TICKET SALES CLOSED!!!

Thank you to everyone!


We are excited to once again bring together our friends and fellow progressives at PIA’s Gala Dinner and Silent Auction on Thursday, May 7, 2026 at the Chateau Louis Hotel in Edmonton.

Please join us to share in easy camaraderie, great food, wine and music – plus a little friendly rivalry at the silent auction tables – all in support of Public Interest Alberta!

Guest Speaker
Lewis Cardinal

Lewis Cardinal is a communicator and educator who has dedicated his life’s work to creating and maintaining connections and relationships that cross cultural divides. He has a long track record of local and international public service, including Board Member of Theatre Network Society, Vice-Chair of the Documentary Organization of Canada-Alberta, Chair of the Global Indigenous Dialogue of Initiatives of Change-International, Trustee and Executive Committee Member for the Parliament of the World’s Religions, and Honorary Board Member, Board of Sponsors, Martin Luther King Jr., International College of Ministers and Laity at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

Lewis has received the Diamond Jubilee Medal for Public Service and the Platinum Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the Province of Alberta, as well as the IndSpire Award for Public Service (awarded by Indigenous peoples of Canada), the Province of Alberta’s Centennial Medal for his work in Human Rights and Diversity, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Grant MacEwan University, Honorary Diploma for Indigenous Voice in Leadership from Norquest College, and the Honorary Degree of “Doctor of Sacred Letters” from St. Stephen’s College at the University of Alberta. He has been listed in Canada’s Who’s Who since 2014.

Lewis is Woodland Cree from the Sucker Creek Cree First Nation in Treaty No. 8 in northern Alberta, Canada. His consulting company, Cardinal Strategic Communications, specializes in Indigenous education, communications, and project development. He is also owner, CEO, and Head Storyteller of Red Earth Blue Sky Productions, a media productions company. Currently, Lewis is project manager for “kihcihkaw askî–Sacred Land” in the City of Edmonton, the first designated urban Indigenous ceremony grounds in Canada.

Special Performance
Maria Dunn

Maria Dunn is a Juno-winning Canadian songwriter and musician. She has been described as "an arrestingly powerful singer-songwriter who writes great historical and social commentary." A storyteller through song, her music blends Celtic folk with North American bluegrass and country influences