Jessica Jutras – författare

Austin Mardon is a respected advocate for the mentally ill. His academic career was cut short when he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Prior to that he had been to the South Pole with NASA, and had earned three graduate degrees. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 2007 for his advocacy. He has also received the highest awards from the Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Mental Health Association, and the Schizophrenia Society. He was recently elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Austin has also been an adjunct faculty member of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta since 2015. In 2017 Austin was awarded the rank of Knight Commander of the Order of St. Sylvester by Pope Francis as recognition for his work for the mentally ill. Then on November 6, 2020 Austin had the honor of meeting the Pope in person in Rome. He is an author, lecturer, and advocate for the mentally ill, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta’s John Dossetor’s Health Ethics Centre.

One thousand years ago, Norse Explorer Leif Erikson stepped off a ship and onto an unknown land, becoming the first known European to set foot on North American soil. This discovery led to future Viking expeditions from Greenland to Atlantic Canada, potentially lasting several centuries. Though the 13th century Icelandic sagas tell tales of these exploits, corroborating archaeological evidence was not discovered until the site of L’Anse aux Meadows was excavated in the year 1961. In the half-century following this groundbreaking discovery, our understanding of the history of North America has shifted. Further discoveries have been made, but many more remain mysteries waiting to be discovered. Who were the Vikings? Why did they continue to return to North America? Where is the elusive settlement of Hóp? What do these recent discoveries mean for the way we tell Canada’s history? We explore the answers to these questions and more in Finding Vinland: Unearthing Evidence for Viking Presence in North America.