al enjoys being a full time dad and step dad to five adult children – four daughters and a son. He thrives in the company of his grandson – their specialities are talking about death, Lego dinosaurs, making walking sticks and cracking fart jokes. al says, “Like everyone I’ve had my fair share of upheavals. My most recent one has cracked open my heart. As a result, I’m falling in love with the world. Every day a little bit more.”
His lifetime as a community organizer has taught him, in his words, “the importance of rallying the lovesick and broken hearted. And the value of that chip on my shoulder becoming compost.”
al has received many awards for his activism, including the Order of Canada. He has written four books; at the moment, he’s curating another one about caring in Canada.
Events with al etmanski
Eldering in Times of TransformationOctober 6 - 10, 2025
“A human being would certainly not grow to be seventy or eighty years old if this longevity had no meaning for the species.” – Carl Jung There comes a time when you find yourself, perhaps to your surprise, in a new land which is unlike any part of the long…