Wellesley Institute

Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.

Home About Board of Directors Sonya Bourgeois
Board member sonya bourgeois

Sonya Bourgeois

Board Member

Sonya is an Associate Director with Toronto Public Health at the City of Toronto, where she oversees and leads a large team in the areas of policy development and health promotion. Previous to her work with the City of Toronto, she held a number of policy portfolios in the Ontario Public Service, focused in the areas of violence against women, community services and health system strategy, public health, and gender-based policy. Sonya is currently the Vice-President of the Redwood Shelter, a safe haven for women and children fleeing violence. In this capacity, she is an advocate for gender rights, anti-racism, and anti-oppression, and works closely with the Board of Directors to influence the strategic vision of the organization and the overall economic and social well-being of women and children who access the Redwood’s services. She holds a Masters in Social Work, and has published in the areas of women and HIV, and access to abortion in Canada.

Acknowledgement of Traditional Land

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the Wellesley Institute operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.

Revised by the Ceremonial Committee at the University of Toronto Office of Indigenous Initiatives in April 2021.