Conversations with DEI
Welcome to this special edition of Conversations with WLI by ULI Toronto’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation (DEIR) Committee to highlight the changemakers who are doing amazing DEI work in city building in our new Conversations with DEI podcast with Jennifer Khan, Vice President, Inclusive Diversity at EllisDon and Chair of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation Committee and Sameer Patel, Vice President at Tate Economic Research and Past Co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Reconciliation Committee.
Episode 1: Conversation with DEI: Driver of Change in the City Building Industry with Eldon Theodore
In this episode, they speak with Eldon Theodore, Partner at MHBC, to discuss the opportunities planners have to effect change in the planning process, when to pick your battles and how to be a driver for change.
Eldon Theodore, is a Partner with MHBC, specializing in land use planning and urban design. Mr. Theodore holds an Honours Bachelor Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Waterloo and a Masters Degree in Urban Design Studies from the University of Toronto. Mr. Theodore is also a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP) with the Canada Green Building Council.
Episode 2: Conversation with DEI: Starting Out and Building Your Community with Chantal Lee and Clarence Qian
In this episode, they speak with Clarence Qian and Chantal Lee, who provide their unique perspective from those entering the Toronto city building industry and how they experience their sense of community.
Clarence Qian
Clarence Qian is the Director of Development at Distrikt and has responsibility for the management and execution of value creation strategies across Distrikt’s development portfolio.
Prior to joining Distrikt, Clarence was a project manager at BDP Quadrangle, one of Canada’s leading architecture, design, and urbanism firm, where he worked on various international and domestic mixed-use master plans. He also managed the planning, design, and construction of several award-winning mid and high-rise projects in Toronto. Prior to BDP Quadrangle, Clarence was a project manager at Bowan Group, a leading full-service design and development firm in Shenzhen, China, where he worked closely with numerous development partners to ensure the successful execution of real estate projects across Asia.
Clarence holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He is actively involved with the Urban Land Institute, currently serving on the Management Committee as Student Committee Co-Chair for the Toronto District Council. Clarence was an Urban Leadership Fellow at the School of Cities, University of Toronto, and he has contributed as a guest studio critic at OCAD University.
Chantal Lee
Chantal Lee is an urban planner who is passionate about creating thriving cities through effective urban planning, design and policy. Chantal received her Master of Science in Planning at the University of Toronto. She is currently a Transportation Planner at LEA Consulting and a Student Committee Co-Chair at ULI Toronto. Previously, she has worked as a Community Planning Assistant for the City of Coquitlam and a Sustainability Analyst at JTS Consulting. Chantal has also volunteered for city-building non-profit organizations such as Our Greenway Conservancy and Evergreen Brick Works.
Episode 3: Conversations with DEI: Building affordable and equitable cities with Cheryll Case
In this episode, they speak with Cheryll Case, who shares how one can make the changes that we want to see in our communities and what we can do to support the move to building more equitable and inclusive cities.
Cheryll Case is an Early Career Canadian Urban Leader with the University of Toronto School of Cities, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Waterloo, and is the founder, and principal urban planner of CP Planning, a planning firm that facilitates partnerships between the government, academic, charity, private, and non-profit sectors to align on a human rights approach to the planning and delivery of housing. This includes designing, implementing, and guiding national, city-wide, and neighbourhood-specific affordable housing programs to protect and increase the affordable housing supply. She is a co-editor and co-author of House Divided: How the Missing Middle Can Solve Toronto’s Affordability Crisis.
Episode 4: Conversations with DEI: Importance of Queer Spaces and Building Community with Eli Bauwah
In this fourth and final episode, they speak with Eli Bauwah, who shares the importance of queer spaces and building community connections to support one another with Eli Bauwah.
Jc Elijah (Eli) M. Bawuah (he/him) is a practicing Urban Planner and Public Consultant with multi-disciplinary experience gained by working in a spectrum of city and community-building roles. He has worked on development applications, master plans, social plans, mobility/transportation projects across Ontario. Eli has co-developed equity initiatives centering the lived experiences and voices of Toronto’s diverse urban stakeholders, while fostering collaborative environments that generate values of reciprocity and sustainability. To Eli, leadership is about allowing yourself to be vulnerable while advocating for what you believe in that may benefit someone other than yourself. This is why he co-founded the Mentoring Initiative for Indigenous and Planners of Colour (MIIPOC). With the goal to advance diversity and representation amongst city-builders and leadership, the Mentoring Initiative for Indigenous and Planners of Colour (MIIPOC) focuses on establishing a national network between experienced planners and emerging planners from marginalized communities. As a former Committee Member of the City of Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ Council Advisory Body, he advised and helped to inform strategies aimed at removing barriers faced by the queer community.