CRRF Roundtable: Human Rights at 70

Raj Dhir

Executive Director and Chief Legal Counsel

Raj Dhir comes to the OHRC from the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Civil Law Division, where he was overseeing ten Legal Services Branches. As the Portfolio Director, he led the development of the Civil Law Division’s Anti-Racism Action Plan and played a key role in coordinating Indigenous legal advice on several high profile matters for the government. Previously, Raj was the Legal Director at the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. He has also served as a Deputy Director in roles at the Ministry of the Attorney General (Crown Law Office – Civil and the Constitutional Law Branch) and the Ministry of Labour (Litigation and Solicitor Practices). Raj also spent 11 years as counsel at the OHRC where he litigated and advised on a variety of human rights matters and appeared before administrative tribunals and at all levels of court up to and including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Avvy Go is the Clinic Director of the Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic (formerly known as the Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic.) She received her B.A. in economics and management studies from the University of Waterloo, LL.B. from the University of Toronto, and LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School. Since her call to the Bar in 1991, she has worked exclusively in the legal clinic system, serving the legal needs of low income individuals and families, the majority of whom are non-English speaking immigrants and refugees. Immigration, human rights, and employment law are some of the main areas of law that she practices in.

Avvy is a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada, and has been serving in that role, on and off, since 2001. She also serves on the LSUC’s Access to Justice Committee,the Equity and Aboriginal Issues Committee and the Human Rights Monitoring Group.

Avvy has received the following awards: Senate of Canada 150 medal (2017), SOAR Medal (2017), Order of Ontario (2014), the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers’ Lawyer of Distinction Award (2012), City of Toronto’s William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations (2008) and President's Award of the Women's Law Association of Ontario (2002).

michael kerr is a community development worker and equity and human rights advocate nowserving as a Coordinator with Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change–the racial justice education and advocacy network in Ontario. He also teaches at Seneca College in the Social Service Worker program.

Having worked in a number of capacities with several newcomer settlement and refugee advocacy groups and organizations over many years, as well as being active in a broad spectrum of equity, human rights and racial justice advocacy efforts and community-based campaigns -he was the founding Coordinator of the National Anti-Racism Council of Canada-NARCC( 2001-2006 ).

Colour of Poverty –Colour of Change is a joint province-wide effort by a growing number of groups, agencies and organizations –ethno-specific and other health and social service providers as well as human rights, anti-racism and racial justice advocacy-minded groups and individuals –jointly working to address and redress the growing racialization of poverty and other related expressions of colour-coded inequality and marginalization –of both First Peoples and peoples of colour –and for racial equity, human dignity and social justice more generally across Ontario.

Mwarigha is currently Vice-President Housing & Homelessness Services, Asset Sustainability & Development at WoodGreen Community Services. Previously, he was the General Manager of Peel Housing Corporation and Director in the Human Services Department/ Member of the Commissioner’s Human Services Leadership Team in the Region of Peel. Mwarigha has a rich and extensive educational/training foundation including: a Masters in Regional & Urban Planning (UZ) and in Urban Studies (UW). In addition, Mwarigha has served as an Executive Thinker-in-Residence in prominent housing organizations in UK, Australia & South Africa. In 2012, Mwarigha completed a week study tour of Sweden’s Municipal sustainability services and green infrastructure.