There’s something big going on in Mississauga – so let’s shine the ELN spotlight on a member who calls this city home! Alex Lach is a long standing ELN member and currently Director of Outreach at Many Feathers Co-Op. A passionate city builder, Alex has led outreach and relationship building projects for a number of business and community groups in Mississauga. He is an avid community volunteer and connector, volunteering his time and energy to United Way of Peel Region’s Young Leaders Council, the Co-working Mississauga Committee, and Jane’s Walk!
To learn more about Alex, read his spotlight below.
I was born in …
Poland
I currently live in …
Mississauga, Ontario
Diverse leadership is important because…
Having a wide range of voices from different backgrounds and experiences ensures that leadership is provided by people who harness knowledge of their lived experience.
Civic engagement is important because …
Our region is growing, evolving and never static, civic engagement ensures that we harness the growing voices in our communities to make daily impacts in people’s lives so that people feel like they are involved in key decisions.
The issues in our region that keep me up at night are…
Connection of suburbs, a lot of city building is done in downtown Toronto, but you see the lack of established city building networks throughout GTHA suburbs.
My greatest city-building accomplishment to date is …
This would be my work with Many Feathers Co-op. We have been able to build a functioning Farmers Market, develop community gardens and engage our local community through unique projects.
One thing I do to ensure I continue to grow and develop as a leader is…
I always try to talk city building with others. I find that sharing knowledge and experiences gives you the opportunity to learn both best practices and innovative ideas.
One characteristic every leader should possess is …
Ability to be open to new ideas, I think that having an open mind always helps a leader when developing new skills.
If you want to get more engaged in your city or community you should ….
Read your local news and attend community events. There are neighborhoods throughout our region where not enough people participate in local issues.
To me, an inclusive city/region/GTHA looks like…
Ensuring that many diverse voices are heard, sometimes we forget that our region is more than downtown Toronto. So we need to provide avenues for all to be heard.
One of my favourite places in the GTHA to go to is ….
I love walking in Toronto! My favorite spots are along the Harborfront, and one of my favorite views of the city is from Corktown Common Park.
A hobby/talent of mine that people may not know about …
I love to read, and I cannot go anywhere without having a book on me! I have read up to 100 books for 2017.
If I could have dinner with anyone, living or deceased ….
I would love to sit down and have dinner with Jane Jacobs. I think she was very determined and honest about her views on city building and it would be interesting to get her opinions on how the region has developed.
Filed Under: Faces of ELN