Brian Bronfman a fait des études en philosophie, en droit, en environnement, et en médiation. En 2006, il a créé la Fondation de la famille Brian Bronfman, qui apporte un soutien financier aux organismes et initiatives qui engendrent et maintiennent la paix dans nos communautés. En 2009, il a cofondé le Réseau pour la paix et l’harmonie sociale, un organisme de bienfaisance qui utilise le pouvoir de la collaboration et son expertise à l’interne afin de maximiser l'impact des efforts des parties prenantes dans trois champs d’action : diversité et inclusion, prévention de la violence et promotion de la paix. Brian a également participé activement à de nombreuses initiatives complémentaires, notamment : PLEDJ; le Musée de l'Holocauste de Montréal ; les médailles de la paix des YMCA du Québec ; LOVE Québec ; et Ensemble pour le respect de la diversité.  En 2020, il a été fait officier de l’Ordre national du Québec en reconnaissance de sa grande contribution à la société québécoise. Il consacre tout son temps à des activités communautaires et philanthropiques.

Mr. Fernando Belton holds a Bachelor of Laws from the Université du Québec à Montréal, a Master of Criminal Law from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University and a Certificate in Entrepreneurship fromHarvard Business School.

He is the co-founder and executive director of the Clinique juridique de Saint-Michel since 2019. He has been a member of the Bar since 2015 and practices criminal law by litigating cases before all courts in Quebec, including numerous appeals before the Quebec Court of Appeal and has participated in the preparation of several cases before the Supreme Court of Canada.

In addition, he represents victims of racial profiling before several courts throughout Quebec and since June 2021 has been teaching a course on racial profiling at the University of Ottawa, UQAM, Université de Montréal, Université Sherbrooke and McGill University, in addition to providing training on the subject to several organizations, including the Commission des droits de la personne, the Barreau du Québec and the Observatoire des profilages. He has published several academic articles on this issue, including in the Recent Development of the Law Society and in the Canadian Bar Review.

In 2023, Mr. Belton was nominated by the Minister of Justice of Canada to be part of the Canadian Black Justice Strategy Steering Group to provide recommendations and guidance to the Government of Canada on a strategy to build a fairer and more just justice system for Black people.

Emilie Nicolas is a columnist with Le Devoir and The Montreal Gazette, the host of the Détours podcast on Canadaland, and a regular analyst and commentator for CBC and Radio-Canada. Emilie has been published in several journals, magazines and newspapers, both in French and English. Most recently, she won the Quebec’s cultural magazine (SODEP) 2020 Excellence Award for Best Essay, for a piece in the Liberté magazine.

Emilie has contributed to various organizations in Canada and internationally. She was formerly on the board of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, a crown corporation dedicated to the elimination of racism, and Informed Opinions, a non-profit organization working towards more gender equality in Canadian media.

An active bridge-builder, Emilie is a co-founder of Québec inclusif (2013), a movement that united citizens against racism and social exclusion. She also initiated a coalition campaigning for equality and against systemic racism in Quebec (2016).

Emilie is the recipient of a Harry Jerome Award for leadership along with a Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case. She completed the Action Canada Fellowship (2015) as well as the Jeanne Sauvé Public Leadership Fellowship (2019).

Kanahsohon Kevin Deer is from Kahnawake Mohawk Territory. For the last 30 years he has been involved in Mohawk Language retention and revitalization. He is also a Faithkeeper at the Mohawk Trail Longhouse which involves knowing sacred songs, dances and rituals. He enjoys discussing and presenting the Iroquoian world views, history and philosophy. He was involved in the Kahnawake Police Commission from 2005 to 2015.

In 1990 he was involved in the Oka Crisis using the power of peace to try to resolve that conflict. In May 1990 he participated in a ceremony calling for the return of the Peacemaker in Tyendinaga, Ontario. In 1994 he assisted in the establishment of the new Mohawk community at Kanatsiohareke, New York. In 2003 he was part of a planning committee of the historic event that involved horses coming across the land from British Columbia to Six Nations to help wipe the tears of the seven generations and heal the earth. In September 2015 he was deeply involved in the Bretton Woods IV convocation, performing a ceremony to help all participants who gathered to see, hear, and speak more clearly about matters of global financial concern from a Native, First Nation’s perspective.

