In his fourth Long Talk for the Mackenzie Institute, Allan Bonner talks crisis communication with the University of Regina’s Dale Johnson, former journalist and communications specialist.
Dr. Bonner, BA, BEAD, MA, MSc, DBA, LLM, MScPI, MPPA(Cand.), is the founder of Allan Bonner Communications Management Inc., which is a communications company that has helped clients on five continents face some of the most contentious issues of our times. For 30 years he has taught regularly at the post-graduate level, as a sessional, contract, and intensive one-day instructor across Canada, and as a guess lecturer around the world. He has worked with the military, including Peacekeepers, the Provost Marshall, the Judge Advocate General (JAG), and the Military Complaints Commissioner. He has helped international diplomats; domestic, central, and offshore banks; 11 oil, gas, and chemical companies; and other blue-chip clients on five continents. His political work includes helping heads of government, cabinet ministers, G7, G8 and UN delegations, the WTO, NATO, IAEA, and many others. He has worked in Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Bangkok, Beijing, Singapore, Canberra, Budapest, Geneva, Bled, Vienna, Kuwait City, Nairobi, most American States, Mexico, and all Canadian provinces.
Allan was the first North American, and still only Canadian, to be awarded a post-graduate degree in risk, crisis, and disaster management. He taught on most Canadian military bases, the Canadian Police College, and worked with security and intelligence officials. At the international level, Allan has worked with several UN and international entities with security responsibilities.
Dale Johnson has extensive experience in both journalism and corporate communications, which is why he is able to so effectively balance the needs of journalists with the requirements of organizations.
Dale has experience in news, sports, current affairs and feature writing in radio, TV, newspapers, magazines and websites. He has worked at the local, regional and network level. He has written hundreds of articles that have been published in dozens of newspapers and magazines in Canada and the United States. He has been an anchor, disc jockey, editor, producer, reporter, researcher and writer – and his columns continue to appear weekly in newspapers across Canada. In his career in corporate communications, he has worked in the business, educational, financial and government sectors. As a teacher and coach, Dale has guided and mentored board members, CEOs, politicians, university professors and senior executives. He has also taught at the University of Regina.
Dale earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Saskatchewan, and has taken classes in business, economics and education at the University of Regina. As well as his work as a journalist, communications consultant and trainer, Dale loves to restore classic cars, lead public walking tours of historical buildings and run in half-marathons.
