Latest news with #Wallin
Int'l Business Times
5 days ago
- General
- Int'l Business Times
Vitality And Vision: Natalya Wallin's Full-Circle Journey To Investing In Nature-Inspired Innovation
As a child growing up in Chicago, Natalya Wallin was raised on stories that most Americans never hear. Her grandparents had survived deportation from Poland to a Siberian labor camp, uprooted in the dead of night and forced into the brutality of exile. Those stories, woven into her earliest memories, weren't just history lessons. They were fuel. "I've always had this fire in the belly to do something about situations in the world that I don't think are okay," Wallin says. "It's just how I'm wired." Today, Wallin is the founder of Vitality , a Nature-Inspired investment fund founded in 2023, aimed at catalyzing early-stage solutions that work in harmony with the natural world. The path to this moment, where science, justice, economics, and ecological restoration intersect, was anything but conventional. Wallin began her journey with a scholarship to study biology, eventually entering a Ph.D program in molecular genetics. Her love of scientific rigor and the art of breaking down complex systems was real. But her mind was elsewhere. Her lab bookshelf was filled not with gene sequencing manuals but with volumes on global justice, human rights, and international affairs. One day, a mentor finally named what was already obvious. "He told me, 'You light up when you talk about global issues. You should pay attention to that," she recalls. That conversation set Wallin on a different track altogether: out of the lab and into the world. She pivoted to humanities and public policy, seeking answers to the root causes of global injustice. That clarity led to a defining moment: an invitation to help build a fund focused on the economic systems driving forced labor in global supply chains. The fund, in partnership with a former corporate procurement executive, was dedicated to untangling how opaque, fragmented systems allow human exploitation to thrive in industries like apparel and construction. "For me, that fund was an opportunity to build something from the ground up," she says. "It was about systems thinking. About figuring out: where are the biggest leverage points? How can we bring together the private sector, public sector, technology, and civil society? And use every tool available to solve problems?" Over the next several years, Wallin led global fundraising efforts, built and managed cross-continental teams, and immersed herself in the mechanics of systemic change. The work was hard. It was often uphill. But it solidified her belief that complexity isn't a barrier but an invitation. While winding down that fund, Wallin enrolled in an executive MBA program. It was a chance to reflect, reorient, and ask a question that would once again reset her trajectory: What is the most important thing I could do next? "Everything I'd done up to that point suddenly came full circle, right from biology, to public policy, and systems work," she affirms. "I realized the biggest leverage point of all was our relationship with the natural world." Her new mission became clear. If the soil isn't healthy, if the water isn't clean, if the air isn't breathable: human systems, economies, and even human health collapse. "If the phytoplankton communities in the ocean collapse and we can't breathe," Wallin says, "how much is your financial portfolio worth? It's worth zero." That clarity gave birth to Vitality, an early-stage fund based on the Biophilia Hypothesis: the idea that humans are biologically and psychologically wired to thrive in connection with the natural world. Wallin began to build a thesis rooted in biomimicry, working with scientists to define a practical, investable lens: fund entrepreneurs whose technologies tap into nature's intelligence. "We're talking about solutions that are resilient, circular, and energy-efficient by design," Wallin says. "From agriculture to the built environment to textile manufacturing, we're looking for people who are solving problems at the intersection of human and planetary health." Natalya Wallin Vitality, for Wallin, is her idea of a full-circle moment. Her early passion for biology, her systems acumen from fund management, and her lifelong instinct to confront root causes have all converged. And behind it all, there's still that same tenacity she had as a kid in Chicago, compelled to take action against what isn't right. A long-distance mountain runner and Life Time Foundation athlete, Wallin's connection to the natural world has always remained deeply personal. She's visited more than thirty countries, drawn inspiration from the wild, and learned firsthand the endurance required to build something meaningful from the ground up. "We're not just trying to put a band-aid on broken systems," she says. "We're asking, how do we redesign them altogether, starting with how we value nature, and how we value each other?" With Vitality, Natalya Wallin isn't just investing in startups. She's investing in a future that acknowledges our biological, ecological, and moral interdependence and puts it at the heart of innovation.
