Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Aurora James

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2:41 pm

The Designer

Aurora James, founder and designer behind fashion brand Brother Vellies, has led the way this year not only in her designs but in her efforts to move the industry forward. She founded the 15 Percent Pledge in 2020, asking major retailers to commit at least 15 per cent of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses. Her work was recognized with a CFDA Founder’s Award in recognition of the pledge this year.

By George Sully | Designer, Sully & Son Co.

From early on, Aurora James’s goal has always been to promote traditional African design practices and techniques. Later, she started working in other countries within Africa and beyond. You see, Aurora’s vision and mindset for amplifying people of colour has always been deeply rooted, an unbreakable foundation of sorts. This is what makes Aurora Aurora.

More than the countless awards she’s received in fashion — including the Council of Fashion Designers of America Founder’s Award this year — along her journey, Aurora is simply a beacon for change. True change. In June 2020 Aurora created what the world would come to know as the 15 Percent Pledge, one of the most recognized and important contributions to come from last year’s protests that saw injustices and police brutality unfold before our eyes. This was only the beginning.

What Aurora helped create not only shook the foundation on which the fashion industry stands but also had an equal and profound impact on BIPOC designers across North America, including myself as a Black designer. I have always admired Aurora’s work in fashion, but little did I know she would be pivotal in the way the world admired mine. For that, I will always be indebted to her including those that have gotten a little more shelf space because of her courage.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.

Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Bianca Andreescu

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lindsaylow

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2:40 pm

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The Athlete

Bianca Andreescu has already proven her prowess as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, earning a career-high ranking of number four, the highest-ranked Canadian in the history of the Women’s Tennis Association. Her defeat of the G.O.A.T. Serena Williams in the 2019 U.S. Open has cemented her place in the history books. But this year she’s been a legend of a different kind, showing that putting your physical and mental health first is essential, even for the greats. Her recent announcement that she won’t be playing in Australian Open next year, noting that she needs extra time to rest and recover from an emotionally and physically draining year, will hopefully set an example for athletes to come.

By Peter Ash | Multimedia journalist

I still remember the day.… It was Sept. 7, 2019. I was an intern at TSN, working an 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. shift in the newsroom when Bianca Andreescu became the first Canadian tennis player to win a grand slam singles title. Personally, I thought it was nearly impossible. A Canadian? Defeating the legendary Serena Williams in her own country? There was just no way. But while I had doubts in my mind, the then 19-year-old phenom already had the victory visualized in hers. And with the win, she inspired a generation of young tennis players and athletes across Canada.

But Andreescu’s on-court success isn’t the only thing that’s made her such an inspiration. At the young age of 21, she’s already managed to build a brand with multiple major sponsors such as Nike, BMW and Rolex. And although she’s tasted some of the luxuries of being a pro athlete, Andreescu hasn’t forgotten where she came from. She’s donated thousands of dollars to Tennis Canada and even auctioned a special racquet of hers to help out the Centre for Disaster Philanthropy’s COVID-19 response fund during the peak of the pandemic last year. Maybe it’s her incredible mindset or maybe it’s her solid poise. Either way, she’s made professional life look easy.

From rising Canadian talents in Leylah Fernandez to Katherine Sebov, tennis fans across the country now have a lot to look forward to. And thanks to the inspiration that Andreescu has become, I think the names will continue to grow in the foreseeable future.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.

Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Catherine O’Hara

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lindsaylow

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2:40 pm

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The Comedian

Catherine O’Hara has been entertaining and delighting movie-goers and TV-watchers for over 40 years. Widely recognized as one of the greatest comedic minds of this generation, it was her role as the inimitable Moira Rose, matriarch of the Schitt family in Schitt’s Creek, that earned her an Emmy, Golden Globe, Critics Choise Award, Screen Actor’s Guild Award and Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement. She became the fourth person in history to win all five major TV acting awards in one awards season and solidified her status as one of the greats.

By Lara Jean Chorostecki | Actor

You’d be hard-pressed to find another actress more lauded than Catherine O’Hara. Emmys, Golden Globe, SAGs and CSAs, this Order of Canada and Governor General’s Award recipient has made her mark on our screens and imprinted into pop culture’s psyche for over four decades.