In February 2016, he made a presentation on Native spirituality at the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week in New York. In August 2016 he did a welcoming and healing ceremony for the World Forum on Theology and Liberation in Montreal. In November 2016 he travelled to Standing Rock to meet with spiritual leaders and elders.

Karen Cho 曹嘉伦 is a Chinese-Canadian filmmaker known for her social justice documentaries. Her films include In the Shadow of Gold Mountain a documentary about the Chinese Head Tax and Exclusion Act, Seeking Refuge, a film on refugees in Canada and Status Quo? a film exploring the Women’s Rights Movement. Karen also produced and co-wrote Speed of Thought, a documentary on 5G technology.
Karen has done TV work for CBC, Discovery, History, Global, APTN, Viceland & Amazon Prime touching on subjects like the science of heartbreak, sex & sexuality, Indigenous health & wellness, Quebecois cuisine, and artist-activists around the world.
Karen’s latest film, Big Fight in Little Chinatown, looks at community resistance and resilience in the fight to save endangered Chinatowns across North America. The film premiered at Doc NYC, won RIDM’s Prix Du Public and Best Documentary Film awards at several Asian American / Canadian film festivals. As part of its impact campaign, the film screened in 16 Chinatowns across North America raising over 13 thousand dollars for various Chinatown projects and initiatives along the way.
Passionate about the power of community storytelling for the placekeeping of Chinatowns, Karen is also a co-founder of Montreal’s JIA Foundation a non-profit that fosters Chinatown’s cultural heritage and equitable future. She has also been involved with Coast 2 Coast Chinatowns Against Displacement and the Act2End Racism Network.

Maïtée Labrecque-Saganash, originally from Waswanipi in Eeyou Istchee, is a human rights activist and columnist for The Nation magazine. She's also a speechwriter and Information Officer of Corporate Communications at the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay.

Called to the Quebec Bar in 1988, Tamara Thermitus holds a Master of Laws from McGill University (2013). Ms. Thermitus holds a significant role as a Distinguished Boulton Senior Fellow of McGill University's Faculty of Law (2023-2024). Her influence extends to her membership in McGill University's Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism and the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law. She was a lawyer at the Federal Department of Justice for over twenty-five years and negotiated the nature and scope of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's mandate.

Ms. Thermitus was Chair of the Federal Department of Justice's Advisory Committee on Visible Minorities (2004-2010) and Chair of the Cultural Communities Committee (Quebec Bar). In this capacity, she not only raised awareness within The Bar on issues relating to racial discrimination in the profession and the justice system but also pioneered training on the social context of the law at the École du Barreau. Under her leadership, Développements récents en profilage racial (2009) was published, the first book on the subject in Quebec, marking a significant milestone in the fight against racial discrimination and intersectionality.

Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal (2012), Me Thermitus Ad. E has received numerous awards, including the Mérite du Barreau du Québec (2011), making her the first black lawyer to receive such recognition and become an Emeritus Lawyer. She has also received the Prix Leadership en matière d'équité en emploi et de diversité, awarded by the Department of Justice (2010 and 2016), the Prix droits et libertés honoring individuals who have advanced the rights set out in the Quebec Charter of Human Rights (2015) and the Prix Impact Dynastie (2024) awarded by the Gala Dynastie focusing on Black Communities of Quebec.

Rita Trichur is an award-winning journalist. She is a Senior Business Writer and Columnist in the Report on Business. Her previous roles at The Globe and Mail include Senior Editor, Financial Services Editor, and Canadian business columnist for the Report on Business Magazine. Rita returned to Globe in July 2016 after spending about 2 ½ years as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal’s Canada bureau. She primarily covered domestic banks and insurance companies from Toronto, but also wrote a variety of other stories about Canada for the U.S. newspaper. Prior to WSJ, Rita spent more than three years at the Globe, initially working as a general assignment reporter in the Report on Business before covering the telecom beat. Rita has also covered financial services and economics for the Toronto Star, and has held various roles at the Canadian Press and the Ottawa Sun. She got her first byline at age 6 when the Toronto Star published her short story about a fish-stealing cat and paid her $10. Rita, who also speaks French, was born in Toronto. She has a Bachelor of Journalism and Political Science and a M.A. in Canadian Studies – both from Carleton University in Ottawa.

