OUR House is YOUR House: Strategies for Inclusive Curling Spaces
Seminar at the Brier
Don’t miss the opportunity to learn and share, as Partners Transforming Curling, hosts a panel of inclusivity experts and passionate change-makers of our game!
Join us, as Leslie Anne Walsh, Andrew Paris, and Rob Belliveau take us through their experiences in curling, and together, we explore strategies to expand our impact with diverse communities.
EVERYONE is welcome, but spots are limited. Sign up while there’s still space.
Date: Sunday, March 8
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Location: Re/Max Centre
Expand your understanding. Learn how to make change. Discovery your community.
Meet our speakers
Leslie Anne Walsh
Leslie Anne has curled competitively at the provincial and national level; she has also coached several teams to nationals, including multiple wheelchair nationals, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, and several junior national competitions. She is the recipient of the 2019 Joan Mead Builder Award. In 2022, Leslie Anne launched Women on the Rock ,a women-only program where newcomers to the sport develop curling skills along with community, confidence and connection. Leslie Anne's remarkable program is disrupting curling connections that have long relied on generational ties, by making the sport accessible to all women and girls. While she is an accomplished competitor, Women on the Rock isn't focused on competition. The point is growth and creating an environment where "everybody supports everybody!"
Andrew Paris
Andrew is also the founder of the Black Rock Initiative, a community-driven effort focused on advancing equity, representation, and opportunity in sport. The organization's mission is to create opportunities for Black, Indigenous, racialized and newcomer youth to experience the sport of curling, as well as to create resources and tools for curling facilities so that they can become a more inclusive facility to their entire community. Andrew Paris is a lifelong curler, coach, and sport leader whose career bridges high-performance competition and system-level sport development. A former competitive athlete turned coach and builder of inclusive sport environments, Andrew has contributed to curling in multiple roles; athlete, coach, volunteer, and event leader and remains deeply committed to growing the game for the next generation. He currently coaches a junior curling team and has played an active role in major curling initiatives and events, including the Festival of Rings, helping expand access and belonging within the sport. Whether in the hack, behind the glass, or in the boardroom, he is driven by the belief that sport is strongest when every participant feels they belong.
Rob Belliveau
Rob has played senior leadership roles in delivering national-scale sport events, including serving as Vice Chair of the 2025 Montana’s Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax. As part of that role, he helped launch the Festival of Rings, a community-focused activation that successfully expanded local engagement, introduced new audiences to curling, and demonstrated how major events can drive lasting participation and social impact beyond the competition venue. Robert Belliveau is a national sport leader and education technology executive with a strong track record in governance, event delivery, and organizational development. He currently serves as a Governor with Curling Canada, contributing to the organization’s governance and human resources committees, and previously served as President of the Nova Scotia Curling Association, where he led growth, modernization, and major event hosting initiatives.
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