Mr. Charlie Coffey, O.C.

Mr. Charlie Coffey, O.C.

Community leadership is a passion in the life of Charlie Coffey-he believes in reaching out to people in all walks of life, understanding cultures, building relationships and speaking up about issues that need a stronger voice. Coffey's proven record and reputation in private, public and not-for-profit sectors across the country is a testament to this champion of children and early child development, young people, Aboriginal peoples, women entrepreneurs and women in public office, as well as education and diversity.

The Leadership

Charlie Coffey is the chair of Kocihta; member, National Committee of Aga Khan Foundation Canada, Advisory Council for the Mosaic Institute; and director, Canadians for a New Partnership, Arctic Children and Youth Foundation.

The Career

Coffey started his 44-year career with RBC in native Woodstock, New Brunswick. He is the former executive vice president, government affairs and business development for RBC. Prior to that position, Charlie headed business banking in Canada for five years. He also led three regional headquarters: Manitoba, Metro Toronto and Ontario.

The Awards

Canadian Women's International Business Initiative Award from the Canadian Embassy in the United States for RBC's support of businesswomen Award of Distinction from the Public Affairs Association of Canada Humanitarian Award for Community Service from Yorktown Family Services (Toronto) The Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development medal for exceptional contribution to early child development The University of Winnipeg Duff Roblin Award for commitment to education and community

People for Education Egerton Ryerson Award for public education advocacy.

The Honours

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs named Coffey an Honourary Chief for his support of First Nations, economic development and self-sufficiency.

Honourary Doctor of Laws degrees were conferred upon Coffey by Trent University (2006), McMaster University (2009) and Ryerson University (2011) for his contribution to society through community leadership.

Coffey received the Order of St. Michael for his work in support of St. Michael's College School in Toronto. Coffey was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal.

Charlie Coffey is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Orville “Shaggy” Burrell, C.D.

Orville “Shaggy” Burrell, C.D.

Emerging in the early '90s, Shaggy was the biggest crossover success in dancehall reggae. Not only did he become the genre's most commercially potent artist in the international market, he was also more than just a typical flash in the pan, managing to sustain a career over the course of several highly popular albums. Perhaps in part because he wasn't based in Jamaica, he never really needed to have it both ways: virtually ignoring the hardcore dancehall crowd, his music was unabashedly geared toward good times, a friendly (if horny) persona, and catchy party anthems. He wasn't shy about lifting hooks wholesale from pop hits of the past, a chart-ready blueprint similar to that of hip-hop stars like Puff Daddy, but he also had fairly eclectic tastes, giving his records a musical variety lacking from other dancehall stars. As a result, he became one of the scant few reggae artists to top the album and pop singles charts in America, not to mention numerous other countries where he's had even greater success.

Shaggy was born Orville Richard Burrell on October 22, 1968, in Kingston, Jamaica, and was nicknamed after the Scooby-Doo character. At age 18, he joined his mother in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York, and soon began performing with the local Jamaican-style sound system Gibraltar Musik. A steady income proved to be a more pressing matter, however, and in 1988 Shaggy joined the Marines.

Shaggy still had obligations to the military, and his budding career was interrupted by Operation Desert Storm in 1991; he was sent to Kuwait for a five-month tour of duty. After returning to Camp Lejeune, Shaggy resumed his sessions in New York, and waxed a cover of the Folkes Brothers' ska hit "Oh Carolina." Originally recorded for Prince Buster's label, the song was given a modern dancehall update complete with a prominent "Peter Gunn" sample. At first, "Oh Carolina" was simply another local hit, but thanks to some overseas promotion, it was picked up for release in the U.K. by Greensleeves in late 1992. It was an instant smash, vaulting all the way to the top of the British pop charts early the next year and doing the same in several other European countries.

Now firmly a star in Europe, Shaggy went on to conquer the U.S. with his next album, 1995's Boombastic. The title track was an inescapable hit, selling over a million copies; it reached number three on the pop charts and number one on the R&B charts, and also became his second U.K. chart-topper. "In the Summertime," the flip side of the American single release of "Boombastic," climbed into the U.K. Top Five as a follow-up. Meanwhile, the album went platinum, nearly reaching the R&B Top Ten, and spent a full year at number one on Billboard's reggae album chart; it also won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. A third single, "Why You Treat Me So Bad," featured guest rapper Grand Puba and nearly reached the British Top Ten in 1996, but failed to make much of an impact stateside.

