In the lead up to tomorrow’s AGM, Concerned Parkdale is thrilled to endorse the following 6 people to run for positions on the PCLS Board of Directors (in alphabetical order):
- beth long
- Dave Nisker
- Diane Rajaram
- Gita Madan
- Joanna Mullen
- Oriel Varga
Here are their bios!
beth long
- beth long is a resident of Parkdale who moved from Vancouver to article at PCLS in 2000-2001. She spent the next seven years in the community legal clinic system, working as a staff lawyer in four separate clinics (Mississauga, Bracebridge, Neighbourhood Legal and West Toronto). Currently, she is a research lawyer at the Human Rights Legal Support Centre, where she has worked since 2008. Informed and motivated in large part by her own lived-experience, beth’s past efforts as an activist have focused on campaigns to reduce the harms associated with sexual violence, poverty, addiction, homelessness, sex trade work, mental illness, policing and transphobia, among others. beth is passionate about the legal clinic system in Ontario, and she is committed to preserving and enhancing community-based access to legal services for the residents of Parkdale and Swansea who live in poverty. She strongly believes that PCLS’s position on the GTA Transformation proposal must originate in and be shaped as much as possible by the people who actually need and use its services. To that end, as a member of the PCLS Board, beth would work hard to create opportunities for the meaningful participation of community members in decisions concerning the delivery of clinic law services.
Dave Nisker
- David Nisker is a 3rd year law student and recent graduate of the Parkdale Community Legal Services student intensive program in the Housing Division. He also worked at the clinic following his placement until early September, 2014. He currently resides in the clinic’s catchment area, and has partaken in many community initiatives surrounding the tenant rights. He also organizes with the Network for the Elimination of Police Violence and the Stop Racial Profiling committee of the Law Union. David recognizes that despite recent turmoil inside of PCLS, and with plans to close clinics, that we all believe that PCLS is a very important place for the residents of Parkdale. He believes that it is important to strengthen community legal clinics across the city and province by building on 40+ years of achievements and lessens. As a prospective Board member, David is interested in improving the student, staff, and client experiences at PCLS as well as the clinic’s overall efficacy. His business background and his valued current relationships and experiences at the clinic give him a great balance and perspective for serving on the Board of Directors.
Diane Rajaram
- TBA
Gita Madan
- Gita Madan is both a resident of and an employee in the Parkdale community. She is running for the Board of Directors because she believes that she is very well positioned to represent the interests of community members, particularly low-income residents who rely on the services of PCLS. Gita is a high school teacher, with a specialization in the area of Urban Education. She is currently a graduate student at the University of Toronto (OISE), where she studies the impacts of changes in school disciplinary policy on the most marginalized students in our education system. Gita is also very involved in the community and active in a number of local organizations and grassroots initiatives. This includes working as a food literacy educator at FoodShare, serving on the organizing collective of the Toronto Time Bank, and as a member of CLAY, a collective of legal-minded individuals who use popular education to engage the public in legal education.
Joanna Mullen
- I have resided in Parkdale since 2012. I articled at Parkdale Community Legal Services from 2012-2013. I now work as a staff lawyer at Unison Health and Community Services, an organization that serves the community in the former city of York. As a resident of Parkdale, I am aware of the changes within the community due to gentrification. deportation, and poverty. I am concerned about how these changes are impacting the clients of PCLS. I hope that as a Board Member I can listen to the concerns of Parkdale residents and the staff at PCLS to ensure that the clinic continues to work to achieve justice and equality for all.
Oriel Varga
- As a Board member, I bring with me a wealth of experience. I have an extensive background in organizing campaigns and creating grassroots projects. As a student in Workers’ Rights Division at PCLS, I worked closely with the Parkdale community and the Workers’ Action Centre. Today, I continue to work on issues impacting Parkdale. Most recently, I have been organizing to oppose the GTA Transformation Proposal. This plan threatens to close 13-14 community clinics for three mega-centres. As a PCLS board member, I will work hard to ensure PCLS (and 13 other clinics) remains open. I aim to bridge the gap between the board and staff and make sure the PCLS board listens to the Parkdale community. I will ensure PCLS is a leading edge legal clinic with a philosophy of community-based lawyering, rooted in the Parkdale community, for the next 40 years!
We note that, pursuant to PCLS Bylaws, all six PCLS members above were nominated by two PCLS members each before 5PM on Thurs, Nov 13. Each nominee received confirmation from PCLS of the timely submission of their nomination packages (both the nominations and the consents to the nominations).
We look forward to voting in these six incredible community members and advocates at the AGM tomorrow (7PM, Mon, Nov 17 at Bonar-Parkdale Presbyterian Church)!
We also note that, according to the notice that some PCLS members received from the current PCLS Board, the three Board-nominated nominees are:
- David Gellman
- Mercedes Perez
- Noah Aiken-Klar
Note that the above list no longer includes Namgyal Dolker, whom the Board nominated on Oct 29; David Gellman appears to have been now nominated by the Board in Namgyal’s stead.
If you are a PCLS member who has not yet received your notice of the AGM, please contact Robert Routh at PCLS: 416-531-2411 x 224 / routhr@lao.on.ca.
Concerned Parkdale 