Kady Cowan is Founder of the Sustainability Studio. She invites organizations and institutions to collaborate in the Studio where they have time to learn and practice combining sustainability, environmental protection, climate safety and a wholistic ecosystem perspective into both strategic and everyday activities at work. Kady facilitates the adoption of positive environmental behaviours while integrating ecological decision making in complex work settings. This tailored experience helps create conditions for effective staff and executive engagement so that transformative solutions emerge and persist for the long term.

Maureen is a former librarian at Toronto Public Library, the world’s busiest urban public library. Maureen holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Toronto. She has long been interested in the intersection of public services and the community. A former president of the Toronto Public Library Workers, she led a campaign to prevent the closure of libraries and highlighted a deep commitment to her city. She worked tirelessly at the local, provincial, and national level in CUPE to show the negative impact of precarious work on not only workers but the health of their communities. She was a long-time labour representative with United Way Toronto and Chair of the Municipal Committee of the Toronto and York Regional Labour Council. Marueen is currently Recording Secretary for the Toronto Workers History Project and Book Club coordinator. Also sits on The Refugee Next Door Project at Labour Community Services.

Melissa Jean-Baptiste Vajda is a Human Rights lawyer currently working as a Human Rights and Equity advisor at a french catholic school board where she advises on key human rights and equity issues in order to help ensure that the school board meets its mandate of providing inclusive and equitable access to education to all students while also ensuring that all processes and procedures are compliant with the Ontario Human Rights Code.  Melissa is also a former community legal clinic lawyer who practiced in downtown Toronto in the areas of Housing, Human Rights and Workers’ Rights. She is a dedicated advocate for social justice.

Lisa is a practicing lawyer in Toronto, specializing in human rights and mental health law. In the course of her career, she has worked on a number of precedent-setting cases, always striving to advance equity and human rights principles in workplaces, compensation, and healthcare settings. She obtained her Juris Doctor degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Lisa holds a Master of Arts in Women's Studies and Feminist Research from the University of Western Ontario and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Queen's University. Prior to law school, she worked at a number of nonprofit organizations supporting people in accessing and maintaining safe and affordable housing.

For twenty years Simon has worked in non-profits and in the public sector to build activism and capacity. Half of that time was spent as a social worker. He currently works as a researcher for the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Simon has previously sat on the advisory boards of the CCPA-Ontario and Columbia Institute (Ontario). Of special interest is the preservation of public services and how the public sector can contribute to meeting the challenges of climate change and create a policy framework for improvement of the environment.

Edward Xie works as an emergency physician and assistant professor at the University of Toronto. He is a fellow of the Centre for Sustainable Health Systems and a PhD student in the Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation where he studies issues focussing on pharmacare and resilience to climate change. He has worked with the Decent Work and Health Network, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, and MSF on structural determinants of health.

Anjum is a catalyst, connector, and champion who works at the intersection of youth leadership, public policy, gender equality, and international cooperation.

For over 20 years, Jin has worked and consulted in government and multiple non-profit sectors, including the immigrant and refugee serving sector, LGBTQ+ health, community arts, social housing and the environment. She holds two post-secondary degrees in environmental studies. As a consultant and senior manager, she has worked on strategic and systems planning initiatives, change management, program development, partnership/team building, staff learning and development, and conflict resolution. Currently, Jin runs her consulting practice while also working as a Program Director in a multi-service community organization located in northwest Toronto called North York Community House. Throughout all this work, she brings a passionate commitment to equity, anti-oppression, and social, environmental, and economic justice. Jin lives with her partner in east Toronto and spends most of her spare time chasing after her energetic toddler and her shy rescue dog. Her hobbies also include cycling, camping, reading, singing, and watching movies.