TedxToronto announces speakers for its upcoming event series

Jan 13 2021, 4:00 pm

TEDxToronto has announced its second slate of speakers, set to present at the Winter portion of its digital event series, Uncharted, this year.

Now in its 12th year serving the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), the volunteer-run organization has reimagined its annual event into a digital event series due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the final two parts set to take place on February 4 and March 4, at 7 pm.

“Our first speaker slate explored deep themes such as issues in our food and childcare systems, how to become a better ally and live an authentic life, humanizing AI and economics, and the effects of COVID- 19 on our communities and globally,” co-hosts Gillian Cameron and Kapil Khimdas said in a statement.

“Our next group of speakers – made up of some of our community’s brightest change-makers – will continue the essential discussion around how we can continue to navigate the Uncharted waters we all find ourselves in.”

The list of speakers on February 4 include:

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Actor & Comedian

Lee is a two-time Canadian Screen Award winner for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as family patriarch Appa in Kim’s Convenience. Most recently, Paul has appeared in The Mandalorian and as a voice actor for Abby Hatcher, Fuzzly Catcher.

Phil De Luna, Clean Energy Innovator

Luna leads a $57 million collaborative research program to develop “disruptive technologies to decarbonize Canada at the National Research Council of Canada.” Luna’s mission is to help Canada achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 by making renewable fuels from air and water. Listed on Forbes’ Top 30 Under 30, he is the youngest-ever director in NRC’s over 100-year history.

Lydia-Joi Marshall, Researcher & Health Equity Champion

Marshall is a health care professional and researcher seeking to foster “healthy business relationships and continuously serve as a bridge between the scientific community and the general public.” Marshall is the Vice President of the Black Health Alliance and a Research Associate for #TheActionProject at University Health Network.

Chenny Xia, Entrepreneur & Experience Designer

Xia is a designer, technologist, and serial entrepreneur focused on creating a more equitable healthcare system through decolonization. As the co-founder of Gotcare, she’s transforming how home health is delivered across Canada by leveraging emerging technologies and design thinking methods to reduce the cost of care delivery.

List of speakers on March 4:

Jason van Bruggen, Filmmaker & Photographer 

Bruggen is a professional filmmaker and photographer based in Canada. His storytelling expresses “a profound interest in the geography of wild spaces, the cultural truths of our time and stories of everyday heroes the world over.” His work has been featured by Outside Magazine, National Geographic, Flyfish Journal, and numerous brands, including Patagonia, Best Made Co., and Arc’teryx.

Jay Pitter, Author & Placemaker

Pitter, MES, is an award-winning placemaker whose practice mitigates growing divides in cities across North America. She spearheads institutional city-building projects specializing in public space design and policy, forgotten densities, mobility equity, gender-responsive design, inclusive public engagement and healing fraught sites. In addition to leading her practice, Ms. Pitter makes significant contributions to urbanism discourse as an author with Penguin Random House and urban planning lecturer.

Gillian Hadfield, Professor of Law & Strategic Management

Dr. Gillian Hadfield is the director of the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, a professor of law and of strategic management at the University of Toronto, a faculty affiliate at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and a senior policy advisor at OpenAI. Her current research is focused on innovative design for legal and regulatory systems for AI and other complex global technologies, computational models of human normative systems, and working with machine learning researchers to build ML systems that understand and respond to human norms.

Ryan DeCaire, Mohawk Language Learner and Teacher

Ryan Decaire is from Wáhta Mohawk Territory. He is Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) and is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics and Centre for Indigenous Studies at the University of Toronto, a Ph.D. Candidate in the Hawaiian and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization Program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, as well as an instructor and curriculum developer at Onkwawén:na Kentyóhkwa, a Kanien’kéha (Mohawk language) immersion school for adults. He is working to revitalize Kanien’kéha and focuses on best practices for developing advanced oral proficiency in adults.

Ticket sales are now open to the public and available at this link. Season passes, which include access to the two digital events, are available for $25, while individual event tickets are priced at $15.

A limited number of student and subsidized tickets are available for those who qualify. Proceeds from ticket sales go towards helping fund TEDxToronto’s 100% volunteer-run work in the GTHA community.

TEDxToronto is also looking to recognize and celebrate 100 Frontline workers at their Uncharted digital event series. Frontline workers in Toronto and the GTHA can register here to receive their complimentary Frontline worker ticket to Uncharted Part Three on February 4.

Daily Hive Toronto is a proud media sponsor of TEDxToronto

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