ABOUT US
In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told Jacques Cartier about a route to Canada or “Kanata”. They were referring to the village of Stadacona, as “kanata” is the Huron-Iroquois word for village or settlement. The name Canada was soon thereafter applied on most maps referring to all the area located north of the St. Lawrence River. www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/sc-cs/o5_e.cfm
In our “village” we must work together to make our communities and corporations the best place to be and work.
At Kanata Intercultural Consulting Inc. we feel that that our role is to connect local and global corporations with appropriate resources to allow them and their staff to settle, grow, and prosper. We want to encourage inclusive, barrier free workplaces which will lead to bottom line profitability for the employer and increased satisfaction for all employees.
Kanata Intercultural has the resources and contacts to connect each employer to the best consultants, advisors, facilitators, or speakers available in the field of visible minority, diversity, Aboriginal issues.
Our vision is to help employers who want help attracting, retaining, and promoting from all communities connect with the best consultants and individuals in the field.
OUR TEAM
Kanata Intercultural understands the value of providing the client with the most suited consultant, facilitator, or speaker for each request. We have brought together the best professionals and community leaders in the field, to provide you with an all-inclusive source for your diversity and intercultural needs. Our core consultants are based out of Western Canada, however we have access to hundreds of resources throughout the country.
Alberta Consultants:
Cam Stewart, Senior Consultant
Cam Stewart has been active in the field of diversity, inclusion and intercultural communication for many years. He has received many awards for his
work, including; The Calgary Police Chief’s "Award for Community Service", the Jewish Community's "Repairing the World Award", the YMCA (Peace Medal), the
Jerry P. Sellinger Award for working with immigrant offenders and victims of domestic violence, and the Baha’i Community's "Racial Harmony Award".
Under his leadership and guidance, the Calgary Police Service received the Calgary Immigrant Aid Society’s "Immigrant of Distinction Corporate
Diversity Award" and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' "Diversity Award". Cam Stewart is a board member of Calgary Learns and the current
President of the Alberta Association for Multicultural Education.
Cam Stewart has presented a variety of diversity training courses providing advice about inclusive organizational change to a multitude of
organizations including, the Calgary Police Service, Calgary Transit Authority, City of Calgary Bylaw Enforcement, Co-operator’s Insurance,
Calgary School Board, Mount Royal College, and the United Way of Calgary and Area. As an expert facilitator, toastmaster, and public speaker
he has provided organizational change workshops to conferences including Metropolis, SIETAR, Aboriginal Chiefs of Police, Teachers of English
as a Second Language, Alberta Bylaw Enforcement, and community groups. He has completed a Masters in Intercultural and International Communication
from Royal Roads University.
Valerie Pruegger, PhD.
Valerie Pruegger earned a M.Sc. Degree in Psychology from the University of Calgary specializing in Organizational Psychology and a Ph.D. in
Cross-Cultural Psychology from Queen’s University. She teaches in the Department of Psychology at the University of Calgary and is employed
as a Research Social Planner at the City of Calgary where she examines social issues and makes recommendations for changes to social policy and
programming. Her focus is on systemic discrimination, hate bias, and the needs of immigrants and refugees.
Currently, she is working in partnership with major Western municipalities to explore the attraction and retention of immigrants to local
communities, and is spearheading the City of Calgary’s role in signing on to UNESCO’s Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and
Discrimination.
Dr. Pruegger serves as an advisor, educator and consultant around diversity, immigration and discrimination issues in the not-for-profit, public
and private sectors, the latter through her company Intercultural Interactions Inc. She is a research associate of the Prairie Centre of
Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration, advisory member on the Alberta Provincial Hate/Bias Crime Committee, and the Chair of the
Training Committee for the national Law Enforcement, Aboriginal and Diversity (LEAD) Network.
In 2005, Dr. Pruegger was a recipient of the Alberta Centennial Medallion award for her outstanding work, achievements and volunteering efforts
for the people, communities and province of Alberta.
BC Consultants:
Jas Cheema
Jas Cheema has been a leader in the field of racism-free communities and organizations. For over a decade she has been instrumental in building
bridges and fostering a cross-cultural understanding between the ethnic communities in the Lower Mainland. She is presently the Diversity
Manager for Surrey Health Services. She has published many articles about racial issues in the Vancouver area and is currently connected to many
diversity, employment equity and anti-racism networks within the Lower Mainland Area. She is completing a Masters degree in International and
Intercultural Communications. Her work has been recognized; she is the recipient of the Queens Golden Jubilee Medal, Surrey Leader of the Year
Award for her services to the diverse multicultural community, and the Griffin Award for her contributions to the Canadian Society through the
art of writing.
