--- title: The Latest | Leena Sharma Seth description: "Leena has been working to empower communities and individuals for over two decades. Passionate about social justice and creating equitable communities, Leena has leveraged this passion in service for organizations that include Global Vision (Kuala Lumpur), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton, and the Halton Poverty Roundtable. Leena is a trained community mediator and completed a Master's in Conflict Analysis & Management at Royal Roads University in 2012. Leena enjoys designing inclusive processes and facilitating spaces that are conducive to connection, communication, and collective action. She recently completed the Circle Way Practicum, deep training in a body of work that draws on our collective, ancient, and inherent wisdom to gather inclusively. Leena hopes to mainstream “circle” as a collaborative process that teaches organizations and communities to work together more holistically. Leena is a Collective Impact champion, having witnessed its power to accelerate impact in her work at the Halton Poverty Roundtable, and looks forward to supporting communities in Canada to realize their collaborative goals to eliminate poverty in their respective communities." --- [![20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Administration/Tamarack%20Logos/20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png?width=200&height=47&name=20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png "20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange")](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/?hsLang=en-us) # The Latest Contribute. We love to hear your thoughts, your musings and your latest work. Please share with us! [![Write a post](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/316071/33819a55-1164-4664-8ab0-c9fe2f42d6f1.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/316071/33819a55-1164-4664-8ab0-c9fe2f42d6f1) #### Subscribe. Be in the know. Get the latest updates about community change and building vibrant communities. [Learn More](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/subscribe?hsLang=en-us) × - [Climate Change & SDGs](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/climate-transitions) - [Collective Impact](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/collective-impact) - [Community Engagement](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/community-engagement) - [Community Development](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/cities-deepening-community) - [Evaluation](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/evaluation) - [Innovation](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/community-innovation) - [Leadership](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/collaborative-leadership) - [Poverty](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/cities-reducing-poverty) - [Youth](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/topic/communities-building-youth-futures) ## Leena Sharma Seth ![Leena Sharma Seth](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/Headshot%20Leena%20Sharma%20Seth.jpg) Leena has been working to empower communities and individuals for over two decades. Passionate about social justice and creating equitable communities, Leena has leveraged this passion in service for organizations that include Global Vision (Kuala Lumpur), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Halton, and the Halton Poverty Roundtable. Leena is a trained community mediator and completed a Master's in Conflict Analysis & Management at Royal Roads University in 2012. Leena enjoys designing inclusive processes and facilitating spaces that are conducive to connection, communication, and collective action. She recently completed the Circle Way Practicum, deep training in a body of work that draws on our collective, ancient, and inherent wisdom to gather inclusively. Leena hopes to mainstream “circle” as a collaborative process that teaches organizations and communities to work together more holistically. Leena is a Collective Impact champion, having witnessed its power to accelerate impact in her work at the Halton Poverty Roundtable, and looks forward to supporting communities in Canada to realize their collaborative goals to eliminate poverty in their respective communities. ### Recent Posts [![](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/Income-852882-edited.jpg) ](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/update-on-ontarios-basic-income-pilot?hsLang=en-us) ### [Update on Ontario's Basic Income Pilot](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/update-on-ontarios-basic-income-pilot?hsLang=en-us) Posted by [Leena Sharma Seth](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/author/leena-sharma-seth) on August 20, 2018 Only hours after we posted a blog exploring [reflections on the Ontario basic income pilot, ](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/basic-income-in-practice-reflections-from-the-ontario-basic-income-pilot?hsLang=en-us)two weeks ago, the Ontario government announced the cancellation of the pilot within 100 days. The Ontario basic income pilot, which reached its full enrolment in April of this year, with 4000 participants, in Thunder Bay, Hamilton, and Lindsay, was scheduled to run for three years, with an in-depth evaluation of the impact of this pilot afterwards. The Progressive Conservatives are discontinuing it after only eight months — despite Premier-elect (now Premier) [Doug Ford’s commitment](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/04/24/ontarios-basic-income-experiment-would-continue-under-doug-ford.html) to continuing the pilot if successfully elected. [Read More](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/update-on-ontarios-basic-income-pilot?hsLang=en-us) [![](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/Picture1-612932-edited.png) ](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/basic-income-in-practice-reflections-from-the-ontario-basic-income-pilot?hsLang=en-us) ### [Basic Income in Practice: Reflections from the Ontario Basic Income