Voices in the Media

The links below feature DiverseCity Voices candidates as well as articles and press releases related to the program.

• The Toronto Star: Meet the Your City My City bloggers
  AMARJEET KAUR CHHABRA and DALTON HIGGINS are among the first Your City My City bloggers.
• Toronto Sun: T.O. to become even more multicultural: StatsCan
  “The number of languages within India are more than 200,” said NEETHAN SHAN, executive director of the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA), which has been operating in Scarborough for the past two decades. “The diversity among the communities are so huge that it must be taken into consideration when we’re looking at services — especially in Tamil, Sikh and Punjabi communities, which are underfunded.”
• #voteTOin41: Desmond Cole "I VoteToronto"
  DESMOND COLE, winner of the 2006 edition of City Idol, discusses how to make municipal elections more representative and fair by allowing permanent residents the right to vote.
• TVO The Agenda: Ending voter apathy
  DESMOND COLE, who heads up I Vote Toronto, agrees that changing the rules could help change the game. The amendment he’s advocating seeks to give non-citizens the right to vote in municipal elections, and already has 67 local groups supporting of the move.
• The Vancouver Sun: Olympic poetry
  PRISCILA UPPAL, Olympics/Paralympics poet-in-residence for Canadian Athletes offers this ode to Canada's gold medal men's hockey team.
• CBC News: Vancouver's Lyon up for first novel award
  Judges for the The $7,500 First Novel Award is administered by Amazon.ca with Quill and Quire include Joseph Boyden, author of Through Black Spruce,PRISCILA UPPAL, a Toronto-based poet and novelist, and Hal Wake, the artistic director of the Vancouver International Writers Festival.
• National Post: Races worth watching
  Mike Layton, son of NDP leader Jack Layton, launched his bid to fill Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone's shoes yesterday; he faces competition from six people so far including Himy Syed, a self-described civil rights advocate, and KAREN SUN, Sun, who describes herself as "progressive" and "independent."
• CTV News: Families still spending on RESPs
  “While it is very important to save for your children’s education, you should make sure that every dollar that you save gives you the best return on your investment,” says TINA TEHRANCHIAN, a certified financial planner and a financial advisor with Assante Capital Management.
• LRC: Poet’s Corner: Dispatches from the Winter Games - Where is Quatchi?
  PRISCILA UPPAL is poet-in-residence for the Canadian Athletes Now Fund during the Olympics and Paralympics.
• CTV News : Film’s 'celluloid ceiling'
  Executive Director of Women in Film and Television Toronto SADIA ZAMAN and filmmaker Ruba Nadda discuss the challenges facing female directors looking to succeed in the filmmaking industry.
• CTV News: Trial changes?
  A security and defense analyst SUNIL RAM weighs in on the talks to move the terror trials from a civilian court to a military tribunal.
• CBC Radio Toronto: Metro Morning from
  Toronto's ALEJANDRA BRAVO describes her experience living through this weekend's earthquake in Chile.
• The Toronto Star: Opposing perspectives on Israel 'apartheid week'
  Comments by JEHAD ALIWEIWI.
• Advisors.ca: An advisor wish list
  TINA TEHRANCHIAN is one of the advisors who were asked what their dream budget would look like.
• The Wall Street Journal: More Brokers Turn To Webcasting
  TINA TECHRANCHIAN about having conference calls with clients to review their portfolio and financial planning.
• Mississauga.com: Community Centre celebrates Black History Month
  HAMLIN GRANGE said that recognizing history helps people reflect on their own lives. Using carmaker Henry Ford's words to express the importance of Black History Month, he said, "History is important because it defines us; it tells us who we are, where we came from and where we hope to be."
• South Asian Focus: Collaboration 'key to social impact'
  "Given the complex and interconnected nature of issues our communities are facing, non-profit leaders must develop the skills of collaborative leadership recognizing that everyone has a stake in our common future," said VANITA VARMA, chair of the Peel Leadership Centre Steering Committee.
