TEDxToronto announces lineup for 11th annual conference

Aug 20 2019, 3:16 pm

TEDxToronto is back in October, and with it an impressive list of speakers.

The 11th annual event returns on October 26 at the Evergreen Brick Works, and will take place on a Saturday for the first time ever.

As one of Canada’s largest TEDx events, this full-day conference aims to build a community of thinkers and doers, centred around the mission of ideas worth spreading, both big and small, according to organizers.

This year’s theme – Rise – TEDxToronto is expected to “bring voices to the forefront that might otherwise not have a stage to share their ideas.”

Below is the full list of speakers set to take the stage at the 2019 conference:

Andrew Reeves, Environmental Journalist

  • An award-winning environmental journalist, Andrew’s work has appeared in The Walrus and The Globe and Mail for his reporting on environmental issues and innovations. Recently, Andrew published his book titled Overrun: Dispatches from the Asian Carp Crisis which focuses on the devastating effects of the invasive fish, Asian carp, throughout North America.

Anthony Morgan, Human Rights and Civil Liberties Lawyer

  • As a lawyer who practices in the areas of civil, constitutional, and criminal state accountability litigation, Anthony has an interest in anti-black racism advocacy. Anthony has appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada and the United Nations treaty bodies and is a regular commentator on issues at the intersection of justice, race, and multiculturalism.

Casandra Diamond, Founder and Director of BridgeNorth

  • Casandra is the founding director of BridgeNorth, a survivor-led charitable organization that provides programs to assist victims of sexual exploitation and human trafficking. Her work includes investing in public education, awareness, and advocacy at all levels of government including supporting Bill C-36 which is now law as the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act.

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Danielle Goldfarb, Head of Global Research at RIWI Corp.

  • Danielle’s work at RIWI, a global data collection and trend-tracking company, sees her using proprietary technology to track the opinions of marginalized voices that aren’t often polled or heard. With this RIWI technology, Danielle forecasts and tracks socio-economic behaviour globally and has created the first and only real-time, global measure of young people and online-enabled work (like Uber driving etc.).

Esie Mensah, Dancer and Choreographer

  • An award-winning dancer and choreographer, Esie is considered to be a leading dance artist in Canada’s urban music scene and has single-handedly built a new dance genre: Afrofusion. In the past, she has worked with talent such as Rihanna, Drake, French Montana, Janelle Monae, and events including TIFF, FIFA, Luminato, WE Day, and more.

Gulshan Allibhai, Owner of Lahore Tikka House

  • Gulshan took over the operation of the iconic 400-seat restaurant Lahore Tikka House in Toronto’s Little India when her husband passed away in 2013. With a master’s degree in social work, she has worked with diverse populations like immigrants, refugees, and individuals with mental health issues. She currently teaches within the social work programs at Wilfrid Laurier University and Seneca College.

Joseph Palermo, Engineer at Dessa

  • Joseph is a machine learning engineer at artificial intelligence start-up Dessa based in Toronto. He was part of the team that produced what many consider to be the most impressive “deepfake” to date – a computer-generated voice and superimposed image that sounds like Joe Rogan, the popular American podcast host.

Mark Cohon, Chairman of Toronto Global and Former Commissioner of the CFL

  • Mark’s long history in the business of sports saw him as a former executive with Major League Baseball International (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA) and most recently, the 12th Commissioner of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Now as the chair of Toronto Global and the Juno Awards, Mark is known for building successful Canadian brands, and through them, the reputation of Canada.

Michelle Xuereb, Director of Innovation at Quadrangle

  • Michelle is a specialist in complicated construction projects and the Director of Innovation at Quadrangle, a Toronto-based architecture and interior design firm. Her approach to design intersects sustainability and resiliency as recovery strategies for communities in the face of climate change are an increasing concern for the future.

Sage Paul, Artist and Designer

  • As an award-winning artist and recognized leader of Indigenous fashion, craft and textiles, Sage uses her work as a platform to amplify the visibility of Indigenous people, their culture and artistic practices. She’s the Founder and Artistic Director of Indigenous Fashion Week in Toronto that launched in spring 2018.

Shireen Ahmed, Writer, Podcaster, Activist for Muslim Women in Sports

  • Shireen Ahmed is an award-winning sports activist, athlete and community organizer. She is also part of a team of five women who created the Burn It All Down podcast, a feminist sports podcast that analyzes sports culture from the intersection of gender, race and religion. Shireen is on the advisory board of the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) and helps refugees use football as a vehicle for resettlement.

Umbereen Inayet, Artistic Producer of Nuit Blanche, City of Toronto

  • Umbereen is an award-winning producer and curator of public art. She has been an Artistic Producer of Nuit Blanche in Toronto, one of the largest free contemporary art events in North America, for over a decade and has worked with artists including Ai Weiwei, Bill Viola and Director X. She uses her background in social work throughout the curation process and in collaborating with artists to elevate art as a medium for storytelling and source of narrative therapy.

Ticket sales are available online.

 

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TEDxToronto

Where: Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave
When: Saturday, October 26

Daily Hive is a proud community sponsor of TEDxToronto

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