When legendary Canadian marathon runner, Martin Parnell, had a life threatening blood clot he was inspired to recover and run again when he read about the first courageous Afghan woman to participate in a marathon in her own country, Zainab. He invited young filmmaker and Ryerson University graduate, Kate McKenzie, to join him in documenting the journey and trained her to run her first marathon. The result of this journey is the documentary "The Secret Marathon" which will be released this year.
Haroon Siddiqui needs no introduction. He has been a significant contributor towards “challenging the image of Muslims being portrayed in mainstream Media.” He was the Editorial page editor emeritus and a Columnist for the Toronto Star for a number of years. He is also a member of the Order of Canada. He was recently appointed as a distinguished visiting professor in the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Communication & Design (FCAD) at Ryerson University.