Shaggy followed his breakout success with an extensive world tour, consolidating his European following, and recorded a hit duet with Maxi Priest, "That Girl," in 1996. He returned to solo action in 1997 with the Midnite Lover album. The first single, a dancehall version of Big Brother & the Holding Company's "Piece of My Heart" featuring duet partner Marsha, was a relative flop in the U.S., though it had some international success. Similarly, the album was a commercial disappointment, and Virgin, assuming that Shaggy's moment had passed (as it quickly had for many of dancehall's crossover hitmakers), dropped him from its roster.

Undaunted, Shaggy turned to movie soundtracks to keep his name in the public eye. He appeared on a minor hit duet with Janet Jackson, "Luv Me, Luv Me," from the soundtrack of How Stella Got Her Groove Back in 1998, and followed it by contributing the solo cut "Hope" to For Love of the Game in 1999. By this time, he was able to land a new deal with MCA, and rewarded them with one of the biggest-selling reggae albums ever. Released in 2000, Hot Shot started off slowly as its lead single, "Dance and Shout," flopped in the States. However, a radio DJ in Hawaii downloaded the track "It Wasn't Me" (featuring Rik Rok) from Napster, and began playing it on his show. Soon it was a national hit, rocketing up the pop charts and hitting number one in early 2001; naturally, it did likewise in the U.K. and many other European countries. Its follow-up, "Angel" — a rewrite of the country hit "Angel of the Morning," featuring Rayvon on vocals — also went straight to number one in the U.S. and U.K. Hot Shot, meanwhile, spent six weeks at number one on the album charts and eventually sold over six million copies in the U.S. alone — an almost unheard-of figure for a reggae release.

While Shaggy prepared his follow-up album, more pieces of product hit the market in 2002: Virgin put out Mr. Lover Lover: The Best of Shaggy, Vol. 1, a compilation covering his years at the label, while MCA issued a remix album, Hot Shot Ultramix. Before the end of the year, Shaggy released his new album, Lucky Day, which was loosely designed as a respectful tribute to womankind. Its first two singles, "Hey Sexy Lady" and "Strength of a Woman," didn't fare well in the U.S., but the album sold respectably well, going gold by year's end and charting in the Top 30 on both the pop and R&B listings. In 2005 he returned with Clothes Drop, this time on the Geffen label. Early in 2007 his "Church Heathen" single began dominating the dancehall scene thanks in part to its video starring the legendary Ninjaman as a priest. The big hit single landed on Shaggy's album Intoxication, released that same year. In 2011 he returned with the single "Sugarcane" and the EP Summer in Kingston. Both were released on his own label.

Shaggy is also widely known for his philanthropic efforts which raise millions of dollars for the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

Shaggy was introduced to the Bustamante Hospital for Children whilst visiting a friend’s son who had been admitted there. He was so moved by what he saw, that he vowed to do whatever he could to make things better there for Jamaica’s children. This visit opened Shaggy’s eyes to the obstacles children faced with receiving medical care in Jamaica and the region, it being the only full service children’s hospital in the English speaking Caribbean, he resolved that something had to be done in order to improve the conditions there. For eight years he quietly made personal donations of medical equipment, which the hospital desperately needed, such as:

2001- two (2) Ventilators

2002- Electroencephalogram (EEG) Machine

2003- Table Top Sterilizing Machine

2005- Funded the Upgrade of the Medical Oxygen System

2006- Funded the Beautification of the Administrative Block

2008- Collaborated with Scotiabank to create a park & recreation area

To Date The Shaggy Make a Difference Foundation has raised a total of just over US$1,000,000 (J$90 Million) for the hospital, and has covered the costs for an overall audit to be done on all medical equipment (working or otherwise) at the Bustamante Hospital (June - July, 2011). In addition, the Foundation has donated two (2) new fully equipped dental chairs for the hospital’s Dental Unit, as the existing unit was forced closed for several months due to non-functional dental chairs. The new chairs were delivered and installed earlier last year along with 378 pieces of medical equipment.

Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival

Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival

North America's largest outdoor festival, Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival generates over $338 million in economic benefits for the city of Toronto. The festival is one of the largest Carnivals in the world drawing an estimated 1.1 million people each year. The Parade alone draws over one million people, making it the best-attended single day event in the history of Canada.

