City Confirms Citizen Members for Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee

Twenty citizen members, representing Mississauga’s diverse communities across all 11 wards, have been selected to sit on the City’s newest Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee (DIAC). Council created the first-of-its-kind Committee last December as a way to improve diversity and foster greater inclusion of all residents and stakeholders.

“The outpouring of citizen applications submitted for this committee was remarkable,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “After careful deliberations of all applications, it was clear having 10 citizen member seats wasn’t enough to represent the vibrant makeup of Mississauga. Upon further review with my colleagues on Council, it was decided that 10 additional seats would be added to the committee.”

The new 27-member committee consists of 20 appointed citizen members, four stakeholder members and Members of Council including Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Ward 6 Councillor Ron Starr and Ward 10 Councillor Sue McFadden.

Citizen members appointed to DIAC:

1. Abdul Qayyum Mufti, Ward 9 resident
2. Ahmed Hamud, Ward 8 resident
3. Asha Luthra, Ward 4 resident
4. Bhagwan (Gary) Grewal, Ward 11 resident
5. Daven Seebarran, Ward 3 resident
6. Denise Gordon-Mohamud, Ward 10 resident
7. E. Justin Ratnarajah, Ward 5 resident
8. Hanoz Kapadia, Ward 8 resident
9. Irfan Malik, Ward 8 resident
10. Josephine Bau, Ward 8 resident
11. Kris Noakes, Ward 9 resident
12. Lilian Kwok, Ward 2 resident
13. Nagwa Abou El-Naga, Ward 6 resident
14. Pervez Akhter, Ward 1 resident
15. Pradip Francis Rodrigues, Ward 10 resident
16. Rajinder Saini, Ward 5 business owner
17. Ram Dhanjal, Ward 11 resident
18. Sarwan Liddar, Ward 8 resident
19. Suelyn Knight, Ward 7 resident
20. Vikas Kohli, Ward 8 resident

Stakeholder members appointed to DIAC:

1. Christopher Taylor, Ward 9, resident
2. Paula De Coito, Ward 2, resident
3. Sandeep Tatla, Ward 2, resident
4. Sharon Douglas, Ward 4 resident

“Diversity and inclusion is a large part of our city’s DNA. We have 20 accomplished and experienced individuals who are passionate about contributing to diversity and who are committed to making Mississauga a better place,” said Mayor Crombie. “The Committee has an opportunity to bring their own voice to topics that impact the city and ensure everyone’s voice is heard at City Hall. Their insights will help the City make informed decisions that affect our community as a whole.”

According to the Terms of Reference, DIAC members will:

• provide input on how to remove barriers for all residents in our community;
• achieve a greater understanding of the many diverse communities in Mississauga and their vision for our city;
• provide input to staff in the development of policies to promote awareness of diversity matters;
• undertake research and investigations into the thoughts and opinions of residents from across the city;
• facilitate discussions with community groups to promote broader understanding and engagement between residents and all diverse communities; and
• review City policies through a diversity lens to ensure they are meeting the needs of all residents in our community.

The Committee will run for the current term of City Council until November 2018. The first meeting of the Committee will take place on Tuesday, June 9, from 4 to 6 p.m. The Committee will meet quarterly with City staff to establish a work plan and will report yearly on its accomplishments.

DIAC was formed by Mississauga’s City Council on December 17, 2014.

Learn more about all the City’s committees.