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A new lecture series at U of T Scarborough will feature a former
student as its first speaker. Dr. Justine Blainey-Broker, a
member of the class of 95 and winner of a U of T Scarborough 40th
Anniversary Alumni Award, will deliver the inaugural
“Perspectives on Leadership” lecture on Monday, January
29th.
“The ‘Perspectives on Leadership’ Lecture Series is
designed to give our students the opportunity to hear about a wide
variety of leadership experiences and perspectives,” said Drew
Dudley, Coordinator of Campus Life and Leadership Development at U of
T Scarborough. “Dr. Blainey-Broker’s story is one
that I feel will really resonate with our students. She set a
goal for herself at a very young age, and her successful pursuit of
that goal helped shape the world our students currently live in.
She’s a great example of the fact that leadership can begin any
time in your life.”
Justine Blainey-Broker
In 1981, when she was still in grade school, Blainey-Broker won a spot
on a Metro Toronto Hockey League Team (MTHL) but was denied the chance
to play because MTHL regulations did not permit women in the league.
When she addressed a complaint to the Human Rights Commission,
Blainey-Broker learned that, at the time, the Ontario Human Rights
Code specifically allowed sexual discrimination in sports.
Choosing to appeal the Ontario law, Blainey-Broker endured five
different court cases before finally having her case heard by the
Supreme Court of Canada in 1986.
The Supreme Court upheld her appeal, striking down the portion of the
Ontario Human Rights Code allowing for sexual discrimination. Her
battle opened the door for women to compete with men in sports in
Ontario.
However, her victory did not come without incident. While standing up
for fairness and equality, Blainey-Broker faced instances of
discrimination, cruelty, threats of kidnapping and violence and
significant social pressure.
Her fighting spirit came to the forefront once again in 1993, this
time as Blainey-Broker attended U of T Scarborough. Despite the fact
that U of T’s women’s hockey team had just won a
provincial championship (in fact, they had won 13 of the last 15
championships), a task force recommended that the University cut the
team for financial reasons.
Blainey-Broker, then a member of the team, organized a “Save the
Team” night that raised $8,000. She personally called 100 alumni
during a one-week fundraising blitz. These efforts not only helped
save the team, but also increased its funding. Two years later, the
University Affairs Board of Governing Council voted to provide equal
funding for women’s and men’s intercollegiate sports.
A National Scholar while at U of T Scarborough, Blainey-Broker worked
to improve the experience of first-year students at both the
Scarborough and St. George campuses by initiating and promoting a
series of ongoing meetings between first-year students and the faculty
and administration.
Today, Blainey-Broker is a mother of two and operates the Justine
Blainey-Broker Wellness Centre, a chiropractic practice in Brampton,
with her brother. She continues to promote equality through public
speaking.
“We are thrilled to present such a groundbreaking leader as the
initial speaker for this series,” said Dudley. “I
encourage everyone to join us on January 29th to hear this amazing
story about battling intolerance and prejudice in order to open doors
to gender equality.”
The inaugural “Perspectives on Leadership” lecture
featuring Dr. Justine Blainey-Broker will be held on Monday, January
29th, at 7:00 p.m. in room S309 at the University of Toronto
Scarborough. Students can RSVP to the event through the U of T
Scarborough intranet:
https://intranet.utsc.utoronto.ca/booking.php?eventid=63894