Aside from the parade, Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival also consists of several other events such as the Junior Carnival and Family Day, the King and Queen Showcase, Pan Alive, the Gala, Art Exhibits, International Rugby League match between Canada and Jamaica for the annual Carnival Cup, and Carnival Island to name a few.

Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival is more than a festival; it is an intrinsic part of Toronto's identity as the world's most multicultural city. The emotional nature and the connections that the festival inspires are fertile ground for creating long lasting relationship with a targeted demographic. It's important to make the connection from the festival to the organization. It's personal, it's a part of who they are, it's family.

International interest in the Festival comes from New York, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Ohio, London (UK), Ghana, Nigeria, Japan and parts of China. The festival continues to host journalists from England, Australia, Israel, Guyana, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Grenada, St. Kitts, the Bahamas, Barbados, the United States, China, Taiwan and Japan.

Characteristics
Original and authentic
Loyal audience
Economic driver
Mass appeal

Profile
Living Art - Stunning costumes at the King and Queen Showcase, Junior Carnival and Marquee parades in a cosmopolitan Toronto
Performance Art - Capturing the original music composed annual in its diverse forms - soca, calypso, pan, and chutney music
Ritualism - Motivating artists, designers, carpenters, engineers, bandleaders, masqueraders, calypsonians, pannists, and participants to present their Living and Performance Art every summer

Judge Juanita Westmoreland-Traore

Judge Juanita Westmoreland-Traore

Judge Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré was appointed to the Criminal and Penal Division as well as the Youth Division of the Court of Quebec in April 1999. She sits in Montreal.

Ms Westmoreland-Traoré was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1967 and The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1997; she specialized in immigration and citizenship law, human rights, family law and non-profit organization law. She was a professor in the Department of Legal Sciences at the University of Quebec in Montreal from 1976 to 1991. From 1996 to the time of her appointment, she was Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Windsor. She is well known for her role in establishing the Conseil des communautés culturelles et de l'immigration du Québec, over which she presided from 1985 to 1990. From 1991 to 1995, she was Ontario's Employment Equity Commissioner. In 1995, she was a United Nations consultant, on contract, advising Haiti's Commission on Truth and Justice.

Juanita has a long history of community involvement on human rights and equality issues both nationally and internationally. She was a board member of the Canadian Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges from 2003 to 2009 and a co-chair of the Equality and Diversity Committee of the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges from 2004 to 2010.

A graduate of Marianopolis College, she obtained her law degree from the University of Montreal, and a Doctorate of State from the University of Paris II.

In 1991, she was named an officer of the Ordre national du Québec. She has received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Ottawa and the University of Quebec in Montreal.

She has been honored by the Bar of Quebec and the Canadian Bar Association as one of the women pioneers in the legal profession, being the first person of African origin elevated to the Bench in Quebec. In 2000, the Quebec Regional Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress awarded Judge Westmoreland-Traoré the inaugural Alan Rose Prize for human rights. In May 2003, she was honored by the Montreal Association of Black Business Persons and Professionals with the Jackie Robinson's Achievement Award and in August 2005 with the Touchstones Award by the Canadian Bar Association.

Judge Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré is the spouse of Ismaïl Traoré; they have two adult sons.

George Brown College

George Brown College

George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three full campuses in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Like many other colleges in Ontario, GBC was chartered in 1966 by the government of Ontario and opened the next year.

George Brown offers a wide variety of programs in art and design, business, community services, early childhood education, construction and engineering technologies, health sciences, hospitality and culinary arts, preparatory studies, as well as specialized programs and services for recent immigrants and international students.

The college offers 35 diploma programs, 31 advanced diploma programs as well as sixdegree programs, one in conjunction with Ryerson University. The college offers the following degrees:
Bachelor of Applied Arts - Early Childhood Leadership (fast track)
Bachelor of Applied Arts - Early Childhood Leadership
Early Childhood Education (Consecutive Diploma/Degree)
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Bachelor of Applied Business – Financial Services
Bachelor of Applied Business – Hospitality Operations
Bachelor of Applied Technology - Construction Science and Management

An additional 27 certificate programs, five pre-college programs, 10 apprentice programs, and 28 graduate certificate programs round out the college's full-time offering. There are 193 continuing education certificates/designations available.

Currently, there are about 25,888 full-time students, including 3,553 international students, as well as 3,729 part-time students and 62,840 continuing education students.

