Events

Gem Munro has devoted his life and career to improving educational opportunities for disadvantaged people across Canada and abroad. Pursuit of this objective

carried him into residence in unfortunate communities across most of Canada, before carrying him overseas.

He co-founded Amarok Society: Start With Mothers, providing education programmes to the very poor in Bangladesh and India.

Gem is a bestselling author and artist whose new book, And Where the Wind Spun Them, follows the epic adventures of a resourceful girl and her courageous little

brother who struggle, by wit and grit, to overcome the perils and extreme disadvantages of very poor children in the world today.

For their work, Gem and his wife, Dr Tanyss Munro, were recipients of Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals

Raymonde Tickner presents Geographies of the Heart – Stories from Newcomers to Canada, which holds the reconstructed memories of 18 newcomers. Their stories of leaving behind the known and constructing new lives in the unknown carry words laden with struggle, trauma, hope, and evolving images of themselves. These stories tell of the courage, determination and resilience needed to reshape life in a new geography.  BC Bookworld states these accounts “belie the many misconceptions about immigration and immigrants by revealing that the paths into Canada are as diverse as the people who journeyed them."

Website:

www.sntc.squarespace.com

Biography

Raymonde Tickner taught in the Faculty of Access and Continuing Education at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, specializing in teaching English as an additional language. She brought her expertise in curriculum design to support UFV’s campus in Chandigarh, India. Through the Instructional Skills Global Network (ISW), she has supported faculty professional development globally.

Raymonde volunteers with the Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association as a Victim/Offender Conference facilitator and volunteer trainer. She works as an Auxiliary Restorative Justice Facilitator with the Burnaby RCMP.

Publications

Tickner, R. (2019). Listening to the Voices. In Saudelli, M.G., Kusch, J., & Carroll, S. (Eds.), In voices from far away lands: From divergent to convergent. (pp. 165-181). Newcastle upon Tyne: UK. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Geographies of the Heart - Stories from Newcomers to Canada. (2024). Tickner, R., Wilbur, A., Rahemtulla, Z., Johnson, K. (Eds). Purich Books, UBC Press, Vancouver: BC.

Awards

Recipient of the 2023 Abbotsford Character in Action Award.

Recipient of the 2026 Individual Initiative Award from Archway Community Services for Geographies of the Heart – Stories from Newcomers to Canada

Clare Seeley is the Executive Director and a passionate advocate for moving our industry forward. She oversees our daily operations, develops tactical plans, champions the industry, and helps blend business strategy with marketing to ensure we’re delivering the greatest value to our partners.When not at work, you’ll likely find Clare hiking local trails, attending community events, or visiting the animals at our many local farms; all great reminders that tourism has a way of bringing people together and often inspiring learning in the most unexpected ways.

Barb Roberts is the Manager of Destination & Industry Development at Tourism Abbotsford and she absolutely loves it.She works hand-in-hand with their amazing partners to spark creative ideas, build meaningful connections, and create opportunities that help our community thrive. From Sport & Event Hosting Grants to Partner Engagement and Visitor Servicing, she's always excited to explore what’s possible.As a proud Tourism Abbotsford Ambassador, she is passionate about fostering strong, lasting relationships and driving community spirit through imagination, strategy, and collaboration. She is  looking forward to an exciting year ahead and working together to keep Abbotsford shining bright!

Tourism Abbotsford is a Destination Marketing Organization that delivers tourism marketing and management on behalf of over 300 marketing partners. Tourism Abbotsford also leads the delivery of Visitor services in our community. We strive to inspire visitors to experience our Handmade & Homegrown community through our commitment to best practices and ensuring our stakeholders and partners have the tools and resources to be successful in providing a high-quality visitor experiences.