Module 8
Conflict &
Controversy
Module length: 90 min
Study time: 3 hr
Accelerator Short Course:
Conflict is inevitable and can lead to positive or negative results depending on how it is handled. Unresolved conflict costs money, time and causes pain. Conflict competence is the ability to develop and use cognitive, emotional, and behavioural skills that enhance productive outcomes of conflict while reducing the likelihood of escalation or harm.
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James Moore served as Canada’s Minister of Industry, Minister of Canadian Heritage & Official Languages, Secretary of State for the Asia Pacific Gateway and Minister for the 2010 Olympics. He served as the Senior Regional Minister for the province of British Columbia, he was also Chair of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Prosperity and Vice Chair of the Operations and Social Affairs Cabinet Committees.
James has earned an outstanding reputation over his years spent in government, most notably as Minister of Industry from 2013 to 2015, where he oversaw a wide range of Canada’s public policy decisions and led a team responsible for the Canada Space Agency, the Canada Tourism Commission, the Business Development Bank of Canada, Statistics Canada, the National Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the Canada Foundation for Innovation and more.
A Member of Parliament for 15 years, James is the youngest Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister in British Columbia’s history, the youngest Regional Minister in Canadian history and the third youngest Cabinet Minister in Canadian history. He has been named "One of the 50 Most Important People in Canada" by Macleans magazine, “One of Vancouver’s 50 Most Powerful” by Vancouver Magazine, and “One of the Top 25 People in the Capital” by the HillTimes newspaper.
He is a past member of the Trilateral Commission and was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Fluently bilingual in french & english, James holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Northern B.C. and a Master’s Degree from the University of Saskatchewan.
In 2015, James joined the international law firm Dentons as a Senior Business Advisor, working out of the firm’s Vancouver office. He advises clients on matters related to public affairs, regulator matters and policy challenges.
On May 27, 2016 James was officially installed as Chancellor of the University of Northern British Columbia. As Chancellor, he sits on the Board of Governors and Senate of the University.
In August 2017, James was named to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Council by Global Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland to support the Government of Canada in the renegotiation of NAFTA with the United States and Mexico.
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Alison has been working in the public sector for the past 20 years, starting in Communications, moving to Human Resources as a senior executive, and ending as a mediator and conflict resolution consultant. In this capacity she introduced interest-based conflict resolution skills and interventions to the public service workplace, establishing a Conflict Management Office where public servants can access alternative dispute resolution and conflict coaching.
During her public sector career, she facilitated many conflict resolution dialogues and coached executives and employees through workplace conflict situations. Alison is a trained Lumina Learning practitioner, and use this excellent psychometric tool to help people improve their communication with others allowing them to work through conflict more freely and to function more effectively with their teams. She teaches courses designed to help people in the workplace communicate better and she was a mediator in the small claims court system in B.C.
Alison began her career as a broadcast journalist with CBC Radio and TV. Always interested in seeking the story beneath the surface, she started as a news reporter and on air interviewer. In news conflict is paramount but she found after some years that the conflict people were experiencing often stemmed from misunderstanding and miscommunication. She noticed that there were often some common interests between the combatants, and she became more interested in assisting people to find those common interests and resolve their conflict rather than reporting on it.
Alison has a certificate in Mediation through the Justice Institute of BC, and she is on the Mediator Roster for British Columbia. She has a Masters Degree in Journalism from the University of Western Ontario and an undergraduate degree from the University of Victoria. In 2005, Alison received the Woman of Distinction Award for Leadership from the YM/YWCA.
Mediator and Conflict Resolution Consultant
info@alisonpaine.com
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Gail Stephens is currently working as a consultant for a variety of organizations in areas such as strategic planning, leadership development, change management, governance and organizational restructuring. She has over twenty years leading large, complex organizations including City Auditor and then Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Winnipeg, City Manager for the City of Victoria, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the BC Pension Corporation and Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Interim President and CEO for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Gail has years of experience working with politicians across Canada at all three levels of government and engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders and community groups. She has delivered speeches across Canada, the United States and internationally on a wide variety of topics. She is recognized for leading significant organizational transformations and achieving high customer/citizen satisfaction and employee engagement. Gail has lead teams in solving complex problems involving many issues of high public interest including arson, sewage treatment plant spill, sale of Winnipeg Hydro and emergency planning.
Gail is currently serving as a member of the board of directors for VIA Rail Canada Inc. (Chair of the Human Resources Committee), Technical Safety BC (Chair of the Strategic Advisory Committee) and the David Foster Foundation (Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee). She received the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Ms. Stephens is a Certified Public Accountant having graduated from the Certified General Accountants (CGA) program and a former teacher having graduated from the University of Manitoba on the Dean’s Honour List. She received the CGA Manitoba Gold Medal and was awarded a CPA, CGA fellowship. She graduated from the Harvard University Kennedy School in the Executive Management Program.
Ms. Stephens was named one of Canada’s 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network in 2003, 2010 and 2011 and the 2006 Women in Finance’s PEAK Award for Performance and Excellence. She was selected by Douglas Magazine for Vancouver Island’s Top 10 influencers in 2012 and was awarded one of Canada’s top 100 CGAs in 2008.