Pilot](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/basic-income-in-practice-reflections-from-the-ontario-basic-income-pilot?hsLang=en-us) Posted by [Leena Sharma Seth](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/author/leena-sharma-seth) on July 30, 2018 The Ontario Basic Income pilot project is just over a year into its three year mandate and, it’s clear, from the emerging narrative of pilot participants, the provincially-funded program announced in 2017 is already changing lives and restoring a sense of dignity. In Hamilton, Thunder Bay and Lindsay, Ontario 4,000 people are now enrolled in this social policy experiment to determine whether providing a basic income enables low income participants to maintain housing, eat better, stay healthier and engage in work. In May, Hamilton hosted the 17th annual [North American Basic Income Congress](https://www.basicincomecanada.org/2018_nabig_congress_presentations). The 2018 Congress was organized in collaboration with McMaster University, the [Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction](https://hamiltonpoverty.ca/preview/), Low Income Families Together (in Toronto), and other partners. The Congress [brought together basic income pilot participants](https://www.basicincomecanada.org/nabig_congress_2018), academics, politicians, researchers, community allies, and academic champions of the basic income concept from across the globe.  [Read More](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/basic-income-in-practice-reflections-from-the-ontario-basic-income-pilot?hsLang=en-us) [![](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/Photos/Image%20Library/panel-714615-edited.png) ](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/community-benefits-summit-highlights-opportunity-for-more-inclusive-prosperity?hsLang=en-us) ### [Community Benefits Summit Highlights Opportunity for More Inclusive Prosperity](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/community-benefits-summit-highlights-opportunity-for-more-inclusive-prosperity?hsLang=en-us) Posted by [Leena Sharma Seth](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/author/leena-sharma-seth) on April 3, 2018 Two types of social wealth building initiatives are on the rise: Community Benefit Agreements (CBA) and Social Procurement. Scotland, Los Angeles, the Vancouver Olympics, and even the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games/Parapan Am Games were amongst the first to adopt CBA's and social procurement adoption. In fact, Ontario is the first Canadian jurisdiction to pass legislation on CBAs. Ontario’s [Bill 6](http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2998), the *Infrastructure for Jobs and Prosperity Act*, received Royal Ascent in 2015 and the regulations to support this policy are currently in development. [Read More](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/community-benefits-summit-highlights-opportunity-for-more-inclusive-prosperity?hsLang=en-us) [![](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/Headshot_LSharmaSeth-641223-edited.jpg) ](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/hello-fellow-social-change-agents?hsLang=en-us) ### [Hello Fellow Social Change Agents - An Introduction](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/hello-fellow-social-change-agents?hsLang=en-us) Posted by [Leena Sharma Seth](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/author/leena-sharma-seth) on February 20, 2018 Hello fellow Social Change Agents! I am wrapping up my second week here as an official member of the Tamarack Family and have been reflecting on my experience so far.  [Read More](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/hello-fellow-social-change-agents?hsLang=en-us) [![](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hubfs/Events/Vibrant_Communities/Images/leena%20mayor%20iveson.png) ](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/cities-reducing-poverty-summit-a-catalyst-for-community-level-change?hsLang=en-us) ### [Cities Reducing Poverty Summit: A Catalyst for Community-level Change](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/cities-reducing-poverty-summit-a-catalyst-for-community-level-change?hsLang=en-us) Posted by [Leena Sharma Seth](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/author/leena-sharma-seth) on March 7, 2017 The 2017 [Cities Reducing Poverty Summit: When Business is Engaged](https://events.tamarackcommunity.ca/crp?hsLang=en-us) event, hosted by the City of Hamilton, is fast approaching and I can barely contain my excitement that this event is literally happening in our backyard.  We’ve got a significant contingent going this year and I look forward to sharing this inspiring learning opportunity with my members and volunteers. [Read More](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest/cities-reducing-poverty-summit-a-catalyst-for-community-level-change?hsLang=en-us) [![20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/hs-fs/hubfs/Administration/Tamarack%20Logos/20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png?width=3401&name=20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange.png "20yrLogo-2_WhiteOrange")](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/?hsLang=en-us) ### Tamarack [Home](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/?hsLang=en-us) [Latest](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/latest) [Events](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/eventlisting?hsLang=en-us) [Donate](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/donate?hsLang=en-us) [About](https://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/whoweare?hsLang=en-us) ### Follow Us [** ** ](https://www.facebook.com/TamarackInstitute) [** ** ](https://twitter.com/Tamarack_Inst) [** ** ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/tamarack-institute-for-community-engagement)   In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth we honour and acknowledge that our work occurs across Turtle Island (North America), which has been home since time immemorial to the ancestors of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples. ### Subscribe Be in the know. 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