Lela Savic [lei-la sav-ich] is the founding editor-in-chief of La Converse, a bilingual community-powered media serving marginalized communities through dialogue journalism. As a Roma woman born in the former Yugoslavia, her lived experience and the frequent misrepresentation of her people in the media drove her to pursue a career in journalism. Lela has worked at Journal Métro in Montreal, covering politics and human rights, as well as at CBC’s investigative show Enquête and La Presse. In addition to her journalism work, Lela regularly presents on community-powered media and approaches to dialogue journalism. Currently, she teaches a course on decolonizing journalism at the University of Toronto alongside Shenaz Kermalli, Desmond Cole, Dan David, and Shree Paradkar.

Rabbi Lisa Grushcow was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and served on the clergy team at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City, before coming to be Senior Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in 2012. Born and raised in Canada, her BA is from McGill University, and she earned her master’s and doctoral degrees at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.

Beginning with the Jewish-Christian-Muslim conference in Bendorf, Germany, Rabbi Grushcow has a long history of interfaith bridge-building, and is currently involved with the Solidarity Dialogues in Montreal. As a Hartman Senior Rabbinic Fellow and past president of the Montreal Board of Rabbis, she is actively engaged in Jewish pluralism. She has continued her academic endeavours as a Visiting Scholar at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and is affiliate faculty at the School of Religious Studies at McGill.

Rabbi Grushcow is the author of Writing the Wayward Wife: Rabbinic Interpretations of Sotah, editor of The Sacred Encounter: Jewish Perspectives on Sexuality, and co-editor of Communities of Meaning. She is a contributor to The Torah: A Women’s Commentary, The Mussar Torah Commentary, and other publications in print and online.

Dr. Brett Belchetz is the CEO and co-founder of Maple, Canada’s leading virtual healthcare platform. Maple came about as a result of a personal insight from Brett, who is also a practicing emergency room doctor based in Toronto, when he realized there was untapped potential for licensed healthcare providers to use their spare time to provide more care, increasing the healthcare system's capacity and improving timely access to care. As a medical expert, Brett has appeared in various national media outlets including the National Post, CTV and Global News as a guest contributor on all matters related to healthcare. Brett is also a Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute and previously, he worked as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company.

Karen Clayton-Babb is the Chief Nurse Practitioner/ Clinic Director at the Belleville Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic in Belleville, Ontario. She served in many leadership roles in the primary care sector in the Caribbean before assuming the leadership role at the Belleville Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic. She is passionate about and committed to quality primary care and has a special interest in the management of chronic non-communicable diseases and polypharmacy in the elderly.
Karen holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice with specialization in Executive Leadership, from Post University in Connecticut, a Master of Science in International Primary Health Care from the University College of London, UK as a Commonwealth Scholar, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with certification as a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, at McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario.

My name is Heather Cairns-Mills. I am the Founder and President of Walk It Off. In 1994, I received my BA in Psychology from York University, and spent 3 years studying physical education. I earned my Certificate in Ambulance and Emergency Care from Centennial College in 1995 and later received my Provincial Advance Care Paramedic Certificate.

As a paramedic, I had the opportunity to work for 14 years throughout the province in Simcoe County, Halton/Mississauga and with Toronto Emergency Medical Service (TEMS). While I worked for TEMS, I assisted in spear-heading the Canadian Window Balcony Fall Prevention project with the EMS Chiefs of Canada. My experience includes supervising the Toronto Heat Alert Paramedic Program.

I have been my husband, Kevin Mills’, primary care giver since his accident in February of 2009. This tragedy has giving me both a personal insight and the understanding of the extensive medical requirements of living with someone with a Spinal Cord Injury.

