Lethbridge celebrates International Women's Day

There were several International Women's Day events held throughout Lethbridge on Friday. (CTV News)

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. -

Several events were held in Lethbridge to mark International Women’s Day on Friday.

The Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce held its annual International Women's Day breakfast at the ENMAX Centre on Friday morning.

Hundreds packed the Canadian Western Bank Lounge to take part.

“Life is hard for a number of reasons. Having these inspirational women encourage you, back you up, tell you their stories of challenges they overcame really helps,” said Paige Sarrasin, a member of the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

Several speakers took to the podium to talk about their experiences as women in the workforce.

The talk topics ranged from business, politics and even agriculture.

“The fact that I’m able to share that, my journey, with everyone is a tremendous honour. My hope is people will take some learnings from today and take that back to their life. They don't need to fear change, they can embrace it and make their lives better,” said Melody Garner-Skiba, the owner of Rocking Horse Ranch.

YWCA Lethbridge and District also did its part to celebrate the day.

On Friday night, they host their annual Women of Distinction awards tonight which will see four local women recognized.

“This awards dinner and evening we are so excited to be celebrating. We have been celebrating women of distinction in Lethbridge for many decades now so we have a long list of alumni who are coming out to support the new winners,” said Jill Young, CEO of the YWCA Lethbridge & District.

Events for International Women’s Day will continue into next week.

For the first time, the University of Lethbridge will host an International Women's Day leadership conference.

The conference will bring together women from across the region for discussions and networking.

“Our audiences should expect a packed panel of amazing leaders, both locally and outside of Lethbridge, to actually engage in some really hard conversations about women's rights and representation,” said Marth Mathurin-Moe, the U of L’s vice provost of diversity and inclusion.

Tickets for the conference are sold out, but the U of L hopes to make it an annual event.