Grounds for Thought: A Safe Space for Dissent

Coffee houses have historically served as meeting places for the exchange of fresh and often provocative ideas. Green Beanery continued this centuries-old tradition by hosting a series of thought-provoking discussions at its popular café-roastery on the corner of Bathurst and Bloor in Toronto (which closed at the end of March 2020 after 12 years of operation). In this age of intolerance toward dissent, where unconventional views are often shouted down if not banished entirely, the aim was to offer a sanctuary for those seeking the information needed to make informed decisions on important issues of the day. 

Grounds for Thought discussions began in the summer of 2016 and ended in April 2018.  

PAST EVENTS

Stop Internet Piracy: Save CBC and Canadian Artists ~ April 24. Richard C. Owens, adjunct law professor at the University of Toronto and Senior Munk Fellow at Macdonald-Laurier Institute. Hosted by David Cayley (author & broadcaster). 

Should the Pickering nuclear plant be shut? ~ March 27. Shawn-Patrick Stensil, senior analyst, Greenpeace. Hosted by David Cayley (author & broadcaster). This event was livestreamed on the night and can be viewed online here.

The fate of Canada's polar bears ~ February 27. Susan Crockford, zoologist and adjunct professor at the University of Victoria, and author of State of the Polar Bear Report 2017. Hosted by David Cayley (author & broadcaster).

 

Are bike lanes safe? ~ January 30. Lawrence Solomon, National Post columnist and executive director of Energy Probe. Hosted by David Cayley (author & broadcaster). This event was not videotaped.

Decriminalizing corporate corruption ~ November 28. Patricia Adams, executive director of Probe International, describes the Trudeau government's plan to give Canada's corporate crooks a pass when they bribe foreign officials or commit crimes in Canada. This event was not videotaped.

Paris is dead ~ September 26. One of our most controversial discussions yet. The global warming deniers have won? Explaining why - Lawrence Solomon, executive director of Energy Probe and author of the #1 environmental bestseller, The Deniers. Hosted by David Cayley (author & broadcaster). This event was not videotaped.

How Megaprojects Bankrupt Utilities ~ June 27. Brady Yauch, executive director of Consumer Policy Institute, describes the looming threat to public institutions - and to our pocketbooks. Hosted by David Cayley (author & broadcaster). This event was videotaped. See here to view.

Hydro Rates Gone Wild: Why have our power bills doubled? Can they double again? ~ May 30. Parker Gallant, a leading energy sector critic, describes Kathleen Wynne's legacy. Hosted by David Cayley (author & broadcaster). This event was videotaped. See here to view.

Campus Politics: anti-Semitic and anti-free speech ~ April 25. University campuses, once hotbeds of free speech and free thought, have done a 180, to become hot spots of anti-Semitism and thought police. Aedan O'Connor, student activist and Daily Wire contributor, describes the poisonous politics at Ryerson and other Canadian campuses. Hosted by David Cayley (author and broadcaster). This event was videotaped. See here to view.

1,200 Is Not Enough ~ March 28. Canada has officially recognized the ISIS genocide of the Yazidis (Yezidis or Êzidîs) yet, inexplicably, also capped the number of Yazidi refugees we will welcome this year at 1,200. Mirza Ismail (Chair, Yazidi Human Rights International), Geoffrey Clarfield (Director, Mozuud) and Debbie Rose (Coordinator, Project Abraham) describe the genocide and what now needs to be done. This event was videotaped. See here to view.

Vice vs Energy Probe ~ February 28. Is Energy Probe at the leading edge of environmentalism or is it a group that has gone off the rails? A Vice magazine article suggests the latter. Hosted by David Cayley (author and broadcaster). Lawrence Solomon spoke on behalf of Energy Probe. The author of the Vice article was invited to defend his views. This event was videotaped. See here to view.

The Wakefield Vaccine Scandal ~ January 31. Dr. Ari Zaretsky, Psychiatrist-in-Chief and Vice President of Education at Sunnybrook, argues that Andrew Wakefield's study linking vaccines to autism discredits President Trump's Vaccine Safety Commission before it begins. National Post columnist Lawrence Solomon sees things differently. Hosted by David Cayley (author and broadcaster). This event was videotaped. See here to view.

Why Proportional Representation Would Make Canadian Elections Fairer ~ November 29. Andrew Coyne, National Post columnist and CBC "At Issue" panelist, lays out the case for proportional representation. National Post columnist, Lawrence Solomon, debates the opposing view. Hosted by Terence Corcoran (National Post).

Mass Surveillance, Edward Snowden and the Erosion of Privacy and Freedom ~ November 1. Needless intrusions into our personal lives threaten our liberties, explains Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Executive Director at Ryerson's Privacy and Big Data Institute and formerly Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner. Hosted by David Cayley (author and broadcaster).

The Lesser Evil ~ October 25. A debate do-over between Clifford Orwin, Globe and Mail columnist and University of Toronto Professor of Political Science, and Lawrence Solomon, National Post columnist. Hosted by David Cayley (author and broadcaster). This event was videotaped. See here to view. 

Trudeau's Human Rights Compromise ~ October 11. Presented by Patricia Adams, executive director of Probe International. Hosted by David Cayley (author and broadcaster). This event was listed by NOW magazine as one of its top three political picks for October 2016. See here for more background on this event.

The Honest Ed's Redevelopment ~ September 27.
Presented by Max Allen, producer (CBC Radio’s IDEAS), curator (Textile Museum of Canada), and VP for planning and development of the Grange Community Association. Hosted by David Cayley (author and broadcaster). See here for a blog recap of the event.

Windy Lies ~ September 13. Presented by Sherri Lange, CEO of NA-PAW, North American Platform Against Wind Power. Founding Director, Toronto Wind Action. Executive Director, Canada, Great Lakes. Hosted by Max Allen (of CBC Ideas). See here for more about the positions expressed by this speaker.

Rediscovering Ivan Illich ~ August 30. Presented by David Cayley, author and broadcaster, and hosted by Max Allen (of CBC Ideas). See here for a blog recap of the event.

The Real Jane Jacobs ~ July 26. Presented by Max Allen (of CBC Ideas) and Lawrence Solomon (co-founder of Energy Probe Research Foundation with Jane Jacobs). See here for a blog recap of the event.

Why are Ontario's Hydro bills soaring? ~ June 28. Presented by Brady Yauch of Consumer Policy Institute. See here for more background on this event. [No poster available]