Calgary Herald
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
SGCC pro Phil Jonas captures 2025 Concorde Saskatoon Open golf championship
Experience won out. Article content Veteran golfer Phil Jonas — whose pro golf resume includes 45 events on the PGA Tour and 24 events on the European Senior Tour (Legends Tour), plus wins on the Sunshine Tour, PGA Tour Canada and PGA Latin American Tour — prevailed in the 2025 Concorde Group Saskatoon Open men's championship. Article content Jonas, now a teaching pro at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club, pulled away from the pack Sunday at nine-under-par with a six-shot victory (69-65—134) over both assistant pro Tayden Wallin (69-71—140) and amateur Jesse Gibson (70-70—140), who finished tied for second. Article content Article content Solomon Ness placed a solo fourth (73-70—143). Article content Article content The two-day tournament was played Saturday at Riverside Country Club and Sunday at Holiday Park Golf Course in Saskatoon. Article content Jonas, a former three-time South African national junior champ (1976, 1978, 1979) and former IMG world junior winner (1974, 1976), won over a pair of former Saskatchewan junior champions, Wallin (2017) and Gibson (2009), who is also a two-time Saskatchewan Amateur runner-up. Article content It was a close three-way race but Jonas got it going with seven birdies Sunday, to go along with 10 pars and a single bogey, for a 6-under 65. Article content Gibson — who ended a 10-year golf sabbatical last summer — was coming off a victory in the 2025 Reliance Greggs Central Amateur one week earlier. Article content Wallin, who was the reigning Saskatoon Open champion after defeating Connor Scissons in a playoff, is the 2025 CPGA Saskatchewan Assistants champion. He beat out all other assistant pros from across the province with a 3-under (71-70) victory. Article content Article content Wallin, who is originally from Humboldt, is currently an apprentice assistant pro at Riverside. Article content Article content Article content The competitive golf schedule heats up in the province with the Saskatchewan junior boys and girls championships this week (Tuesday-Thursday) at the Lloydminster Golf and Country Club, followed by the Saskatchewan Men's Amateur and Women's Amateur championships the following week (July 15-18) at the Humboldt Golf Club. Article content Saskatoon's Ryan Mosher won the 2024 Saskatchewan junior boys' title, while Yorkton's Ella Kozak captured the 2024 Saskatchewan girls' crown. Article content Edmonton's Kyle Fisher is the reigning 2024 Saskatchewan Amateur men's champ. Calgary's Sela Ogada won the 2024 Saskatchewan Women's Amateur. Article content Article content Article content
Ottawa Citizen
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
SGCC pro Phil Jonas captures 2025 Concorde Saskatoon Open golf championship
Experience won out. Article content Veteran golfer Phil Jonas — whose pro golf resume includes 45 events on the PGA Tour and 24 events on the European Senior Tour (Legends Tour), plus wins on the Sunshine Tour, PGA Tour Canada and PGA Latin American Tour — prevailed in the 2025 Concorde Group Saskatoon Open men's championship. Article content Jonas, now a teaching pro at the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club, pulled away from the pack Sunday at nine-under-par with a six-shot victory (69-65—134) over both assistant pro Tayden Wallin (69-71—140) and amateur Jesse Gibson (70-70—140), who finished tied for second. Article content Article content Solomon Ness placed a solo fourth (73-70—143). Article content Article content The two-day tournament was played Saturday at Riverside Country Club and Sunday at Holiday Park Golf Course in Saskatoon. Article content Jonas, a former three-time South African national junior champ (1976, 1978, 1979) and former IMG world junior winner (1974, 1976), won over a pair of former Saskatchewan junior champions, Wallin (2017) and Gibson (2009), who is also a two-time Saskatchewan Amateur runner-up. Article content It was a close three-way race but Jonas got it going with seven birdies Sunday, to go along with 10 pars and a single bogey, for a 6-under 65. Article content Gibson — who ended a 10-year golf sabbatical last summer — was coming off a victory in the 2025 Reliance Greggs Central Amateur one week earlier. Article content Wallin, who was the reigning Saskatoon Open champion after defeating Connor Scissons in a playoff, is the 2025 CPGA Saskatchewan Assistants champion. He beat out all other assistant pros from across the province with a 3-under (71-70) victory. Article content Article content Wallin, who is originally from Humboldt, is currently an apprentice assistant pro at Riverside. Article content Article content Article content The competitive golf schedule heats up in the province with the Saskatchewan junior boys and girls championships this week (Tuesday-Thursday) at the Lloydminster Golf and Country Club, followed by the Saskatchewan Men's Amateur and Women's Amateur championships the following week (July 15-18) at the Humboldt Golf Club. Article content Saskatoon's Ryan Mosher won the 2024 Saskatchewan junior boys' title, while Yorkton's Ella Kozak captured the 2024 Saskatchewan girls' crown. Article content Edmonton's Kyle Fisher is the reigning 2024 Saskatchewan Amateur men's champ. Calgary's Sela Ogada won the 2024 Saskatchewan Women's Amateur. Article content Article content Article content Article content
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New campaign encourages B.C. to 'squeal' on invasive pigs