• Share: Documentary examines influence of Rastafarianism
  The documentary is the brainchild of former TV Ontario sales representative PATRICIA SCARLETT who was raised in Montreal before coming to Toronto. She met Marley when he performed at Montreal's Forum Concert Bowl during his "Kaya" tour in June 1978.
• Torontoist: Protecting Our Most Valuable Assets
  Written by DESMOND COLE.
• canadianimmigrant.ca: Learning to be a man
  MAYANK BHATT writes about his everyday experiences as an immigrant.
• IndiaVision: Involve community to bring down crime: Toronto police chief
  "We have formed several civilian committees who are consulted at every level starting from policy making, policing, to implementation of laws. It has proved to be a miraculous project as people feel connected and committed to help police," said ALOK MUKHERJEE, chairman of Toronto Police Board.
• canoe.ca: Black History in Canada - Media: Friend or foe?
  Is the portrayal of black Canadians in the media accurate and fair? Or is it misrepresentation that leads to inequality and stereotyping? TDSC vice principal GARY PIETERS and broadcaster Brian Dunstan discuss the state of media reporting and how it can change for the better.
• CTV News: Rockets fired by NATO troops kill 12 civilians
  SUNIL RAM says it's cynical of NATO to say that they warned civilians of the offensive, because many of them have nowhere to go. He says by NATO announcing the offensive, the Taliban were able to plant IEDs and move away from the area.
• Reuters: Wealth Manager-Finding a niche can build up your book
  "I am a small-business owner," TINA TEHRANCHIAN said. "I am facing the same challenges that they are facing and I do connect with these people and I enjoy working with them."
• canoe.ca: Black History in Canada - Rasta, role models, and fatherhood
  BRANDON HAY of the 'Black Daddies Club' is a father of three fighting fatherlessness in the Black community. He discusses absentee fathers, Bill Cosby, and resources for dads.
• The Toronto Star: Paid police duty to undergo scrutiny - Vancouver
  "We have requested the auditor general of the City of Toronto to take a look at the paid-duty system," said board chair ALOK MUKHERJEE following the Toronto Police Services Board monthly meeting Thursday.
• The Globe and Mail: Workplace creativity shrivels on the vine
  More work, longer hours, lower pay, fewer resources. Employees have endured a lot over the past 18 months. Now add stifled imaginations to the list. In a phote JAY MOONAH leads a Friday afternoon brainstorming meeting, complete with beers at the Bonasource office in Toronto.
• York region: New mortgage rules posturing, expert says
  "It's a great measure," Assante Wealth Management's TINA TEHRANCHIAN said of the first proposal, which creates more safety for buyers. "I usually advise my clients to make sure they can still afford a mortgage, even if rates go up 3 per cent," the Richmond Hill-based certified financial planner said.
• Centretown News Online: A dream deferred
  “It’s an everyday thing for a black man in Canada to face some element of racism,” says GARY PIETERS, a vice-principal for the Toronto District School Board and a volunteer with the Urban Alliance on Race Relations.
• The Toronto Star: ‘Rising city-builders’ strive to make their mark
  SUHAIL ABUALSAMEED, TINASHE MAFUKIDZE, HENA PRASANNA and SHARAF SULTAN are part of the DiverseCity program which brings together young leaders from diverse array of fields and birthplaces
• NowPublic: Permanent residence may be granted the right to vote in Japan
  DESMOND COLE's comment on the news that permanent residents may be granted the right to vote in Japan.
• canadianimmigrant.ca: Mentoring for immigrants
  Mentoring, coaching and buddying are three secrets to corporate success. GAUTAM NATH writes.
• Open Book Toronto: Writing in the Age of Social Media
  NITIN DECKHA is the author of Shopping for Sabzi and a contributor to Once Upon a Time in Bollywood.
• NOW Magazine: The next Baker?
