culture and science scenes!

Please note that our ability to offer these options will depend on the total interest received. Activities may be subject to cancellation due to insufficient demand and/or unforeseen inclement weather (outdoor activities only).

Please also note that the formal opening of Congress and Gathering will take place at 6:00 pm July 2. Doors Open at 5:45 pm. Delegates with accessibility requirements are advised that normal walking time from the Delta Hotel to the Winnipeg Art Gallery is an estimated 10 minutes on mostly flat surfaces. Those in need of transportation are advised to plan accordingly, in advance.

Durée: 3 heures

Début: 13h00

En Français: 15 participants maximum
Coût: 20$/personne

Description : Venez célébrer la joie de vivre du Manitoba lors de cette visite à pied de la
communauté historique de Saint-Boniface.  De La Vérendrye à Louis Riel en passant par
Georges Forest, découvrez les contributions importantes de la communauté française au
Manitoba et au Canada et sa lutte pour protéger et promouvoir sa langue et ses droits. Vivez la
passion, l'engagement et la diversité de la culture franco-manitobaine en visitant les nombreux
sites d'importance pour la communauté, dont la basilique de Saint-Boniface et ses cimetières
attenants, l'Université de Saint-Boniface, l'hôpital des Sœurs Grises (la plus ancienne structure
du Winnipeg) et l'ancien Hôtel de Ville de Saint-Boniface. Témoignez la dynamisme et la
vivacité de la plus grande communauté française de l’Ouest canadien!

Logistique : Les participants sont informés que cette activité est une visite à pied impliquant une
activité physique prolongée avec de courtes pauses incluses, principalement dans des espaces
extérieurs. La météo peut influencer la faisabilité de cette activité et les participants sont
encouragés à prévoir le soleil et la chaleur.

Duration: 3 hours
Start: 1:00 pm

In English: 15 participants maximum
Cost: $20/person

Description: Come and celebrate Manitoba’s Joie de Vivre on this walking tour of the historic community of Saint-Boniface.  From La Vérendrye to Louis Riel and Georges Forest, learn about the French community’s important contributions to Manitoba and to Canada and their fight to protect and promote their language and rights. Experience the passion, commitment and diversity of la culture franco-manitobaine by visiting the many sites of significance to the community, including the Basilica of Saint-Boniface and its adjoining churchyards, the Université de Saint Boniface, the Grey Nun’s hospital (oldest structure in Winnipeg) and the old Saint Boniface City Hall. Witness the vibrance and vivacity of the largest French community in Western Canada, with us!

Logistics: Participants are advised that this activity is a walking tour involving extended physical activity with short breaks included, in mainly outdoor areas. Weather may influence the feasibility of this activity and participants are encouraged to plan for sun and heat.

Duration: 3 hours
Start: 1:00 pm

English: 50 participants maximum
Cost: $10/person

Description: Join us on this trek as we explore five millennia of Canadian culture and history. Starting from the Delta Hotel (conference headquarters), we will wind our way “down Broadway” to see the Upper Fort Garry Gate: very birthplace of the Province of Manitoba. From there, you will enter the historic Union Station to see the place where thousands of immigrants landed on their journey to start new lives in the West. At the Agowiidiwinan Centre, you will learn about the history of the numbered Treaties, and you will stand in the Oodena Circle, site of one of the most important Indigenous trading and meeting places in all of North America. Come and learn why, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, The Forks is the very heart of the heart of North America. Tour ends at the Forks Market, an eclectic collection of boutique shops and restaurants, where you will not go home empty-handed or with an empty stomach!

Logistics: Participants are advised that this activity is a walking tour involving extended physical activity with short breaks included, in mainly outdoor areas. Weather may influence the feasibility of this activity and participants are encouraged to plan for sun and heat.