Catherine’s commitment to her craft results in incredibly memorable performances where she somehow is both instantly recognizable and simultaneously disappears completely behind her carefully inhabited characters. What actor out there doesn’t wish they could emulate the incredible technical prowess and comedic agility required to produce Moira Rose from Schitt’s Creek, Mickey Crabbe from A Mighty Wind or even Kate McCallister’s infamous, “Kevin!” from Home Alone?

Catherine is a pioneer in creating characters that make our stomachs hurt from laughter while our hearts feel deeply. Over a remarkable 40-plus year career, her influence can be felt in entertainment around the globe. It’s not easy at the best of times to be an actress in film and television, and Catherine’s endurance is a testament to her incredible artistic spirit and deep well of talent, which she draws from time and time again.

Catherine’s playful spirit keeps us guessing what she could possibly do next, holding our breath with eager anticipation, knowing we are bound to be delighted. Catherine’s oeuvre is one that never tires on a rewatch, always ages impeccably and will continue to inspire for generations to come.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.

Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Pam Palmater

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lindsaylow

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2:39 pm

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The Advocate

Pam Palmater, Mi’kmaw lawyer and chair of Indigenous governance at the former Ryerson University, has been a true voice of inspiration in 2021. She has stepped up time and time again to advocate for Indigenous rights and has been doing the difficult work of drawing attention to missing and murdered Indigenous women, the need for reconciliation and the concrete steps governments must take to make change, even when politicians haven’t been listening.

By Cindy Blackstock | Executive director, FNCFCS

If I’m ever in trouble, and I often am, I would want Pam Palmater by my side. Her sharp intellect, steadfast ethics and caring heart place her at the centre of many colonial storms. From land rights to child rights, Pam draws on the multi-generational strength handed down to her from her ancestors to stand in the winds of injustice that continue to pile up on the hopes and dreams of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples and weigh the country down.

Colonial governments intentionally dehumanize Indigenous peoples and weave false historical narratives to hide egregious human and land rights violations. Recently this all came into stark relief when Canadians learned that thousands of Indigenous children died in government-run residential schools and were buried in unmarked graves.

A natural communicator, Pam knows public awareness is the antidote to government abuses and excuses for ongoing injustices like not getting clean drinking water to First Nations, fighting residential school survivors in court and fumbling the implementation of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry.
A prolific author and media educator, Pam also hosts her Warrior Life podcast showcasing the rich diversity of First Nations, Métis and Inuit and thought-provoking conversations on decolonization. And then there is my favourite — her fabulous Warrior Kids podcast showing how young people are making meaningful reconciliation a reality. Some call her an activist. I call her a truth and justice hero.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.

Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Jill Andrew

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lindsaylow

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2:39 pm

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The Politician

MPP Jill Andrew has been a shining example of what it takes as a politician to put the safety and needs of your constituents first. She has fought to keep Toronto tenants from being evicted during the hardships of the pandemic, and has advocated for everything from banning above-guideline rent increases to restoring arts funding to implementing an Eating Disorder Awareness Week. She is a certified trailblazer as the first Black queer MPP in Ontario, and she is the founding member of the Ontario NDP Black Caucus, believed to be the first of its kind in Canada.

By Jessica Bell | MPP, University-Rosedale

I first met Jill Andrew shortly after we won our races in June 2018. We were immediately thrust into the all-consuming role of opposition MPPs during the chaotic reign of the Doug Ford government.

This is what I most appreciate about Jill. Jill is a passionate advocate for her residents, always with her eye on equity and fairness. About 60 per cent of the constituents in her district of Toronto–St Paul’s are renters, and many struggled with the threat of eviction because they lost their job during the pandemic. Jill stands up for them — just like she advocates for affordable housing and government aid for the struggling small businesses along Little Jamaica and midtown.