The executive director at Black Creek Community Health Centre in Toronto, Cheryl strives to ensure equitable access to health services for vulnerable populations. A dedicated community leader for over 25 years, she is a coalition builder, bringing together diverse stakeholders in community development initiatives that reflect the needs of the population. She facilitates Community-Academic partnerships in research that builds evidence to inform policy and innovative approaches to complex problems in marginalized communities. Current leadership roles include co-chair of the Northwestern Toronto Ontario Health Team, advisory member of the York University Community Engagement Centre and the SeroMark Immunity Project, and member of the board of directors of the Canadian Mental Health Association (Toronto).
During the course of the pandemic, Cheryl and the Black Creek CHC team played an integral role in advocating for equitable healthcare supports, including accessible testing and vaccinations, for residents of Northwest Toronto. As a key partner in the Black Community Vaccine Initiative, her team worked tirelessly with community partners to decrease barriers to testing and vaccine access for members of the Black community in NW Toronto and across the GTA. For these efforts, Cheryl was recognized by the Jamaican Canadian Association with a Community Service Award and by the Dalla Lana School of Public Health as a Pillar of the Pandemic.
Cheryl has an academic background in Biochemistry, with graduate degrees from the Universities of Ottawa and Toronto. She also obtained certificates in healthcare and non-profit management from the Rotman School of Management, Schulich School of Business and Harvard Business School. In her spare time, she enjoys travel and time spent with family and friends to maintain an optimal work-life balance.

Lela Savic is the founding editor-in-chief of La Converse, a bilingual community-powered media serving marginalized communities through dialogue journalism. As a Roma woman born in the former Yugoslavia, her lived experience and the frequent misrepresentation of her people in the media drove her to pursue a career in journalism. Lela has worked at Journal Métro in Montreal, covering politics and human rights, as well as at CBC’s investigative show Enquête and La Presse. In addition to her journalism work, Lela regularly presents on community-powered media and approaches to dialogue journalism. Currently, she teaches a course on decolonizing journalism at the University of Toronto alongside Shenaz Kermalli, Desmond Cole, Dan David, and Shree Paradkar.

Dr. Ghayda Hassan is a clinical psychologist and professor of clinical psychology at UQAM university in Montreal and has several research, clinical and community based national and international affiliations. She is the director of the Canadian Practioner Network for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence (RPC-PREV; funded by PS Canada; https://cpnprev.ca). She is also a UNESCO co-chair in Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence (UNESCO-PREV; http://chaireunesco-prev.ca/fr/acceuil/). She currently sits as the Chair of the Independent Advisory Committee (IAC) or the GIFCT (Global Internet Forum for Countering Terrorism; https://gifct.org ). She is a member of the RCMP Management Advisory Board and was a member of the expert advisory group on online safety at the ministry of Canadian Heritage (https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/harmful-online-content.html). She is a researchers and senior clinical consultant at the SHERPA-RAPS (SHERPA subteam RAPS for Research and Action on Radicalisation and Social Suffering ; (http://www.sherpa-recherche.com/fr/recherche-pratiques/souffrancesocialeetradicalisation/) at the CIUSSS Center-West of the island of Montreal.

Her systematic reviews, research and clinical activities are centred around four main areas of clinical cultural psychology: 1) Social suffering, intercommunity relations, hate, racism and extremist violence ; 2) Intervention in family violence & cultural diversity ; 3) Identity, belonging and mental health of children and adolescents from ethnic/religious minorities; 4) working with vulnerable immigrants and refugees.

Carla Beauvais is a dedicated social entrepreneur and tireless advocate for social justice. With more than 25 years of promoting the representation of marginalized communities, she has devoted her career to creating spaces where every voice can be heard.

Her passionate work has earned her numerous prestigious distinctions, including the Medal of the National Assembly of Quebec awarded by Marwah Rizqy and the Medal of Federal MP Emmanuel Dubourg.

From 2009 to 2022, Carla played a key role within the Black History Month Roundtable, actively contributing to raising awareness and celebrating the heritage of Black communities. Since 2016, as co-founder and then Executive Director of the Dynastie Foundation, she has continued to promote and celebrate Black talent in media, arts, and culture. The Dynastie Foundation actively engages in the development and professionalization of talent, further consolidating Carla's role as a community leader.

Her exceptional commitment has been recognized by the YMCA Women of Merit Award (2022 & 2024) and the Women's Leadership Award from the Estim Awards of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Montreal (2024). In 2022, she was honored as a Black History Month laureate and in 2021, she received the Community Leadership Award presented by the Montreal Community Cares organization. Carla is among the cohort of CBC Changemaker of the Year (2024).

