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Opening Plenary Session (9:00 - 10:00 a.m.)
REGISTER HERE for the Opening Plenary Session: “Grassy Narrows: A Community of Resilience and Resistance”
Chief Rudy Turtle (he/him) is the chief of Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy Narrows) First Nation, an Ojibwe community located 80 km north of Kenora, ON which is a signatory to Treaty 3.
Generations of Grassy Narrows community members continue to suffer from the physical, social, and economic costs of the discharge of approximately ten tons of mercury into the Wabigoon-English River system by the Dryden pulp and paper mill between 1962 and 1970, poisoning the water and the fish which is the staple food of the Grassy Narrows First Nation. A study released in spring 2024 found that mercury levels are being exacerbated by continued industrial activity upstream.
Elected band chief in 2022, Chief Turtle is a founding member of the Land Defence Alliance, a coalition of First Nations demanding respect for First Nation sovereignty, decision making powers, and to end the free entry system by which mining companies can stake claims on Indigenous territories without notice or free, prior, and informed consent.
Chief Turtle received a 2024 Racial Justice Award for his commitment to protecting the health of the environment and his community members.
Morning Workshops (10:30 - 11:45 a.m.)
Please choose one of the following options:
A. “They Choose It:” Deconstructing this and other Myths about Homelessness – REGISTER HERE
The stories we tell ourselves shape who we are. The stories we tell about an issue shape the policies that we pass. In this workshop we will identify the root stories that we tell about ourselves, our unhoused neighbours, and why this needs to be transformed.
Facilitator: The Rev. Christian Harvey (he/him) is a Deacon in the Diocese of Toronto and the Executive Director of One City Peterborough, a multi-service, grassroots organization that is committed to a community where everyone belongs, and together we flourish. They do this by supporting individuals who have experienced homelessness and/or criminalization with meeting immediate needs, breaking down barriers within the community and advocating for systemic change. Christian is a public educator, community builder and music lover.
B. My Social Justice Includes Disability Justice – REGISTER HERE
Many among of us who live with impairments or chronic conditions and navigate life facing many barriers to participation are considered ‘disabled’. The confusion is when this term is seen as inherent to the person when in fact, it is the circumstances, the physical environment and the attitude of society that render us disabled and, in many cases, excluded from participation in basic life opportunities: education, work, earning a living, having fun, voting, protesting for our rights.
Through reflective exercises and dialogue, the participants to this session will:
- Compare and contrast concepts of impairment and disability; medical and social model
- Identify barriers that perpetuate ableism and exclusion in their social justice work
- Integrate the principles of Disability Justice to help eliminate disability poverty
- Chose short and long term changes you and your organization can do to be inclusive of disability
Facilitator: Janet Rodriguez (she/her) is a racialized cisgender immigrant woman living with visible and invisible experiences of disability. She is a professional interpreter and has post grad certificates in Adult Education and Human Resources Management. Her own journey of illness and disability has informed her of the systemic barriers that exist in society, from education, to employment and healthcare, among others. Janet is the Board Secretary of ERDCO (Ethno Racial People with Disability Coalition – Ontario) and represents this organization in the monthly meetings of the GTA Disability Coalition. She also works with Disability Without Poverty (DWP), a movement led by people with disabilities supported by families, friends, service providers, allies and organizations. Janet volunteers in the post-secondary education sector (medicine, law, inter-professional, and Disability Studies). She has been a Health Mentor with CACHE’s Interprofessional Education Program, and co-chaired the Disability Inclusion Work Group at Temerty Faculty of Medicine at U of T. Janet has learned about, from, and with fellow disability justice advocates and is currently co-leading Accessibility For All, a social justice project at her Family Health Team (SMHAFHT).
C. Black Pioneers of Ontario: Learning from Communities of Resilience – REGISTER HERE
This workshop will introduce participants to the Sheffield Park Black History and Cultural Museum and discuss the importance of Black settlements, shared experiences, and the preservation of landmarks.
Facilitators: Sisters Sylvia and Carolynn Wilson, residents of Collingwood, ON, are direct descendants of early Black settlers to Simcoe and Grey County. They are co-owners of the Sheffield Park Black History and Cultural Museum and offer tours to visitors interested in Canadian Black history. They promote respect and equality for all citizens.
Sylvia is Past Secretary of the Old Durham Road Black Pioneer Cemetery Committee and serves as Executive Director for the Heritage Community Church in Collingwood. Sylvia is also an accomplished pianist, music teacher, artist, advocate and legal secretary, who has received several awards for music, community, and youth initiatives. Sylvia is a recipient of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women Award, the Order of Collingwood and the Companion to the Order of Collingwood. As Manager of the Sheffield Park Black History and Cultural Museum, Sylvia designs displays, interprets exhibits, and documents ancestral information.
