Dr. Patch Adams has dedicated his life to the belief that “healing should be a loving human interchange, not a business transaction.” A warm, witty, medicine man who is simultaneously a healer, teacher, clown, and entertainer, his dynamic...

Sally Armstrong has covered stories in zones of conflict all over the world. From Bosnia and Somalia to Congo and Afghanistan, her eyewitness reports have earned her the Amnesty International Media Award three times over, as well as acclaim all over ...

Jordan Axani is a social researcher that helps employees and students share their unspoken fears, struggles and hopes with their peers – driving performance, engagement and happiness at work and school. He calls this building “cultures of belongi...

Maude Barlow is a leading voice in Canada and around the world for social, environmental, and economic justice. A political activist, policy critic, and author, Barlow serves as the national volunteer chairperson for The Council of Canadians, a non-p...

Dr. Ben Barry is a trailblazer. The founder of the Ben Barry Agency—the world’s first modeling agency dedicated to representing models of all ages, shapes, races and abilities–Ben is also the Associate Professor of Equity, Diversity and Inc...

“There is nothing more invigorating than understanding how flawed you are and still believing you can do good,” says Mark Brand, one of Vancouver’s most recognized and celebrated entrepreneurs. A restaurateur and retailer, Brand is best known f...

Michel Chikwanine has overcome unimaginable pain and struggles. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Michel grew up amid the terror of the Great War of Africa. He witnessed the torture of his father, the rape of his mother, and endured torture o...

Canada’s 16th Prime Minister―The Right Honourable Joe Clark―is one of the most widely respected Canadians in history. A leader in fighting apartheid and promoting human rights, and the architect of significant Canadian initiatives in the Mi...

Called “the funniest woman on TV today, period”, by The Province, Jessi Cruickshank is the host of CBC TV’s Canada’s Smartest Person, and the co-host of the network’s new daytime talk show, The Goods, where her self-deprecating humour, ir...

At just 12 years old, Severn Cullis-Suzuki gained international attention when she delivered her famous speech at the Rio Earth Summit, pleading for the delegates to preserve the planet. Since then, Severn has gone on to speak to audiences around the...

For businesses, organizations, and governments striving to succeed in the innovation economy, and anyone who hopes for a bright future, Ilona Dougherty’s perspective is what you have been waiting for. Ilona is the Managing Director of the Youth and...

When Mike Downie first heard the story of Chanie “Charlie” Wenjack—an Ojibway boy who died while running away from his residential school—it was like an arrow shot through his heart. Haunted, he shared the story with his brother, cele...

Internationally recognized for her inspiring story, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, is an acclaimed author, humanitarian, broadcaster, and spokesperson who has spent much of her life in the glare of the public spotlight. Speaking candidly about ...

Michael J. Fox has one of the best-known faces in Hollywood. In addition to being recognized as a star in dozens of blockbuster films and highly rated television series, Fox is also recognized world-wide as the face of Parkinson’s disease, a condit...

Rock musician, songwriter, and political activist, Sir Bob Geldof is the rare combination of musical talent and successful businessman. He created the Live Aid concerts, built a media empire, called urgent attention to the world’s most vulnerab...

Yossi Ghinsberg knows survival like almost no one else. When he was just 21 years old, he made headlines around the world for having survived in the Amazon rainforest for three weeks, alone. Today, Yossi draws on the lessons he learned from his ordea...

How can we engage today’s youth to effect positive social change?  What does education for sustainability mean? How can we build inter-generational learning communities that mobilize knowledge and solution-oriented ideas? In her captivating talks,...

Rick Hansen is a Canadian icon who has dedicated his life to creating a world that is accessible and inclusive for all. Best known as the “Man In Motion” for undertaking an epic two-year circumnavigation around the world in his wheelchair, Rick i...

Scott Harrison has helped to bring clean drinking water to over 6.3 million people worldwide. The founder and CEO of charity: water, one of the most well-known philanthropic organisations in the world, shares how his approach to running a non-profit ...

Bartenders aren’t automatically the people most think of as “CNN Heroes,” but that is exactly what Doc Hendley, the founder of Wine To Water, became after he followed his dream to save thousands of lives around the world by providing those in n...

Simon Jackson, who shot to fame as the founder of the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition when he was just 13 years old — is a storyteller, connector and movement builder committed to improving our public discourse and shaping a better balance between...

Leila Janah is a celebrated social entrepreneur who uses technology and lean business methods to promote social and economic justice. Named one of Fortune magazine’s “Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs” in 2013, Janah is the founder of the Sama ...

