Board and Staff

Board of Directors

Ingrid Wilson (2007) Chair-person
Evan Heise (2005) Vice-Chair
Joanne Gittens (2006)
Jeremy Donaldson (2006)
Sandra Appiah-Kubi (2009)
Mona Mann (2008)
Chris Baines (2008)
Derek Grant (2009)
Gregory Wilson (2009)
Tanya Jeffers-McAllister (2009)

Staff Members

Joanne Page - Executive Director
Ext 24, jpage@cmsd.org

Cheryl Rodgers - Director of Training and Volunteer Program
Ext 39, crodgers@cmsd.org

Forouz Masrour - Case Manager and Outreach Coordinator,
Community Transformation Program
Ext 41, fmasrour@cmsd.org

Behnaz Moein - Coordinator, Iranian Family Wellbeing
Project/Tarhe Behrouzi Khanevadeh
Ext. 34, bmoein@cmsd.org

Angela Klassen - Program Coordinator, Youth Justice Committee
Ext 44, aklassen@cmsd.org

Shawna Williams - Restorative Justice Youth Program Case Manager
Ext 45, swilliams@cmsd.org

CMS-D History and Timeline

In 1986 Mennonite Central Committee Ontario (MCC) asked Evan Heise (Founding Director of CMS-D) to investigate where in Toronto a Victim Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) might be established. VORP was a concept developed by MCC in the 1970s. Heise soon discovered that Ontario courts in the mid-1980s were not amenable to the VORP notion. There was, however, a growing movement in North America to apply the same mediation concepts used in VORP, to community conflicts prior to the stage of police involvement or criminal charges. Ruth Morris had begun such a program downtown at St. Stephens Community House in 1985.

In the spring of 1986, the residents committee at 15 Tobermory (a high-rise public housing building) organized a community meeting to observe a mediation simulation and discuss the possibility of initiating a conflict resolution program for the thousand or so residents of that high-rise community. Several volunteers of St. Stephens Conflict Resolution Service joined Heise to make a presentation. In their wisdom, the participants at that first public meeting said that while an alternative service for resolving conflicts was needed, they felt it should be more broadly based than just their building and suggested that a meeting of local agencies and community organizations be convened to consider the idea. The resulting meeting involved representation from 15 agencies or organizations including the police and the Jane and Finch Community and Family Centre. This meeting also affirmed the need for a conflict resolution service in the community. In addition, the group felt that a separate organization needed to be established for the service. As a result of that meeting, a group of interested individuals started a process of developing a new organization.

The organizing group struggled with a name for the community service. They realized that the catchment area may one day be larger than Downsview, but wanted the world to know that this wonderful program originated here. Eventually, the name "Conflict Mediation Services of Downsview" was chosen by the committee. The plural "services" was to recognize that there are a variety of services that fall under the term mediation. In fact, within two years of opening business, CMS-D not only offered mediation but also pioneered a playground conflict management program, offered high school peer mediation training, and then began to develop a Victim/ Offender Reconciliation Program.

In January 1987, CMS-D began offering community mediation services from a desk in a community room in Driftwood Community Centre with Pat O'Neil as the first Program Co-ordinator. Heise and O'Neill shared that desk on a half-time basis. From that humble beginning CMS-D has established a credible conflict resolution organization that serves a much larger community with the following programs and services:

Community (serves former city of North York)
Restorative Justice Initiatives (serves city of Toronto)
Training and Consulting for Organizations and Businesses (serves city of Toronto and the GTA)
School and Youth Programs (serves former city of North York)

1986

Needs assessment via community meetings and the Network of Community Based Organizations in Jane-Finch/Jane-Sheppard organizations
Advisory Committee selected for project development and staff selection

1987

Mennonite Central Committee Ontario helps to found the organization with development funding
Community mediation service begins with shared space at Driftwood Community Centre and two half-time staff members

1988

The office moves to Yorkwoods Gate Plaza
April - Incorporation is complete
November – Charitable status is granted

1989

First High School Peer Mediation Program in the Greater Toronto Area begins at Father Brébeuf (the only other in Ontario began one year earlier in Ottawa)
The staff team is increased by one member
Materials are developed in Spanish and outreach materials are translated into three South Asian languages

1990

Increasing emphasis on school programs and wider exploration of the application of conflict resolution models

1991

Funding to pilot a Victim/Young Offender Mediation Program for two years
Summer Conflict Resolution Program begins – offering conflict resolution and anti-violence workshops to children and youth in the community

1992

Office moves to the Red Cross offices on Finch Avenue West

1993

Programs are up and running: Community Mediation, Victim/Young Offender Mediation Program, Peer Mediation Training for Schools, Summer Conflict Resolution Program

1994

Office moves to 95 Eddystone Avenue (current location in 2003)

1995

Funding for Victim/Offender Program diminishes

1996

The Founder, Evan Heise, leaves “the fold” to work for Mennonite Central Committee full-time
Partnership with Black Creek Focus and the five National banks and one trust company to provide improved access to banking services for low-income, refugee and newcomer activities (6 year project, ends in 2002)

1997

10th year in operation
Court Diversion Program for Private Information Court at the North York Courts begins
Internship Program with York University Program begins

1998

CMS-D Celebrates 10 year anniversary at the June Annual General Meeting, local councillor Maria Augimeri presents CMS-D with an award
Funding for a 2-year partnership with Salvador Del Mundo/Upwoods Park Co-op to pilot an internal multi-cultural mediation service for Co-op residents

1999

The victim/offender program is re-established with core dollars and with a 2-year project through Breaking the Cycle of Violence Grants (City of Toronto)
Plans are developed to increase revenues though training and consulting services

2000

CMS-D offers a Community Mediation elective through York University’s Certificate in Dispute Resolution Program
2-year funding through National Crime Prevention Centre (Department of Justice) is received for the Partners for Conflict Resolution project aimed to develop an holistic conflict resolution and social skills program for K-OAC family of schools in the Jane-Finch community

2001

Judy Sgro (M.P, York West) recognizes CMS-D in the House of Commons “for developing community based programs to respond to crime with an emphasis on children and youth”, and is commended for, “hard work in fighting crime and keeping Canada’s communities safe
Minister of Justice/Attorney General and the Solicitor General of Canada presents CMS-D with an award “for its commitment to creating safer communities in Canada”
CMS-D received $325,000 over five years from Trillium foundation to help maintain programs and services and develop a long-term plan for sustainability

2002

15th year in operation
CMS-D increases space and updates technology
Service levels at an all-time high
Funding for the partners for conflict resolution project runs out despite success of program and government recognition

2003

CMS-D celebrates 15 year anniversary at the June Annual General Meeting
United Way funds a 1-year project called “Help Increase the Peace – HIP” to deal with intergenerational conflict, violence, and peer pressure within the Caribbean youth community
National Crime Prevention Centre funds year one of the “Youth Empowerment Strategy”, a project aimed at empowering youth to develop a crime prevention initiative in the Jane-Finch community

2004

CMS-D starts the Diverse Voices Project to connect with ethno-specific groups such as Spanish, Portuguese, Afghani, Somali and Caribbean.
The “Youth Empowerment Strategy continues for phase II

2005

CMS-D is selected to administer the Youth Justice Committee for the Etobicoke and North York Communities
CMS-D is chosen by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to be a demonstration site for Restorative Justice for the province of Ontario

2006

CMS-D is given funds, through a United Way Newcomers’ Grant, to develop a Somali Peace Building Project
CMS-D rolls out its Creating a Space to Transform (C.A.S.T.) Project, with the generous support of National Crime Prevention