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Getting to know our Commissioners

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July 15, 2021

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This series profiling OHRC Commissioners offers a deeper look at who the Commissioners are, what drives them to advance human rights, and what issues are currently most important to them. The fifth in the series features Commissioner Pieters, who brings to the Commission over two decades of leadership roles in equity initiatives in the education sector as teacher, vice-principal and principal. From being a complainant to becoming a Commissioner, Pieters talks about the importance of embedding human rights into all areas of life, especially education. He experienced long standing anti-Black racism in the public school system in Toronto as a student in the 1980s that continued into his career as educator. 

Gary Pieters: From Complainant to Commissioner - Amplifying a human rights ‘system’ mindset in how we think, act and treat each other