Hamilton Third Age Learning - Fall Lecture Series 2026

Registration for In Person is sold out. Registration for video recordings only is now available.

Hamilton Third Age Learning (HTAL) is thrilled to present its Fall 2026 lecture series. HTAL offers affordable learning opportunities to older adults in Hamilton and the surrounding region.

This fascinating lecture series, with recorded versions available, caters to Hamilton’s large community of lifelong learners who want to be informed and inspired. The speakers are experts in their fields based on their robust credentials, strong presentation skills, and ability to communicate complicated information to the lay community.

Each program in the series includes a 50-minute lecture and an interactive discussion.

The series will run every Wednesday at 10:00am from September 23 to October 21, 2026.

FALL 2026 PROGRAM

SEPTEMBER 23: Tracy Dallaire – Cyber Security in Everyday Life: Staying Safe in a Connected World

Practical guidance for the digital habits, risks, and realities of modern life. Cyber security isn’t just an IT issue—it’s a life skill. As our daily activities move online, so do the risks. This talk demystifies cyber security for everyday users, focusing on practical steps anyone can take to protect their privacy, finances, identity, and devices. Participants will learn how to recognize scams, create a personal "defense-in-depth" plan that includes: strong and memorable passwords, secure their home networks, understand the risks of social media and AI, and navigate the digital world with confidence. The session blends real-world examples, clear explanations, and actionable advice designed specifically for adults who want to stay safe without feeling overwhelmed by technology.

SEPTEMBER 30: Shannon Kyles – What Can We Learn From Our Living Spaces?

The Indigenous peoples lived on this land for thousands of years and left no footprint. The European character was very different. Shannon will contrast the simplicity and charm of early buildings, when everyone was a farmer, with the opulence of the Victorian age. She will discuss the impact of electricity and plumbing, as well as social changes that resulted in the growth of single-family dwellings and the modern era of speculative housing that has changed our real estate landscape over the last several decades. In this talk, Shannon will introduce Ontario architecture through the building styles and types that have produced our towns, villages and cities. Her lifelong passion for this topic will help you see the buildings you thought you knew with fresh eyes.

OCTOBER 7: Dr. Caroline Dunton – The United Nations Beyond 80 Years

In 2025, the United Nations turned 80 years old. However, instead of a celebratory year, it was one of difficult decisions, crises, and funding cuts, all in the midst of deep geopolitical division. In 2026, many are still not sure how the organization will weather the storm. More changes are indeed ahead. Restructuring remains underway. The Security Council’s agenda is full of difficult conflicts. We are approaching the end date of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. And, after a decade under the leadership of Secretary General Antonio Guterres, there will be a new Secretary General. This talk will assess the possible futures for the organization, including its membership, structure, mandate, and geopolitical challenges.

OCTOBER 14: Dr. Bruce Milliken – Truth, the Mind, and Misinformation

Why do our brains leave us vulnerable to misinformation? Misinformation is an increasingly pervasive challenge to society that can influence public health, elections, climate change policy and much more. These alarming consequences are fueled by people believing that misinformation is actually true. How information comes to have truth value is therefore an important issue to understand. This talk will focus on why the human mind is vulnerable to misinformation, and what aspects of contemporary life have lifted this vulnerability to the forefront of societal concern.

OCTOBER 21: Stephen Adams – Remembering Their Faces: AI, Memory, and Making Museum Collections Searchable

Remembering Their Faces is a research project at Mohawk College that explores how artificial intelligence can help Canadian museums make photographic collections related to military service more accessible and searchable through museum websites. Military and community museums across Canada hold rich visual records of Canadian service, but these images were not always catalogued in ways that make people, places, objects, and stories easy to find. The challenge becomes greater for someone searching for a family member’s service history, since that history may be scattered across several institutions whose collections are not easily searched together. Designed for a non-technical audience, this presentation will explain tools such as facial recognition, object classification, and emerging AI search technologies in broad terms, while considering the human questions they raise. From the World Wars to Afghanistan and domestic service, the project must balance access, copyright, privacy, dignity, and remembrance.

$55.00 for the series of 5 lectures. Includes lecture, Q&A, and 2 week password protected access to video recorded lectures.

Registration will be open from August 19-September 18, 2026

After clicking the “Buy Tickets” button below, you will be redirected to a third-party ticketing website.