THIS EVENT IS BEING PUSHED TO SEPTEMBER (DATE TBD)
THIS IS AN IN PERSON EVENT.
Debbie Douglas is the Executive Director of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI). Through her work in the NGO sector and particularly at OCASI, Ms. Douglas has highlighted issues of equity and inclusion including race, gender and sexual orientation within the immigration system and promoted the creation of safe, welcoming spaces within the settlement and integration sector.
A well-known face in Ontario and across the country, Ms. Douglas is often called upon by governments to share her expertise. She was a member of the province of Ontario’s Expert Panel on Immigration which published the report Routes to Success and led to the province’s first immigration legislation (2015); she was also a member of the provincial government’s Income Security Reform Working Group, which in October of 2017 published ‘Income Security: A Roadmap for Change’. Ms. Douglas is a member of the Immigration and Refugee Advisory Committee of Legal Aid Ontario and the federal government’s National Settlement & Integration Council, co-chairs the City of Toronto’s Newcomer Leadership Table and was appointed as a member of the provinces roundtable on Violence Against Women, and co-chaired the provincial Anti-Black Racism subcommittee. She is also currently on the Toronto Community Housing Corporation Board of Directors, as well as the Stephen Lewis Foundation Board of Directors.
She has been the recipient of several awards including the Women of Distinction from YWCA Toronto (2004); the Amino Malko award from the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (2008) the Urban Alliance on Race Relations Anti-Racism Award (2014), the Metropolis National Service Provider award (2017); the Pioneer for Change Award (2017); and the Inspire Awards Lifetime Achievement (2017) from the Toronto and area LGBTI+ Community, and most recently will be inducted into the Order of Canada (2023).
She will be educating attendees on the refugee crisis in Ontario, specifically related to Black refugees and their experience in Canada.
