THE BLUE AND WHITE

The theme for that year’s World Affairs Conference was more than just a riff on the popular Michael J. Fox fantasy film franchise.

The March 5 event’s three keynote speakers reinforced those ideas.

Bill Weir, CNN’s chief climate correspondent, brought his expertise in a subject that had created anxiety and sparked activism in young people.

Dr. James Orbinski, who had been president of Doctors Without Borders when it won a Nobel Peace Prize, delivered the closing keynote. He served as principal at the University of Toronto’s Massey College and professor in global health at York University and was another timely speaker given the humanitarian crises and scenes of conflict occurring across the world.

Meanwhile, fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC, and Toronto Argonauts did not want to miss the keynote from Keith Pelley, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which owned those teams.

Providing insight from an opponent’s perspective was James Suh, CFO of the Florida Panthers, the defending champions that had eliminated the Maple Leafs from the playoffs two seasons prior.

The conference was organized in partnership with Branksome Hall, with students Katherine Ma and Ruhani Mainra also serving as co-chairs.

Some of the female speakers that year included Dr. Justina Ray, president and senior scientist at Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, and Branksome grad Emma Lozhkin, a software engineer at Nvidia and former member of Canadian national gymnastic teams.