FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO, October 25, 2007 – Star honoured for its diversity efforts Harmony Award given for `framing issues, championing solutions’ Robyn Doolittle Staff Reporter After more than a century of fighting for social justice, the Toronto Star has been named as this year’s Harmony Award winner. “We are very proud to be honoured by Harmony, an organization whose mission and mandate is aligned with the best traditions, values and aspirations of the Toronto Star,” said publisher Jagoda Pike, who along with editor-in-chief Fred Kuntz, accepted the award at a banquet last night. “The Star will soon celebrate its 115th birthday and throughout that time it has been a fierce advocate for social, economic and political reforms that work against injustices of all kinds.” “Our continuing vision at the Star, set by our first publisher, Joseph Atkinson, is a nation where harmony and equity are our hallmarks, a 21st-century Canada in which diversity is celebrated and discrimination denounced.” Since its inception in 1994, the Harmony Movement has laid out three objectives for change: launch an education and awareness campaign in the country’s schools; be a strong voice for tolerance when tensions arise; reward those individuals and organizations that consistently promote and uphold the organization’s values. “As someone who grew up in this city, I’ve been reading the Star for 55 years,” said Gordon Cressy, one of Harmony’s co-founders. “I still get it delivered every morning. The Star has always framed the issues and then helped champion solutions. And not just in the stories they’ve told, but the people they’ve hired. I guess it’s all part of the Atkinson legacy around justice.” Cressy, joined by two other Toronto activists, Dr. Joseph Wong and Mary Anne Chambers, who later became an MPP, formed the Harmony Movement. “Since then, we’ve made big strides in Ontario,” said Cheuk Kwan, who has been Harmony’s executive director since 2000. “We’ve gotten away from the simple black vs. white issue here, and now we’re dealing with a post-modern multiculturalism problem.” One of the most prevalent issues on the table today deals with loyalty to Canada versus to someone’s home country, said Kwan. “And this debate raises the question, what exactly are `Canadian values.’” Sexual orientation, gender, disabilities, culture and ethnicity are topics young people in classrooms across the country are addressing, thanks to Harmony. Programs such as Generation Girl, a six-week program designed to get girls in grades 6 and 7 talking about their identity and media influences, and the Harmony Youth Council, which focuses on getting youth to take an active role in bettering their communities, are just two of the ways Harmony is working to create a more inclusive Canada. Harmony has also positioned itself as a strong voice against intolerance, as well as rewarding individuals and organizations that work to uphold its values. Last night the Toronto Star was awarded the Harmony Award for its continuous work to break down diversity barriers in Canada. Past award winners include Stephen Lewis and former Star columnist Michele Landsberg, June Callwood, and Temple Har Zion and Islamic Ja’affari Centre. Kuntz said the paper’s ongoing tradition of fighting for individual and civil liberties has been reflected in the recently launched magazine, Desi Life, which focuses on issues central to the GTA’s South Asian community, a Canada Day series that asked young Canadians “what does being Canadian mean to you?” and the groundbreaking investigation into police racial profiling. “The Star’s coverage has been on the forefront of these issues,” Kuntz said. “It’s part of the reason why we’re the most successful newspaper in the country.” For further information, contact: Cheuk Kwan 416-385-2660 (Harmony Movement) / 416-804-1527 (cell)