Moving The Needle Event Program

MOVING THE NEEDLE: HOUSING, AFFORDABILITY AND ECONOMIC INCLUSION IN THE GREATER TORONTO AND HAMILTON AREA Moderator

Panelist

Panelist

Panelist

Panelist

Vijai Kumar Singh

Kevin Rupasinghe

Leslie Woo

Jaipaul Massey-Singh

Dominique Russell

Manager, Policy & Government Relations Brampton Board of Trade

Transportation Planner WSP

CEO CivicAction

CEO Brampton Board of Trade

Co-Executive Director Kensington Market Community Land Trust

NETWORKING | PANEL | OPEN Q&A WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5TH 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

THE ROSE THEATRE 1 THEATRE LANE, BRAMPTON, ON

2025 MOVING THE NEEDLE

PROGRAM 5:30 pm:

Doors Open for Registration

5:45 pm:

Introduction to Facilitated Networking

6:15 pm:

Dinner Served - Courtesy of Rick’s Good Eats

6:30 pm:

Welcome Remarks

6:45 pm:

Panel Discussion

7:15 pm:

Audience Q&A

7:30 pm:

Closing Remarks

8:00 pm:

Event Ends - Doors Close

2025 MOVING THE NEEDLE WELCOME TO 2025 MOVING THE NEEDLE Vijai Kumar Singh Manager, Policy & Government Relations Brampton Board of Trade

Welcome to Moving the Needle: Housing, Affordability, and Economic Inclusion An event presented by the Brampton Board of Trade and CivicAction. This gathering convenes leaders in industry, city-building, and civic advocacy to tackle one of our most urgent challenges: the housing crisis.

Housing remains a top concern in Brampton, posing a direct threat to economic growth, social well-being, and civic infrastructure. The consequences are severe —rising homelessness, economic stagnation, and talent flight. As Ontario’s thirdlargest municipality, Brampton is growing rapidly, yet affordability is driving young professionals and families out of the region. This talent drain weakens our workforce, exacerbates congestion, and hinders business growth, making it harder for employers to attract and retain skilled workers.

The business case for housing is undeniable, but the moral imperative is just as urgent. If unaddressed, this crisis will leave a generation worse off, widen economic divides, and strain social safety nets. This event is the start of a critical conversation—one that must lead to action. Thank you for joining us in shaping a more affordable, prosperous, and inclusive future for our region.

2025 MOVING THE NEEDLE BRAMPTON BOARD OF TRADE RISING LEADERS NETWORK INTAKE FORM

STAY CONNECTED WITH CIVICACTION!

2025 MOVING THE NEEDLE Panel Discussion: Moving The Needle Vijai Kumar Singh is a seasoned public policy enthusiast with diverse experience at international, national, and local levels. He led the MP Exit Interview project at the Samara Centre for Democracy and contributed to the award-winning podcast "Humans of the House," revealing internal political dynamics in Canada's House of Commons. Currently, as Manager of Policy and Government Relations, he focuses on local economic development and community wealth building in Brampton.

Vijai Kumar Singh, Manager, Policy & Government Relations Brampton Board of Trade Kevin Rupasinghe has a background in engineering, urban mobility, and advocacy. He previously worked with Nature Canada, Cycle Toronto, and Intel. Holding a Master’s in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto, he is also active in democratic reform as a Board Member of Unlock Democracy Canada.

Kevin Rupasinghe, Transportation Planner WSP in Canada Leslie Woo is a respected urban planner and city leader with 25+ years of experience shaping sustainable communities in the Greater Toronto Area. As CEO of CivicAction, she drives leadership programs and cross-sector collaboration to address urban challenges. Formerly Chief Planning & Development Officer at Metrolinx, she led $60B in transit expansion. A board director and award-winning changemaker, Leslie amplifies women city builders through She Builds Cities.

Leslie Woo, CEO CivicAction Jaipaul Massey-Singh is a passionate and results-driven leader with over 20 years of experience across diverse sectors, including cannabis, healthcare, IT, non-profits, retail, and manufacturing. As CEO of the Brampton Board of Trade and Board Chair at Brampton Library, he is committed to fostering innovation, building strong teams, and driving meaningful community change.

Jaipaul Massey-Singh, CEO Brampton Board of Trade Dominique Russell (she/her) is co-executive director of the Kensington Market Community Land Trust. She served as one of KCMLT's Board Co-Chairs from its incorporation in 2017 to 2024. In this Board role, Dominique helped lead major wins for the community, including KMCLT's first property acquisition in 2021 and advocating for the 35 Bellevue parking lot to become affordable housing (which is now in progress!). Dominique was a Bousfield Distinguished Visitor at the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto in 2023.

Dominique Russell, Co-Executive Director Kensington Market Community Land Trust

2025 MOVING THE NEEDLE CLOSING REMARKS - CIVICACTION Leslie Woo CEO CivicAction

Leslie Woo CRE® is a respected city leader with over 25 years of experience building sustainable communities and shaping urban development in Canada’s fastest-growing urban region, greater Toronto. Leslie is a tri-sector athlete with experience convening and co-creating with the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. She is a seasoned urban planner, architect and tireless community activator. At CivicAction Leslie has been building leadership programs that are building the next generation of civic-minded leaders. As CEO at CivicAction since 2020, Leslie leads this powerful apolitical organization that moves between all sectors to make progress on impactful solutions to pressing urban crises.

Before joining CivicAction, Leslie was Chief Planning and Development Officer at the Greater Golden Horseshoe regional transit authority, Metrolinx, for over 12 years, responsible for the strategic planning and public policy for a historic public investment of $60B in transit expansion. She is a Board Director at Waterfront Toronto (since 2021), Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care (since 2022), and the Urban Land Institute’s Curtis Infrastructure Global Advisory Board (2020-2023).

Leslie has been recognized as a 2023 Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award Recipient; one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2017 (by WXN); Spacing Toronto’s Transit Changemaker in 2016 and Canada’s Women’s Infrastructure Network’s inaugural 2015 Outstanding Leader. Founder of shebuildscities.org, Leslie uses her voice and platform to amplify and celebrate other women city builders.

Leslie is a Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto and a member of the Advisory Board of the Social Purpose Real Estate Accelerator at the Infrastructure Institute, University of Toronto. Leslie holds a graduate degree in Planning, and undergraduate degrees in Architecture and Environmental Studies, from the University of Waterloo.

Leslie was born in St. Augustine, Trinidad and is a graduate of St. Joseph’s Convent, Port of Spain.

2025 MOVING THE NEEDLE CLOSING REMARKS - BBOT Jaipaul Massey-Singh CEO Brampton Board of Trade

Thank you for joining us for Moving the Needle and this important conversation on housing affordability. This event is a reflection of the approach taken by the Brampton Board of Trade, convening business and community leaders to discuss civic issues and identify solutions. Further, it’s an example of our commitment to working collaboratively with other organizations to raise the level of discourse and provide our community with deeper insights and regional perspectives as we work collectively for a better Brampton. Tonight’s event focused on housing affordability, it’s causes, and its far-reaching consequences, and we look forward to future events focused on topics that impact the livability of our city in similar ways.

This event was also the first for BBOT that sought to engage rising leaders in our community as we strive be more inclusive in our programming. As an organization looking to contribute to shaping Brampton’s growth, we want to ensure we’re including its future leaders in determining our positions and priorities. We look forward to more forums that encourage participation from this group and will be establishing a Rising Leaders Network to connect with our next generation of trailblazers and deliver on the resources that will support their development.

I hope you found tonight’s event to be an informative and inspiring one!

Jaipaul Massey-Singh CEO

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