She is also a columnist, using her pen and voice to address topics that personally affect her and to share her perspectives on the world around her. She has collaborated with various media including TV5, Radio-Canada, RDI Économie, Journal Métro, Elle Québec, and Véro Magazine. She also uses her social platforms to inspire, engage, raise awareness, and mobilize. She aims to encourage people to become agents of change and not be afraid to share their stories to inspire others.

Carla is also a speaker, committed to combating online hate. As a victim of this scourge, she participated in the national #BloquonLaHaine campaign in partnership with the YMCA and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, which aimed to raise awareness and mobilize against online hate. In February 2024, she stood alongside the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Arif Virani, during the introduction of Bill C-63 in Ottawa.

Mamadi Camara is an RF Engineer with expertise in the design, development, and testing of mobile and satellite communication systems. He has played a key role in developing high-performance satellite systems for global telecommunications and space exploration projects.
He earned a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the École Polytechnique de Montréal in 2021, with a focus on RF and telecommunications. Over his career, Mamadi has contributed to numerous projects involving RF applications for mobile and satellite systems, ensuring reliable, high-frequency communication in diverse environments.
In addition to his technical expertise, Mamadi is recognized for his leadership in mentoring and promoting best practices in RF systems and validation, often through teaching and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

Rita Trichur is an award-winning journalist. She is a Senior Writer and Columnist with The Globe and Mail and has facilitated discussions about racism, discrimination, intersectionality and equity. Rita returned to Globe in July 2016 after spending about 2 ½ years as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal’s Canada bureau. She primarily covered domestic banks and insurance companies from Toronto, but also wrote a variety of other stories about Canada for the U.S. newspaper. Prior to WSJ, Rita spent more than three years at the Globe, initially working as a general assignment reporter in the Report on Business before covering the telecom beat. Rita has also covered financial services and economics for the Toronto Star, and has held various roles at the Canadian Press and the Ottawa Sun. She got her first byline at age 6 when the Toronto Star published her short story about a fish-stealing cat and paid her $10. Rita, who also speaks French, was born in Toronto. She has a Bachelor of Journalism and Political Science and a M.A. in Canadian Studies – both from Carleton University in Ottawa.

Amal has over thirty years of experience working at the intersection of community organizing and peacebuilding in the Middle East and Canada, focusing on marginalized minorities. Her approach to grassroots work focuses on strengthening the organic linkage between academia and communities. With PLEDJ, Amal brings her vision of empowering the most marginalized communities to address intractable social problems to the local, national and international levels.
She is the co-founder of AJEEC - Arab Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation and a past co-executive director of AJEEC-NISPED. She earned her BA in social work at Ben-Gurion University in Israel, and received her MA in community organizing at McGill University, followed by a PhD in Social Work. In 2019-2020, Amal conducted postdoctoral research within the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School, focusing on the barriers faced and the strategies employed by women’s organizations. From 2020-2021, she was a postdoctoral fellow at McGill concentrating on the role and challenges of civil society organizations in conflict zones. Between 2016 and 2020 she was the Executive Director of ICAN-McGill - the International Community Action Network at McGill University, which helped to inspire the founding of PLEDJ.

Yvonne Sam formerly from Guyana, South America, has resided in Quebec for over four decades. She has an impressive track record combining simultaneous careers as a former Head Nurse at a well-known University teaching hospital, Examiner for the Order of Nurses of Quebec, and Secondary School teacher with the English Montreal School Board.
She graduated from McGill University with a Master’s Degree in Education, Concordia University with a Diploma in Adult Education and from Athabasca University in Alberta with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. She also holds the title of State Registered Nurse, State Certified Midwife and State Registered Mental Nurse from England, having resided there for over thirteen years.
She is a regular columnist for the local community newspaper Montreal Community Contact, and has had articles published in the Montreal Gazette, Huffington Post, Toronto Sun, McGill Daily, CBC, Radio Canada, and the 2021 research publication by the Department of Justice Canada--A Qualitative Study Of Serious Legal Problems in Quebec.
To her literary accomplishments she has published a book of poetry entitled LIFE’S MANY FACES, won the Editor’s Choice Award from the U.S.A National Library of Poetry, and has publications in Quill Books of Harlingen Texas---Dusting Off Dreams, Volume IX. In October 2024, her nursing tell-all memoir entitled BEHIND THE SCENES IN NURSING, was published
(available on Amazon). www.yvonnemerlesam.com

Yvonne was the recipient of the 2014 Governor General of Canada Caring Citizen Award, was among the 2014 Montreal Black History Month Laureates, and in 2024 was among the 100 Most Accomplished Black Canadian Women.

