Westwood Unitarian Community

10/20/2026

Orest Zwozdesky is a Métis-Cree person who discussed the dynamic balance of agency and acceptance through his journey of reclaiming faith and connection.

Speaker info:

Indigenous Inclusion • Reconciliation • Leadership • Human Development

Orest (he / him / napew) is a Métis-Cree facilitator, speaker and ICF-certified coach, born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, with family roots in Green Lake.

With more than 28 years of experience working alongside Indigenous communities, Orest brings a grounded, human-centred approach to Diversity, Equity, Indigenous Inclusion and Reconciliation. Through facilitation, leadership development and thought-provoking conversations, he helps organizations move beyond awareness toward meaningful relationships, understanding and culturally safer workplaces.

At the heart of his work is a commitment to building bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples and creating workplaces and communities where people feel respected, valued, included and empowered to contribute.

Orest Zwozdesky is a Métis-Cree person who discussed the dynamic ba...

10/18/2026

The practice of liberating love: How do we bring love into the world? How can love liberate us?
Samaya speaks to us by video in this year’s Meaning Making series, “Meeting this moment with love and justice.”
The Rev. Samaya Oakley (she/her) currently serves as the Minister for the Calgary Unitarians. She discovered Unitarian Universalism through the North Shore Unitarian Church, and quickly became active continentally though the Youth Office of the UUA. She holds at the heart of her ministry the importance of relationships and compassion. Rev. Samaya is a strong believer in social justice and believes that our theology calls us to be active agents for love and justice in the world. She holds at the heart of her ministry the importance of relationships and compassion. She is a strong believer in social justice and believes that our theology calls us to be active agents for love and justice in the world.
Rev. Samaya served as Co-Chair of the Canadian Unitarian Council’s (CUC) Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Reflection Guides – five age-appropriate reflection guides for use in Canadian UU congregations. Most recently she helped to coordinate the CUC’s Widening the Circle program that invites leaders and aspiring change-makers to engage with the work of finding new ways of being together that challenge our current ways of thinking.
For those interested in the Theme packet that goes with this and all the Meaning Making Project services this year, please check HERE. https://drive.google.com/.../1rZ4Fe6lKMgGxihtV9f0rdAH3PGc...

The practice of liberating love: How do we bring love into the worl...

10/13/2026

Westwood invites you to create! Playshop Art Drop Ins for Adults have restarted. Next one is Thursday October 15, starting at 6:30.

What is a Playshop? We offer optional guided art projects or a space to work on your own art in the company of others. Materials are provided for the guided projects. $5.00 or pay as you can.

10/13/2026

In celebration of Samhain, you are invited to Westwood on Saturday, October 31, at 7 pm.

Please bring along a token (photo, object etc.) relating to your chosen Someone dear to you who has passed on. We invite you to honour and reminisce about them during this cherished Samhain ritual.

10/13/2026

Westwood is honoured to welcome Orest Zwozdesky on Sunday morning at 10:30.

Orest Zwozdesky is a Metis-Cree person who will discuss the dynamic balance of agency and acceptance through his journey of reclaiming faith and connection.

10/06/2026

Second-Sunday Potluck has been re-imagined.

For years now, we have enjoyed a potluck after the Sunday Gathering on the second Sunday of each month. This year, our potluck will replace the formal gathering.

We will meet for chat, coffee and tea at 10:30 and share candles of Celebration and Concern.

There may be a theme or even an open mic. Around 11 we will enjoy food and more wonderful Westwood conversation.



What to Bring? Something you like to eat and want to share with others.

Visitors, Newcomers, or forgot all about it?

No worries, ALL are welcome to participate, whether they brought something or not.

10/05/2026

Standard economics is about efficiency under scarcity to maximize our jollies. The subject is shaped by wealthy European men. It gives rise to stories that our deservingness is based on merit. Decolonization requires that we go beyond such narratives to recognize systems of exploitation and extraction. Given the existential ecological crisis and exacerbating inequality, we must radically imagine alternate economies that centre stage sustainable and equitable provisioning of human needs. The over-arching idea is to shift from the artificial scarcity of the market to the abundance of the commons.

Speaker’s Bio:

Dr. Junaid bin Jahangir is an Associate Professor of Economics at MacEwan University. His work spans economic pluralism, economics education, Islamic studies, and questions of faith, justice, and social inclusion. He is the co-author of Islamic Law and Muslim Same-Sex Unions (2016) and the author of Common Ground: Reflections on Humanity and Justice in a Divided World (2026). At MacEwan, he has developed courses such as Economics of Religion, Economics for Everyone, and Sexual Diversity in Islam.

To view the Pinocchio YouTube video, click on this link: https://ww...

10/04/2026

In this presentation, Dr. Terry Anderson overviews Humanism — its history and organization today. He also examines the relationship between Unitarians and Humanism and notes the potential for enriching their long standing relationship.

Terry is a retired university professor, woodworker, ex “back to the lander” and has been struggling for 15 years to play the hammer dulcimer better. He has been a Unitarian since his twenties and been a member of four Canadian Unitarian congregations, including Westwood.

In this presentation, Dr. Terry Anderson overviews Humanism — its h...

09/29/2026

This Sunday at 10:30 am, Westwood is hosting special guest speaker Dr. Junaid bin Jahangir, who will talk about "A Radically Different Economy" - all are welcome!

09/29/2026

Dr. Kathryn Holland holds a doctorate in English from the University of Oxford with a focus on British women’s writing of the early twentieth century. She teaches English and gender studies at MacEwan University and is associate director of the Orlando Project, a digital humanities initiative in feminist literary history with members based at multiple Canadian universities.

For 115 years, the world has celebrated International Women’s Day, but certainly the meaning of the event has changed through that tumultuous period. The day has long been associated with poetry by people who identify as women, and so Westwood is celebrating this day by hearing such poetic voices from the early 1600s to today. Hearing these voices is particularly important as various powers rise to silence these women. Dr. Kathryn Holland from MacEwan will guide us on our journey through time and gender.

Dr. Kathryn Holland holds a doctorate in English from the Universit...