Panel Discussions
Vital conversations on democracy, health, art, and justice with some of Canada's most provocative thinkers.
Lawrence Heights:
A Community in Between
Saturday, May 7, 11am-1pm
Toronto's Lawrence Heights community is undergoing a dramatic transformation, as this once affordable community fills with glass towers and townhomes. Hear from longtime residents impacted by the development, and learn how community benefits agreements are offsetting some of these projects' challenging impacts.
Featuring:
- Kumsa Baker.
Director of Campaigns at the Toronto Community Benefits Network.
- Ahmed Abdi. 4th Term Carpenter, NexGen Building and Community Benefits Ambassador.
- John Munio.
2nd Term Carpenter with Carpenters Local 27, working on the Finch West LRT.
- Jamaal Myers. Community organizer, lawyer, municipal political candidate and Scarborough resident.
Information, Disinformation, and the Future of Democracy
Free Event.
Tuesday, May 24, 7-9pm
Innis Town Hall, The University of Toronto
It may be the most pressing issue of our time: how can democracies—including our own—weather the storm of misinformation and the loss of faith it has created in our institutions? When truth is questioned and expertise is devalued, how can we as citizens respond?
Featuring:
- Nahlah Ayed. Host, CBC Ideas
- Ron Deibert. Professor, political science, philosopher, founder and director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Co-founder and a principal investigator of the OpenNet Initiative and Information Warfare Monitor projects.
- Jennifer Welsh. McGill University professor of political science, Research Chair in Global Governance and Security; Director of the Centre for International Peace and Security Studies.
Future of Community Healthcare
Free Event.
Saturday, May 28, 10:15am – 11:15 am
Innis Town Hall, The University of Toronto
The pandemic has thrown the collective nature of health into stark relief. Learn from community-based health practitioners about the innovations they've observed over the past two years, and how communities can respond to future health threats and opportunities.
Featuring:
- Dr. Kate Mulligan. Assistant Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Senior Director of the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing.
- Dr. Andrew Boozary. Primary care physician and Executive Director. Health and Social Policy, University Health Network.
- Carly Weeks. Health reporter, the Globe and Mail.
- Sophia Ikura. Executive Director at Health Commons Solutions Lab
Future of Public Healthcare
Free Event.
Saturday, May 28, 11:30am – 12:30 pm
Innis Town Hall, The University of Toronto
Canada's public healthcare system has continually evolved as the country's population and circumstances change, and as the nature of healthcare itself evolves. Looking beyond the pandemic, our experts will present a vision for a system that truly cares for Canada's diverse public.
Featuring:
- Sabina Vohra-Miller. Co-founder of Vohra-Miller Foundation, founder of Unambiguous Science, and co-founder of the South Asian Health Network.
- Dr. Suzanne Shoush. First Nations/Black physician and mother who lives and works in Toronto’s downtown core providing medical care in the city’s shelter system. Indigenous Health Faculty Lead at the DFCM, University of Toronto.
- Dr. Ross Upshur. Head, Division of Clinical Public Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and the Assistant Director of the Lunenfeld Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health.
- Dr. Dawn Lim. Emergency Doctor, University Health Network, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto.
- Jeff Goodes.
CBC Producer of White Coat/Black Art.
Art of Care
Free Event.
Saturday, May 28, 4:00pm-5:00pm
Innis Town Hall, The University of Toronto
In the absence of social supports, arts workers have long relied on their own communities of care to survive. Hear from arts leaders on how we can move beyond these small-scale frameworks, and look to collective solutions that ensure our arts sector, and its workers, fully thrive.
Featuring:
- Syrus Marcus Ware. Vanier Scholar, visual artist, activist, curator, and educator.
- Adil Dhalla. Community organizer, social entrepreneur, and artist. Community Director for Reset.
- Shira Leuchter. Actor, artist, and performance creator with UnSpun Theatre and Theatre Direct.
- Sam Howden. Non-binary, Queer, mad Métis graduate Social Work student and activist.
Critical Conversations:
Policing Today
Paid Event.
June 3, 7:00pm-8:00pm
Harbourfront Centre
Presented in partnership with the Toronto International Festival of Authors.
Featuring:
- Mohamed Shuriye. Manager, Policing Reform, City of Toronto.
- Julius Haag. Assistant professor of sociology at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Areas of interest include policing, youth justice, racialization, ethnicity, criminalization, terrorism, and teaching and learning.
- Alyshah Sanmati Hasham. Toronto Star journalist who has covered courts, crime and justice-related issues since 2014.
- Norm Taylor. Program Director, Global Studies Program for the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP); Editor in Chief of Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being.
The Ethics of Crime Writing
Free Event.
June 4, 2:00pm-3:00pm
Harbourfront Centre, Outdoor Stage
Presented in partnership with the Toronto International Festival of Authors.
Featuring:
- Beverley McLachlin. Former Chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada (2000-2017)
- Marcie Rendon. Anishnabe author of the "Cash Blackbear" mystery series. Previously worked in the state prison system doing pre-release programming for Indigenous inmates.
- Ryan Gattis. PEN America Prison Writing Mentor
- Robert Rotenberg. Criminal defence lawyer and author.
Crime, Punishment and Alternative Forms of Justice
Paid Event.
June 5, 7:00pm-8:00pm
Harbourfront Centre
Presented in partnership with the Toronto International Festival of Authors.
Featuring:
- Honourable Justice Mary L. Hogan. Ontario Court of Justice.
- Jonathan Rudin, Program Director, Aboriginal Legal Service.
- Nahlah Ayed. Host, CBC Ideas.
- Miriam Henry. Assistant Crown Attorney and expert on youth criminal justice.
