ELN Communications Lead Sean Mackay is a digital marketing and communications professional working in Toronto’s real estate industry. Sean works as Managing Director at Livabl, an online publication that helps consumers better understand and navigate the real estate market. Sean is a mentor with the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC), an organization that addresses […]
What's New
Interested in knowing what we’ve been up to? You’ve come to the right place! Below, you’ll find updates of our recent events, see what our members have been up to, and discover what others are saying about us and our programs.
Event Recaps | Program Updates | ELN Spotlight | DiverseCity Fellows | News Releases | In the News | Fellows in Focus
What matters this election? Some insights from Hamilton young leaders
2018-20 ELN Communications Lead Alyssa Lai is a permanent resident in Canada. While she can’t vote in Canadian elections, she enjoys being a fly on the wall as she observes and follows election and current affairs news. Alyssa is fascinated by the discourse around various social, economic, and political issues and shares her thoughts regularly […]
#AskELNExec chat with Alyssa Lai
On July 23, we had a Ask Me Anything Twitter chat with current ELN Communications Lead Alyssa Lai to learn more about her experience on the ELN Executive Committee. Read below to find out what Alyssa has to say about her time on the committee! Alyssa, why did you apply for a position on the […]
Dishing about diversity’s key ingredient: inclusion
Written by Pranav Sidhwani Pranav Sidhwani is an ELN member and works as a management consultant and sees cities as his natural habitat. Connect with Pranav. As a newcomer to Canada, I’ve been looking to build my community and meet people who share not only my concerns for the world we live in, but also […]
Let’s Get Rooted
Written by Shiva Mazrouei Shiva Mazrouei is Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Doctors Without Borders Canada and is a passionate equity and inclusion advocate as well as an active ELN member. Want to know more? Connect with Shiva. — In true millennial fashion, I have moved several times between cities for work, which had me […]
Here’s what in store for the ELN in 2019
We’re off and running in 2019! It’s a whole new year and our plans are bigger, bolder, and better. First off, thanks so much to all those network members who braved the weather and came out to our 2019 Snowcial at The Gladstone Hotel. The event name was way more apt than we had expected […]
Your year with the ELN.
When they said time flies, they forgot to mention that it flies on rocket fuel. It seems like just yesterday we met for the first time to map out our vision for 2018. Now we’re already planning out how we can make next year’s programming even bigger and better. Our amazing ELN community has made […]
Button design contest winner announced
Congratulations to Cassandra, winner of the ELN’s “I’m Voting” button design contest. Distilling the complexity of a community into a single image isn’t easy, but it’s a challenge Cassandra D’Ambrosio decided to tackle. When creating her button design, she paired sketch style illustrations and bright colours to represent the vibrancy of the GTHA’s communities. […]
Municipal elections: Coming soon to a community near you
Municipal government shapes our cities. Municipal elections are an important part of shaping where we live. Our cities and towns are where we work, go to school, shop for groceries, raise families, and build communities. City council’s decisions and policies impact all of these areas. Council controls zoning for residential housing and rent controls, is […]
Oh the Places You’ll Go
Written by Crystal Kyabaggu Crystal Kyabaggu is a CPA and graduate of the Richard Ivey Business School at Western University. Crystal has a deep love for music and works as an Accountant and Business Manager within the Entertainment industry. Want to know more? Connect with her! – I’ve been to my fair share of career […]
Prepare for the Ontario election in 8 easy steps!
The provincial election is the most important time to speak up and influence Ontario’s priorities for the next 4 years. Your vote on June 7th will influence decisions on how the government addresses the affordable housing crisis, supports job growth, prioritizes transit strategies, and other important issues. But sometimes with all the information out there […]
You don’t find passion. It finds you.
