Ontario's Champions of Diversity Recognized
June 22, 2009 11:00 AM
McGuinty Government Presents Awards To Leaders For Their Commitment To Newcomers
Ten outstanding leaders in promoting Ontario's diversity and creating welcoming communities for newcomers will be honoured in Toronto.
Among the recipients of the 2009 Newcomer Champions Awards are advocates for the education of newcomers and foreign trained professionals, entrepreneurs, and exceptional social workers who go above and beyond the call of duty.
The ten award recipients are:
- Dr. Yamil H. Alonso of Brampton
- Mario J. Calla of Toronto
- Dr. Balliram Chadee of Ajax
- Ian Jones of Milton
- Nora Melara-Lopez of Hamilton
- Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization of Ottawa (OCISO)
- Fani Papadopoulos of Toronto
- Aurelia Tokaci of Hamilton
- Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council of Toronto (TRIEC)
- Ann Welsh of North Bay
The ceremony will take place on Tuesday June 23, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. at Ontario Heritage Centre in Toronto, in honour of National Multiculturalism Day, June 27.
QUICK FACTS
- Created in 2007, the Newcomer Champion Awards were inspired by the contributions of three Ontario visionaries: Daniel Iannuzzi, Jean Lumb and Mary Ann Shadd.
- In 2007, 111,000 newcomers arrived in Ontario, almost half of Canada's total.
- People in Ontario come from 200 countries and speak more than 130 languages.
LEARN MORE
ontario.ca/citizenship
"Ontario's diversity is our competitive advantage. The contributions of these champions help us to capitalize on this strength and build a prosperous and stronger Ontario for all."
– Michael Chan
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Communities