  YVONNE NG: Pluses: Onstage she’s a whirling dervish, and her great social skills make her a natural producer. But: She might be doing more producing than dancing/choreographing.
• NOW Magazine: #voteTOin416
  DESMOND COLE, who won last election’s Toronto’s City Idol (a competition for the chance to run for city council), offered an invigorating talk on allowing permanent residents to vote. Judging by the encouraging shouts rippling through the room, Cole was either preaching to the choir or converting a few dozen naysayers.
• The Vancouver Sun: Savvy businesses setting sights on Canada’s ‘1.5 Generation’
  “At a young age, they get exposed to impressions and behaviour at school and they bring all of that home,” said GAUTAM NATH, director of Environics cultural markets research. “They influence purchasing at the shopping cart. While new immigrants might stick to traditional foods and move away from them only on occasion, if they have 1.5 children, items like pasta, spaghetti, pizza and burgers become more regular shopping basket items more quickly.”
• Black History in Canada: Elder Worship by Dalton Higgins
  Widely recognized as Canada’s foremost expert on hip hop culture, DALTON HIGGINS is An arts programmer at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre, and a facilitator in the More than a Haircut Barbershop Project program that promotes positive fathering in the African-Canadian community.
• The Globe and Mail: Family planning: Financially, that is
  As any new parent will tell you, the arrival of a first, or subsequent, baby changes everything. In much the same way they turn your lifestyle upside down, the arrival of children will also disrupt your previous long and short-term financial goals, says TINA TEHRANCHIAN, a certified financial planner with Assante Capital Management Ltd. "You need to revise your entire financial plan. You throw the old one out and sit down at the drawing board."
• ADVISORS.CA: Is it better to recruit or retain?
  TINA TEHRANCIAN: A lot of it depends on the position you’re hiring for. Generally, if there’s a way to train an existing employee, it acts as a retention tool and creates excitement around the job.
• Mississauga.com: Symposium asks youth to think big
  LOUROZ MERCADER, president of the Mississauga Youth Games, encouraged youths in his keynote address to seize the opportunities presented to them by becoming leaders in their community.
• CTV News: Major Offensive
  SUNIL RAM says it's cynical of NATO to say that they warned civilians of the offensive, because many of them have nowhere to go. He says by NATO announcing the offensive, the Taliban were able to plant IEDs and move away from the area.
• The Toronto Star: Police ponder how best to collect race data
  Police services board chair ALOK MUKHERJEE described the data debate as "one of the most important issues that we are grappling with" and "pretty intense."
• Generally About Books: A Midwinter Night's Dream
  MAYANK BHATT writes about latest Diaspora Dialogue event.
• RTT News: Canada Offers India Know - How To Combat Terrorism
  ALOK MUKHERJEE, first ever Indo-Canadian to be appointed as the Chief of the Toronto Police Service Board, said Ottawa could assist New Delhi in raising special security forces to prevent terrorist attacks and counter them with speed and decisiveness.
• Metro: Ryerson urban planning program gets accredited
  “We want to prepare planners who understand the changing demographics in Canada and across the world, and to be cognizant of the changing environment and ecology,” says Dr. SANDEEP AGRAWAL, director of the program. To that end, the program examines urban development through multicultural and environmental lenses.
• New America Media: Why India Has an Advantage Over China
  Commentary by RAYWAT DEONANDIAN
• Cole's Notes: Racial profiling: because I’m not worth it
  Written by DESMOND COLE
• Facebook: Karen Sun: Karen's Speech at her birthday/campaign launch party -- January 26, 2010
  KAREN SUN's Speech at her birthday/campaign launch party -- January 26, 2010
• darkmatter Journal: ‘You are not welcome here’: post-apartheid negrophobia and real aliens in Blomkamp’s District 9
  As ATO QUAYSON highlighted in relation to the phenomena of scamming (and in fact there is a reference to scamming in the film, in this case the ‘catfood scam’), ‘stereotypes and ideas are the elements that cement a community historicity both in their own minds and in the minds of others’.
