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Event Infomation

Date and Time: Saturday February 21, 2026

Event: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm EST

Reception: 4:30 – 6:00 pm EST

Location: 

Sears Atrium

George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre

Third Floor

Toronto Metropolitan University

245 Church Street, Toronto, Ontario

Overview: 

Jointly hosted by the Black Planning Project and Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning, this symposium brings together Black planners, scholars, and community leaders to share knowledge and advance Black-led planning across Canada.

The symposium amplifies the work of Black community organizers and planners who lead community-building practices rooted in Black knowledge and traditions, which enable Black spaces to thrive through creativity, resistance, and resilience.

Through panel discussions, the symposium will expose participants to community-based, Black-centered, and Black-informed planning approaches, inviting deeper learning and ongoing recognition of the experiences of Black communities with planning in Canada.

Our goal is to spark new collaborations across geographies and sectors, strengthening the collective capacity to advance planning processes and outcomes that centre the aspirations of Black communities.

Join us for a day of connection, dialogue, and inspiration as we imagine and Build Beautiful Black Worlds together.

Transit and parking options:

Closest Toronto transit options:

Buses: 114, 121, 19, 504A, 97C

Subway: Line 1 (Yonge‑University), TMU Station

Streetcars: 501, 505

Closest parking options:

  1. Church Street Features metered spots, typically with a 3-hour maximum during weekdays/weekends (check signs carefully for specific hours and restrictions).
  2. St. Lawrence Garage (Green P) 2 Church St, Toronto, ON M5E 0E1
  3. Yonge-Dundas Square Garage, 20 Dundas Square, Toronto, ON M5B 1C6
  4. 40 Gerrard Street E Public Parking

 

Accessibility to Sears Atrium George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre:

Both the main and north entrances have barrier-free approaches (the north entrance has a ramp along the building face) and automated door operators.

There are single-occupancy washrooms with accessibility features on all floors, except the Lower Ground floor, which has washrooms with stalls that have accessibility features. (View washroom details).

The elevator lobby is in the centre section of the building opposite the Church St. main entrance.

Keynote Address

Symposium Sessions

Thank you to our symposium sponsors!

Gold Tier

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Beverley Mullings is a professor of political economy. She is interested in the ways that evolving racial capitalist regimes are recasting and transforming work, divisions of labour, patterns of urban governance and ultimately, responses to social and economic injustice in post-plantation economies.

Mullings is currently engaged in a number of research projects that include: an examination of the kinds of dispossessions that financialization is enabling in the Caribbean; the transforming nature of work within racial capitalist regimes; the place of diaspora in the re-making of Caribbean radical traditions; and the relationship between middle-classness and social transformation in Jamaica.

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Keisha St. Louis-McBurnie is an urban planner, researcher and writer based in Toronto, Ontario. Her work focuses on understanding processes of neighbourhood change, its impacts on racialized communities across the GTA, and crafting strategies that prevent displacement by keeping residents, histories and legacies in place. In working to create more equitable approaches to planning, engagement and community economic development, Keisha has held roles across the public, private and non-profit sectors, including as a Lead Strategist of Social Impact at Monumental, an Associate, Urban Planner at Urban Strategies Inc. and a Sessional Instructor in the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty and Department of Geography and Planning. She currently sits on the board of the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust (LJCLT), works as an independent contractor and has been a long-time supporter of the Black Planners and Urbanists Association (BPUA). Her work and leadership have been awarded recognition by the Canadian and Ontario Professional Planners Institutes, and featured in publications.

Carolann Wright is the Director of Capacity Building & Strategic Initiatives, African Nova Scotian Communities with Halifax Partnership. She is a trained facilitator and mediator with over 30 years’ experience in the economic development sectors in Halifax, Toronto, South Africa and now Ghana. She works with the African Nova Scotian Community in the areas of strategic, community and business planning and labour market development. Carolann is a member of the Advisory Committee that is leading achievement of the African Nova Scotian Road to Economic Prosperity Action Plan, a five-year economic development strategy developed and owned by the African Nova Scotian Community to address systemic issues and improve economic and quality of life outcomes for African Nova Scotians.

Amina Yassin: As a refugee from Somalia to Canada, Amina’s professional experience has been driven by her passion to ensure equitable opportunities for diverse and immigrant communities, particularly young people. Her commitment to social justice has led her through an exciting career in the nonprofit, public and corporate sectors. She is currently the VP of Community and Placemaking at the Learning Enrichment Foundation. She works across the organization to ensure the development, integration, and use of LEF’s physical, virtual, and capital assets are sustainable and effectively promoting LEF’s commitment to participatory placemaking.

Symone Walters is a community leader, activist, and proud mother and grandmother who has transformed personal tragedy into purpose. After losing two sons, Tahj and Jack Jr., to gun violence, she dedicated her life to eradicating anti-Black racism and creating pathways for healing and empowerment. At the Toronto Community Benefits Network, she founded the NexGen Builders Mentoring Program, a lasting initiative supporting Black youth in the trades. Today, she leads community projects addressing gentrification and Black displacement, and is developing a restorative hub that embodies healing, cultural preservation, and holistic community planning.

Anyika Mark: Anyika studied Political Science & Caribbean Studies at the University of Toronto-St. George campus. She’s worked with the UofT Black Students’ Association, the Caribbean Studies Student Union, UofT’s Black Graduation ceremony, Caribbean Solidarity Network, MPP Jill Andrew and the Ontario NDP in 2020, Black UrbanismTO and most recently, the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust. Anyika has been featured in several outlets for her activism including The Brandon Gonez Show, CBC, The Caribbean Camera, Toronto Star and more.

