Centre for Inquiry Canada - Virtual Branch

02/08/2026

Various Nuclear Reactor Types with Dr. Matt Memmott

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/vgj1m5FcQJKP7NBrMvu5cA

Monday, February 9th, 2026, 8:00 PM Eastern Time (ET)

Meetup Link (Centre for Inquiry Canada Virtual Branch): https://www.meetup.com/centre-for-inquiry-canada-virtual-branch/events/312847470/

Dr. Matthew Memmott is an associate professor in the chemical engineering department at Brigham Young University. He received a B.S. in chemical engineering from BYU in 2005, and a M.S. and PhD in Nuclear Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2007 and 2009, respectively. His research focuses on advanced nuclear reactor design, nuclear safety, and system modeling. He leads the reactor group at Westinghouse. He sees thorium reactors — a decades-old technology — as a safer and cheaper nuclear alternative.

Dr. Memmott will provide brief overviews of light water reactors (both pressurized water reactors and boiling water reactors), pressurized heavy water reactors (e.g., Canada's CANDU's), high temperature gas reactors, fast spectrum (and breeder) reactors, and heat pipe reactors. Most of the presentation will be focused on molten salt microreactors, as the company Dr. Memmott founded, Alpha Tech Research Corp, is planning to build and deploy.

02/04/2026

02/01/2026

Have you given up your faith? Maybe you never had faith. Has your newfound or longstanding lack of faith been the source of difficulties? Has your lack of faith created conflicts with family? Friends? Neighbors? Coworkers? Why not take part in a discussion group where you can get things off your chest? No higher powers, no dogma. Just free expression, empathy, understanding, without judgment. We’re here for you. We are Living Without Religion, and you can too. This monthly recurring CFI Canada Virtual branch Meetup is hosted by Onur Romano every first Sunday of the month at 12pm EST (9am PST).

Sunday, Feb 1 · 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM PST

Living without Religion (LWR) is a monthly peer support group for those who have left their religion, are considering leaving their religion, and/or are encountering challenges with friends, family, classmates or co-workers due to religious differences. If you're already comfortable leading a secular lifestyle, you can also come to offer emotional support or advice, or just to enjoy a sense of social community that religions often offer.
Moderated by volunteers from the Virtual and Ottawa Branch of Centre for Inquiry Canada (CFIC), LWR meets first Sunday of every month from 12:00pm to 1:30 pm EST.
Please note that no one is here in a professional mental health capacity. We strive to be kind to each other, and as some attendees continue to hold faith in a deity or spiritual ideas, this is not a forum to challenge or convert anyone's current beliefs.
***
To join, log into Zoom:
https://zoom.us/j/962762133...
Or call in:
1-647-374-4685 or 1-647-558-0580
Meeting ID 962762133 #
Participant ID 43530 #

https://www.meetup.com/centre-for.../events/312849443

01/26/2026

Humanists International has joined dozens of civil society organizations in urging the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) to urgently convene a special session to address the escalating human rights crisis in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

01/19/2026

01/15/2026

Leslie’s conversation with Jasmin begins with what Saudi Arabia was like when she was growing up, and what has and hasn’t changed since then. Jasmin talks about the fire of youth, the wisdom that comes from age, and how society needs both activists and advocates to move forward. She also shares her desire to have genuine and difficult conversations with people with very different worldviews in an attempt to find, or create common ground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GL_VAt3s7E

Podcast for Inquiry is hosted by Leslie Rosenblood and brought to you by the Centre for Inquiry Canada. Join today! Produced by Zack Dumont, Martin Zielinski, and Leslie Rosenblood.

Leslie’s conversation with Jasmin begins with what Saudi Arabia was like when she was growing up, and what has and hasn’t changed since then. Jasmin talks ab...

