2026 Canadian Community Psychology Conference

In spring of 2026, we are celebrating 50 years of the Community Psychology (CP) program at Wilfrid Laurier University. We are thrilled to invite you to both support and attend a day of celebration on May 21st, 2026. This will be followed by the Canadian CP Conference on May 22nd and 23rd in honour of 50 years of the formalization of CP as a discipline in Canada.

The celebration will feature a distinguished alumni panel; a panel comprised of faculty who founded and helped shape the discipline in Canada; and a gala event in the evening. The conference theme is Community-Based Research and Practice in Canada and Beyond: Hope in the Times of Polycrisis and we will be welcoming academics, practitioners and community partners from CP and related fields in Canada and internationally. The celebration and conference is being organized in collaboration with partners from the University of Ottawa, Brock University, and Toronto Metropolitan University.

What to expect?

May 21st Day 1 is Free and Open to the Public. Ticket required.

Opening Panel: 50 Years of CP in Canada: A Half Century in Review

• Alumni Keynote Panel: CP Practice in the Field - Making a Difference
• Gala and CP50 Celebration (at cost/fee paid by individual)

May 22nd Day 2 - Paid ticket required.

Keynote panel: CP Applications for Policy and Political Shfits

• Two Presentation Sessions
• Poster sessions throughout the day
• Reinvigorating a Canadian CP Network Townhall
• Willow River Onsite Visit
• Refreshments provided throughout the day.

May 23rd Day 3 - Paid ticket required.

• Two Presentation Sessions
• Poster sessions throughout the day
• World Cafe discussion about reinvigorating the Canadian CP Network
• Refreshments provided throughout the day.

Our goal is to provide lots of opportunities for reconnecting with old friends and networking to make new ones, as well as space for sharing our collective and multi-sectoral work in forwarding the aims of social justice confronting today’s world.

You can check our event website for updates here: []

Join Our Listserve

Get up to date information about the conference and wider CP activities by joining our listserve which can be found at:

Call for Proposals

Are you interested in presenting and contributing at CP50? Please click the following link to be taken to our Call for Proposals form. CLICK HERE

Accessibility

The conference will take place in the Science Building at Laurier. There are 2 accessible parking spaces in front of the Science Building. You can find the entrance to the atrium up some steps (or the ramp) and through some heavy doors which have automatic buttons. Inside, there is a ramp on the opposite side of the entrance to access the atrium floor.

Conference Accomodations

Details about accommodations can be found at [https://researchcentres.wlu.ca/ccrla/index.html] under the "Places to Stay" tab.

Conference Program

Conference program and details will be available on the CCRLA website soon [https://researchcentres.wlu.ca/ccrla/index.html].

Parking Information

Public street parking is available on King Street in uptown Waterloo (1.5 km walk), Regina Street (500 m walk), and Bricker Avenue (500 m walk), monitored by the City of Waterloo with a 3-hour maximum. https://www.wlu.ca/information-for/visiting-laurier/parking.html

We welcome all in-kind and monetary donations and contributions. To make a monetary contribution, please visit: https://secureca.imodules.com/s/1681/giving/19/form.aspx?sid=1681&gid=2&pgid=613&dids=179.299. To make an in-kind contribution, please contact [email protected] and we'd be happy to assist you.

Info: Day 1 will begin with a panel of established scholars and pioneers of the field (Ed Bennett, Geoff Nelson, Francine Lavoie, Richard Walsh-Bowers) to reflect on the past 50 years of CP in Canada.

Info: Day 1 will also include an evening gala celebration of 50 years of CP in Canada (CP50). This gala will include opportunities for networking, arts-based performances, dinner and dancing.

Info: Day 2 will feature a panel of alumni from CP programs across Canada sharing their perspectives and impacts of CP locally, nationally and internationally.

Info: Day 3 will focus on future directions for the field, staring with a panel presentation on CP applications for policy and political shifts. We will conclude each day with a daily debrief and closing remarks.

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Host or Publisher Centre for Community Research, Learning and Action