Debbie Douglas

Debbie Douglas is the Executive Director of OCASI--the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants. Through her work in the NGO sector, and particularly at OCASI, Debbie has highlighted issues of equity and inclusion including race, gender and sexual orientation within the immigration system and promoted the creation of safe, welcoming spaces within the settlement and integration sector

A well-known face in Ontario and across the country, Debbie is often called upon by governments to share her expertise. She was a member of the Government of Ontario’s Expert Panel on Immigration which published the report Routes to Success and led to the province’s first immigration legislation (2015).  She was also a member of the Ontario’s Income Security Reform Working Group, which in October of 2017, published Income Security: A Roadmap for Change. Debbie is a member of the Immigration and Refugee Advisory Committee of Legal Aid Ontario and the federal government’s National Settlement & Integration Council.  She co-chairs the City of Toronto’s Newcomer Leadership Table and was appointed as a member of the provinces roundtable on Violence Against Women, and co-chaired the provincial Anti-Black Racism subcommittee.

She is the recipient of several awards including the Women of Distinction from YWCA Toronto (2004); the Amino Malko award from the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (2008) and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations Anti-Racism Award (2014).