George Brown has 15, 000 distance education students studying in over 35 countries. The most popular distance education program offered by the college is its award-winning Electronics Technician distance education program, developed by Dr. Colin Simpson.

In 2012, George Brown was named one of the Greater Toronto's Top Employers.

Mr. Cameron Bailey

Mr. Cameron Bailey

Cameron Bailey is the Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival®. He is responsible for the overall vision and execution of Festival programming, as well as maintaining relationships with the Canadian and international film industries. Toronto Life has twice named him one of Toronto's 50 Most Influential People.

Born in London, Bailey grew up in England and Barbados before migrating to Canada. Before taking up his current position at TIFF, he was a Festival programmer for eleven years, heading its Perspective Canada programme and founding its Planet Africa section.

For many years, Bailey was a writer and broadcaster on film. He reviewed for Toronto's NOW Magazine, CBC Radio One and CTV’s Canada AM. He presented international cinema nightly on Showcase Television's national programme The Showcase Revue, and produced and hosted the interview programme Filmmaker on the Independent Film Channel Canada. He has been published in The Globe and Mail, The Village Voice, CineAction!, and Screen, among others.

Bailey has curated film series for Cinematheque Ontario, the National Gallery of Canada, the National Film Board of Canada, and Australia's Sydney International Film Festival. He has also served on awards juries in Canada and internationally, including in China, the U.S., Turkey, Greece, South Korea, Burkina Faso and Tanzania, and has been a guest speaker at several Canadian universities, the Smithsonian Institution, Harvard University and the Banff Centre for the Arts.

In 1997, Bailey completed his first screenplay, The Planet of Junior Brown, co-written with director Clement Virgo. The film was named Best Picture at the 1998 Urbanworld Film Festival in New York, and nominated for a Best Screenplay Gemini Award. Bailey also completed a video essay, Hotel Saudade, shot in Brazil. The film made its U.S. premiere in 2005 at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Bailey currently sits on the Advisory Council for Western University's School for Arts and Humanities and for Haiti's Cine Institute film school. In 2014, he taught a course in programming and curation at the University of Toronto. He is also a board member of Tourism Toronto, and past co-chair of the Arts & Culture Working Group of Toronto's CivicAction. He is a former board member of the Ontario Film Development Corporation, and served on the Advisory Board of the Royal Ontario Museum's Institute for Contemporary Culture. In 2007, Bailey was a part of the delegation accompanying Canada's Governor-General Michaëlle Jean on her state visit to Brazil.

Dr. Catherine Chandler-Crichlow

Dr. Catherine Chandler-Crichlow

Dr. Catherine Chandler-Crichlow is the Executive Director of the Centre of Excellence for Financial Services Education. She has held a variety of senior leadership roles in the private and public sector and was Managing Director, International Leadership Associates Inc., Director - Corporate Programs at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto and Associate Vice President – Education and Training at TD Bank Financial Group. She is a co-founder and Chair of the Board of the newly-established African & Caribbean Board of Industry and Trade.

She has over 30 years experience in human capital development with a focus on executive and leadership development, curriculum development and program evaluation. She is an author on human capital development and a frequent speaker on the topic both locally and internationally. In her capacity building work, Dr. Chandler-Crichlow has consulted to international agencies such as the World Bank, the central banks of Brazil, Malaysia, Poland, Singapore and Trinidad & Tobago as well as with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Malaysia. Her extensive experience in the private and public sectors focused on strategy development and institutional change.

She has implemented initiatives at both sector-wide and organizational levels with a consistent focus on aligning human capital solutions to strategic needs of a region or institution. In February 2012, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland cited her work in linking workforce development to economic development of the Toronto region’s financial services sector as a global “good practice”.

Dr. Chandler-Crichlow was invited to participate in Ontario’s first-ever Expert Roundtable involved in setting an immigration strategy for the province, and also invited by the federal Advisory Panel of International Trade to participate in a national roundtable involved in defining Canada’s International Education Strategy.

Dr. Chandler-Crichlow completed her Ph.D doctoral studies in Education at the University of Toronto, her Masters in Education at Harvard University – USA, a Diploma in Education at the University of the West Indies (Trinidad & Tobago) and a Bachelor of Science Honours degree at The University of the West Indies (Trinidad & Tobago).

Subscribe to RSS - 2015