01/14/2026

Dr. Rodney Schmaltz is a professor in the Department of Psychology at MacEwan University. His research focuses on the psychology of belief, with a particular interest in how people evaluate extraordinary claims. He is committed to helping people develop strong critical thinking skills and an appreciation for the value of scientific evidence in everyday life. His work aims to improve scientific literacy in both academic and public settings, using research-based strategies to help people separate good information from bad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgq9nGx1TKw

In today’s episode, Rodney explains the importance of critical thinking - though he prefers the term scientific skepticism - and why we should expand science education to include how we know what is true, and not just the facts and frameworks of scientific knowledge. We talk about how being intelligent and educated is not related to belief in pseudoscience, and how it’s dangerous to dismiss someone you disagree with as a "conspiracy theorist” in a world where some conspiracies are real.

If you learn half as much as Leslie did from this conversation, you’re going to love today’s episode of Podcast for Inquiry with Rodney Schmaltz.

Dr. Rodney Schmaltz is a professor in the Department of Psychology at MacEwan University. His research focuses on the psychology of belief, with a particular...

01/09/2026

📣

01/03/2026

Protecting Blasphemers VII

Protecting Blasphemers is an annual discussion highlighting the most recent blasphemy issues of the year. We aim to discover the areas where the global secular community needs to make progress in terms of building support mechanisms to protect blasphemers experiencing persecution all around the world. This year’s speaker was Mubarak Bala, former president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, who was imprisoned for 24 years for “insulting religion” via social media posts, a sentence that was reduced to five years on appeal in 2024, resulting in his release. After his release, he continued to advocate for freedom of belief and relocated to Germany. Your host Onur Romano is the director of the Atheist Refugee Assistance Program of Ateizm Dernegi Turkey, Case Manager of the Secular Rescue Program of Center for Inquiry USA, and the Human Rights Chair of Centre for Inquiry Canada.

https://youtu.be/6JtQvRCBseA

"10 Tough Questions To Mubarak Bala" !!!

Price of Activism vs. The Value of Life - Was it worth it? Would he do it again knowing the cost to his family?

Guilty Plea Controversy - Did his plea legitimize blasphemy laws and set a dangerous precedent?

Privilege of Exile - Is his rescue a victory or does it show only "famous" blasphemers get saved?

and African Identity - Has the secular movement been guilty of cultural imperialism in Africa?

Magdeburg Question - What responsibility does the movement have when ex-Muslim activists become violent (referencing the 2024 Christmas market attack)?

Blasphemy Business and Muslim Victims - Should the movement build coalitions with progressive Muslims since most victims are Muslim?

Collapse of Safe Havens - Where should atheists flee when all borders are closing? Is "rescue" false hope?

Betrayal and Forgiveness - Has he forgiven his father? Should activists maintain family ties?

Effectiveness Question - If all that international pressure couldn't free him faster, is the movement just performative?

and Development - Can atheist organizations replace the social infrastructure religion provides in developing countries?

This video is transcribed and captioned by AI. We apologize for the errors. Protecting Blasphemers is an annual discussion highlighting the most recent blasp...

01/01/2026

Steve Ghikadis is a Humanist Officiant, who conducts secular marriages, memorials, and other life affirming celebrations. Raised as a freethinker, Steve has been married to a Christian for over a decade. Steve serves as an Ambassador for Humanist Canada, Recovering from Religion, and Sunday Assembly.

I speak with Steve about his book, Humanism from the Heart. We discuss the many themes and ideas in his book, including:
-Why Steve tried to become a believer many times throughout his life
-Purpose, meaning, and destiny
-What “soft determinism” means
-The dynamics of a family with one Christian and one Humanist parent
-The value of the answer, “I don’t know”.

https://youtu.be/T6pbG1HDbG4
Podcast for Inquiry is hosted by Leslie Rosenblood and brought to you by the Centre for Inquiry Canada. Join today! Produced by Zack Dumont, Martin Zielinski, and Leslie Rosenblood.

Steve Ghikadis is a Humanist Officiant, who conducts secular marriages, memorials, and other life affirming celebrations. Raised as a freethinker, Steve has ...

09/18/2025

As should be obvious coming from the editor of a magazine with the name of “Free Inquiry,” I condemn Charlie Kirk’s murder, which appears to have been polit ...