Social Planning

A Senior Social Planner for the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton (SPRC), the Justice and Outreach Consultant for the Anglican Diocese of Niagara, and a columnist for The Hamilton Spectator.  In these roles, Pike sees it as her responsibility to facilitate conversation and improve community engagement across an array of justice and equity issues.

Working closely with Hamilton Organizing for Poverty Elimination (HOPE) and Hamilton’s Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, Deirdre is assisting the community to understand the impact of income inequality on individual lives and the life of the community as a whole. Walking with both feet, charity and justice, is an essential part of the conversation, highlighting balance as we advocate for change across all levels of political leadership.

As a voice from the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Deirdre explains that she is not a representative for the community as a whole, but rather one voice from this distinct community of communities. Through this leadership position, Deirdre wants to let the voices of marginalized people to be heard and to encourage others to accept being counter-cultural. Deirdre regularly facilitates Creating 2SLGBTQ Positive Space Training to various sectors including education, police, employment, healthcare and more.