Duration: 2.5 hours
Start: 1:30 pm

15 particpants maximum
Cost: $5/person

Description: The Biomedical Youth Program (BYP) was established in 2006 through the collaborative vision of Dr. Francis Amara and Elder Myra Laramee, aimed at fostering scientific curiosity among youth, particularly those from Indigenous, minority ethnic, and inner-city communities. The program was born out of a need to address educational and career disparities in the sciences and health professions among these groups. In December 2014, Dr. James Gilchrist was appointed as its Program Director to expand and develop its program initiatives, and on this tour he will present, along with student volunteers and past participants, the impact that this extra-ordinary program has had. Since its inception, the BYP has engaged over 1,000 university student volunteers and 2,000 school participants through various initiatives, including science clubs, summer camps, and mentorship programs. Currently, the BYP serves as one of the Pathways Programs offered by Ongomiizwin, the Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing at the University of Manitoba’s Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

Logistics: Participants are advised that they will be picked up from the headquarters hotel (Delta Hotel Winnipeg) at 1:30 pm by shuttle. They will be transported an estimated 15 minutes to/from the Max Rady College of Medicine of the University of Manitoba, 737 McDermot Avenue in Winnipeg) for a walking tour and seated presentation, in an indoor setting. The Campus is fully accessible.

Duration: 2 hours
Start: 1:00 pm

60 participants maximum
Cost: $45/person

Description: This exceptional tour and workshop of WAG-Qaumajuq will be led by WAG Learning Coordinator Colleen Leduc along with celebrated Inuit artist, Goota Ashoona.  During this time we will learn about some of the Inuit artworks found in the Visible Vault, spend time discussing Goota Ashoona’s significant artwork, Tuniigusiia (The Gift), which is permanently located in front of Qaumajuq, and spend time in the exhibition dedicated to Abraham Anghik Ruben’s incredible artworks, hearing about some of the stories that connect to the artworks.  The tour will be followed by a watercolour artmaking workshop in Main Hall where we further our art engagement by being inspired and creative.

Goota Ashoona is an acclaimed third generation artist from Kinngait, Nunavut. In her 30 years of experience as a professional sculptor, Ashoona has been renowned for her figurative subjects carved in soapstone and whalebone.

As a Learning Coordinator WAG-Qaumajuq, Colleen Leduc (she/her) uses her background as a practicing visual artist (BFA Hons), art educator (BEd, MA), and art therapist (CEAT, GDAT) to elevate the engagement of artwork within WAG-Qaumajuq. She is passionate about using artmaking as a tool to enhance accessibility and healing through art.

Logistics: Participants are advised that normal walking time from the Delta Hotel to the Winnipeg Art Gallery is an estimated 10 minutes on mostly flat surfaces. Those in need of transportation are advised to plan accordingly, in advance. The workshop will take place indoors. The gallery is fully accessible.

Duration: 40 minutes
1st slot: 4:45 pm 25 participants maximum $4/person
2nd slot: 5 pm 25 participants maximum $4/person

Description: Qaumajuq is an innovative new museum, home of the largest public collection of contemporary Inuit art in the world. This first-of-its-kind centre connects to the Winnipeg Art Gallery on all levels, creating a 185,000-square-foot cultural campus in the heart of downtown Winnipeg. Qaumajuq bridges Canada’s North and South through exhibitions, research, education, and art making. A community of artists, Indigenous advisors, partners, and stakeholders have collaborated to envision and build a vibrant gathering place where all are welcome and where everyone’s stories are told and heard in a true spirit of reconciliation.

Logistics: Participants are advised that normal walking time from the Delta Hotel to the Winnipeg Art Gallery is an estimated 10 minutes on mostly flat surfaces. Those in need of transportation are advised to plan accordingly, in advance. These tours take place indoors. The gallery is fully accessible.

Start: 6:00pm
Duration: Approximately 2 hours, 30 minutes (including post-screening discussion)

Description: Our People Will Be Healed, Alanis Obomsawin’s 50th film, reveals how a Cree community in Manitoba has been enriched through the power of education. The Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre in Norway House, north of Winnipeg, receives a level of funding that few other Indigenous institutions enjoy. Its teachers help their students to develop their abilities and their sense of pride. Watch this impactful documentary, which will be followed by a panel discussion featuring the Frontier School Board, which is the proud home of the Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre.