Canada's newest member of the Senate is a 2SLGBTQI+ advocate and educator from St. Albert.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Saturday (Aug. 31) that Governor General Mary Simon appointed Dr. Kristopher Wells as an independent senator representing Alberta to fill a vacancy in Parliament's upper house.
Wells is The Canada Research Chair for the Public Understanding of Sexual and Gender Minority Youth at MacEwan University.
He started his career as a teacher in St. Albert Public Schools, before completing master’s and doctoral degrees focused on sexual and gender diversity in education.
He later worked as a diversity consultant for Edmonton Public Schools, where he helped develop the first standalone sexual orientation and gender identity school board policy in Western Canada. He became a professor at MacEwan and faculty director of the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services at the University of Alberta in 2012. He became MacEwan University’s first Canada Research Chair and served as the founding Director of the MacEwan Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity in 2018.
"Dr. Wells has dedicated his life to the promotion of 2SLGBTQI+ rights," the Prime Minister's press release reads, noting his service on the Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities, REACH Edmonton, the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee, the Edmonton Police Chief’s Community Advisory Council, and the LGBTQ2+ National Monument Committee.
Wells is also the Editor-in-Chief of the international Journal of LGBT Youth and has been an invited scientific expert for many national and international organizations, the release notes. He has helped create initiatives such as Camp fYrefly, the Alberta GSA Network, and Pride Tape, which has been adopted by all teams of the National Hockey League and in other countries around the world.
Wells has spoken frequently to the Gazette on 2SLGBTQI+ issues in the past, most recently on the provincial government's new gender identity and healthcare policies and on the St. Albert Rugby Football Club's response to that announcement.
Wells is a recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medal, the Alberta Award for Study of Canadian Human Rights and Multiculturalism, the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s Public Education Award, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.
Wells has also served as chair of the St. Albert Policing Committee.
Daryl Fridhandler was also appointed alongside Wells. Fridhandler is a corporate lawyer, arbitrator, mediator, and businessman with more than 40 years of legal experience, according to the Prime Minister's press release.
Wells and Fridhandler were recommended by the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments and chosen using a merit-based process open to all Canadians, the release notes. "Introduced in 2016, this process ensures senators are independent, and are able to tackle the broad range of challenges and opportunities facing the country."
“I congratulate Mr. Fridhandler and Dr. Wells on their appointment as Parliament’s newest independent senators," Trudeau said in the press release. "Their experiences will make them important voices for their communities.”
More to come
