20 th World Religions Conference Prince George

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Moderator

Elder Darlene Mcintosh

Darlene is an Elder of Lheidli T’enneh First Nation. She is Grouse clan, daughter of Mary Quaw of Lheidli T’enneh and Peter Zatorski of Prince George. She is the granddaughter of Elsie George from Saik’uz First Nation and Augusta Quaw of Lheidli T’enneh. Darlene is devoted to family, she is married, over 40 years, to Neil McIntosh and is mother to Blake (Laurie) and Kyle (Neysa) and a dedicated grandmother to Jake, Konnor and Kade.

Larry Bagnell served as Yukon’s representative in Ottawa for over a decade, served as a federal Member of Parliament from 2000-2020 retired in 2021. During his time as a Liberal MP, Larry was appointed to the Privy Council and served as Parliamentary Secretary to both the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, and the Minister of Natural Resources. Larry also sat on many Parliamentary Committees, developing expertise in the areas of Transport, Defence, Industry, Veterans Affairs, Justice & Human Rights, and Aboriginal Affairs.

Speakers

Jewish Faith Perspective 
Mr.El Klasner

Eli was born and raised in Toronto and earned degrees in economics and music from Queens University, University of Toronto, and University of Ottawa. He has been a resident of North Central British Columbia since 2016 where he is involved in non-profit leadership. Eli is a member of Chabad of Downtown Vancouver and Chabad-Lubavitch of Crown Heights, NYC. He studies Torah, Talmud and Chassidus primarily under the tutelage of Rabbi Binyomin Bitton of Vancouver. Starting in 2017 Eli began the process of identifying and connecting with Jewish residents of this vast area of British Columbia. This was accomplished through exploring personal networks and social media. Eli enjoys information sharing and creating meeting opportunities for the Jewish population of the region (2016 census indicates a Jewish population of approximately 150 people) and is spearheading organizing annual holiday and festival celebrations. His dream is to help establish a dedicated meeting and worship space that will serve a wide spectrum of Jewish residents of Northern BC.

Christian Perspective
Dr. Marie Hay

Dr. Marie Hay is an immigrant medical doctor who came to Prince George from Ireland.

For 30 years Marie served Northern British Columbia as a Consulting Paediatrician and Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC/UNBC, providing medical care for children 0-19 years and education for hundreds of medical students. She has been an invited guest speaker at conferences in Canada, the USA and China. Dr. Hay has lived and worked on three continents of the world and from these experiences she developed a great respect and love for different faith traditions.

Marie is a Christian who worships at St. Michael and all Angels in Prince George. She has been the People’s Warden in the Anglican church there, since 2016.

Marie is the Board Chair of Prince George’s inter-faith Centre of Peace and Reconciliation, established in 2019. The Centre promotes the love of the Divine, Mother Earth, Neighbours and Self, to achieve peace, harmony, and reconciliation among all diverse peoples.



Islam Perspective
Maulana Asif Kahn Mujahid

Maulana Asif Khan Mujahid has been serving and representing the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in various capacities since 2011 such as Head Coordinator for the National Youth Education Camp and Researcher for various MTA (Muslim Televison Ahmadiyya) programs & documentaries. 

He has, in recent years, also served as an auxillary Imam in many countries across the globe such as Sierra Leone, Uruguay, Palestine and The U.K. 

Having graduated from the Ahmadiyya Institute of Islamic Studies, he has served as an Imam and Missionary in Toronto and Mississauga and is currently the Imam and Missionary in Vancouver as well as regularly being called upon for various interfaith events and discussions by the National Headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community located in Vaughan, Ontario. 

Hindu Faith Perspective
Dr. Pranesh Kumar, PhD

Dr. Pranesh Kumar was born in a Hindu family of a Northern Indian State of Utter Pardesh. He was keen interest in literature religion, culture, science and its global impact, in particular on human society. He is fascinated by the diversities which he experienced during the vast travels, interactions with people and observing their social, cultural and religious events. Kumar values life in any form and believes in very ancient, preached and practiced Sanskirtsaying  “VasudhaevaKutumbukam” meaning the “ Entire world is one family. 

Sikh Perspective
Dr. Balbinder Singh Deo, PhD

Dr. Balbinder Deo worked in academic and industrial organizations for more than 29 years. He joined School of Business, UNBC Prince George campus faculty member in 2002. Prior to UNBC, Dr. Deo worked at University of Saskatchewan, University of Manitoba, and at Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana, India. In addition to his work experience in academic institutions, he also worked on various industrial projects and submitted research reports to both private and public sector organizations.

Christian Perspective ( The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints Church)
Mr. David Coleman 

David Coleman has been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since birth. He has served in many capacities in the church including a two year mission in Peru.  He has also served as a Teacher, a scout leader, a counsellor to the Bishop, five years as a Bishop, a counsellor to other leaders and is now serving as the Stake President for the Prince George BC Stake. This role covers congregations. in Burns Lake, Vanderhooof, Prince George, Quesnel, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House and Bella Coola. He is happily married to his wife Laurel and together they have four children and ten grandchildren.

Baha’i Perspective
Mrs. Charlotte Wenninger

Charlotte Wenninger has been a member of the Baha’i community for over 35 years.  She has served for many years as one of the elected, nine members on the local governing body of the Baha’is of Prince George.  She has served as a chairman of the Interfaith Chaplaincy Committee at UNBC almost since its inception.   She is married and has raised four daughters and now has 7 grandchildren.  She has a keen interest in sharing her religion with others and learning about all aspects of spirituality, especially the science behind spiritual reality.   

Buddhism Perspective
Ms. Ren Stelmaschuk

Ren was born and raised at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako Rivers, on the traditional lands of the Lheidli T’enneh (Prince George, BC). With deep roots in a faith-based family, Ren values the connection between spirituality, service, and community. She holds a BSc (2009) and BEd (2012) from UNBC, along with a Master of Education (2020) from Thompson Rivers University.

Currently, Ren serves as the Wellness Promotion Coordinator at the College of New Caledonia, where she works to foster holistic wellbeing across the campus. In addition to her professional role, she is a certified yoga teacher, offering weekly classes that encourage mindfulness and emotional balance.

Ren’s spiritual journey began during her undergraduate studies when she encountered Mahayana Buddhism. Since then, she has embraced the Bodhisattva path, focusing on compassion, selflessness, and the pursuit of enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. Her life’s purpose is to cultivate and share bodhicitta—an open, loving heart—through both her personal practice and her work with others.

Ren is honored to be part of the World Religions Conference, and she hopes to share insights on the intersection of mindfulness, spirituality, and community service.

May all beings be happy, healthy, safe, and at peace.
Om Mani Padme Hum

Program

  • 6.25pm Announcement 
  • 6:00 PM Recitation of the Holy Qur’an
  • 6:10 PM Welcome Remarks by dignities 
    • David Coleman, President the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
    • Mrs. Darlene Mcintosh, Chncellor UNBC
  • 6:10 PM Introductory Remarks & Moderator Introduction 

               Mr. Rizwan Peerzada, Regional President , AMJ BC

  • 6:20 PM Speakers Panel  (Time Allocated 10 minutes)
    • Jewish Faith Mr. El Klasner
    • Christianity Mrs. Marie Hey
    • Islam Maulana Asif Khan Mujahid
    • Hindu Faith Dr. Pranesh Kumar, PhD
    • Sikh Faith Dr. Balbinder Singh Deo
    • Christianity Mr. David Coleman (The Church of Jesus Christ     Latter day Saints)
    • Baha’I Mrs. Charlotte Wenninger
    • Buddhism Ms. Ren Shelmaschuk
    • Q.A with speaker’s panel
  • 8:20 PM Concluding Remarks by Moderator
  • 8:27 PM Vote of Thanks by Mr. Khalid A. Khan, President Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Prince George 
  • 8: 30 PM East Indian Dinner

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