I’ll let you in on a secret: sometimes when the camera isn’t on us, we work on our laptops in the legislature. When Jill gets up to speak, however, I always stop and listen. Her speeches are well researched yet personal, and her delivery is captivating. My favourite speech of Jill’s was on her bill to recognize the first week of February as Eating Disorders Awareness Week. The bill’s purpose is to help the estimated three million and counting Canadians who live with eating disorders, one of the most serious and deadly of mental health issues, social stigma and body shame. Jill spoke about her own experience with body image and the support she received from the organization Sheena’s Place. The bill passed unanimously. I keep a copy of Jill’s speech in my office.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.

Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Noura Sakkijha

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lindsaylow

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2:38 pm

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The Entrepreneur

Noura Sakkijha, CEO and co-founder of Mejuri, has flipped the jewelry industry on its head with her popular jewelry brand that has taken over Instagram. Celebrities and influencers alike have been spotted sporting countless classic pieces from the company, and the brand continues to expand – Mejuri opened their first international store in London in September of this year. Noura is a shining example of what it takes to lead a Canadian brand to success, building her company around values that matter.

By Nadine Spencer | CEO, BrandEQ Group

When I think of Noura, I think of brilliance, community, innovation and inspiration.
I had the privilege of meeting her while serving as the president of the Black Business and Professional Association. She came to us with a full heart, and her company generously donated to the BBPA National Scholarship Fund. I admired how much Noura gave of herself to support the work and dreams of the students. She spent hours sifting through the applications and getting to know each student.

Noura wanted to give opportunities to students who demonstrated purpose and the self-motivation to face down challenges and create their own stories.

Her support also included unique scholarships so that the students didn’t have to dehumanize themselves to get funding. It was clear to me that she is deeply in touch with her humanity.

Noura also showed up to present an inspiring talk to the 108 students who graduated that year. She later attended the BBPA’s Boss Women entrepreneurship training, where she shared her own story. She held nothing back, telling about the challenges, trials and, ultimately, the rewards she encountered on her path to becoming a woman in power.

Ultimately, I see Noura as the ideal example of what a professional woman should be — empathetic, generous, inspired and inspiring, a team player and a natural leader and, most importantly, passionate about all that she does.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.

Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Farra N Hyte

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lindsaylow

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2:38 pm

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The Performer

Farra N Hyte (Chantelle Carr) is a Toronto drag veteran who has been a headliner for over 20 years and is an icon in every sense of the word. Her influence can be seen in her role as a judge and choreographer on OutTV’s new drag competition series that premiered this year, Call Me Mother. As drag mother of House of Hytes, which includes RuPaul’s Drag Race runner-up Brooke Lynn Hytes, she’s mentored many young drag performers and has created a safe and inclusive environment for queer and gender-diverse Torontonians. When she’s not performing as Farra N Hyte, Chantelle Carr has also used her experience as a trans woman to educate others on trans acceptance.

By Brooke Lynn Hytes | Canadian drag queen

I first met Farra N Hyte (Chantelle Carr) when I was 19 years old. She was the headliner at Crews & Tangos, and I was captivated from the first moment I saw her. A few years later, I was lucky enough to be adopted into her drag family [when an established drag performer takes a younger one under her wing and mentors her, essentially choosing their own family] and even to be given my drag name by her!

Simply put, there is no one like Farra. She is a star, but she is also a kind and generous human being. She has set a standard of excellence in Canadian drag that we all aspire to. She has worked so hard through her career, and it makes me so happy to see her get the success and recognition she so justly deserves.

Watching her as a judge and choreographer on Call Me Mother, running and guiding her own drag house, has shown just how revered and beloved she is and what an inspiration she continues to be to drag queens everywhere.

A forever icon in the Toronto drag scene, it’s a joy to call her my friend and an honor to call her Mother.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.

Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Hayley Wickenheiser

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lindsaylow

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2:37 pm

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The Triple Threat

Hayley Wickenheiser already secured a permanent place in the hearts of Canadians everywhere after leading Team Canada multiple times to victory against our greatest rivals, earning four gold medals (plus a silver) and now leading the Toronto Maple Leafs as senior director of player development. But her recent foray into the world of medicine as a resident physician in a Toronto hospital emergency department has made even more of a difference during a time when healthcare workers are sacrificing everything to keep everyone safe and healthy.

