Michael Niven, one of the co-founders of the Canadian Stuttering Association (then known as the Canadian Association for People who Stutter) in the early 1990s, served as the MC for the anniversary celebration of the Institute for Stuttering Treatment and Research in Edmonton, Alberta on March 3. At one time, his severe stuttering caused him to be fired from the law firm he was working for, leaving him to believe he might never succeed in his chosen career. After attending an ISTAR treatment program in the 1980s, he was able to open his own successful law firm. The University of Alberta has published an online article about ISTAR's anniversary.