Registration for the CAPL 2026 Annual Conference is now open!
The conference will take place April 26–29, 2026, at the Westin Calgary in Calgary, Alberta.
Once again this year, we received a record number of abstract submissions, highlighting the continued growth and success of the CAPL Annual Conference year after year. Thank you for your continued engagement!
PROGRAM
We are pleased to announce our lineup of pre-conference seminars and keynote speakers for 2026!
Pre-conference Seminar #1
A Legal Update: Key Canadian Cases Impacting Forensic Psychiatry
Wendy Ekert
Team Lead and Crown Prosecutor, High Risk Offender Unit
Alberta Crown Prosecution Service
Parminder Johal
Crown Prosecutor, Appeals and Specialized Prosecutions Office
Alberta Crown Prosecution Service
Karuna Ramakrishnan
Crown Prosecutor
Calgary Crown Prosecution Office, ACPS
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Pre-conference Seminar #2
The Essentials of Psychological Testing in Civil and Criminal Forensic Matters: Scope of Practice and Common Assessment Questions
Stephanie R. Penney, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Scientist, Forensic Division
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
Associate Professor
Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto
Jeffrey Waldman, MD, FRCPC
Forensic Psychiatrist
Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba
Medical Director, Roblin Forensic Group
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Keynote presentations during the annual conference
A Mass Casualty Commission Product: Eight Best Practices for Forensic Assessment
Tess Neal, PhD
Associate & Dean’s Professor of Psychology
Iowa State University
Editor-in-Chief, Psychology, Public Policy, and Law
Beyond Containment: A Clinical Approach to Stabilizing High-Risk Clients with Psychosis and Substance Use
Vijay Seethapathy, MBBS, MRCPsych, FRCPC, ABAM
President, CPA
Chief Medical Officer,
BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services
Triarchic Model of Psychopathy: Implications for Causal Understanding and Clinical Practice
Christopher J. Patrick, PhD
Distinguished Research Professor and Director of Clinical Training
Department of Psychology
Florida State University
Understanding and Managing Bias in Expert Forensic Judgment
Tess Neal, PhD
Associate & Dean’s Professor of Psychology
Iowa State University
Editor-in-Chief, Psychology, Public Policy, and Law
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For more information about the pre-conference seminars and the preliminary program, please click HERE.
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REGISTRATION
NEW ! For Residents/Medical Students/Fellows:
You must now be a CAPL member to qualify for the lower registration rate. To learn more about our membership categories and to apply for membership, please click HERE
Early Bird Rate: Before February 21, 2026
Note: All presenters must register for the conference
MEMBERS: Online registration HERE
NON-MEMBERS: Online registration HERE
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ACCOMMODATION
We strongly recommend that you book your room as soon as possible as we have a limited number of rooms at our group rate starting at $249+. Please book online HERE.
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MENTORSHIP LUNCH FOR RESIDENTS/STUDENTS
Once again, we are hosting our annual mentorship lunch for residents and students on Monday April 27. We will be selecting a limited number of interested CAPL members from diverse geographic and practice profiles to spend time with the residents and students during lunch to provide a forum in which learners can ask about the nuts and bolts of clinical, academic and administrative practice. Please forward your expression of interest to me at cgoddard@goddardcom.com to participate as a MENTOR, including your name, geographic location and practice profile by February 27, 2026.
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If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at cgoddard@goddardcom.com.
Kind regards,
Chantal Goddard
On behalf of the CAPL 2026 Annual Conference organizing committee:
Roland Jones, MD (Chair)
Julie Bérubé-Fortin, MD
Alberto Choy, MD
Elizabeth Coleman
Genna Di Pinto, Resident
Najat Khalifa, MD
Rakesh Lamba, MD
Grainne Neilson, MD
Chantal Goddard, Conference Organizer