The speaker

Although she is now semi-retired and four decades have passed since she began her pioneering work in the field, Meg Hickling is still recognized, not least amongst her peers, as one of Canada's foremost authorities on and advocate for sexual health and education. Indeed, her reputation is international in scope.

She has authored two bestselling books which have been described by her colleagues as the resources for parents wishing to talk to their children about sexual health. Speaking of Sex - Are You Ready to Answer the Questions Your Kids Will Ask? [1996, Northstone] was the first was on the top ten list of non -fiction books in British Columbia ( B.C.) for years.

While much of Meg's work has involved interactions with parents, or groups of parents or grandparents, and children her ability to convey her message with gentle humor has attracted invitations from professional groups such as lawyers, doctors, teachers, clergy, social workers, therapists, as well as college and university students and others such as police and firefighters whose work may result in them having to deal with family life issues. Upon the award of an honorary degree at The University of British Columbia in 2002, it was estimated that that in the course of a year she addressed as many as ten thousand parents, children, health care professionals and others. She has provided workshops for synagogues. Mosques and churches of virtually every denomination, helping them to understand the sexual development of children and young people and to develop programs to deal with the problems to which that give rise.

Meg has received many awards and commendations, locally, provincially, nationally and internationally. The Vancouver Sun newspaper named her as" One of the Top 100 British Columbians of the century". In 1992 she received the Y.W.C.A.'s Woman of Distinction Award for Health and Education. In 1994, she was recognized by her profession with the Registered Nurses of B.C.'s Award of Excellence, and by the B.C. Council for the Family for “Distinguished Service to the Families of B.C. Three years later she was inducted into the Order of British Columbia. In 1999 she received the Canadian Home and School Foundation’s Health Award. Then, in 2002 her contribution to Canada was marked by the award of membership of the Order of Canada [C.M.]. That was followed in the same year by the conferment of an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of British Columbia. She also received the medals awarded to distinguished Canadians on the occasions of the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees.