Rebeccah Love
Psychosis, Civic Responsibility and the Imagination
Rebeccah Love is a Toronto-based filmmaker, writer, visual artist and community organizer. She studied at the University of King’s College, then completed a BFA in Film Production at Ryerson University, and an MFA at the University of Guelph in Creative Writing. She has produced eight short films, focusing on love, illness and neighborhoods. These stories have played TIFF, VIFF, FNC, Kingston, the Future of Film Showcase, and CBC. She is an organizer in the arts community: as editor of the Toronto Arts Report she pays close attention to developments in the worlds of theatre, fine art, filmmaking, writing, arts administration, and arts journalism. She is interested in questions relating to mental health, city planning, art history, and folk storytelling. She recently completed her debut feature ‘Fortescue.’
Russell Purdy
From Recovery to Reform: Lived Experience Leading Systemic Change in Addiction and Mental Health
Russell Purdy is the Executive Director of Beccarian Correctional Care, where he leads transformative initiatives aimed at reshaping the role of correctional systems in addiction recovery and rehabilitation. Under his leadership, Beccarian has expanded across Alberta with Therapeutic Living Units (TLUs) and Transitional Service Programs that help individuals break the cycle of addiction, incarceration, and social disconnection.
A person in long-term recovery, Russell brings lived experience and deep insight to his work, shaping programs that reflect compassion, accountability, and the belief that change is possible. He is a CCAR-certified Recovery Coach and Facilitator and has served in leadership roles across both public and private treatment systems, including second-stage housing and recovery-based justice initiatives throughout Western Canada.
Russell’s approach is rooted in the “community-as-method” model, which emphasizes peer support, structured routines, and the building of recovery capital; personal, social, and community resources essential for long-term recovery and reintegration. In all areas of his work, he strives to lead with humility and curiosity, believing these qualities are essential to growth, both personal and professional.
Outside of his professional work, Russell is most proud of his role as a husband and father to twin boys. His family is both his anchor and his inspiration, the reason he remains committed to building a life rooted in connection, integrity, and growth. Whether at home or in the community, Russell approaches each day with the same intention: to show up with love, presence, and purpose.
Dr. Caroline Tait
“I’m not from anywhere”: Did the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action find their way into the Canadian criminal justice system?
Dr. Caroline Tait is an internationally recognized member of the Canadian academic community and is a Métis scholar and member of the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan. Dr. Tait is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health Equity and Inclusion, University of Calgary. She holds a joint appointment as a Full Professor in the Faculty of Social Work and the Cumming School of Medicine. This recent move follows a long period of successful service as a Professor of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Tait holds a Bachelor of Arts and Ph.D., Department of Anthropology, McGill University, a Master of Arts, Medical Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley and she completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University and the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Over the past 30 years she has been involved in community-based research with First Nations and Métis partners, with a focus on maternal health, mental health and addictions, systemic violence and racism, Indigenous research and data sovereignty, and more recently on organ donation and transplantation. Dr. Tait works remotely from her home in north-central Saskatchewan where she works daily with First Nations and Metis community partners.