Priya Ramsingh
Etobicoke
Author of 'The Elevator' & 'Brown Girl in the Room', wildlife photographer, straight shooter, believer of karma. Tweets are my views only.
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Articles by Priya Ramsingh
Opinion | My novel is being republished after ten years but for the wrong reasons
In 2016, I completed my first novel, achieving a dream I’ve had since I was a young girl, but also liberating a story that had been confined for some time. I wrote the book while in-between jobs, reflecting on my 20-year career in the corporate world. It was only natural that those experiences came flooding out onto the pages, morphing into a fiction story about a woman of colour trying to make her way in the workplace.
Perkopolis for OBOA Members
OBOA Members now have access to over 5000 perks through Perkopolis! To register, go to Perkopolis.com Register your new account using your personal email address and OBOA Member ID number along with the letters OBOA. Example OBOA123456. Look for an email from Perkopolis to complete your registration. You may consider opting-in for e-newsletters when creating your personal Perkopolis accounts to receive new offers and featured products monthly.
CSA Custom Standards - Ontario Building Code Collection - OBOA - Ontario Building Officials Association
200 Marycroft Ave. #8 Woodbridge, ON L4L 5X4 Business Hours 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday – Friday
The OBOA-ITS provides practical training and encourages province-wide consistency
The OBOA is pleased to announce the launch of a new course series called OBOA-ITS (Inspectors Technique Suite). Developed in partnership with RSM Building Consultants, this suite of online courses provides practical skills to help new building inspectors transition to their new role, but also offers insightful tips for seasoned building officials. “These courses focus on the ‘how’,” says Director of Education, Jonathan DeWeerd.
Ontario Building Officials Association
Venue: RBC Place in London Ontario (map) Date: Sept. 29th – Oct.
The OBOA welcomes a new President and new Board members for 2023-2024
October 6, 2023, Vaughan, Ont. – At the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 26th, the Ontario Building Officials Association (OBOA) announced new Board of Directors for 2023-24. For the next two years, the OBOA Board of Directors will be led by President, Andy Jones who has been a member of the OBOA for 30 years, with 12 years on the Board of Directors. “As I step into the role as President of the organization, I know there is a lot to do,” says Andy.
Building Safety Month Poster 2023
200 Marycroft Ave. #8 Woodbridge, ON L4L 5X4 Business Hours 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday – Friday
Brand Identity Guidelines
200 Marycroft Ave. #8 Woodbridge, ON L4L 5X4 Business Hours 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday – Friday
New! CPDP Policy
200 Marycroft Ave. #8 Woodbridge, ON L4L 5X4 Business Hours 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday – Friday
Student Day Agenda
Time Activity Host Location 9:30 am Welcome Student Host Chair, Richard Piersma Room 205 9:45 – 10:30 am Students Tour Exhibition Hall – Collect codes for the Passport Draw Exhibition Hall 10:45 am Greetings OBOA President, Joyanne Beckett Room 205 11:00 – 12 noon OBOA Presentation John Lane, OBOA Vice President & Joe Sirianni, George Brown College Room 205 12 noon – 1 pm Passport Draw and Lunch 1:00 – 1:40 pm Ask a Building Official Richard Piersma & Building Officials TBD 1:40 – 3:00...
Building Safety Month May 2023
May is Building Safety Month and this year, we are celebrating with four new posters with the following themes: Safe, sustainable, and affordable homes Download PDF: English French Jpeg for social media: English French Secondary Suites Download PDF: English French Jpeg for social media: English French Short-term rentals Download PDF: English French Jpeg for social media: English French Recruitment Download PDF: English French Jpeg for social media: English French Download: English French...
Ontario Declares May as Building Safety Month
May 01, 2023, TORONTO ― Today, the Ontario government declared May to be Building Safety Month. This recognizes the importance of the province’s Building Code and the critical role building officials play in maintaining public health and safety, while making it easier and faster to build new homes.
Ontario Building Officials Association
Award-Winning Broadcaster | Toronto Raptors Game Analyst | TSN’s Basketball Insider Best known as the colourful and entertaining voice of the 2019 NBA Championship winning team, the Toronto Raptors, Jack Arms trong has spent more than two decades covering basketball for TSN and NBA TV. Prior to this, he spent a decade as the head basketball coach at Niagara University, where he was named Division I New York State and MAAC Coach of the Year.