Carolynn is Past President of the Old Durham Road Black Pioneer Cemetery Committee and volunteered for over 25 years, along with descendants and local citizens, to restore this significant burial ground. She serves as Secretary for the Heritage Community Church in Collingwood and promotes community programs. Carolynn has received several awards, including the Governor General Canadian Caring Award, the Companion to the Order of Collingwood, and the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Black Award. Carolynn is a former elementary and special education teacher who taught for the Simcoe County Board of Education.
D. Not Seen in Plain Sight – REGISTER HERE
For nearly 50 years the Bridge Prison Ministry and Brampton Prison Ministry (BPM) have provided programs to help men establish a new life after incarceration. We see ourselves as a Community Re-Integration Ministry. This workshop will examine why it is important to support these individuals and what, as faith communities, we can do to help them succeed.
Facilitator: The Rev. Mark Stephen and members of Brampton Prison Ministry Deacon Mark Stephen is the Executive Director of Brampton Prison Ministry (BPM). He has spent the past 16 years working in community re-integration. He will be assisted in this presentation by members of Brampton Prison Ministry and Circle of Hope (Robert D., David H., Mike E., Chris M.)
Afternoon Workshops (1:00 - 2:15 p.m.)
Please choose one of the following options:
A. When Welcome is a Sidewalk: Lessons from a Year supporting African Refugee Claimants – REGISTER HERE
The past two years has seen record numbers of refugee claimants arrive in Canada, many of them from the African continent. One year ago, hundreds of refugee claimants were sleeping on our sidewalks for days, even weeks. Some of them found their way into churches who turned their sanctuaries into emergency shelters. Today, refugee claimants are still struggling to find housing and the wrap around support they need in the communities they are being dispersed to by the hundreds. Globally, we are seeing a rising trend in mass migration and, our faith tells us, that Canada needs to be better prepared to welcome. Learn from two Christian ministers, who have been on the ground working with refugee claimants, about what is happening to Canada’s refugee claimants and what a faith-based response to their need looks like.
Facilitators: The Rev. Eddie Jjumba and the Rev. Alexa Gilmour
The Rev. Eddie Jjumba is the Senior Pastor at Milliken Church in Markham, and the president of Dominion House Of Hope Shelter, where he continues to coordinate efforts to accord refugees a dignified welcome. House Of Hope shelter was birthed out of Dominion Church where over 2,000 refugees slept between July and December 2023.
The Rev. Alexa Gilmour is minister at St. Luke’s United Church, founder of the Contagious Hope Project (where faith and advocacy connect), and co-chair of Crisis-in-Our-City (a network of organizations that began meeting in September 2023 to respond to immediate needs of refugee claimants and advocate for ongoing support).
B. Anti-Racism: A Nicene Position – REGISTER HERE
This workshop will develop the idea that anti-racism for Christians can be argued from the categories of the Nicene Creed. We will look at the historical developments of colonization and chattel slavery and underscore how current manifestations of these social conditions in church and society run counter to our creedal claims. The session will help attendees understand and use creedal language to discuss anti-racism in local church settings.
Facilitator: The Rev. Dr. Alison Hari-Singh (she/her) is the priest-in-charge of St. Andrew by-the-Lake, Toronto Islands. She has a PhD in theology and teaches systematic theology at Trinity College, where she is one of the college’s BIPOC advisors.
C. Harm Reduction is Love: Overdose Prevention in Our Communities – REGISTER HERE
This workshop will explore the issue of drug use today and how communities can respond in a loving way. Workshop participants will come away with concrete action they can take to reduce the rate of overdose in their community.
Facilitators: Barb Panter and Tina Estwick
Barb Panter has worked in the field of harm reduction for over 25 years in Vancouver and Toronto. Barb is currently the Senior Manager of Drop-in and Harm Reduction Programs at The Neighbourhood Group (formerly St. Stephen’s Community House) in Toronto.
Tina Estwick is the Supervisor of KMOPS and Peer Outreach Programs at The Neighbourhood Group (TNG). She has always worked from a harm reduction perspective, ensuring that the voices of the most marginalized are heard and lifted up.
D. What if the Church Took Climate Change Seriously? – REGISTER HERE
A reflection and dialogue on what a creation-centred Christian worldview might look like in this time of climate crisis. Like the general population, Christians represent a spectrum of thinking about climate change – from denial or ignoring it, all the way to anxiety and despair. For the church to follow Jesus in these times, we need to talk about it, to understand our relationship to the earth differently than we have for centuries. We need to see ourselves as part of the family of earth, not as masters but as servants.
Facilitator: Karen Turner (she/her) sits on the Bishop’s Committee on Creation Care for the Diocese of Toronto. She has been a member of the Creation Matters group at the Church of the Redeemer, Toronto for many years and a part of their planning for an observation of the Season of Creation for the past six years. She now lives in Bobcaygeon with her partner, Heather Steeves, from which they now sometimes hang out at St John’s Peterborough.
Closing Plenary Session (2:45-3:30 p.m.)
At the close of our program, we will gather together again to share reflections on what we learned and pray for each other in our respective ministries.
REGISTER HERE for our Closing Plenary Session