By Christina Flores-Chan| Journalist

Growing up as a girl in sports, Canadian professional hockey player and four-time Olympic gold medallist Hayley Wickenheiser meant so much to me. I would marvel at her, starry-eyed as I watched her on TV, a show of brilliance every time she took to the ice. When she led the country to the gold medal after every Olympic Games, I asked my dad to teach me to play hockey despite my lifelong dedication to sports like ballet and cheerleading. When she walked into the Sochi opening ceremonies with the Canadian flag on her back in 2014, I got my hands on the Bay’s Team Canada Olympic mittens the very next day. I wasn’t the only girl who looked up to Hayley back then, and I’m not the only woman who still reads about her in awe today.

Yes, she is one of the most powerful and accomplished women in sport of all time, as the country’s all-time leader in several international hockey categories and the first woman to score a goal in a men’s professional league.

Yes, she is now a resident emergency doctor at a hospital in Toronto by day and senior director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs by night.

Yes, she just released a nationally bestselling novel to add to her copious titles of accomplishment.
But she is also, and perhaps most importantly, a woman who unapologetically dove into a male-dominated industry and proved that she, along with other young girls watching with their Team Canada mittens on, deserve to be there.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.

Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Tanya Tagaq

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lindsaylow

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2:37 pm

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The Artist

As one of the most famous Inuk throat singers in Canada (and across the world), Tanya Tagaq has already made her mark as a member of the Order of Canada, Polaris Music Prize and JUNO Award winner and author of the award-winning Split Tooth. This year, she’s set the tone for the release of her highly-awaited new album with her single and video for Tongues, a song that addresses colonialism through biting lyrics and visual symbolism.

By Chelsea McMullan | Filmmaker

I have no idea where to start in describing how inspiring Tanya Tagaq is as a person, so I’ll just start by saying how metal she is. Tanya is a pure face-melting stage destroyer, an unstoppable force of sonic combustion. I could spend this entire space trying to describe how many ways her fearless performances can strike you like a bolt of lightning to the soul.

But there are so many facets of her that I am just constantly inspired by. She is a multi-hyphenated talent who excels at absolutely everything she does. We can talk about Tanya the unparalleled musical talent, the bold voice speaking truth to power, the painter, the poet and philosopher or how fiercely she loves her family and how relentlessly she fights injustice. I am just astounded by her. Her creative energy blazes like a million-watt spotlight visible from space.

I feel incredibly lucky to have her as a friend because she loves with that same intensity. She wants to know how you’re doing at the very heart of your being and will accept no polite deflection. She teases me endlessly but knows exactly how much I can take. Nobody can be more tender.

The only way I can describe it is that life feels more exciting and joyous whenever she’s around. Tanya makes you feel like you can reach up and graze the cosmos with your fingertips.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.

Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Jen Agg

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lindsaylow

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2:36 pm

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The Restaurateur

Restaurateur Jen Agg, behind the popular The Black Hoof, Rhum Corner and more, has stepped up in more ways than one in 2021 to advocate for her employees and challenge a restaurant industry that has resisted change. One of the most vocal supporters of vaccine passports for patrons, she’s battled face-to-face with anti-vaxxers this year all while shedding light on sexism, abuse of power and racism within the industry.

By Ben Kaplan | Journalist

As usual, when there’s a hard job to do, it falls on a woman to get it done. When the food industry’s dirty laundry began to be aired — the lousy pay, nightmarish hours and harassment at the hands of bosses — it was Jen Agg, co-founder of the Black Hoof and author of I Heard She’s a Real Bitch, who used her platform to call out the city’s boorish offenders.

The Black Lives Matter banner on her front door at the Rhum Corner leaves nothing to doubt. Agg speaks her mind. Fighting words, especially on Twitter, is her verbiage of choice, and yet she’s also quick to point out trends and people she loves. (She was one of the first to bring attention to the deliciousness of MIMI Chinese).