• India Currents: Advantage India
  RAYWAT DEONANDAN writes.
• The Real News: Who gains from Mumbai attacks?
  SUNIL RAM: Pakistan military and Intelligence agency have the most to gain from these attacks in India.
• Council for a Community of Democracies
  According to AKLILU WENDAFEREW of the Solidarity Committee for Ethiopian Political Prisoners in Canada, the “Election Code of Conduct” to which Toure referred “lacks the basic elements which facilitate free and fair election and a level playing field for the groups that are party to the agreement [and]…may even impede the possibility of national reconciliation in the country.”
• THE MARK: The New Ethnic Enclaves
  New immigrants are increasingly settling in suburbia while traditionally ethnic neighbourhoods are becoming gentrified. SANDEEP AGRAWAL writes.
• The Vancouver Sun: It's never too late to save for retirement
  "The fastest growing demographic is the percentage of single women over age 85," chimes in TINA TEHRANCHIAN, branch manager at Assante Capital Management.
• Mez Dispenser: Five to Watch - Bringing New Voices to City Hall
  NEETHAN SHAN, HEMA VYAS and KAREN SUN highlighted in this article.
• InsideToronto.com: Cash boost to give financial skills to low-income families
  JEHAD ALIWEIWI is optimistic that financial illiteracy will be a thing of the past for the residents of Thorncliffe Park.
• canadianimmigrant.ca: To shave or not to shave?
  MAYANK BHATT weighs the career pros and cons of shaving off his facial hair for a professional look
• CBC: HERE AND NOW
  The Winter Olympics kick off in Vancouver and Whistler in a week and a half.The world's best will be flooding the west coast competing to see who can go higher, faster and be stronger. And all of it will be captured in verse. Toronto poet PRISCILLA UPPAL is also traveling to Vancouver to be the Olympic and Paralympic Poet In Residence. We spoke to her about the job ahead, and the role of a poet at the event.
• EYE WEEKLY: Bring on the Toronto democratic revolution
  Municipally, our election system discourages voting and returns the same tired faces to office. A group of crusaders is aiming to find ways to fix that. DESMOND COLE is one of them.
• The Toronto Star: Time is now for bigger role for blacks
  An article written by GARY PIETERS
• CTV: Black History Month (Canada) Calendar
  Compiled by GARY PIETRS
• Investment Advisor: A Self-Imposed Barrier for Advisors Serving South Asian Clients
  This, though, is a self-imposed barrier, says BHUPESH SHAH, president of ethnicomm inc., a consulting firm providing marketing, sales, and Web strategy services to small- and medium-sized businesses, and advisors need to recognize that.
• Torontoist: Designing for the Disabled at Moss Park
  “Everyone will benefit when people with accessibility needs can live independently and with dignity," MITZIE HUNTER, chief administrative officer for TCH, told Torontoist. "This work is going to help to achieve that.”
• canada.com: MPs vote to repeal long-gun registry
  “We’re very disappointed,” said ALOK MUKHERJEE, the secretary/treasurer of the Canadian Association of Police Boards. “It has been a useful tool in determining how firearms have fallen into the wrong hands.”
• The Toronto Star: Will female directors break through the glass ceiling?
  "It's a brutal industry at the best of times," pointed out SADIA ZAMAN, executive director of Women in Film & Television Toronto.
• The Globe and Mail: Texting and giving: How five bucks and two seconds spur Haiti relief
  Charities can even thank President Barack Obama for popularizing micro-donations, says OWEN CHARTERS, executive director of Canada Helps, an online portal to charitable donations. Mr. Obama’s 2008 election campaign asked donors to just give $5 and in turn, ask five friends to donate the same amount.
• OakvilleBeaver.com: Woman fears for imprisoned brother
  Secretary General LAILA EIRIKSSON of the Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Oakville noted these actions are the regime’s way of shifting the public’s attention. “Our representatives at the UN in New York and in Geneva have made very strong statements indicating the Baha’i in Iran are being used as scapegoats,” she said. “They need to blame someone and so they are blaming this unrest on the Baha’i.”
