Ontario Appoints Members of the Premier's Council on Equality of Opportunity

News.ontario.ca
August 31, 2020

The Premier's Council on Equality of Opportunity is a new advisory council that will champion community voices and provide advice to the government on how to help young people flourish and achieve lifelong success. Twenty young Ontarians and community leaders have been selected to serve on the Council.
Jamil Jivani, Ontario's Advocate for Community Opportunities, will serve as chair of the council for the first year. Jivani currently serves as the Managing Director of Road Home Research & Analysis, a research non-profit supported by the Pinball Clemons Foundation. He previously served as a visiting professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, where he focused on issues affecting youth, immigrants, and low-income families.

Danyel Barnswell purchased his first investment property in his early 20's and owns and operates a diverse portfolio of investments. When Danyel is not negotiating real estate, he gives his time to his youth leadership development program - K.I.N.G.S DREAM - so that others like him can also build generational wealth through real estate and business.

Suzanne Brant provides leadership in Indigenous post-secondary education at the First Nations Technical Institute. Suzanne is a founding board member of Honouring Indigenous Peoples, an initiative of Rotary International, and a committee member of the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force.

Nation Cheong is the Vice President of Community Opportunities and Mobilization for United Way. Nation oversees United Way's Research, Public Policy and Public Affairs strategies, the Indigenous Collaboration Framework, Regional Engagement, FOCUS and the advancement of Community Benefits practices across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

Jarel Cockburn is the Vice President of Strategy at the Athlete Institute. Jarel has also served as strategic advisor to high-net-worth individuals, for profit corporations, non-profits and charities, providing advice and direction on a wide range of topics including philanthropy, innovation, growth, human resources, data and analytics, and sales.

Christina DiMaria grew up in York Region and is an Ontario Certified Teacher. Christina has spent time volunteering with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), working with clients who are blind or visually impaired.

Michelle Eaton joined the Ontario Chamber of Commerce team in 2018 as Vice President of Communications and Government Relations. Michelle has provided strategic advice to executives in Fortune 500 Companies as well as senior federal cabinet ministers. She is also the Chair of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and serves on the Board of the Directors of the Public Affairs Association of Canada.

Mohamed Firin is deeply connected with youth, parents, religious leaders and the Somali Community in the GTA. Mohamed has worked with various organizations including the Somali Youth Association of Toronto and the Centre for Resilience and Social Development to develop grassroots initiatives for local youth in order to empower them to stay in school, avoid criminal activities, and promote civic engagement.

Agapi Gessesse speaks and writes on topics such as anti-black racism, workforce development and youth engagement. Agapi is currently the Executive Director of the Careers Education Empowerment Centre for Young Black Professionals. For over a decade, Agapi has worked to enhance the lives of marginalized youth through her work with Toronto Community Housing, United Way Greater Toronto and as the Executive Director of POV 3rd Street.

Jane Kovarikova grew up in foster care and began living on her own at age 16. In 2017, Jane founded the Child Welfare PAC Canada, a not-for-profit which focuses on systemic changes that support youth raised in care. Currently, she serves as the Board Chair of Simcoe-Muskoka Family Connexions and is a PhD Candidate and lecturer at Western University in the Department of Political Science.

Sagni Kuma began her work as a Youth Ambassador for Children First Canada in 2019. That same year, Sagni completed a co-op placement with the United Nations Association in Canada, where she helped conceptualize methods of outreach and civic engagement for young people in the surrounding region. She begins the first year of her Bachelor of Medical Science degree with Western University in September 2020.

Taylor Lindsay-Noel is an entrepreneur from Toronto, Ontario Canada. 12 years ago, Taylor was a Canadian national gymnast, but in 2008, under the coercion of her coach, she had a devastating accident that paralyzed her from the neck down. Since then, Taylor has received a BA in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University. She is currently a motivational speaker, podcast host, disability advocate, and owner of Cup of Té Luxury Loose Leaf Teas.

Winter Dawn Lipscombe is a member of Wauzhushk Onigum Nation in Northwestern Ontario. Winter serves on the Treaty #3 Youth Executive Council and holds the Economic Portfolio. She also visits First Nation communities within the Treaty #3 region, speaking to youth on how business and economics can be used for their own empowerment.

Michael McDonald was born and raised in Northern Ontario. After graduating with distinction from the University of Toronto, Michael obtained the Chartered Professional Accountant designation in 2020. He is a first-generation post-secondary graduate who is passionate about seeing youth use education as a means to further their opportunities.

Ainsworth Morgan played professional football, and thenbegan his education career as a teacher with the Toronto District School Board in September 1999. In 2012, Ainsworth co-founded the 100 Strong Foundation - a mentoring and advocacy group for Black boys between the ages of 11 to 14. He serves on the Board of Directors for White Ribbon Canada and was appointed to the Toronto Police Services Board in January 2020. Ainsworth is currently a Principal at the Toronto District School Board.

Leanne Nicolle is the President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto. Leanne has worked for UNICEF, Plan Canada and as the founder of girl !mpact (Because I am a Girl). As the Executive Director of the Canadian Olympic Foundation, she was instrumental in creating programs to increase accessibility to sport for those in marginalized communities. She is currently an Executive Mentor in Residence at Ryerson University and is on the Boards of Directors for the Canada Soccer Association and Canadian Women and Sport.

Jason Ottey is the Director of Government Relations and Communications for Labourer's International Union of North America (LiUNA) Local 183, where he provides advocacy and strategic advice on construction-related issues at all levels of government. Prior to joining LiUNA Local 183, Jason was the Director of Research and Policy for the Residential Construction Council of Ontario, where he represented the interests of residential builders across the GTA.

Caleb Piche-LaRocque became visually-impaired in 2018, but did not let this life-changing health issue affect his ambitions. Caleb is enrolled in Laurentian's University's Business Administration/Economics program and was recently selected to be on the CNIB National Youth Council and the Laurentian University Business Council.

Henry Wall is the Chief Administrative Officer for the Kenora District Services Board. Henry is responsible for the operations, transformation and development of the region's emergency medical services, community and housing sector, social assistance and pre-employment programs, early years and child care programs, homelessness sector and non-profit housing sector.

Victoria Woghiren was born and raised in Hamilton Ontario. She went to McMaster University, graduating in 2016 with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Victoria is currently Head of the Youth Advisory Council at the Catholic Children's Aid Society of Hamilton. She is excited to attend Wilfrid Laurier University in September 2020 to complete her Masters in Social Work.