Director, Employment and Social Services, City of Toronto

As part of her progressive 20-year career in human services, Sutha Balasingham has held a series of impactful leadership roles in the municipal governments and non-governmental organizations. Her dedication to advancing human services is driven by her lived experience of arriving in Canada as a refugee during her teenage years. Holding Master of Public Policy, Administration, and Law from York University, she has extensive expertise in policy formulation, service delivery excellence, and community development.

Sutha is a firm advocate for collective progress and the transformative power of collaboration. Throughout her career, she has forged successful interest-based relationships with various stakeholders, including other government levels, community partners, political leaders, and private sector organizations. Notably, her efforts with the Regional Municipality of York and the City of Toronto have been focussed on driving investments into priority and equity-seeking communities.

Currently serving as the Director of Toronto Employment and Social Services, Sutha assumes a leadership role in overseeing the operations of the largest social assistance administrator in Canada. In her previous position as the Head of Strategic Initiatives, she played a pivotal role in leading the department through an integrated strategic planning process resulting in Integrated Human Services Plan for Community and Health Services. During the pandemic, Sutha served as the Planning Chief for the Department Emergency Operations Centre addressing emerging human services needs for vulnerable population and recovery planning.

Sutha’s commitment to human services is further demonstrated through her past and present board memberships including Executive Committee of Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA) board, Institute of Public Administration Canada (IPAC) Toronto Region and Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA). She has also chaired the Community Review Panel for the United Way of York Region.