Two members Toronto companies are stepping up to challenge discrimination and help its victims.
Abdullah Snobar, executive director of Ryerson’s Digital Media Zone, is offering start-up space for people affected by Donald Trump’s temporary ban on immigration to the U.S. from seven predominantly Muslim countries.
The tech incubator is making its in-house legal counsel available to help people and businesses navigate challenges the ban creates.
“It’s the right thing to do,” said Snobar, a Jordanian immigrant.
“What we’re seeing right now is completely against the values of who we are at the DMZ, and, more importantly, who we are as Canadians.”
The ban will hamper innovation in the tech sector, said Snobar, because it makes it harder for top talent to move around, meet with investors and expand businesses in new markets.
Some smaller businesses see supporting refugees as the least they can do and something customers appreciate.
Amine Rahal, CEO of Toronto’s Little Dragon Media, recently launched a program offering free web design and marketing services to refugees.
It’s aimed at helping skilled people such as electricians and plumbers develop websites to promote themselves.
“We would have launched the program regardless, but seeing all these negative things makes me want to do something positive even more,” Rahal said.
Some of the rhetoric surrounding the travel ban makes it seem as though refugees don’t have anything to contribute, when, in reality, the opposite is true, Rahal added.
“They could be a tremendous workforce for us here in Canada if we give them the chance.”
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