External Advisory Board
The City Institute’s External Advisory Board was established in 2010. The board consists of 8 to 12 individuals from public life, the private sector, the arts and from Toronto’s diverse communities who have shown enthusiasm for or have accomplishments in the urban realm broadly defined. The board plays a critical role in identifying emerging issues and joins our commitment to critical urban research.
The External Advisory Board has two main functions:
1. CITY relies on this board for substantive advice on issues related to urban and regional research. We would ask that board members to bring their wisdom and experience to the Institute. In addition, the board members help us identify important problems, issues and trends that need the Institute’s attention.
2. We also count on the board members to project the Institute into their worlds. This can take the form of spreading the word about CITY and its activities in the community.
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John Cartwright is the President of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, representing 195,000 union members in Canada’s largest urban centre. John has been deeply involved apprenticeship and training issues, as well as crafting the “Green Jobs Strategy” for the Canadian Labour Congress. John has served on the Boards of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, the United Way of Greater Toronto, and recently he helped launch the Good Jobs for All Summit and the subsequent conference on Good Green Jobs for All.
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Ian Chodikoff is an architect and the editor of Canadian Architect magazine. With a background in political science and public administration, he holds graduate degrees in architecture and urban design from the University of British Columbia and Harvard University respectively. Ian is extremely interested in multi-disciplinary, collaborative and strategic design processes; he facilitated a series of charrettes and design presentations with the City of Toronto and the Design Exchange to improve the built environment in several priority neighborhoods across Toronto.
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Lionel Feldman is a graduate of McMaster and Carleton Universities and is President of his own Urban Management and Public Policy Consulting firm which works domestically and internationally with a wide range of public and private sector clients offering services on urban related issues. Lionel specializes in areas such as organizational change and design, urban governance, urban public finance, public policy issues and urban intergovernmental relations.
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Andrea Gabor is an urban planner and partner of Urban Strategies Inc. Recently, Andrea led Sustainable Halton: a study of growth management and Growth Plan conformity in Halton Region. Andrea recently led an award-winning Downtown Master Plan Study in Brantford, Ontario and is currently leading the development of a master plan for the revitalization of Alexandra Park. Andrea frequently lectures and presents in a variety of venues including universities, conferences and industry events. She was named a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners in 2007.
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Heather Haynes received her B.F.A. from The San Francisco Art Institute and later studied an M.A. in Philosophy and Cultural Analysis at the Universiteit van Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In 2003, she established Toronto Free Gallery where she currently holds the position of Executive Director & Curator. Along with her curatorial work, Heather is also the Publisher of FUSE Magazine a quarterly magazine that covers art, culture and politics, an Associate Programmer for Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival, and a founding member of the Department of Culture.
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The Hon. Frances Lankin
The Hon. Frances Lankin, PC, LLD (HC) has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of United Way Toronto since 2001. Under Frances’s leadership United Way has engaged in a number of strategic initiatives that aim to improve the lives of individuals, families and communities in Toronto. Today, she serves on the Toronto City Summit Alliance Steering Committee, the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy Advisory Committee, and is an honorary board member of the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance.
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Muliwa Mwarigha is the Director of Residential Property Management and General Manager of Peel Living (Region of Peel) and has a strong background in integrated social and neighbourhood planning and community asset (property) management. He has done research and written policy work in areas of immigration settlement and service delivery to low income communities, youth, seniors and immigrants. Muliwa has been involved in community revitalization in Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods, namely: Regent Park, Don Mount, Lawrence Heights and Jane Finch communities. His work experience includes the following community based organizations: Canadian African Newcomer Centre, Social Planning Council of Metro Toronto, Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, and Region of Peel (Peel Living).
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Uzma Shakir is a community-based researcher, advocate, activist, her work focuses on issues of race, erosion of civil liberties & critical multiculturalism. She is currently working as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geography and Programme in Planning at the University of Toronto and is the 2007 recipient of the Atkinson Economic Justice Fellowship. She is the past Executive Director of Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA) and the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO). She has also worked as a teacher, journalist and researcher.
