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Dear friends,
This year reminded us that technology, public policy, and the people working to strengthen both don’t slow down - so neither did we.
From our biggest-ever DemocracyXChange summit to new research on AI’s impact on the workforce, pan-Canadian mobilizing for phone-free schools to AI adoption training, 2025 highlighted a rising demand for practical, evidence-driven solutions that strengthen shared prosperity and citizenship in Canada.
Amid a federal election, rapid shifts in technology, and a new chapter for our own team, one thing stayed constant: Canadians are hungry for spaces where big ideas meet real-world changemaking. And we’re proud to help build those spaces: open, ambitious, bold, and grounded in the belief that a better future is something we can design together.
As we wind down for the holidays, I hope you find a moment to rest, reconnect, and recharge whatever creative batteries power your own version of changemaking. We’ve got an exciting year ahead, and we can’t wait to build it with you.
Warm wishes for the season and the year to come,
André Côté
Executive Director
The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University
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Top reports of 2025 |
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Right Brain, Left Brain, AI Brain
The most recent wave of AI technologies changes the discourse on AI, adding the possibility of AI complementing a worker, rather than outright replacing a specific portion of their work. This research focuses on this possibility.
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Survey of Online Harms in Canada
Canadians are reporting higher exposure to online hate and misinformation, which continues to further corrode our democracy and shared citizenship— and more Canadians support government intervention to mitigate these harms.
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The best of 2025 |
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In a year defined by rapid change, the Dais met the moment by focusing on the public policy Canada needs at the intersection of tech, education, and democracy, and developing the next generation of leaders to take on these challenges.
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2025 Highlights |
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What gave us hope |
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Youth Champions
Ashna Ali, Leadership Development Facilitator |
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Hope is built through experience—by making real space for new voices to emerge.
This year, our inaugural cohort of Youth Champions demonstrated that youth are powerful advocates for smartphone-free learning environments. Equipped with the knowledge and tools to understand how device use affects attention, wellbeing, and learning, these young leaders stepped forward to reinforce school policies that protect focus and connection across Canada.
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At our URL to IRL event, we saw this in action as young leaders took the mic to share lived experiences about screen time and learning, sparking intergenerational dialogue with students, educators, and parents. Check out the event highlights:
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Promoting Democracy at Work
Marium Hamid, Manager of Partnerships |
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What gave me hope this year was hearing leaders speak plainly about democracy as a practical responsibility, not an abstract ideal. At the Canadian Club Toronto, the conversation moved quickly past platitudes and into real trade-offs: trust, misinformation, leadership culture, and the limits of neutrality at work.
That honesty is at the heart of Canadian Democracy @ Work: a recognition that workplaces are trusted spaces, and a practical channel for building civic skills and understanding.Hearing Ana Serrano, Dany Assaf, and Anthony Viel engage so openly with that reality made this moment feel genuinely forward-looking.
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Sing for Democracy
Tanya Coyle, Director of Communications |
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At its best, democracy is about belonging, joy, and shared experience.
That spirit came to life when Choir!Choir!Choir! closed DemocracyXChange 2025, transforming a full room of summit attendees into one vibrant chorus. Singing together became a living reminder of the power of connection, the thrill of shared moments, and the magic of collective action in motion.
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What we’re reading |
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As the year winds down, our team is slowing the pace and spending time with ideas that challenge, comfort, and educate. |
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One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This (Fahmida Kamali, Manager of Special Projects)
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Jillian Gonzales, Senior Leadership Development Assistant)
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Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (Mahtab Laghaei, Policy Analyst)
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1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation (Rajender Singh, Senior Policy Analyst)
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Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (Jake Hirsch-Allen, Director of Partnerships)
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The Long Road Home (Christelle Tessono, Policy and Research Assistant)
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Fool's Errand (Angus Lockhart, Senior Policy Analyst)
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Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI (Marium Hamid, Manager of Partnerships)
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Martyr! (Catherine Amburgey, Marketing and Communications Lead)
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Klara and the Sun (Ashna Ali, Leadership Development Facilitator)
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When The Going Was Good (Tanya Coyle, Director of Communications)
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Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It (André Côté, Executive Director)
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