About Us

Welcoming Grey Bruce is the official website of Welcoming Communities Grey Bruce, a not-for-profit organization committed to building a welcoming and inclusive community for all residents in the region by:

  • Supporting newcomers, immigrants and refugees with their settlement needs,
  • Providing information, education and activities for newcomers and the community to reduce barriers and support an inclusive community, and
  • Working together with community organizations, groups, government and business to build a welcoming and inclusive Grey Bruce.

Meet our Board of Directors

Board Members June 10,2020

Waleed Aslam

Waleed has a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and BA from McMaster University in Hamilton. Currently he is a Caseworker with Grey County Ontario Works and is active with the Muslim Association of Owen Sound.

Manpreet Kaur Sangha

Manpreet is an Economic Development Officer with Bruce County and previously worked as an Economic Development Officer for the City of Estevan, Saskatchewan. She was on the Board of Directors with the Saskatchewan Summer Games as the Director of Ceremonies and Protocol. She has a MBA and Bachelor Degrees in Economics and Business Administration.

Donald Anderson

Donald has a Masters of Sociology, diplomas in Rehabilitative Services and Dietary Management and over 28 years of experience as a community volunteer. He volunteers with the CNIB Foundation, Good Neighbours Network and on the municipal Access Committee. Since he lost his sight he has worked as a Volunteer Manager, the Coordinator of a mental health Distress Line, CNIB and Reception and Information Services with CMHA.

Muna Shrestha

Muna holds a Masters of Business Studies (MBS) and a Bachelor of Science from Tribhuvan University, Nepal and working in Banking and Financial services in Nepal for 10 years. Since coming to Canada, Muna worked in Saskatchewan and now in Owen Sound with RBC. She was also involved in Open Door Society and Global Gathering in Saskatoon as interpreter for Bhutanese refugees in Saskatoon.

David Morris

David has a Bachelor and Masters of Science in Crop Science from The University of Guelph. He has worked for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and as self-employed consultant (research, coordination, crop production, soil management). He has volunteered for many years with Grey Bruce Newcomer Network and most recently with the New to Grey, and Making Grey Bruce Home newcomer projects.

Colleen Purdon

Colleen has worked on national, provincial and regional community development projects focusing on violence prevention, poverty and womens’ equality issues in rural communities. She worked as the Executive Director of The Women’s Centre (Grey Bruce) and Coordinator for Violence Prevention Grey Bruce. Colleen is a founding member of the Inclusive Communities Committee and the Grey Bruce One World Festival. She has chaired the Making Grey Bruce Home Advisory Committee, and is currently co-chairing the Rural Pathways for Newcomer Women project. Colleen has a Bachelor of Music and Diploma in Music Therapy.

Nicholas Forrester

Nicholas is a Minister of Religion from Jamaica. He holds a B.A. in Theology from the International University of the Caribbean and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Business Administration with a focus on Leadership, Strategy, and Human Resource Management from the University of Liverpool. Nicholas is the minister of Central-Westside United Church active and has worked with Seasonal Offshore Workers from the Caribbean on Canadians farms in Southern Ontario.

Azar Azad

Not pictured.
Bio coming soon.

Mokless Hassan

Not pictured.
Bio coming soon.

Welcoming Communities Grey Bruce Strategic Plan

Strategic Planning – Welcoming Communities Grey Bruce – Jan 26, 2020

Inclusive Communities Committee

The Inclusive Communities Committee was founded in 2006 to address racism and discrimination towards Indigenous peoples in Grey Bruce.  It held two successful ‘Weaving Our Communities’ conferences and developed a training module on racism and discrimination for service providers and community organizations.  For the past 10 years, the committee has focused its attention on celebrating our diversity in Grey Bruce through its annual Grey Bruce One World Festival held every year in May in Owen Sound.  Over 1,000 children from all over Grey Bruce attend this one-day festival every year.  Find out more about the one world festival here:
www.greybruceoneworldfestival.org