From the Rockies to the world, Lana Wells is helping Alberta lead a quiet revolution — stopping domestic violence before it starts by changing systems, engaging men and boys, and finding hope locally with real Albertans who care deeply about their communities. Wells is an associate professor and the Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence at the University of Calgary. She created Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence, a research hub focused on stopping violence before it starts. A major part of the research has been engaging and mobilizing men and boys in the work. “We have some answers, we have some solutions, and that feels good. We’re trying not just to dismantle systems and structures that harm people but reimagine and recreate environments and communities that support everybody.” Wells has worked with hundreds of researchers and partners, creating a depth of knowledge that is recognized globally. “In Calgary, we have leading thinkers, funders, philanthropists — leaders that will really come together to get innovative. You just don’t see that in other parts of Canada.” “We need everyone participating. What gives me hope is even with all the noise going on, we are staying laser focused on the change.”

Conor Kerr can’t remember a time when he didn’t write. A voracious reader growing up in Saskatchewan, Kerr moved to Alberta in his teens and never left. Creative writing courses were the ones he enjoyed most at the University of Alberta, but it wasn’t until one class with Marilyn Dumont that he unlocked his own style, focused on characters and narratives rooted in his family and place. “I was able to craft my first coherent short story and find my writing voice,” says Kerr. The piece would end up becoming the prologue of his novel, Avenue of Champions, Kerr’s debut and first major publication. It won the 2022 ReLit Award and was long-listed for the 2022 Giller Prize. Kerr hasn’t stopped writing since, publishing five more books with a sixth on the way. His works are set across the province and, notably in Edmonton, a city where his family has been for generations. “I grew up hearing stories from my grandma about the history of the city and the river valley, and the lands around here,” says Kerr. “My DNA is imprinted [with] the city here, and I want to continue to write the stories of Métis contemporary urban existence, as well as the rural landscapes of Alberta.”

Just like people, potatoes need time to rest — a key part of the exceptional quality grown in southern Alberta. For third generation grower Mark Miyanaga, that element is easy essential. “The cooler nights give the potatoes time to rest and keep growing [in the sun] the next day. That’s a little bit of the secret.” Taber, where Miyanaga’s family farm has been for decades, is a community known for its corn but also a hotspot for potatoes. During World War II, when Japanese Canadians were forced to choose between farm work and keeping their families together, or being separated in internment camps, his grandfather chose to have the family moved and work on a sugar beet farm in Iron Springs. “My grandfather said people stick together as a family,” says Miyanaga. “That was the attitude of so many back then.” Post-war, the family purchased their own 80 acres for a market garden, later transitioning to potatoes. “Japanese farmers were instrumental in establishing the potato industry in Alberta,” says Miyanaga. Today he farms alongside his cousins in a close-knit community. “Everybody helps each other out. We just try to produce the best-quality potatoes.”

As the first Indigenous president of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), Dr. Alika Lafontaine didn’t grow up with a medical presence in his family. In fact, his family had concerns about whether they would be able to access care — an experience that prompted him to consider a career in medicine. Lafontaine is a fierce advocate for systems change and improved access for equity-deserving communities. A practicing anesthesiologist in Grande Prairie, his work contributed to the CMA’s apology to Indigenous Peoples and to broader structural changes aimed at delivering more equitable care. Through his role with the Indigenous Health Alliance, Lafontaine also helped secure $68 million in federal funding to advance health transformation and empower communities. “It’s interesting when you look at things like diversity, equity and inclusion. People sometimes think they only help the people they’re focused on,” he says. “But because those people experience the most intense types of problems, if you can solve them, you actually solve everybody’s problems.” Originally from Saskatchewan, Lafontaine’s two-year plan in northern Alberta turned into 15. “It’s a place that is not only beautiful to live in but also has a lot of beautiful people,” he says. “We really love it up here.”