• The Huffington Post: Taking Refuge in Warm Home
  FRANCISCO RICO-MARTINEZ has experience welcoming - about 1,000 people walk through his door every year. Each has their own story. Rico-Martinez knows this - it's a piece of wisdom he's gained after almost twenty years of work.
• CBC News: Donations for Haiti: How much reaches needy?
  OWEN CHARTERS, executive director and CEO of CanadaHelps.org, says people should calculate the rest of a charity's numbers themselves to get a fuller picture of its activities.
• The Toronto Star: Indo-Canadian entrepreneurs make their mark
  "It was a real delight to see someone, an immigrant doing not just well entrepreneurially, but giving back significantly to the mainstream community as well," says Ryerson University professor SANDEEP AGRAWAL, director of the school's graduate urban development program. The Star got an advance peek at a study by Agrawal to be released this month looking at high-income Indo-Canadians such as Jha, and what makes them successful.
• The Toronto Star: A Mez-merizing list of city-specific ideas
  Better Ballots, a fledgling citizens' movement to push for change in city elections. ALEJANDRA BRAVO, DESMOND COLE and NEETHAN SHAN are some of the "Better Balloteers".
• POETRY AND POLITICS: Postcolonialism and Postcolonial Theory
  ATO QUAYSON argues against the hyphenation of the term and prefers the unhyphenated version, reason being, 'to distinguish it from its more chronologically inflected progenitor.'
• Skillsladder: So….What’s Your Personality?
  Personality types provide a reference point for a useful discussion of how we present ourselves how we may perceive each other, and how such knowledge may help us to collaborate better. EDMUND DELSOL writes.
• CBC Toronto - Metro Morning January 11, 2010
  Andy Barrie spoke with JEHAD ALIWEIWI and Tony Boston.
• Canada Views: New Democrats call for permanent abolishment of transaction fees for charitable donations
  OWEN CHARTERS, Executive Director of CanadaHelps, a charitable foundation that provides a platform for charities to fundraise online, agrees that the ever-increasing fees charged to Canadian charities for donations need to be reduced or eliminated; “We urge MasterCard, VISA, and American Express to take action in supporting all good causes, all of the time.”
• Radio station CD98.9: Not-for-Profit Groups Teaming Up
  The Trillium Foundation CEO, ROBIN CARDOZO, says in tough times agencies are forced to come together to look at what they have in common and how to support each other, which they believe is a good thing.
• canadianimmigrant.ca: Holiday party lessons
  Blog writer GAUTAM NATH talks about surviving the holiday season office party and lessons learned.
• Career Options Magazine: “Me, Inc.” Marketing Your Resume
  9 good ideas by MINOO BHUTANI.
• Toronto Sun: Toronto welcomes 137 new cops
  In addition to 65% of the grads having post-secondary education, Toronto Police Services Board chairman ALOK MUKHERJEE said they bring 35 different languages to the force, with 64% speaking one other than English and 24% speaking two. “Your diversity is a mirror of our city and our society, and in it lies our strength,” he said.
• canadianimmigrant.ca: Education is learning, not just studying
  MAYANK BHATT writes.
• InsideToronto Article: Thorncliffe Park thriving despite challenges
  "We really want the city to know this is a model community," JEHAD ALIWEIWI said. "It is vibrant and thriving with great diversity."
• Dexter Communications Inc Blog: Earthquake Hits Haïti
  YANIQUE WILLIAMS writes about the devastating earthquake that struck the Caribbean nation of Haïti.
• Canadian Business Online: Recession not over, not-for-profits still struggling
  "On the bright side, a majority of respondents indicated collaboration was increasing," said OTF CEO ROBIN CARDOZO. "Several organizations noted that, in tough times, agencies are often forced to come together to look at what they have in common and how to support each other. That's a good thing."
