In order to share our research with the public, we would like to invite you to attend a panel discussion at Toronto City Hall, Committee Room 1, on Friday, April 29th, from 2:30 - 4:30 pm.

SARS and the Global City: Two Years After A Panel Discussion on the Lasting Effects of the SARS Outbreak of 2003

On Friday, April 29th from 2:30 – 4:30 pm at Toronto City Hall, Committee Room 1, there will be a panel discussion on SARS in the context of the Global City, entitled “Two Years After: Perspectives from Affected Communities.”
Representatives from the nursing, tourism/hotel, health care worker, patient and airport security communities have been invited to speak on how their constituencies have been affected by the SARS outbreaks, as well as what still needs to be done to address the ongoing psychological, social, economic, and security impacts experienced.

Confirmed Speakers include:
1. Cynthia Pay, former President of the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC)
2. Doris Grinspun, Executive Director Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO)
3. Dr. Mee Kam Ng, The Centre of Urban Planning & Environmental Management- The University of Hong Kong
4. Randy R. Reid, Assistant Chief, Provincial Response and Recovery Programs Emergency Management Ontario (EMO)
5. Janet Dassinger, UNITE HERE (formerly the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees)

It has been two years since SARS devastated hospitals and communities in Toronto and elsewhere. In Southern Ontario alone 44 people died, hundreds were infected; thousands were quarantined in two outbreaks in the spring of 2003. In the meantime, there have been government reports, medical reform, discussions about improved emergency measures in future outbreaks. But what happened to those communities that were affected most by the SARS crisis: the infected, the healthcare workers, workers in the tourism industry, communities and individuals that were subject to racial discrimination?
‘SARS and the Global City: Two Years After,’ is part of an ongoing research project based in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

The discussion will take place at Toronto City Hall, in Committee Room 1.