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By Justine Kelsie

Breakfast with the Guys featuring local speakers on 10th anniversary

Nov 6, 2018 | 4:15 AM

Two local men will be speaking at the 10th Breakfast with the Guys event next week.

Mike Anderson, President of the Odyssey House board and Logistics Officer for the Grande Prairie Fire Department, and Ron Regnier, a local coach, dad and General Manager for Canadian Tire, will both speak to a group of people about domestic violence at a free breakfast on November 13.

Anderson says, despite the name, all genders are welcome and encouraged to take part in the conversation. 

“It is important for women to come. One, to see that men are standing up this issue and recognizing that it is a problem in our society,” says Anderson.

“And also, too, with culture, women are also a part of culture. Sometimes that conversation of ‘oh yes, I didn’t really look at it from that perspective’ because women are just as entrenched in this as well, right?”

The #metoo movement has come to the forefront in the past year which, for Anderson, makes it very timely to bring in local speakers. He says with the stories of celebrities like Harvey Weinstein and Louis C.K., it may not be relatable. Taking that into account, he will be talking about full waiting lists and at-capacity services in Grande Prairie and area.  

“We recognize that that power structure is sometimes unrelatable. What we want to do and what I will be talking about is that Odyssey House, our local women’s shelter, is still full.”

On top of the awareness piece, Anderson is hoping to bring some solutions to the table as well. 

“For me, my exposure has been working on the ambulance and seeing the end result (of domestic violence). I had the treat and deal with the end result. That is how I got involved, I recognized that this was an issue.”

Regnier has also been named the Ambassador for the event and will speak from his perspective on the issues.

Registration is required and can be found on the EventBrite website. 

by Justine Kelsie