On January 10th, 2013, Intercultural Dialogue Institute (IDI) Toronto has organized its 8th Annual Dialogue and Friendship Dinner entitled “The Role of Media in Multicultural Public Sphere”. The dinner brought together over 280 guests from different spheres of public life at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel (Imperial room).

The first guest remark of the evening was offered by Hon. David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario who spoke about the significance of the evening in today’s context when a need for dialogue between ethnicities, creeds and ideologies has never been greater. MP Mark Adler and Hon. Margarett Best, Ontario Minister of Consumer Services delivered greeting messages from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Premier Dalton McGuinty, respectively.

Two distinguished speakers of the evening were Janice O’Born, Chair of the Board of Directors, Canadian Centre for Diversity and Phillip Crawley, Publisher and CEO of the Globe and Mail who shared their insightful remarks with the attendees about the theme of the event. The evening also included remarks from Hon. Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation and Hazel McCallion, Mayor of Mississauga. Other prominent guests of the evening included Senator Don Meredith, MP Bernard Trottier, MP Olivia Chow, MPP Donna Cansfield, MPP David Zimmer, Councillor Sandra Young Racco, Councillor Godwin Chan, Eric Joliffe (Chief of York Regional Police), Mike Ewles (Chief of Durham Regional Police), Don Lovisa (President of Durham College), Chris Whitaker (President of Humber College) and some members of the Hosting Committee of the 8th Dialogue and Friendship dinner.

IDI Toronto also presented its Excellence in Community Service Awards at the dinner. The recipients of this year’s award were Maytree Foundation and Ken Shaw (Anchor, CTV News) who were selected by the Hosting Committee of the 8th Dialogue and Friendship dinner.

Video presentations, fundraising session for Sickkids Foundation and a live Turkish coffee making show performed by Nuray Gunel and Julius Boquiren were other spectacular and compelling parts of the night. Sponsors of the dinner were RogersTV  (media sponsor), SickKids Foundation(charity sponsor) and Saygi Academics Association.

                                                                                         

Please click below to donate in support of SickKids

For online copy of the dinner booklet click here 

Videos

  “The Role of Media in a Multicultural Public Sphere”

Guest remarks          

                Hon. David Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario                    Hon. Julian Fantino, Minister of International Cooperation

                  

Speakers

Phillip Crawley, Publisher and CEO of The Globe and Mail                    Janice O’Born, Chair of Canadian Centre for Diversity

                  

IDI Toronto’s Excellence in Community Service Award recipients

Maytree Foundation                                                                                                       Ken Shaw