Written by Jelena Lazarević. Jelena is the Senior Communications Advisor on our CivicAction Team. She is always looking for ways to contribute her strong digital media and graphic design skills to a variety of causes. When she’s not tweeting away, you’ll find her traveling, behind the camera, or indulging in good food. Find out more […]
“Walk It Talk It”? Provincial party leaders court youth vote at Laidlaw Foundation Youth Town Hall
Written by Seher Shafiq. Seher is the DiverseCity Fellows Program Manager at our CivicAction Leadership Foundation. She is extremely passionate about civic engagement and was heavily involved in get-out-the-vote efforts during the 2015 federal election, so expect to see her tweeting and sharing information and thoughts on the upcoming elections! Find out more about her here. […]
Flexing your mentorship muscles
Written by Alyssa Lai. Alyssa is a 2018-2019 ELN Communications Lead, 2017 DiverseCity Fellow and Digital Marketing Coordinator at Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation. Find out more about her here. — In my ten years in Canada, I’ve had many mentors, both formal and informal. I’ve benefited tremendously from mentorship in many different ways. From helping me understand cultural […]
Black on Bay Street author Hadiya Roderique joins ELN for some vital and mind-expanding Real Talk
Written by Sean MacKay. Sean is a 2018-2019 ELN Communications Lead and Managing Editor at BuzzBuzzHome. Find out more about him here. — Like so many of those who read Hadiya Roderique’s Black on Bay Street essay in The Globe and Mail, I was blown away by her powerful story of representation, exclusion, and oppression, at […]
Message from the Managing Director: The power of volunteerism.
By Jodie Rawn For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been that girl. You know the one – on student council, coordinator of any and all school events, active in campus life (go WLU!), member of every employee engagement committee I could find…yep, THAT girl. I was a joiner in every sense of the […]
ELNers Bridge the Know-Do Gap
Post written by Nima Ranawana. Nima Ranawana is a current ELN Executive Committee Member and Consultant of Corporate and Financial Practice at Environics Communications. Nima also serves as a Volunteer Advisor to the non-profit organization Sri Lankans Without Borders. A food enthusiast who is curious about anything cultural, Nima loves discovering new restaurants in Toronto. […]
ELN Talks Mental Health: Reversing Three Layers of Stigma
Post written by Abhishek Sarathy. Abhishek is a current ELN Executive Committee Member and Senior Manager of Creative Services at Sun Life Financial Canada. He is also a member of United Way Toronto & York Region’s GenNext Cabinet and a CultureLink mentor for newcomer volunteers at Luminato Festival. He often reflects on his Indian heritage and time […]
CivicSpark Public Policy Case Competition: University Students tackle Affordable Housing
Post written by Nataliya Pekar. Nataliya is a fourth year Civil Engineering student at the University of Toronto, and is currently in the process of completing a 16-month work term with the City of Toronto’s Pedestrian Projects Unit. When she’s not studying, she spends her time contributing to the U of T community as […]
ELN Art-Works: My three takeaways
Post written by Arjun Lombardi-Singh. Arjun is a current ELN Executive Committee Member and Communications Manager at RBC. Working and living in the heart of Toronto, he is always on the lookout for the people, places and organizations that contribute to the vitality of urban life and showcase the diversity of our region. Alongside his professional career, […]
Message from the CEO: Great Leaders Build Great Cities
It’s no secret that our region is proud of its diversity. Home to over 200 ethnicities and 140 languages, half of our population was born under another flag. Diversity sets us apart from other cities, especially at a time when many people around the world are currently being seized with the reality that some cities […]
ELN Rings in 2017 with a “Snowcial”
On January 26th, the ELN gathered at Facebook Canada’s new office to celebrate the network’s accomplishments in 2016 (including its 10 year anniversary!) and to ring in the new year! ELNers had the opportunity to connect and reconnect with members of the network while enjoying some refreshments, great music and great company. Check out pictures from the […]
Happy New Year from the ELN Co-Chairs
Happy New Year ELN members! We hope everyone had a chance to reflect and re-energize over the holiday season. This holiday was special for both of us as we spent time with our young children – it was a wonderful time to get grounded and inspired about what’s to come and to remind ourselves why investing […]
Message from the CEO: Recognizing Civic Leadership
Both around the globe and here at home, 2016 was one for the history books. Whether it be lengthy and sometimes contentious elections in jurisdictions around the world, the welcoming of more than 35,000 Syrian refugees in communities across Canada, or historic provincial and federal commitments to infrastructure spending in our region, the events that […]