A scenester, fashionista and wordsmith, she brought Dundas West some of the Ossington vibe and opened upscale cuisine in Kensington Market, and yet her real gift to the city has been an ethos that more restaurateurs should get behind.

An outspoken kingmaker whose taste reigns supreme, Agg can open a restaurant, pen a bestseller, rip apart a Globe and Mail editorial and still make it to Scaramouche in time to cop a great glass of wine. Whether talking about race or pay in the kitchen, staffing or Toronto’s next dining trends, when Jenn Agg talks, we all need to listen. It’s something, most often, no one else has the courage to say.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.

Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

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lindsaylow

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2:32 pm

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The Actor

When Mississauga local Maitreyi Ramakrishnan was announced as the star of Mindy Kaling’s new TV series, Never Have I Ever, in 2019, Toronto rejoiced. She was chosen out of over 15,000 candidates, even with an acting resume filled with high school theatre roles. It’s clear her talent blew everyone, including Kaling, away. Her return as protagonist Devi in the show’s second season in 2021 earned her glowing reviews and made her one of the most-watched Torononians to ever grace our (Netflix) screens.

By Rumneek Johal | Editor-in-chief, 5X Press

As someone who takes great joy in seeing South Asian representation across a myriad of platforms, watching Maitreyi Ramakrishnan star in Never Have I Ever would have done wonders for me as a teen, given how impactful it was for me as an adult. What made the show what it was was the standout performance by Ramakrishnan, who is both authentic and refreshing on and off screen.

Despite being six years her senior, I look up to the 19-year-old superstar for how she carries herself and speaks about what matters to her and how she is clear on her principles.

Earlier this year, Ramakrishnan requested that people learn to pronounce her name correctly, after constantly having to correct others. She discussed how integral names are to one’s identity and, in doing so, invited so many people, including myself, to do the same. Setting a boundary and choosing to affirm her connection to her culture and identity over other people’s temporary discomfort was admirable. So many of us are conditioned to dilute or hide the parts of us that make us different to make it easier for other people, even if it makes things harder for us. “I’m asking for basic respect when I want people to say my name right,” she said on Twitter.

At such a young age, the Mississauga native speaks with so much conviction and confidence about what is important to her, with the unintended result of inspiring other brown girls to be fearless about what matters to them too.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.

Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021: Eileen de Villa

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lindsaylow

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2:30 pm

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The People’s Doctor

Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, has been a voice of reason for the city from the start of the pandemic. During a time when many politicians at all levels of government were slow-going and hesitant, de Villa was decisive and advocated for the safety of Torontonians. She put pressure on the provincial government to lock down and expand testing availability when the city needed it most and this year, she was a driving force behind the Toronto’s vaccination efforts, getting Toronto to an over 85 per cent vaccination rate despite delayed shipments, unclear eligibility instructions and more.

By Joe Cressy | Councillor, Ward 10

The past two years have tested our city like never before. Thankfully, we had a public health leader who was more than up to the challenge.

Throughout the pandemic, Toronto’s medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, has guided us every step of the way — from making tough calls to reduce COVID-19 transmission to spearheading the most expansive vaccination program in our city’s history. She has truly been “the people’s doctor.”

As the head of the largest public health unit in Canada, Dr. de Villa has worked day and night — literally — to serve the people of Toronto. In those terrifying first few months of the pandemic, she spoke to the public each day, clearly explaining what was happening in our city and how to take precautions. With her trademark scarves, professionalism and composure, she helped keep us safe.

Throughout her career, Dr. de Villa — who always insists I call her Eileen — has been committed to caring for our most vulnerable. Whether it’s advocating for paid sick leave, supporting supervised consumption sites or dispatching mobile vaccination clinics to hard-hit neighbourhoods, Eileen’s approach is always one that’s equally rooted in scientific evidence and empathy.

I’m proud to have been able to work with her and honoured to call her a friend. Eileen has often said that she thinks of the entire city of Toronto as her patient. At a time when we needed it most, we couldn’t have asked for a more compassionate or committed doctor.

See our full list of Toronto’s most inspiring women of 2021 here.