Anyika is a creative writer with a deep passion for theatre and visual media. She has written and directed variations of my play- Making Moves- with Nightwood Theatre, Black Women in Theatre and CBC Gem. Anyika is now work-shopping her latest play, Gentrify Who? A Toronto Love Story.

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Mwarigha has 20 years of experience and is a recognized thought leader in the national and international affordable housing sector – including Urban Land Institute (ULI) and Toronto’s Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD). He currently leads WoodGreen’s strategy to build 5000 affordable housing units through development, private partnerships, and acquisitions in this decade. Mwarigha also leads WoodGreen’s national award-winning Asset Sustainability & Climate Change strategy for its innovative green, affordable & sustainable building modernization success. He is an active volunteer/civic leader in the housing agenda of the Black community in Canada and the cause to end homelessness in Toronto (Board Chair Homeless Connect Toronto). Mwarigha has a master’s degree in urban planning University of Zimbabwe & Urban Geography University of Windsor Ontario. He also completed Executive Educational Certificate courses in Financial Stewardship and Strategic Planning Frameworks (Harvard University).

Djaka Blais (she/her) is a social sector leader with 21 years of experience in philanthropy, government, and community mobilizing. She is a change agent to shift power dynamics and remove oppressive structures within philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. Djaka is the inaugural Executive Director of Hogan’s Alley Society, a Vancouver-based non-profit focused on advancing the social, political, economic, and cultural well-being of people of African descent (Black People) through the delivery of inclusive housing, built spaces, and culturally informed programming. Djaka is a founding Director of the Foundation for Black Communities, the first philanthropic foundation for Black communities in Canada. She is a board member with Philanthropic Foundations Canada and a How Women Lead fellow in their first Black cohort. 

Curtis Whiley is a sixth-generation African Nova Scotian from the historic community of Upper Hammonds Plains. As Founder and President of the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Land Trust, he is advancing the largest Black-led co-operative housing project of it’s kind in Canada. Rooted in his love for community, Curtis is proving that land stewardship and collective action can drive true community-led transformation.

Sunday Miller has a background in Science and Business. After working over a decade in the sciences and business development, at home and abroad, she is now using her skills to help not-for-profits and businesses achieve their goals as well as deliver business and leadership development workshops.


For 30 years Ms. Miller has volunteered with the homeless and has been the Executive Director of a number of educational not-for-profit organizations, the Interim Executive Director of Adsum House which provides housing for women and children at risk of being homeless. As the ED of Africville she was responsible for overseeing the re-construction of the Africville United Baptist Church and the set up of the museum in the reconstructed building. 


At present Ms. Miller is the ED of the African Nova Scotian Justice Institute and a Property Consultant with Akoma Holdings Inc, an organization that is doing development in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) to benefit those of African descent living in HRM and the province. Akoma’s first affordable housing initiative (Fairfax) was completed in Dec of 2023, and at present her portfolio includes a 144 bed long-term care facility, a sportsplex, a second business hub and the Fairfax expansion. She also assists in establishing best practices for  Akoma Holdings Inc.

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Shane Laptiste is a Toronto-based architect and the Principal and co-founder of the Studio of Contemporary Architecture (SOCA). Recipient of the 2023 Canadian Prix de Rome, he investigates how communal narratives and spatial imagination—particularly within Black communities—can be translated into built form. Licensed in Ontario and Quebec, Shane holds BSc(Arch) and MArch degrees from McGill University, where he has also taught as a studio instructor. He is a sessional instructor at the University of Toronto and serves on the board of the Canadian Architectural Certification Board. A cofounder of Black Architects and Interior Designers Association (BAIDA), he has also previously served as a director for Capital Region Housing, Media Architecture Design Edmonton, Nuit Blanche Edmonton and NCC Charles H Este Community Centre. Currently, he is leading projects across Canada that centre art, gathering, and joy.

 

Itah Sadu is an award-winning storyteller, author, and community builder whose work celebrates African and Caribbean diasporic experiences and contributes to the cultural fabric of Toronto. Itah serves as the Executive Director of the Blackhurst Cultural Centre – The People’s Residence, a hub for cultural education, heritage preservation, and community engagement in Toronto’s historic Bathurst Street corridor. A passionate advocate for intergenerational storytelling and social justice, Itah is also the founding member of the Toronto Emancipation Day Underground Freedom Train Ride, an annual event that honours the journey to freedom and connects communities through remembrance and celebration. Through her writing, mentorship, and cultural leadership, she continues to inspire learning, creativity, and connection across communities.

 

Jessica Kirk (she/her) is a cultural worker, multidisciplinary artist, and community organizer based in Toronto – covered by the Dish with One Spoon Treaty. She is the Executive Director of Wildseed Centre for Art & Activism and member of Black Lives Matter–Canada. Wildseed Centre and BLMCA are two divisions of one organization that offers artistic and educational programs, connects global grassroots movements, delivers local community services and provides equitable access to bookable space for all. Kirk is a 2022-2023 Wolf Willow Institute Fellow, and cofounder of the grassroots art collective Way Past Kennedy Road. Her works have appeared in This Magazine, Canadian Geographer, Mayworks Festival and Xpace Cultural Centre, among others. Jess holds a Masters of Arts in Social Justice Education from the University of Toronto, and her creative, scholarly and professional interests are each anchored by a curiosity around expressions of community care.


Myriam Brès is currently Cultural Officer at the Maison d’Haïti Centre des Arts, where she supports cultural programming and community arts initiatives. She has also worked as a sessional lecturer at Université de Montréal since 2023, contributing to academic teaching and engagement. With prior experience coordinating cultural events for the Ville de Montréal, she brings a strong background in cultural coordination and community outreach. Passionate about cultural expression and community building, Myriam plays a key role in reinforcing the visibility of Haitian and Afro-descendant cultural heritage in Montréal.