Dear Colleagues,

Like all of you, our hearts ached when we heard the news of the four family members killed in London, Ontario while enjoying a walk on Sunday June 6. Then, when we learned that this was an act of mass murder driven by Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate, our hearts sunk even further to a painfully familiar place.

Five people were hit by a car, four died. When the fifth, a nine-year-old boy, regains consciousness in hospital, he will learn that both his parents, grandmother and sister have died. His entire family is gone.

As Canadians, we are deeply devastated by the news. As Muslims, it cuts deeper to know that, among us, are people in our communities who hate us so much that they want to harm us.

To our Muslim colleagues, we share your pain and grieve with you. To our non-Muslim colleagues, we know that you are grieving, too.

When we are faced with these tragedies, statements of support and condemnation of hate begin to pour in. We rally around a community, sharing in their pain and suffering.

But we need to do more.

Lasting change and real progress are made by having uncomfortable conversations, continuous learning, unpacking our own biases and – most importantly – taking small but tangible steps toward making our communities safer and more inclusive.

There is no place for racism. There is no place for Islamophobia. There is no place for place for anti-Muslim hate.

At Kensington Health, we are committed to taking these steps together. If you are feeling overwhelmed and need to talk, please reach out to us.

Thank you,

Dr. Naheed Dosani                                                         Sagal Ali

Clinical Health Equity Lead                                           Manager, Health Equity and Community Relations