Hate Free Muskoka 2025 Symposium Focuses on Advancing Allyship and Building Kinder Communities

Following the success of the inaugural symposium in 2022, this year’s event continues the important work of fostering inclusion, understanding, and belonging across Muskoka. Join us in creating a safer and more inclusive Muskoka for everyone. This free public event will take place on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at the Huntsville Active Living Centre from 10a.m.to 3p.m.  

Hate Free Muskoka aims to inspire connection and action by exploring how individuals and communities can create safer, more inclusive spaces. Attendees will learn strategies to address intersectionality, combat hate and discrimination, and strengthen allyship through awareness and bystander intervention.  

This year’s keynote speaker is Julie S. Lalonde, a women’s rights advocate and public educator, who will share new research based on the collective experiences during the pandemic and explore the value in seeing each other’s humanity.  

Additional panellists include Cheraldean Duhaney, CEO of Impact Youth and Culture Centre; Laura LaChappelle, program director for Making Change; Isaiah Beckford, youth outreach coordinator and performing artist with UpLift Black; and Natasha Shakespeare, founder of Parents Against Racism Simcoe County. Together, they will share their lived experiences with prejudice, discrimination and racism, and shine a light on systemic inequities, supporting equity-deserving communities and creating lasting change. 

To register for this free event, visit Eventbrite. 

For more information on IDEA and Hate Free Muskoka Initiatives, visit: www.muskoka.on.ca/IDEA 

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Helping to make sure our communities have what they need to remain prosperous, safe, connected and healthy for our residents to enjoy and to welcome others. It’s what we do.  

The District of Muskoka is made up of six area municipalities and is responsible for delivering critical public services and programs to residents in our community. Visit our website at www.muskoka.on.ca. For updates by email, subscribe to News Updates on our website. 

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