Time for results when it comes to ending racism, Timmins speaker tells crowd
On Friday, Northern College hosted the first of a series of talks and workshops focused on making the community more equitable, diverse and inclusive.
The college invited Alex Ihama, a bestselling author and diversity consultant, to speak about discrimination and racism, and how to address those issues in the workplace and society.
Ihama, the executive director of a group that helps eliminate racism and discrimination in workplaces across the country, spoke about how leaders in Timmins can do the same.
He said people are aware of the issues, having done hundreds of these talks. He said it’s time for results.
“We now need to start empowering people with the tips, tools and techniques to translate that awareness into action,” Ihama said.
“Timmins is not absolved from this.”
Ihama made that clear in his presentation, highlighting articles on the city’s history of racism and the prevalence of racial discrimination.
Northern College is one of five national hubs tasked with boosting equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives — particularly the “50-30 challenge” of having 50 per cent of high-level positions occupied by women and 30 per cent by marginalized groups.
“We want to continue to be that beacon of light and hope and start to really make a difference in how folks think about difference and how they unpack those biases that people may hold and not even be conscious of,” said Northern College’s Susan Hunter.
The college received federal funding both to hold events and to hire diversity consultants — one of whom said incidents of racism against immigrants in a town with a dwindling population have made the initiative all the more crucial.
“It’s impeding the growth -- the economic growth -- of the city,” said diversity consultant Everard Kasimanwuna.
“You know, it’s impeding … the growth of influx of immigrants to the city. It’s stopping them from having places to work.”
“If Timmins does not attract immigration into this town, it will not be around for long,” Ihama added.
He said the way forward is to have the people who were in the room with him make an impact in their organizations.
“They are poised, they are passionate, they are powerful and with that potential, they will—not can, not may—I know they will make changes in their workplaces,” Ihama said.
Northern College is hoping to drive that message home and help make lasting change, aiming to hold monthly talks and workshops over the next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air quality in parts of Canada among the worst in the world due to wildfires
Wildfire smoke prompted warnings about poor air quality for many regions across the country, stretching from northern Alberta to the Atlantic.

Poilievre threatens to filibuster budget bill if Liberals don't meet demands
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is threatening to use procedural tools to delay passage of the federal budget in the House of Commons if the Liberals don't meet his demands.
Conservatives call on feds to see killer Bernardo returned to maximum-security prison
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on the federal government to use whatever tools it can to reverse a decision by the Correctional Service of Canada to transfer killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison.
EXCLUSIVE | Feds providing $1.5M for increased security at Pride events across Canada
The federal government will be providing $1.5 million to Pride organizations across the country for increased security measures at parades and other events this year, CTV News has learned.
Prince Harry a no-show on first day of court showdown with British tabloid publisher
Prince Harry's phone hacking trial against the publisher of the Daily Mirror kicked off Monday without him present -- and the judge was not happy.
Flair tops Canadian airlines with average number of complaints per 100 flights: CTA
The Canadian Transportation Agency says Flair Airlines Ltd. has the highest number of complaints per 100 flights of all the major airlines in Canada, as airlines have had a rocky recovery year with delayed and cancelled flights.
WATCH | Safety campaign shows falls, close calls involving kids in train stations
Australia's transit society Queensland Rail is using CCTV video of real-life falls and near-miss involving children at train stations in a new safety campaign.
Anand: China irresponsible over Taiwan Strait collision risk with Canada, U.S. ships
Defence Minister Anita Anand says Beijing acted irresponsibly on the weekend in the Taiwan Strait, where Washington says a Chinese warship forced a U.S. vessel to avoid a collision near a Canadian frigate.
WATCH LIVE | Wildfire risk remains well above average across Canada this month
An area of land 11 times bigger than the city of Toronto burned from wildfires in the past four days -- Canada's worst spring wildfire season to date.