The first ever #CelebrateEverything Conference brings together leaders committed to an inclusive city. We’ll unpack the science of belonging, highlight practical tools that work, and spotlight stories of impact—showing how cultural inclusivity helps people, teams, and communities thrive.

Building an inclusive city—grounded in science, powered by practice, inspired by community.

Pricing:
Early Bird: $100 + GST
$150 after October 18

Location:
St. Boniface Hospital - The Asper Mezzanine
396 Tache Ave. 

Capacity is Limited - early registration recommended

Speakers

Terry MacLeod
Emmy-Nominated Journalist
Keynote Speaker

Terrence Daniel (Terry) MacLeod is an independent Emmy-nominated journalist and recipient of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal. In his 23 years with CBC Winnipeg (and his 33 years with CBC in total nationally) he established himself as a respected, informed, inquisitive and compassionate presence. He left CBC for new pursuits on Dec 31, 2016. From 2020 to 2022 he was the producer, host and writer of the "Prairie Design Lab" podcast that he made under the auspices of The Faculty of Architecture at The University of Manitoba. He created 47 episodes. www.prairiedesignlab.com

With CBC Winnipeg he was a host on the weekday morning radio show “Information Radio” and was host/producer of “The Weekend Morning Show”. With Prof Gordon Goldsborough he created the immensely successful “Abandoned Manitoba” radio series which resulted in three subsequent books and a video series. That series has just marked in tenth radio anniversary.

In his earlier CBC life Terry was a producer and guest-host on CBC’s hit radio show “Morningside” with Peter Gzowski where he produced Gzowski and Stuart Mclean. He was a regular guest on CBC TV’s “Midday”. He started with CBC in Thunder Bay and has guest-hosted CBC Toronto's “Metro Morning”, “Morningside in the Summer”, “Sounds Like Canada”, “As It Happens”, “The Story From Here”, and on BBC Radio Scotland.

Prior to CBC he worked providing training for the OjiCree WaWaTa radio network in NWOntario and, with the Inuktitut language broadcaster Taqramiut Nipingat TNI radio in Nunavik (formerly known as Arctic Quebec).

In Thunder Bay Ont he performed, wrote and toured widely with Kam Theatre Lab - a company focused “experimental theatre for social change”. He also coordinated an artist-run experimental television centre called Monitor North and was a social worker in a street program with The Harbour Boys Club. Terry has been an active volunteer with numerous organizations and served as a judge for: The Canadian Assoc of Journalists, The Winnipeg Theatre Awards and The Reel Pride Film Festival. For four years Terry was the coordinator of the Winnipeg-based Canadian Muslim Leadership Institute. Until recently he served on the board of The Gimli International Film Festival. Terry was a teaching assistant at University of Toronto and UPEI and studied at the then-named Ryerson University. Terry grew up in PEI and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UPEI. He is an active member of the Downtown Rotary Club and is engaged in numerous podcast creations, audiobook productions and on-stage interviews with numerous authors.

Dr. R. Y. Abdulrehman, C. Psych.
Lead With Diversity Inc.

Dr. Rehman Yusuf Abdulrehman is a clinical and consulting psychologist and two-time bestselling author who helps leaders turn diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into sustainable practice. His clients span sectors and borders, including Google/YouTube, Mastercard Foundation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and the Office of the Auditor General of Canada; he has also served with the Conference Board of Canada. He hosts Different People, a podcast about hard but necessary conversations on race and belonging, and his DEI work received the Society of Consulting Psychology’s Award for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Consulting. A TEDx speaker (“Resolving Unconscious Bias”), he founded tesbias.com and livingwithracism.com.

Dr. Abdulrehman is an assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Health Psychology at the University of Manitoba. He has held visiting professorships at Zanzibar University, the State University of Zanzibar, and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences through long-standing development work in Tanzania. He is also the founder and clinical director of Clinic Psychology Manitoba, a private practice clinic. He previously served on, and later chaired, the Committee of International Relations for the American Psychological Association.

His books include the bestseller Developing Anti-Racist Cultural Competence; Movies, Miniseries & Multiculturalism: How Film and Television Help Us Understand Culture and Social Justice; and the novel Jinn in the Family—which reached #1 in Kindle’s Middle Eastern Literature category. His co-edited anthology, The Poetry of Angry Black and Brown People, will be released November 6, 2025. He was named one of the 100 Most Fascinating Manitobans of 2024.

Belinda Bigold (pronounced Bee-jeaux)
High Tea Bakery

Belinda is owner and co-founder of High Tea Bakery, famous for its beautiful hand decorated cookies, and of course, it’s legendary imperial cookies. Contrary to popular belief, Belinda had no background in baking before starting High Tea - she was a competitive cyclist with a fine arts degree, who worked at Air Canada!

Belinda founded High Tea in 2003 with her mother, Carol (who was the true baker), and over the course of the last 22 years, she has built the company with the community in mind. High Tea’s mission is to foster diversity and inclusion through the celebrations of its clients – everything from birthdays, grads and weddings to PRIDE, Hanukkah, Eid & Diwali. Most recently, they partnered with Folklorama and have been a day-one supporter of the #CelebrateEverything initiative.

Belinda has been featured on the Food Network Christmas Cookie Challenge, and has baked for everyone from Ed Sheeran and Elton John to the Queen of England. She is a member of the Winnipeg Executives Association and sits on the Advisory Council for Red River Co-Op Pastry Program. She is a proud fundraiser for the LGBTQ2+ community, Every Child Matters, and Children’s Hospital – which she recently raising money for by trekking through Patagonia.

Elizabeth Linton
Former Principal - Bernie Wolfe School

Elizabeth Linton is a retired school principal and career educator with 32 years in public education. Known for turning inclusion into day-to-day practice, she helped pioneer the #CelebrateEverything approach at Bernie Wolfe Community School—authentically recognizing community holidays and traditions across the calendar to strengthen belonging for students and families. Her leadership included classroom learning tied to celebrations (e.g., Diwali, Chinese New Year), visible foyer displays, and community-led features such as an Ethiopian coffee service, all designed so families could “see themselves reflected” at school. Elizabeth’s work drew citywide attention as an early model for moving beyond tokenism to lived multiculturalism. She previously led research on gender differences in learning, launched her division’s only swim program, and received the Manitoba School Libraries Association School Administrator of the Year (2015). In 2020, she was recognized by Mayor Brian Bowman for advancing a shift from “multi-ethnic” presence to a genuinely multicultural school culture by applying the #CelebrateEverything initiative to her school.