Escaped domestic pigs are no joke. That's the message behind a new awareness campaign from the Invasive Species Council of B.C. aimed at preventing feral pig populations from growing and thriving in British Columbia, as they have elsewhere in North America. The campaign encourages British Columbians to "squeal on pigs" they believe have escaped into the wild, and offers farmers tips on how to prevent their animals from getting loose. "It's one of the species that we want to be very, very careful with," said Stanley Troyer, who grew up on a ranch and now owns a custom meat-cutting shop in Fort St. John in northeast B.C., one of the regions of the province where feral pigs are most likely to thrive. He said he once helped a friend track down a loose hog that travelled more than 50 kilometres in the middle of winter — a reminder of the animal's ability to survive in northern climates. "It's important that we don't underestimate the ability of hogs," he said. LISTEN | The threat of feral pigs: Gail Wallin, executive director of the Invasive Species Council of B.C., said escaped domesticated pigs can cause environmental damage and spread disease. "They're rooters. They'll destroy your crops or your wetlands or whatever lands are really important for other native species," she said. The campaign features pigs in places they shouldn't be — grocery stores, tractors, and kitchen cupboards — and asks people to act if they see any in real life. Wallin said the council has spent the last year working on resources for local governments and pork producers, as well as things like kids' activity books, to support the campaign. She said anyone who spots a pig can report it online through the council's website, by using an invasive species app or by calling in with information. She said having a photo of the animal is particularly important. "If it's a pig outside a fence, it's illegal in British Columbia. So, that goes to the province, and the province works out a response," she said. An alert posted by the provincial government said feral pigs have been reported in low numbers in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Thompson-Okanagan, Peace, Chilcotin and Kootenay regions. It said many were released or escaped from farms but they "have not yet established large populations in the province." Wallin said her organization has seen the damage invasive pigs can cause in other provinces, as well as in the United States, and it's a growing concern. "We don't want that here in British Columbia," she said. "We want to catch them when they're still in their early stages, and prevent new ones from coming in." Wild boars that aren't being raised as livestock are considered an invasive species in Alberta and are a provincially regulated "agricultural pest." The government of Alberta has said the pigs can compete with wildlife and destroy other sensitive natural habitats. The Alberta Invasive Species Council said that while there are no Canadian estimates, agricultural damage in the U.S. caused by wild boar at large is estimated to be $1.5 billion each year.
Global News
10-06-2025
- Global News
U.S. man sentenced to 40 years in prison after B.C. family contacts local police
A 44-year-old man from Los Angeles has been sentenced to 40 years in a U.S. federal prison after a Saanich family contacted police. Police said that on April 26, 2020, the parents of a 12-year-old girl reported to the department that they had discovered sexually explicit messages on their daughter's phone and computer that were sent to and from an unknown person. Officers with the family protection unit, now known as the special investigations section, launched a child luring investigation. Detectives began to believe that the suspect in the case was located in the U.S. They contacted American law enforcement agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and over time, it was determined that the best course of action was to transfer the case to U.S. authorities, Saanich police said in an update. They kept the family updated locally and in July 2022, Mark David Wallin of Los Angeles was arrested. Story continues below advertisement The investigation found that from 2019 to August 2021, Wallin had been preying on pre-teen boys and girls in the U.S. and around the world and was grooming them to provide him with explicit photos and videos. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Dozens of victims were identified, police said, with their ages ranging from nine to 16 years old. Wallin has been in custody since July 2022 and pleaded guilty in September 2024 to the production of child pornography and the enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. He was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison on May 16, 2025. Wallin has a restitution hearing scheduled for Aug. 13, at which a judge will determine the amount he must pay to compensate any victims for their financial losses. 2:04 Violent confrontation at Saanich Tim Hortons goes viral 'I'm incredibly proud of the officers involved in this case,' Chief Const. Dean Duthie said in a statement. Story continues below advertisement 'To play such a critical role in the apprehension and conviction of a prolific child predator in another country is a testament to their commitment, tenacity, and high-quality investigative work. 'It is also very important to recognize the professional, compassionate, and trauma-informed approach that they maintained throughout this highly sensitive and emotional investigation. The authentic care and support provided by the officers to the survivor and her family made a significant and meaningful difference to the level of comfort, confidence, and trust they had in the process; something which was vital throughout the investigation, court proceedings, and beyond.' HSI Los Angeles acting special agent in charge John Pasciucco said the online sexual exploitation of children has no borders. 'Without the excellent collaboration with partners like the Saanich Police Department, we cannot accomplish our mission of safeguarding kids and bringing those who prey on them to justice,' he said.
