Executive Director's Message

As the car turned the corner of Davenport Road, turning into Church Street (non-Torontonians, indulge me for a moment), I sensed a change in the air at this intersection of the northern entry to Toronto’s Gay Village. A place that represents freedom, liberation and possibilities for many young queer persons across Canada, but probably more so around the globe.

Toronto / May 2024 - “We will have to be nuanced in our response.” I wrote to my Board of Directors, as a follow up to their discussion on the almost daily announcements of changes to the International Students Program from the federal Minister of Immigration. But after hitting send, I wondered how do you nuance the lives of individuals that are being impacted by these changes?

Toronto / May 2024 - “We will have to be nuanced in our response.” I wrote to my Board of Directors, as a follow up to their discussion on the almost daily announcements of changes to the International Students Program from the federal Minister of Immigration. But after hitting send, I wondered how do you nuance the lives of individuals that are being impacted by these changes?

Toronto / April 4, 2024

Dear OCASI Family,

Today we recognize the thirty-ninth anniversary of the Singh decision which confirmed that refugees are protected by Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

This day and what it represents -access to justice for all who are resident on this land, is more important than ever as we bear witness to unprecedented numbers of asylum seekers arriving on our shores seeking protection and refuge.

Toronto / March 2024

The invitation to join a group of feminist sisters over a two-day retreat with a loose agenda and no plans for post retreat work was met with a hopeful sigh and a touch of skepticism. As I walked into the hotel lobby that Sunday evening after an uneventful ride from the airport to Gatineau, I was met by two of my African-descent sisters who had arrived earlier and had made themselves the unofficial welcome community. We hugged and I could feel the early loosening of the muscles in my upper back.

Toronto / February 2024

How far have we come in these past four years when global consciousness was reawakened to the persistent and enduring legacy and practice of anti-Black racism, when for more than nine minutes we watched on television the snuffing out of breath from a Black man by the knee of a uniformed white policeman.

Toronto / January 2024

2024 arrived amid the echoes of war for land and the richness it holds, in the various diasporas here in Ontario and across the country. From Palestine (Gaza) to Sudan; and Congo to Ukraine many of our communities here in our cities and towns are engaged in some discussion, debate, protest, anguish and fear for their loved ones caught in the violent power play of capital and its unrelenting greed.

Toronto / December 2023

Sankofa: An Akan term that means “to go back and get it”, the idea of moving forward while reaching back to connect to one’s heritage. The Akan people are primarily found in today’s Ghana in west Africa.

Toronto / November 2023