February 10, 2026, Educational Presentations

Photo courtesy of Cecile Kotyk.

On February 10, 2026, to mark Black History Month, ECOHH invited three presenters to our monthly general meeting.

Ashley Wilkinson, PhD Candidate at the University of Northern British Columbia, shared insights from her ongoing doctoral research into the experience of homelessness and affordable housing for Black communities in B.C., Alberta, and Ontario. Ashley’s presentation focused on the importance of engaging with communities in the development, implementation, and analysis of research work, and provided some shocking examples of race-based prejudice and discrimination in the homeless-serving system. For additional information on Ashley’s work, you can review her article at

Brown, P., Jones, A., & Schiff, R. (2023). Filling in the gaps: examining the prevalence of Black homelessness in Canada. Housing, Care and Support, 26(3), 103-114. https://doi.org/10.1108/HCS-04-2023-0006

Dr. Marie Cecile Kotyk, graduate of the Doctor of Design Program in the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Calgary, presented on her work and development of the Black Housing Equity Framework (BHEF), the first of its kind in Canada, designed to combat anti-Black systemic racism and advance Black inclusion in the housing and homelessness sector.

Dr. Kotyk graciously agreed to share the slides of her presentation, and you can view them here:

MCKotyk ECOHH Presentation Feb 2026

The final presenter was Adebayo Chris Katiiti, Founder of RaricaNow, and the Black 2SLGBTQIA+ housing project Ewaka. He shines the light on and advocates for housing rights of Refugees and Black 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Edmonton, Alberta. He spoke about the ongoing racism, homophobia, and transphobia that affects Black 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in Edmonton, and about his organization’s successes in providing housing to people who would otherwise be homeless. He also shared the sad news that RaricaNow's offices had been broken into, and the theft of office equipment was impeding their ability to help others. If you want to donate to RaricaNow to help them recover from this event, you can do so at https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/help-raricanow-rebuild-after-break-in

You can find out more about RaricaNow and support their work by going to their website at https://www.raricanow.ca/

ECOHH thanks everyone who shares understandings and insights with our members.