Jamil Jivani tackles some of the biggest challenges in the world as a lawyer, community organizer, and teacher. A visiting professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, Jamil focuses on issues that impact youth, immigrants, and low-income families. He is als...

Sheldon Kennedy skated for three teams in his eight-year NHL career, but he is likely best known for his courageous decision to charge his Major Junior Hockey League coach with sexual assault for the abuse he suffered while a teenager under his care....

Craig Kielburger is a social entrepreneur and the co-founder of a family of organizations dedicated to the power of WE, a movement of people coming together to change the world. Along with his brother Marc Kielburger, Craig cofounded Free The Chil...

Marc Kielburger is a social entrepreneur and the co-founder of a family of organizations dedicated to the power of WE, a movement of people coming together to change the world. Along with his brother Craig Kielburger, Marc co-founded Free The Childre...

In 2008, Amanda Lindhout traveled to Somalia — a country often called “the most dangerous place on earth”. Early on in her visit, she was abducted by a group of masked men along a dusty road. Held hostage for 460 days, Amanda now shares her mes...

Raine Maida is the founding member and lead singer of the multi-platinum rock band, Our Lady Peace, and considered one of the best songwriters in music today. An artist who combines his love of music, creativity, and technology, Maida speaks with pas...

Equipped only with his experience as an emergency physician in an urban hospital and a desire to understand the hardest parts of the world, Dr. James Maskalyk travelled to Sudan in 2007 to treat casualties — from civilians to soldiers — ...

Séan McCann uses his music to help people find light in the darkness. Best known as a founding member of the massively successful Canadian band Great Big Sea, Séan’s twenty years with the ensemble came to a halt in 2013, when he realised that he ...

Nilofer Merchant is a master at turning seemingly “wild” ideas into new realities, and showing the rest of us how we can, too. A bestselling author on innovation and collaboration, a TED mainstage speaker, and the recipient of the “Future Think...

One of the most original and influential voices in the humanitarian arena, Dr. Samantha Nutt, a medical doctor and a founder of the internationally renowned non-profit War Child, is a speaker who is constantly in demand. For over 15 years, she has be...

Billy Parish is the founder and president of Mosaic, an online platform which connects investors to high quality solar projects. Their mission is to open up clean energy investing and fundamentally change the way energy is financed. Believing that p...

Declared a “prophet” by Time magazine, John Ralston Saul is a leading thinker and visionary—known for his astute commentaries on wide-ranging topics, such as civilization, citizenship, human rights, globalization, economics, warfare, and societ...

Clint Smith believes we all share a story, the human story. It’s in the telling, he believes, that we emerge as individuals and celebrate what we have in common. His two TED Talks, The Danger of Silence and How to Raise a Black Son in America, have...

From living in a tent in a Syrian refugee camp to working as radish farmers and surviving on $1 a day in Guatemala, Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci are award-winning humanitarians, activists, and filmmakers. On-stage, they demystify some of the world&...

Mark Tewksbury is a true icon—recognized for his achievements in sport, public speaking, and humanitarianism.  A sought after personality, Mark has spent decades sharing his life experience with audiences around the world.  He is a charismatic st...

Peter Thum is CEO and founder of Liberty United, which recycles illegal guns from American cities into jewellery that funds programs to reduce gun violence. He is also the CEO and co-founder of Fonderie 47, a venture that transforms AK47s from Africa...

Documentary filmmaker and freelance journalist, Alexandre Trudeau shares his bold views on the political, social, and economic forces of our times. Having gained widespread recognition for his edgy and insightful humanism and for his brave iconoclasm...

Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier is in the business of transforming public opinion into public policy. Experienced in working with global decision makers for over a decade, Watt-Cloutier offers a new model for 21st century leadership. ...

After losing both legs from the pelvis down at the age of five, Spencer West tackled challenge after challenge, learning to navigate in a world set against those with disabilities. As a global speaker, he has captivated hundreds of thousands, talking...

Is protest broken? Micah White, the co-creator of Occupy Wall Street, former AdBusters editor, and the author of The End of Protest: A New Playbook for Revolution, thinks so. Recent years have witnessed the largest protests in human history, yet thes...

Ray Zahab wants people to know they are extraordinary. A former sedentary “pack a day smoker”, Ray turned his life around in 1999 when he decided to get in shape and enter the world of ultra-marathons. Since then, he’s gone on to inspire millio...