EDMONTON—A business communications conference scheduled to take place in Banff Monday has removed controversial writer and researcher Vivian Krause as its keynote speaker.

According to an older version of the schedule for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Canada West Conference, Krause was slated to deliver a presentation Monday morning on how to “communicate effectively in high-stakes, emotionally charged situations.”

Based on her research, Krause has repeatedly claimed that activist groups opposing the construction of Alberta pipelines have been backed by foreign funds — a conclusion that has been criticized by industry and environmental experts.

In an email statement to Star Edmonton, Jonathan Tremblay, IABC Canada West Chair, said the conference committee had been working with Krause for several months to learn more information about her proposed presentation, and how it would benefit the audience and connect to the theme of the conference — in this case, using data in communications strategy.

“Clarifying that connection was one of our largest concerns with Ms. Krause’s presentation,” Tremblay said. “We’ve found it challenging to connect with Ms. Krause despite repeated efforts. With the date quickly approaching, we decided to offer the spot on our agenda to another presenter.”

Krause, an independent researcher and blogger, claims her work has shown that a variety of U.S. organizations gave Canadian environmental groups money as part of a movement known as the Tar Sands Campaign to block construction of the province’s pipelines. Krause uses Canada Revenue Agency filings, U.S. tax information and publicly available strategy documents to paint a picture of a major Canadian environmental movement bankrolled by U.S. charitable foundations.

However, experts and environmental organizations reached by Star Calgary say Krause’s conclusions not only ignore the international nature of environmental philanthropy, but leave out the fact that Canadian environmental organizations receive most of their money from Canadians.

Some of Krause’s work has trickled into the political sphere, with Premier Jason Kenney pledging during his provincial election campaign to fight back against what he said are foreign-funded interests spreading misinformation and attacking Alberta’s oil and gas industry. He later started Alberta’s energy “war room,” an initiative he said was aimed at combating perceived misinformation about the energy industry in the province.

Jody MacPherson, a communications professional in Calgary and longtime IABC member, said she was concerned when she learned of plans to feature Krause as a keynote speaker.

After brushing up on Krause’s work online, MacPherson said she decided not to attend the conference and reached out to event organizers to express her concerns with Krause’s work and relevance to the event, which is supposed to give communications professionals an opportunity to learn about best practices in their craft.

“The first thing that stood out to me was the political nature of it, and my association is supposed to be strictly neutral on politics,” MacPherson said. “As a member of the association, I really felt that it wasn’t appropriate to have a political speaker.”

Adding that she was reconsidering renewing her membership if the IABC continued with plans to feature Krause, MacPherson said she’s chosen to remain a member, given the organization’s decision to remove Krause from the line up.

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Instead of Krause, Kelly Steward of Swoop Airlines is expected to deliver a presentation on using data for marketing and communications strategy.

Star Edmonton reached out to Krause to respond to the conference organizer’s decision. She was not available for comment before publication, but noted on Twitter that her invitation to be the keynote speaker had been “cancelled.” She said she wished the association a successful conference.

With files from Brennan Doherty

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