Xiaobei Chen is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University. She is Past-President of the Canadian Sociological Association (2021-2022). Her research and teaching interests include: sociology of childhood and youth, governance and power, citizenship, racism, colonialism, citizenship, Asian diasporas especially the Chinese diaspora, and Buddhist social thought. Her latest book is a co-edited volume The Sociology of Childhood and Youth in Canada. Her current research and community engagement are focused on anti-Asian racism and Sinophobia.

Samir Shaheen-Hussain is an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics and an associate member of the School of Population and Global Health (both in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University) who works as a pediatric emergency physician. He is a member of the Caring for Social Justice Collective, is a regular contributor for the "Point de Vue" series at Le Devoir, and is the author of the award-winning book Fighting for A Hand to Hold: Confronting Medical Colonialism against Indigenous Children in Canada (foreword by Cindy Blackstock; afterword by Katsi’tsakwas Ellen Gabriel).

Samir is a racialized second-generation settler, born to parents who immigrated from South Asia, a region itself impacted by British colonialism. Tio’tia:ke (Montreal), the place he calls “home” is located on the unceded lands and waters of the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation.

Dalila Awada is a sociologist and speaker committed to social justice. She dissects and popularizes issues linked to racism, Islamophobia, feminism and speciesism, then has offered workshops and conferences on these themes for more than ten years. She currently works at Hoodstock, an organization that fights against social inequalities in Montreal North. She has also worked in the media as a columnist (Journal Métro, MAtv, QUB, Radio-Canada) and publishes texts here and there. In 2014, she co-founded Paroles de femmes, an organization that aimed to amplify the voices and demands of racialized and indigenous women in Quebec.

Mohammed Hashim is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, and has worked as a human rights advocate in Canada for the past two decades.

He has dedicated his career to supporting equity, inclusion, and community empowerment, and has contributed to various legislative and policy agendas to prevent and address racism and hate in Canada.

As CEO of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Mohammed leads the national Hate Crimes Taskforce with the RCMP to better understand the systemic challenges and gaps in addressing hate crimes and incidents in Canada, to support communities, and to equip policing services to prevent, investigate and support prosecutions related to hate crimes.

Brian Bronfman holds degrees in Philosophy, Law, Natural Resource Planning, and Mediation. In 2006, he established the Brian Bronfman Family Foundation, which provides financial support to organizations and initiatives that create and maintain peace in our communities. In 2009, he co-founded the Peace Network for Social Harmony, a charitable organization that uses the power of collaboration and the expertise of its team to build strength and maximize impact for stakeholders, under three fields of activity: diversity and inclusion, violence prevention and peace promotion. Brian has also been actively involved in numerous complementary initiatives, including: PLEDJ-Promoting Leadership for Empowerment, Development and Justice; the Montreal Holocaust Museum; the YMCA Peace Medals; LOVE Québec; and Ensemble for the Respect of Diversity. In 2020, he was named an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec, in recognition of his contributions to Quebec society. He devotes 100% of his time to community work and philanthropic endeavours. 

Sylvain Beaudry has been working in the HIV community sector for 17 years. He began his work in the prevention of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) with men who have sex with men (MSM) and then provided support to newly diagnosed men as well as people living and aging with HIV.

Sylvain has developed a keen interest in community research, particularly on topics such as food security, aging, and stigma among people living with HIV.

Since April 2024, he has been working at the Tiohtià:ke Indigenous Health Center as a community worker with Indigenous communities in the Greater Montreal area, providing information on STBBIs (prevention, transmission, treatments) and encouraging them to get tested.