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Hadfield to speak at Whistler conference

26 years and counting, the International Council of Shopping Centers keeps coming back
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ace of space Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield is coming to Whistler. photo submitted

Canada's guitar-playing, Bowie-singing, space-walking astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield will be speaking at a Whistler conference in the coming days.

Hadfield, the first Canadian to walk in space and the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station, is the keynote speaker for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). He will be speaking on Monday, Jan. 26 at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler.

The ICSC, which is returning to Whistler for its 26th year, is a staple in the resort calendar. Almost 2,000 people are registered for the upcoming event. The group's purpose is to advance the shopping centre industry and promote its role in the commercial distribution of consumer goods and services.

The event tends to draw high-profile speakers, in recent years featuring Chip Wilson, founder of Lululemon, and John Furlong, CEO of the organizing committee for the 2010 Winter Games.

In his long career at NASA, Hadfield flew twice on the Space Shuttle, helping to build two different space stations. He capped off his career with five months at the helm of the International Space Station, from which he tweeted and sang and shared his pictures with the world. He retired soon after his return to Earth from that mission.

He is no stranger to the microphone, speaking at length of his time in space and what he has learned through his career in the fields of leadership, teamwork, collaboration, science and technology.