Meet 3 Londoners looking to land spots on city diversity committee
CBC
On Monday London city council's Corporate Services Committee will fill three vacancies on a citizens committee that advises council on issues related to diversity, inclusion and anti-oppression.
Three new members will be named to the Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Oppression Community Advisory Committee.
CBC News reached out to candidates running for the committee slots. Here's what three had to say about why they're running.
A French speaker born in Cameroon, Chantal Kamgne Tagatzi has her own translation business and wants to improve access to services in French at the city and all levels of government.
The 45-year-old came to Canada in 2010, spending two years in Quebec before coming to London.
"I absolutely love London," she said.
London has a small Cameroonian community and a large Francophone community, she said.
Tagatzi noted that the committee aims to have at least one French speaker on its board, a need she's keen to fill.
"I saw that's something they are looking for, and I think I can help with that," she said.
She wants to expand access to city services in French. Currently the city's website has a "translate" button for various languages. But the function is what Tagatzi calls "automatic" translation which she said creates a less than optimal translation.
"I just think the city could do better," she said. "Sometimes people can be looking for service in French but not know where to find those services."
Born in Bosnia, Ramic came to Canada in 2018 to work as the Imam at Bosnian Canadian Islamic Centre. Back home, he majored in Islamic studies and law.
Ramic is married with three children. As a potential committee member, he brings the experience of a community that's faced persecution and attempted genocide in the Balkan war which engulfed the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
"I came here because I saw my people struggling," he said. "People who were running for their life, they came to Canada and I came here to work with them. I'm glad I came here because we have an amazing community."
After walking a few laps around the shop, Maria Castagna picks up a glass ornament in the form of a pink, sparkly ice cream cone and smiles widely.
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham says he has much unfinished work from his first term in office, as he prepares to make his pitch to voters ahead of the 2026 election.
Moving to Canada from Singapore meant losing close social connections for Iris Akbar, but Akbar says the gift was in finding an affirming space with friends that became like family.
Women and children staying at Regina Transition House now have access to Santa’s workshop — a safe space where mothers can choose Christmas gifts for their children.
A man from Powell River, B.C., is thankful to be alive after a stranger helped him while he was choking at a restaurant during a visit to Whistler.
When it comes to Hamilton readers' favourite library books of 2025, romance and mysteries are in close competition.
From the Detroit Lions losing to Apple iPhones that spontaneously update, Windsorites had things that bugged them this year.
Calgary emergency rooms are “in a state of critical overcapacity” ahead of the anticipated peak of flu season — and to cope with the surge and wait-room crowding, officials are urging doctors to speed up their decisions on whether to admit patients, according to a memo obtained by CBC News.
Northern Ontario's highway system needs improvements in order to make travel safer, a highway safety advocate said.
Hundreds of thousands of used tires are piling up across Ontario as some companies responsible for tire recycling have stopped processing tires amid reduced provincial recycling regulations for tire producers, industry experts say.
People in Guelph facing homelessness will soon have a new place to go during the day.
Islanders are reminded to plan their rides ahead of holiday festivities if they plan on drinking alcohol or using cannabis.
Even before Gwen Healey Akearok began her new role as Nunavut’s Minister of Family Services, she was tuning into the Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) hearings on the state of the Family Services department.