Dreaming Bigger,
Demanding Better
Raising Expectations for Our City’s Future: A Fundraiser for Progress Toronto
You’re invited to join us on Thursday, November 26 at 7pm for our not to be missed online fundraising event. Our inspiring list of speakers include Director of International Diplomacy at the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and former Toronto Mayor David Miller (bio), Parkdale-High Park MPP Bhutila Karpoche (bio), and the President of the Toronto Public Library Workers Union Brandon Haynes (bio). The event will be hosted by our advisor Zahra Ebrahim (bio).
It’s time for all of us to dream bigger and demand better for Toronto. Hear from these inspiring individuals about the potential for our City and how we ought to be demanding more from those in power.
The future of our City is on the line and our team at Progress Toronto has been working hard to organize for a better Toronto. This is where you come in.
Progress Toronto relies on the support of thousands of donors to do our work. That’s how we run winning campaigns, provide free training workshops for thousands across Toronto, and work to shift power in our city. Over the last few months, the pandemic has had an impact on our financial situation, like it has for many others. That’s why your support and ticket to this fundraising event is more important than ever. Your ticket will help make sure that we can continue working for a more progressive, socially just, and affordable city.
We have six different ticket options for you to choose from! Higher ticket levels include an additional donation to help us continue our work.
General Admission - $25
Supporter - $50
Core Supporter - $100
Progress Friend - $150
Progress Champion - $200
Your name will be listed on a special thank you slide during the event.Progress Toronto BFF - $250
Your name will be listed on a special thank you slide during the event and you will receive David Miller’s new book, Solved: How the World's Great Cities Are Fixing the Climate Crisis.
This online conversation will be hosted on Zoom and the link will be provided with ticket. Have a question or you would like to attend this event but do not have the means to purchase a ticket please email us at info@progresstoronto.ca.
Get your tickets using the form below:
About Our Special Guests:
David Miller
David Miller is the Director of International Diplomacy and Global Ambassador of Inclusive Climate Action at C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. He is responsible for supporting Mayors in their climate leadership and for building a global movement for socially equitable action to mitigate and adapt to climate change. He served as Chair of C40 Cities from 2008 until 2010.
Miller was Mayor of Toronto from 2003 to 2010. Under his leadership, Toronto became widely admired internationally for its environmental leadership, economic strength and social integration. He is a leading advocate for the creation of sustainable urban economies, and a strong and forceful champion for the next generation of jobs through sustainability. Miller has held a variety of public and private positions and served as Future of Cities Global Fellow at Polytechnic Institute of New York University from 2011 to 2014.
David Miller is a Harvard trained economist, professionally a lawyer and author of the book Solved: How the World’s Great Cities are Fixing the Climate Crisis.
Click here to get your ticket to our November 26 fundraiser!
Bhutila Karpoche
Bhutila Karpoche is the Member of Provincial Parliament for Parkdale—High Park. She is a part of the Ontario New Democratic Party Caucus.
Bhutila is active on issues around social justice and public health. She is a longtime advocate of affordable housing, workers’ rights, and public health care.
An epidemiologist by training, Bhutila is a public health researcher focusing on the social determinants of health.
Bhutila holds degrees from the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto and is a PhD candidate in public health policy at Ryerson University. In 2019, she was voted Toronto's Best Local Politician by Toronto Star readers and Toronto's Best MPP by NOW Magazine readers.
Click here to get your ticket to our November 26 fundraiser!
Brandon Haynes
Brandon has worked at the Toronto Public Library for over 15 years, most recently at the North York Central Library in the Business, Science, & Technology department.
One of his earlier experiences with the Union took place when, as a Site Monitor for the “Leading to Reading” after-school program, he was informed by management that they were eliminating his position.
Thankfully, the Union was there for him and made sure there was a process in place for his redeployment. Without the Union, Brandon could have lost his job.
He decided right then that he needed to give back to his Union. Brandon wanted to join the fight to advocate for libraries and help protect the Library Workers who deliver top-notch service to the world’s busiest urban library system!
Since that time, he has been involved with the Union in various roles, including sitting on Health and Safety Committees, Executive Board, and as the Ontario Representative and Co-Chair for CUPE’s National Library Workers’ Committee. Brandon was elected President of TPLWU, Local 4948, in November 2019.
The strength and resolve of Library Workers, and the communities they serve, inspires and motivates Brandon to be a proud advocate for libraries and for the membership he humbly serves.
Click here to get your ticket to our November 26 fundraiser!
Zahra Ebrahim
Zahra Ebrahim is a Founding Advisor of Progress Toronto. She is a public interest designer, engaging diverse sets of stakeholders to use human-centred and participatory approaches to address complex organizational and sectoral challenges, largely focused on public sector and urban innovation. For over a decade, she has built and led organizations that have worked extensively across the public, private, charitable, and philanthropic sector to conduct deep research with end-users to co-design towards better social outcomes.
She previously founded and led archiTEXT, a design-based innovation studio, and is currently the co-lead on the Community.Design.Initiative., which engages marginalized youth in architecture and design in Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods.
She has taught at OCAD, MoMA, and currently teaches within the University of Toronto Scarborough’s City Studies program. She serves as a board member and advisor to Jane’s Walk, St. Stephen’s Community House, Centre for Connected Communities, Toronto Public Library, and ResilientTO.
Zahra uses design and design processes to explore community engagement, institutional innovation, and participatory city building. Her work has been featured in Luminato, Nuit Blanche, Toronto Design Offsite, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and CBC.
Click here to get your ticket to our November 26 fundraiser!
