Susan Lightstone works in three capacities – as an education and training expert, a lawyer and writer/editor. 

She began her career practising banking and corporate law at the Bank of Canada. She has advised courts across Canada on design, development and delivery of educational programming for their judges. From 2002 to 2011, Susan served as Senior Advisor and Education Director at the National Judicial Institute, the Ottawa-based educational organization which serves all members of the Canadian judiciary. She was responsible for the oversight of the overall curriculum, the implementation of sound pedagogical principles for adult education, the maintenance of the curriculum infrastructure (including the inventory of courses, both in-person and online), and the development of education resources, including electronic and “traditional” publications.

In 2011, Susan began working with the Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ) in Toronto, advising justices of the peace

Akwasi Owusu-Bempah (PhD) is an academic, author and changemaker. He is a professor at the University of Toronto and serves as Chair of the Governing Board of Massey College. His work examines the intersections of race, crime and criminal justice, with a particular focus in the area of policing. Akwasi is frequently sought out to provide commentary and advice to police agencies, government bodies, community organizations, and media outlets on matters relating to policing, justice and social inequality. He frequently appears on radio and tv and publishes regularly in academic and popular forums. Akwasi began his academic career in the United States at Indiana University, Bloomington. Prior to becoming a professor, he held positions with Canada’s National Judicial Institute, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Ontario’s Ministry of the Solicitor General. He frequently appears on radio and tv and publishes regularly in academic and popular forums. Akwasi’s work and commentary has recently been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Guardian, and The Globe and Mail. He is the author of Waiting to Inhale: Cannabis Legalization and the Fight for Racial Justice (with Tahira Rehmatullah).

Miriam Henry is an Assistant Crown Attorney who has dedicated her career to supporting better outcomes for justice-involved youth. She is one of the Ministry of the Attorney General’s leading experts on Youth Criminal Justice and has over two decades of prosecutorial experience, much of it as the Crown Team Lead at 311 Jarvis, Toronto’s dedicated Youth Court. She specializes in the intersection of Child Welfare and Youth Criminal Justice and spearheaded process transformation at Community Youth Court and Aboriginal Youth Court. She is currently the Crown Lead at the Toronto Northwest Justice Centre where she was instrumental in visioning and implementing a new and innovative community youth court premised on the co-location and integrated service delivery of justice, education, health and social services in partnership with community. Her significant contributions to youth justice have been widely acknowledged and she is the recipient of the Ontario Bar Association Criminal Award of Excellence for innovation in youth criminal justice; the Zenith Award for Women Advancing in Law; and the OCAA Rupert Ross Award for excellence in and commitment to social justice.

Jorge Zelaya (Speaker)

Jorge Zelaya is an experienced Mental Health Court Support Worker with Fred Victor. He takes pride in supporting those with justice involvement to improve their mental health and achieve their potential by connecting them to community supports. He has dedicated 18 years at Toronto’s Mental Health Court Support Program, yet his career in the helping profession and within the mental health sector has spanned 37 years. During this time he liaised with CAMH forensic unit, Gladue court, Springboard and the TSDC to assist in providing streamlined services to those who are justice involved.

In addition, as a community and forensic case manager, housing support worker and social worker assisting newcomers he has been devoted to supporting vulnerable populations and possesses a great understanding of the barriers that these individuals face.

Scott Mckean is currently implementing Safe TO, the City of Toronto's Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan and supporting the development of the Ministry of Attorney General's Justice Centre programs in the City of Toronto. Scott works to enhance community safety and reduce vulnerability for people, families, and places in Toronto’s neighbourhoods. While at the City of Toronto, Scott has led and supported the development and implementation of many strategies and initiatives such as the Community Crisis Response Program, FOCUS Toronto, SPIDER, Youth Violence Prevention and the Toronto Strong Neighbourhood Strategy.

Prior to joining the City of Toronto, Scott worked in the community sector where he developed a number of programs and services for young people as well as developed the support model for the Out of the Cold emergency program. Outside of work Scott paints pictures and plays drums.

Chief Nishan Duraiappah was born in Sri Lanka, and immigrated to Canada. He began his policing career in 1995, achieving the rank of Deputy Chief of Halton Police in 2015 where he led front line policing, community mobilization as well as innovation and technology.

In October 2019, Chief Duraiappah was appointed Chief of Peel Regional Police, arriving with a mandate for change and the strategic goal of becoming the most progressive, innovative and inclusive police service in Canada.

Chief Duraiappah is committed to the safety and well-being of the community he serves, with one of the primary focuses being mental health and seeking multi-sectoral collaborative partnerships to reduce risk in the community.