I’m really impressed with the level of energy and commitment around the Health and Wellbeing table and look forward to continuing collaboration between OLIP and OPH.

Marcela Tapia
Ottawa Public Health
I was happy to see integration to Algonquin territory and indigenous culture related programming in 2014 WOW. Please continue to involve local Aboriginal organisations and…

Linda Manning
WOW 2014 participant, Senior Fellow, University of Ottawa
The City of Ottawa will continue to play a lead role in the implementation of the Ottawa Immigration Strategy, just as we did in the founding of OLIP.

Steve Desroches
City Councillor and Deputy Mayor of Ottawa
The OLIP Council is committed to leadership.  In only a few years, we have a common vision and priorities, and are up to the task of implementing the Ottawa Immigration Strategy.

Salimatou Diallo
OLIP Council Vice Chair, Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario
Canada has been shaped by people who came from all over the world to build this country. WOW offers a platform for us to celebrate this history and the future it will help…

Alex Munter, Chair of the OLIP Council and President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre
My nomination is an indication that our hard work in building Canada is recognized. All we do is to serve the community in return for embracing us when we needed it.  

Mehdi Mahdavi
Ottawa Immigrant Entrepreneurship Awards Nominee
The work and expertise that OLIP brings to our community is so important as it helps us to build bridges and break down silos.  I look forward to our continued work together. 

Jim Watson, Mayor of Ottawa
The Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre is so happy to have joined the OLIP Health and Wellbeing Sector Table. It is clear that OLIP cares about immigrants and refugees and…

Wendy Tang, Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre
We are very pleased to have done the “Opportunity Cost of Not Investing in Interpretation” report – it is so important to have clarity on these challenges and…

Hindia Mohamoud, Director, OLIP
The WOW seminar on immigrant women’s nutrition and health was a step in the right direction towards closing the gap between academic researchers and service providers.

Josephine Etowa
Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of Ottawa

Empowering Senior Leaders to Lead with Equity and Justice

January 29, 2025

On December 13, 2024, OLIP’s Equity Ottawa hosted a full-day Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Training for senior leaders from various sectors in Ottawa. The event was designed to strengthen the capacity of local leaders in municipal, health, education, housing, and social services organizations to create more equitable organizational cultures that better serve immigrants and racialized communities.

The event was based on the needs of Equity Ottawa’s partner organizations and was attended by 20 leaders from 16 organizations. OLIP offered this as a pilot project and plans to continue offering similar training in 2025.

The event gave leaders the tools and knowledge they need to create real change in their organizations. By the end of the day, they were ready to face the challenges of promoting equity and fighting oppression.

One participant shared, “I appreciate the chance to meet with other leaders from different sectors, explore this important topic, and share our challenges openly.”

The training provided an opportunity for senior leaders to:

  • Share knowledge and experiences to better understand the challenges they face in creating equitable organizational cultures.
  • Engage in honest self-reflection on their own positionality, biases, and the various forms of oppression within their organizations.
  • Learn practical strategies for implementing anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices within their organizations.
  • Participate in informed dialogue to inspire action and planning based on best practices and shared expertise.

By the end of the day, participants had developed a deeper understanding of how to navigate and address systemic barriers in their organizations and how to implement strategies for greater inclusion and equity in their daily decisions.

If you or your partners are interested in a similar training or would like to join the Equity Ottawa’s Community of Practice, please email Yusra Osman.

The session was facilitated by Seema Lamba, an equity specialist, union leader, and human rights lawyer. With over 20 years of experience in advancing employment equity, Seema has been an invaluable resource for Equity Ottawa over the past two years. Her expertise in the field of equity, combined with her deep understanding of the challenges faced by organizations striving to implement anti-racism practices, made her the perfect fit to lead the training.

The event proved to be an invaluable experience for all who attended, offering senior leaders the opportunity to build a shared language for understanding oppression and to develop concrete strategies for advancing anti-racism and anti-oppression work within their organizations.