East Coast Consultants:
Tina Hickey
Tina Hickey is an experienced facilitator of diversity, organizational change, and cross-cultural communication training workshops. She has
experience working across cultures both internationally, as well as in a Canadian Aboriginal northern community. She spent three years working
as a correctional officer in Iqaluit, Nunavut. The responsibilities of a correctional officer position included working closely with Aboriginal
inmates particularly with regards to case management. She was contracted by the department of Canadian Heritage to conduct a research project to
explore the experiences of Aboriginal and Visible Minority people in the workplace. Further, as an employee of Kamloops Immigrant services she
has had an opportunity to facilitate numerous training workshops for groups such as School district #73, interior family services, Sprott Shaw
community college, Convergy’s call center, Thompson Rivers University. She has 10 years of experience in the field of diversity education and has
worked within a wide variety of sectors.
Manitoba Consultants:
Ron Johansson
Ron Johansson has been a leader in the field of racism-free communities and organizations. For over a decade he has been instrumental in building
bridges and fostering a cross-cultural understanding between the ethnic communities in the Winnipeg area. He has joined forces with United Against
Racism, United Nations, Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation, Mayors Equity and Diversity Committee for the City of Winnipeg, Assembly of Manitoba
Chiefs, Manitoba Métis Federation, Heritage Canada and Immigration Canada to champion cultural and diversity issues and raise awareness of the
importance of striving toward understanding and acceptance of all Canadians.
Sam Anderson
Former RCMP Sgt Sam Anderson is an Ojibway from Dauphin River First Nation in Manitoba. He has been a recipient of many awards stemming from his
work within the Aboriginal community. Sam has raised the profile of Aboriginal peoples as well as being a proactive supporter of native rights.
He is a strong advocate for cultural awareness, restorative justice and suicide intervention along with being the creator and teacher of many
educational programs. He has worked along with the Federal Government, Provincial Government, Assembly of Chiefs, and the corporate community in
the continuing education and support of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada as well as diverse populations.
Ontario Consultants:
Jim Potts
RCMP/OPP Inspector, (retired) 45 years service (36 R.C.M.P. and nine O.P.P.) An Ojibway Indian who was the first status Indian to become a
Commissioned officer in the history of the RCMP. Throughout his service he worked to raise the profile of Aboriginal police officers and remains
a strong advocate of Aboriginal rights.
In 1974 Jim developed the first Cultural Awareness training for the RCMP, Canadian Police College and major police forces, and has personally delivered over one hundred such courses across Canada. He served in many capacities i.e. detachment commander, I/C C.I.B./Drug squad, Officer in charge of Operational Training, and Multiculturalism Advisor. He authored the publication - R.C.M.P. ”Native Spirituality Guide.” For three years was Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law (Aboriginal Studies) University of Western Ontario, in London. Jim served for two years on the Canadian Board of Directors for the Society for Intercultural Education and Training (SIETAR). He acted as a mediator and/or negotiator during numerous crisis situations, including - Oka, Ipperwash, Gustafasen Lake, Burnt Church, and Caledonia.
During 2005/06, at the request of the Commissioner of the Ipperwash Inquiry, Jim co-authored the paper “For the Nonce - Policing During Aboriginal Occupations and Protest.” He is the recipient of numerous awards and in 2002 appointed “Officer of the Order of Merit” for police forces by the Governor General of Canada. Since retirement has worked with various federal government departments and is currently serving as an advisor on Aboriginal affairs to the R.C.M.P. and O.P.P. As a skilled lecturer and trainer, he is often invited as guest speaker and/or chair for various national and international conferences.
Dr. Karen Mock
Dr. Karen Mock has recently completed 4 years as Executive Director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, following her 12-year tenure as
National Director of the League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith Canada. A registered psychologist and educator, she spent 15 years in teacher
education at the University of Toronto, Ryerson Polytechnical University and York University prior to her work in the human rights advocacy
sector. Dr. Mock has been qualified by the Canadian courts and Human Rights Tribunals as an expert in racism, antisemitism, hate group activity
and human rights, and is one of Canada’s foremost specialists in anti-racism, human rights and diversity education, having taught and written
extensively on the subject. She has initiated several public education campaigns, the Black/Jewish Dialogue, Women's Interfaith Dialogue and
Muslim/Jewish Dialogue, as well as youth leadership training programs.
Dr Mock has worked with a number of community and provincial organizations including the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, the Anti-Racism Response Network, the Anti-racist Multicultural Educators’ Network and the Ontario Multicultural Association. Dr. Mock is the former chair of the Canadian Multiculturalism Advisory Committee (CMAC), and also served as chair of the civil society Advisory Committee on Canada's preparations for the United Nations World Conference Against Racism. She was on the Canadian delegation to WCAR in Durban South Africa in 2001.
Karen received the Sikh Centennial Foundation Award for Civil Liberties Advocacy, was honoured as a Woman in the Lead by the University of Saskatchewan, and was named one of 100 world-wide “Freedom Heroes” by the U.S. Underground Railroad Freedom Center in 2004. Dr. Mock served throughout 2006 as chair of the Hate Crimes Community Working Group for the government of Ontario, having been appointed by the Attorney General and Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
Karen Mock is well known as a dynamic lecturer and workshop coordinator, and has conducted human rights, diversity and race relations training programs in both the public and private sectors, including several school boards, police services, government agencies and corporations across the country. She is nationally and internationally recognized as an authority on multiculturalism and race relations in Canada.