AMTS 2023 Companion Program
Day 1 Time Details Falls Incline All -Day Pass 9:15AM Meet at Hotel/Take Incline to Niagara Parks Attractions 10:00AM Niagara Parks Power Station – Guided Tour & Tailrace Tunnel Experience (10 minute walk) 11:45AM Table Rock House Restaurant/ Queen Victoria Place Restaurant 1:15PM Journey Behind the Falls (located beneath the Table Rock Resturant) 2:45 PM Hornblower (Walk from Table Rock – 20 min walk each way) 4:15PM Meet at Incline/Return to Hotel 5:00 PM FREE NIGHT Day 2 Time Details...
Build Your Own Building Official
Here’s why you need to become a member of the OBOA: The current state in Ontario 1.5 million homes being built in the next 10-years New changes to the building code coming up in 2024 Municipalities have a shortage of building officials Challenges – Recruitment, retention, keeping up with ongoing legislative changes How can municipalities keep up with recruitment challenges and upcoming changes?
Ontario Building Officials Association
Please note, these details will continue to evolve as we near the conference date. Sunday, Sept.
New CEO to lead the OBOA
April 5th, Vaughan, Ont. – The OBOA is pleased to announce that effective May 1st, Lawrence Wagner will join the organization as the new CEO. Lawrence brings over 15 years of experience in the public sector, having worked with the Ontario government in senior leadership roles.
Social Media Kit for Building Safety Month
200 Marycroft Ave. #8 Woodbridge, ON L4L 5X4 Business Hours 8:00am to 4:30pm Monday – Friday
The OBOA hires new Director of Education
July 19, 2023, Vaughan, Ont. – The OBOA is pleased to announce that effective August 8th, 2023, Jonathan DeWeerd will step into the role as Director of Education. “I’m looking forward to this new role,” says Jonathan. “I’ve been an active member of the OBOA since 2013, upgrading my skills through the various training courses, attending the AMTS whenever possible and serving as a Board Member for the past two years.
Opinion | The lure of — and the luring of — Snowy Owls
Feeding Snowy Owls on private land for photos is an ethical issue, not a legal one in Ontario. By Priya RamsinghContributor Mon., Jan. 24, 2022timer2 min. read I credit Snowy Owls for my addiction to wildlife photography. I’ve been living in Toronto for decades but it was only in 2019 that I realized these magical creatures wintered in southern Ontario, not far from home. Since then, I’ve anticipated the arrival of the white owls every winter and spend countless hours searching fields on frigid days.
Opinion | You can photograph wild coyotes, but please don’t feed them
By Priya RamsinghContributor Sun., Nov. 28, 2021timer2 min. read My first coyote sighting was a scary moment. I was walking through a park with my camera when my eye caught shapes in the grass. Looking closer, I noticed two coyotes sleeping in the field no more than 50 feet away from me. My heart began to thump, and I backed away. A man walked by, noticed my camera, smiled and said, “There are two beautiful animals over there.” “The coyotes?” I said.
Opinion | Do your part to protect migrating birds this spring Original
By Priya RamsinghContributor Wed., May 12, 2021timer3 min. read updateArticle was updated 18 mins ago The yellow warbler peeks out coyly from behind a leafy branch. I lift my camera and focus. Suddenly it flits out in the open and releases a series of high-pitched musical notes that waft through the air. I click my shutter and capture the moment. Within seconds it’s gone. It must have arrived days earlier, after having flown across the ocean from somewhere down south.
May is Building Safety Month!
by Priya Ramsingh | Apr 20, 2021 | Building Safety Month, Featured Spotlight Every May, the building industry celebrates Building Safety Month to create awareness about safety and the importance of the Ontario Building Code. This year, the OBOA’s Building Safety Month campaign theme is, How to plan your construction project – some important steps. While Ontario is still practicing social distancing, homeowners can use this checklist to start planning for upcoming renos to homes and cottages.
What about Black Lives Matter makes you uncomfortable?
By Priya RamsinghContributor Thu., June 11, 2020timer3 min. read What is it about Black Lives Matter that ticks you off? Yeah you. You know who you are. This is for you. The first time I heard the name, I thought it was clever. It made sense. It hit home. The group was created right after a jury acquitted a Caucasian man of shooting Trayvon Martin, an unarmed Black teen walking through a gated community on his way to his father’s house from the convenience store. The defence?
The curse of a foreign-sounding name in today’s job market
By Priya Ramsingh Sat., Nov. 30, 2013timer3 min. read I learned the meaning of my name when I was in my early 20s while waitressing at a United Nations event in university. I presented a tray of cheese to an attendee who peered at my name tag and asked if I knew what it meant. I didn’t, I confessed. He was all too keen to impart the knowledge that the origin of my name was Sanskrit and it meant “my beloved.” I remember blushing at the translation and wondered if it was just a pick-up line.
Opinion | Cutting social programs in Ontario a step backward
If it weren’t for OSAP, I may not have gone to university. I remember those days when my classmates talked about funds being deposited into their accounts every month, and I wondered what it would be like to never worry about money for school. I remember listening to stories about cottages and cleaning ladies, and said nothing about my working class, immigrant family. Back in those days, OSAP came in the form of grants and loans for qualifying students, like me.
Opinion | Does anyone understand racism in Ontario?
It’s interesting when people say they aren’t racist because they have black friends. Outwardly, they may have coffee with these friends, or compliment their hair. Perhaps they even work together and do lunch. But what do people really think when they pass a stranger who happens to be black, as they walk down the street in the evening? On March 21, the world celebrated the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Opinion | Together, women are better
Last summer I was approached by a photographer named Lisa MacIntosh to be part of the ASK Inspirational Women series. At first, I thought she had mistaken me for someone else. Photos of ASK women had graced my feed on social media many times, so I was tremendously flattered when she assured me that it was indeed me that she was looking for. The series highlights women across the country for their personal and professional successes.
Opinion | Together, women are better
Last summer I was approached by a photographer named Lisa MacIntosh to be part of the ASK Inspirational Women series. At first, I thought she had mistaken me for someone else. Photos of ASK women had graced my feed on social media many times, so I was tremendously flattered when she assured me that it was indeed me that she was looking for. The series highlights women across the country for their personal and professional successes.
Opinion | Together, women are better
Last summer I was approached by a photographer named Lisa MacIntosh to be part of the ASK Inspirational Women series. At first, I thought she had mistaken me for someone else. Photos of ASK women had graced my feed on social media many times, so I was tremendously flattered when she assured me that it was indeed me that she was looking for. The series highlights women across the country for their personal and professional successes.
Opinion | Black history isn’t just for school children
There’s a video with Morgan Freeman talking about Black History Month and why he doesn’t believe it should exist. When I first saw it years ago, I saw his point. Packing historical facts about black culture and history into one month of the year made little sense to me. Why was it separate from regular history? Growing up in school, much of history class was about the contributions of European and British people who founded the country and established the laws.
Opinion | Black history isn’t just for school children
There’s a video with Morgan Freeman talking about Black History Month and why he doesn’t believe it should exist. When I first saw it years ago, I saw his point. Packing historical facts about black culture and history into one month of the year made little sense to me. Why was it separate from regular history? Growing up in school, much of history class was about the contributions of European and British people who founded the country and established the laws.
With NHL dreams, black hockey player overcomes abuse on and off the ice
Kids used to call Givani Smith ‘white’ when he was growing up. That’s because the former Guelph Storm Right Wing player was the only black kid playing hockey in his Rexdale neighbourhood when he was growing up in the late ’90s. When Givani’s parents came to Canada from Jamaica, they found themselves intrigued by the country’s national sport, and soon became a Leafs fans.
With NHL dreams, black hockey player overcomes abuse on and off the ice
Kids used to call Givani Smith ‘white’ when he was growing up. That’s because the former Guelph Storm Right Wing player was the only black kid playing hockey in his Rexdale neighbourhood when he was growing up in the late ’90s. When Givani’s parents came to Canada from Jamaica, they found themselves intrigued by the country’s national sport, and soon became a Leafs fans.
Opinion | I am proud to be an immigrant
A year ago this month, my father passed away from a tragic car accident. He was making his way across a poorly lit crosswalk, and the driver failed to stop. It was in the news. My sister and I spent days rallying around my mother, planning a funeral as quickly as we could, knowing my father would not want delays. Afterward, financial details occupied most of my thoughts and I spent most of 2018 helping my mother transition to a life without a partner by her side for the first time in 51 years.
Opinion | I am proud to be an immigrant
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Opinion | I am proud to be an immigrant
A year ago this month, my father passed away from a tragic car accident. He was making his way across a poorly lit crosswalk, and the driver failed to stop. It was in the news. My sister and I spent days rallying around my mother, planning a funeral as quickly as we could, knowing my father would not want delays. Afterward, financial details occupied most of my thoughts and I spent most of 2018 helping my mother transition to a life without a partner by her side for the first time in 51 years.
RELATIONSHIPS: Reconnecting with your childhood crush
How much changes after 35 years — and how much stays the same? I never forgot my childhood crush.  Over the years through dead-end relationships and dating disasters, I would go back to that comforting place in grade four and wonder about the cute boy who captured my attention and still held a special place in my memory. The fantasy of reconnecting years later often presented itself in my mind. What was he doing now? Would he remember me?
Opinion | Yes, that 'brown-skinned woman' celebrates Christmas
I’ve always celebrated Christmas even though my family is Hindu. Trinidadians are like that. I suppose it stems from growing up on a small island known for its diasporas from India, Africa, China, England … oh, I could go on. This amalgamation of cultures happened long before North Americans started bragging about multi-culturalism. And way before ‘diversity’. Eventually, when so many different people live together in one tiny country surrounded by water, everyone starts to share.
Opinion | For me Diwali is about celebrating progress
I used to celebrate Diwali in secret. Back when I was growing up, the Hindu tradition known as the Festival of Lights was one of those ‘weird immigrant rituals’ that was best kept inside the home. At the time, Rexdale was a growing multi-cultural neighbourhood, but we were all doing our best to fly under the wire and fit in with the Canadians. So when the day rolled around every year and my mother was cleaning the house and planning a dinner, I kept quiet.
Opinion | For me Diwali is about celebrating progress
I used to celebrate Diwali in secret. Back when I was growing up, the Hindu tradition known as the Festival of Lights was one of those ‘weird immigrant rituals’ that was best kept inside the home. At the time, Rexdale was a growing multi-cultural neighbourhood, but we were all doing our best to fly under the wire and fit in with the Canadians. So when the day rolled around every year and my mother was cleaning the house and planning a dinner, I kept quiet.
Each day we are only as good as that cup of coffee
How many women does it take to make a cup of coffee? If you said one, you’re wrong. When you’re waiting impatiently in line at the Tim Hortons drive-through in the morning, you should know that the cup of java that makes or breaks your day is the result of thousands of women working together for your morning brew. That’s why this year’s theme for International Coffee Day, is Women in Coffee.
Opinion | Do you subconsciously discriminate?
My mother was a manager in the food services industry for over two decades. She would often come home frustrated with stories about her staff being approached with catering requests, or suppliers approaching them to sign for deliveries while she stood by and watched. For some reason, she didn’t ‘look’ like the manager. Do I need to point out that her staff were Caucasian, or did you already assume? It’s happened to me many times.
Opinion | Do you subconsciously discriminate?
My mother was a manager in the food services industry for over two decades. She would often come home frustrated with stories about her staff being approached with catering requests, or suppliers approaching them to sign for deliveries while she stood by and watched. For some reason, she didn’t ‘look’ like the manager. Do I need to point out that her staff were Caucasian, or did you already assume? It’s happened to me many times.
Opinion | Before the Canadian brand of diversity, there was a mosaic
I grew up in a multicultural community in the late 1970s. Back then, the suburb of Rexdale northwest of Toronto was filled with first generation families trying to fit in as new Canadians. There was discrimination for sure.
Opinion | We can no longer afford to whitewash our history
The first Indigenous person I met was in university. She lived in my residence and was quite open to sharing stories about her life on the East Coast reserve where her family lived. I still think about those conversations because it was my first introduction into Indigenous culture. Sure, I learned about “Indians” in high school. The treaties between the Canadian military, Tecumseh and the high-level facts from the Ontario curriculum. But I learned about residential schools from the media.
Is diversity more than a brand?
A few years ago, I had a job interview for a contract position. As I answered the standard queries posed to me by the panel, the inevitable question made its appearance. “What does diversity mean to you?” The eager faces around the table had shined in anticipation and I remember pausing in confusion.
Don’t deny my right to celebrate Christmas | Toronto Star
“I was going to wrap them up,” she said, red faced. “But I wasn’t sure if you celebrated Christmas or not.” The words hung in the air and I blinked before finding my response. One day, five years after my display had morphed bigger and bigger, I found my next door neighbour at my front door, sheepish-faced and a box of cookie wafers in her hand.
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