Alida (she/her/hers) is a settler of mixed Caribbean-Chinese, Dutch and Anglo-Canadian ancestry. She was born and spent most of her life in Toronto, the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat, the Anishnaabe and the Mississaugas of the Credit peoples. Alida joins West Coast as the Access to Justice Program Manager, and is currently based in Vancouver, on the traditional and unceded territory of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh.
Alida holds a diploma in Community Work from George Brown College in Toronto, and through her career she has worked to advance social justice through supporting marginalized communities in Toronto on the frontlines. This work has been focused on supporting people marginalized by gender and sexuality and living in poverty to navigate settler-colonial systems and take greater control of their lives. She has co-founded and organized the Frontline Workers’ Collective, a group which seeks to strengthen support networks and capacity for self-advocacy among frontline workers in the Toronto area. Alida’s passion for social justice and advancing peoples’ self-determination has guided her towards work that makes an impact on a system-wide level, which has in turn brought her to West Coast.
Outside of work, Alida’s passions include making and connecting with her community through art, and travelling this beautiful world we live in. You can find her lost in a second-hand bookstore or camping or hiking in the areas surrounding Vancouver.