• SmartMeetings.com: Working with Social Networks
  We spoke with JAY MOONAH, chief marketing officer for Wild Apricot, a membership-management software company, on how associations can work better with social networks.
• National Post: Non-profits hang tough
  "The biggest challenge facing non-profits is keeping their eye on the long term," said ROBIN CARDOZO, CEO of the Ontario Trillium Foundation. "Because of these short-term donation crises, many organizations are focusing entirely on the day-to-day."
• InsideToronto.com: Competition for Scarborough-Rouge River council seat heats up
  NEETHAN SHAN, a York Region public school trustee, said he won't seek a second term in that office and is moving to the ward this year from Markham.
• CBC Toronto Metro Morning: Struggling Bookstore
  Friday host Matt Galloway spoke with Robyn Bourgeois, FARZANA DOCTOR and Margie Wolfe about Toronto Women's Bookstore.
• The Toronto Star: 2010's people to watch: Ravi Jain, actor and director
  DiverseCity Voices candidate RAVI JAIN was selected by the Toronto Star as one of 2010's People to Watch.
• The Toronto Star: When workers unite for fair treatment
  DEENA LADD, Coordinator of the Workers' Action Centre and Trish Hennessy is Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives' income inequality project, on Bill 139, which embeds legal protections for temporary agency workers.
• canadianimmigrant.ca: New Year resolutions
  Writer MAYANK BHATT shares his views and thoughts on New Year 2010 and New Year's resolutions.
• Inside INdiana Business: Tips to Turn Year end Whirlwinds Into a Wonderful Time of Year
  YASMIN MERALLI, a BOM vice-president says, “People are starting to step back and ask themselves, ‘What’s important to me?’ Employers who recognize and allow for that will be the companies of choice for talented people.”
• Edmonton Journal: Charity begins online for many groups
  Executive Director OWEN CHARTER's, CanadaHelps, has a new charity gift card.
• canadianimmigrant: The art of social media
  Writer GAUTAM NATH talks about the benefits of participating in social media, and how various social media can benefit immigrants.
• canadianimmigrant.ca: All writing is rewriting
  Writer MAYANK BHATT shares his experience of attending the Humber School for Writers' weeklong summer workshop.
• Green Chip Stocks: The Green Goves Are Off
  Comment by Dr. YOU-ZHI TANG: "Excellent articles and I have been telling North Americans repeatly these points in the past few years at every public and private occasions related to climate change. But I guess Americans would probably be more willing or receptive to listen to this inconvenenient truth, i.e. Amercians are doing worse than their Chinese counterparts, from one of their own."
• canadianimmigrant.ca: Handling tough times at work
  Writer GAUTAM NATH talks about the effects of the recession on new immigrants trying to find work in Canada
• Law is Cool: Those who “nip-tip” Asian anglers sentenced on both sides of the border
  “We know that the issue of race-based violence is broader than one specific incident,” added NEETHAN SHAN, executive director of Council of Agencies Serving South Asians. “It is our responsibility to draw attention to and work towards eradicating racism and discrimination.”
• canadianimmigrant: The benefit of webinars
  Writer GAUTAM NATH talks about the benefits of participating in webinars, and how they can benefit immigrants in professional business fields
• NOW Magazine: Mac attack
  TPSB chair ALOK MUKHERJEE seems impressed with McCormack so far, using words like “professional,” “practical” and “pragmatic” to describe him. There are contract talks to think about in 2010, which could get messy. The TPA is priming for a battle over cops’ sick bank, yes just like the one that led to the city workers strike this summer. But the stroking from Mukherjee is still surprising.
• CTV: Grassroots groups driving China's green leap forward
  But YOU-ZHI TANG, an environmental expert and chief scientific officer at DaoPower Canada, maintains that ecological awareness in China emerged even before the mid-1990s. "Probably some smaller organizations started even earlier (than FON)," he said. "Most of these so-called NGOs in China originally came from government."