The Town of Ajax, Ontario, has partnered with Hello Hope Canada as an official supporter of a community anti-racism conference this spring. The Stay Sensitized Anti-Racism Conference is set for May 12-13, 2026, at the Audley Recreation Centre Community Hall to provide residents and educators with tools to support inclusion.
The two-day program will focus on the theme “Not Racist Is Not Enough” and is designed to help people handle difficult conversations about race. Attendees will learn specific intervention strategies from speakers including Emmy-nominated educator Ernest Crim III and sociology professor Dr. Jacqueline Battalora.
Participation is limited to 400 people, with early bird ticket pricing of $240 available until March 31, 2026. The event is led by Aubrey Noronha, an Ajax-based advocate whose organization has delivered more than 50,000 educational sessions to students, parents, and educators across the country.
This new partnership is part of a larger effort by the Ajax Anti-Racism Task Force to address systemic barriers in the community. Local records show that approximately 65 per cent of the 126,666 people living in Ajax belong to visible minority groups.
Mayor Shaun Collier and the local council have focused on these types of initiatives since 2020, when they created the Ajax Anti-Black Racism Congress, the first such congress in the region. The event also aligns with broader regional work being done through the Together Against Hate Durham project.
