Speakers
Dr. Amit Arya
Keynote
In this keynote, Dr. Amit Arya will explore the critical role of equity, cultural safety, and anti-racism in palliative and seniors care, with a focus on supporting grief and bereavement. By examining the complex challenges faced by racialized and marginalized communities in accessing care, Dr. Arya will provide insights into the practical steps clinicians can take to foster inclusive and respectful environments. This session will address systemic barriers, explore community-centered approaches, and highlight innovations in integrating anti-racist principles into care.
Mal Rose
Speaker
Grieving While “Ungrievable”: 2SLGBTQIA+ Grief in a hostile world
Drawing on past research from figures like Judith Butler and Achille Mbembe, this talk examines and invites inquiry into how the larger context of societal and cultural determinations of what and who is “grievable” affect 2SLGBTQIA+ grieving experiences
• How societies may design themselves around “grievability” and picking “others” to align against
• Accessing grief as a radical act of hope and rehumanization in the face of dehumanizing oppression
• What people of all backgrounds can learn about supporting themselves and others in grief from 2SLGBTQIA+ grieving experiences.
Colleen Belle
Speaker
In this session, Colleen will explore the topic of, "Intercultural Competence and How Best to Support Newcomer Immigrants through Grief and Bereavement."
Lana MacLean
Speaker
Are there Health disparities in End of Life? Consider African NS Lens
This session will focus on what may be potential barriers that are systemic in nature and cultural nuances within the African Nova Scotian community that impact a referral to hospice care. Let’s journey together to look at co-creating the foundations of a health equity lens in hospice care that meets the diverse needs of all Nova Scotian. Leaning into the African principle of Ubuntu-“ I am because We are. “
Hospice care and pathways to access this valuable person-centered care model to the end of life with dignity. It is reasonable to suggest that hospice has conventionally serviced the needs of White Nova Scotians. Although we do not have desegrated data that captures who is being severed; a brief snapshot may indicate that pathways to hospice care in NS have not been reflective of representation from diversity groups. Health inequity in hospice care must be a consideration on how we provide culturally responsive care to communities such as the African Nova Scotian, Mi’Kmaw and other health equity seeking groups.
Alan Syliboy
Speaker
Presentation: When the Owl Calls Your Name- Exploring Mi’kmaw spirituality, life and death.
"They say when the Owl calls your name, the Creator is calling you home. The owl waits patiently until your final breath, marking the beginning of your journey."
Death and dying are universal experiences, yet often difficult to discuss. In many cultures, the owl is seen as a messenger, guiding those who have passed and offering comfort to those left behind. This presentation will explore how one's belief system can serve as a guide through the imagery of the owl, offering insight into the spiritual and cultural perspectives surrounding death. It will reflect on the significance of these traditions and encourage deeper contemplation of the end-of-life journey, providing a space for reflection on how we understand and prepare for this inevitable passage.
This presentation invites attendees to think critically about their own beliefs and how these can offer comfort and meaning in the face of loss.
Bio
Dr. Amit Arya
Dr. Amit Arya is a Palliative Care Physician with extensive experience across hospital, home care, and long-term care settings. He currently serves as the Medical Director of two outreach teams that provide enhanced supports to ten long-term care homes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), offering specialized palliative care services and capacity building to improve health outcomes for seniors. His work is grounded in a deep commitment to health equity, ensuring that vulnerable seniors, particularly those from marginalized and racialized communities, receive high-quality, culturally safe care.
Dr. Arya is a Lecturer in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University. He has served as a board member for the Canadian Society of Palliative Medicine and Canadian Doctors for Medicare, where he championed policies that promote equitable access to healthcare for all Canadians, including seniors in long-term care.
Known for his advocacy of culturally safe palliative care, Dr. Arya regularly conducts workshops on cultural safety, anti-racism, and the profound impacts these issues have on palliative and long-term care. He is passionate about addressing the systemic barriers faced by racialized and marginalized communities in accessing equitable healthcare and strives to advance these efforts in both clinical and academic settings.
