The fourth annual BAHACON, a three-day secular conference organized by the Bluewater Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics group, is returning to Sarnia-Lambton from August 8 to 10, 2025. Hosted at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Conference Centre in Point Edward, the event brings together participants from across Canada, the United States, and beyond for […]
The fourth annual BAHACON, a three-day secular conference organized by the Bluewater Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics group, is returning to Sarnia-Lambton from August 8 to 10, 2025.
Hosted at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Conference Centre in Point Edward, the event brings together participants from across Canada, the United States, and beyond for a weekend focused on evidence-based thinking, secular humanism, and free thought.
Organizers describe the conference as “a gathering of freethinkers, atheists, humanists, and agnostics in a celebration of reason, evidence, and community.” All proceeds are donated to local charities. Last year’s event raised $4,000 for the Alzheimer Society and Bluewater Health.
The group behind BAHACON is a not-for-profit collective with members from Sarnia, Ontario, and Port Huron, Michigan, as well as the broader Bluewater region. Their stated vision is to build a society “where reason and evidence inform both personal and civic values, and where individuals are not discriminated against for their commitment to rationality and truth.”
Attendance at past conferences has included guests from five Canadian provinces, the territory of Nunavut, and 26 U.S. states, as well as international attendees from Italy. Organizers report that more than 30 participants in 2024 travelled over 1,000 miles to attend.
The 2025 conference will feature a lineup of 10 speakers with expertise in science, philosophy, history, religion, and public education. Scheduled speakers include:
Seth Andrews, former evangelical broadcaster and host of The Thinking Atheist
Dr. Abby Hafer, biologist and Oxford-trained educator
Forrest Valkai, science communicator and educator
Dr. Andrew White, anthropological archaeologist
Dr. Christopher DiCarlo, philosopher and author affiliated with the University of Toronto
Dr. Anthony Pinn, professor of religion at Rice University
John Loftus, philosopher and former Christian apologist
Erika (Gutsick Gibbon), PhD student in biological anthropology
Dr. Phil Zuckerman, sociologist and founder of the Secular Studies program at Pitzer College
Jasmin Faulk, social researcher and cultural identity advocate
The weekend opens with a VIP dinner on Friday evening and concludes Sunday with a three-hour luncheon cruise aboard the Duc d’Orleans on the St. Clair River, offering participants the chance to connect with speakers and fellow attendees.
More information, including registration details, is available at www.bahacon.com.
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