In recognition of his dedication to improving seniors' care, palliative care, and long-term care, Dr. Arya has received several prestigious honors, including an Award of Excellence in Creative Professional Activity and an Award of Excellence in Social Responsibility from the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. He has also been awarded an Award of Excellence from the College of Family Physicians of Canada and was recognized by the Toronto Star as a "Change Maker" for his significant contributions. Dr. Arya’s advocacy extends to education, research, and policy development, with notable coverage in print and broadcast media. He frequently presents to medical students, physicians, interprofessional colleagues, and the public, focusing on the importance of health equity, cultural safety, and advancing palliative care in long-term care settings.
Mal Rose
Mal Rose (they/she) is a Grief Educator and Advocate, End of Life Doula with Certificate, Artist, Writer, and Speaker who has come to view life as a constant state of grieving. Their work, in part co-created and co-researched with its participants, is an at once critical and creative exploration of the role of grief, and the consequences of its suppression, in culture, systems, policy, media, art, and community. Their professional education, and lived experiences as a multi-violence and near-death experience survivor are gifts that allow them to profoundly understand the role grief plays in our ability to make choices, repair conflict, and form secure relationships. They craft spaces for organizations, social movements, groups, and individuals to bring grief to the forefront of the creation of just, ethical systems, and cultures of care.
Colleen Belle
Colleen Belle is the Coordinator of the Welcoming Communities program at the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS), where she has worked since 2019. She has a Master of Arts (with merit) in Cross-Cultural Communication and International Relations from the UK. As a member of the Communities Integration Services (CIS) team at ISANS, her work relates to Intercultural, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (I-EDI) training. Colleen designs, develops, and delivers a variety of I-EDI workshops that empower various audiences. She also participates in working groups and advises on Steering Committees and panels to dismantle systemic racism and provide equitable opportunities for immigrants and marginalized communities.
Colleen utilizes her knowledge and expertise in six fields, her diverse background, and her experiences from managing, marketing, consulting, and tutoring at a university, to provide practical and engaging learning opportunities for various audiences, and to strengthen community capacity and engagement. She is looking forward to engaging with you.
Lana MacLean
As the Director of Community Health and Mental Health, Canadian-born Lana M. MacLean provides a strategic vision to support the development and implementation of programs that address the nuanced needs of Black, Indigenous, Newcomers, Differently Abled and 2LGBTQI++ community mental health needs. She also supports an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals to meet the needs of the communities where they provide primary care and mental healthcare while addressing the social determinants of health and striving for health equity. She supports a community outreach program for seniors and youth regarding inclusion, food security and addressing social isolation.
Lana is a seventh-generation Black Nova Scotian who was raised in the culturally diverse community of Whitney Pier Cape Breton. Lana has called Halifax. NS home for the past 30 years. She holds a bachelor’s in arts in Community Studies from Cape Breton University and a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work from Dalhousie University. Lana is a lifelong learner and recipient of the 2017 Nova Scotia College of Social Worker Ron Stratford Award for Community Social Justice (2018) she received the 2023 Canadian Mental Health Advocate Award in Black Mental Health and in 2024 she was awarded the distinction of being named 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women. In Lana was the lead consultant tasked with developing the IWK Child and Adolescence African Nova Scotian/ Black Mental Health Treatment Service. Lana has a strong passion for health equity, emotional justice and social work in the lives of young Black women, their families and communities.
Alan Syliboy
Alan Syliboy grew up believing that native art was generic. “As a youth, I found painting difficult and painful, because I was unsure of my identity.” But his confidence grew in 1972 when he studied privately with Shirley Bear. He then attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where 25 years later, he was invited to sit on the Board of Governors. Syliboy looked to the indigenous Mi’kmaq petroglyph tradition for inspiration and developed his own artistic vocabulary out of those forms. His popularization of these symbolic icons has conferred on them a mainstream legitimacy that restores community pride in its Mi’kmaq heritage.
Alan still lives and works in Millbrook, NS, where he was born and raised. He is also the author of ‘When the Owl Calls Your Name’, an illustrated book designed for all ages. He creates his art in his studio in Truro, NS.
