On behalf of all of the Ontario Institutional and Jamati leadership, we extend our warmest Salgirah Mubarakis to every member of the Jamat as we commemorate Mawlana Hazar Imam’s milestone 80th birthday. Mawlana Hazar Imam’s birthday is a time of happiness, and an opportunity to express our love, loyalty and devotion to the Imam. It is also a time to reflect on the work of the Imam and the Imamat. We express our immense gratitude to Mawlana Hazar Imam for his continuous guidance and blessings through which the worldwide Jamat's spiritual happiness and material well-being continue to strengthen.

In Ontario, we are an enormously privileged Jamat. We have been blessed with Imamat investments in Jamatkhanas as well as in other institutions. It has been just over two years since the Ismaili Centre opened in Toronto, and, in that time, over 250 events and programs have taken place, all setting a standard of excellence while mostly being managed by volunteers. The Centre, together with the Aga Khan Museum and Park, have shined as beacons of light on Wynford Drive. The Ismaili Centre in particular, through creative and stimulating programming, has continued to support its objectives of promoting social, cultural and intellectual awareness, generating knowledge  and representing our community's attitude towards the Muslim faith and modern life. This year's theme of 21st Century Renaissance brought exciting initiatives and dialogue to the Centre and, Inshallah, next year's theme of "Custodians of the Earth" will do the same. We hope that all Ontario Jamatkhanas can support the same objectives through local programming that reflect the Centre's themes. We are delighted that three additional Jamatkhanas have now adopted recycled bags for use in Jamatkhana and also have moved away from paper products in serving chai, adopting the best practices set by Headquarters Jamatkhana when it opened in 2014. We are also making excellent progress on the Accord of Cooperation signed between the Ismaili Imamat and the Government of Ontario, focusing on education, culture and pluralism. 

In terms of the priorities for the Ontario Jamat, these continue to be:

• Improving the quality of life of every family in the Jamat through the Quality of Life initiative;
• Promoting and encouraging BUI attendance so that our children are grounded in and proud of their identity as Canadian Ismaili Muslims;
• Jamatkhana development; and
• Building capacity.

We were delighted that a new daily Downtown Jamatkhana opened in September, providing a stable and dignified daily Jamatkhana for the growing downtown Jamat. We continue to focus on stability for various Jamatkhanas that continue to struggle and were sad to see the closing of Tillsonburg Jamatkhana due to the changes in demographics.

We continue to be humbled and inspired by all of our Ismaili volunteers who step up on a day-to-day basis and on a project-to-project basis to strengthen the work and build the capacity of the Jamat and our institutions. The Ontario Jamat's ability to execute with excellence is dependent on the contribution of each and every Jamati member. We express our appreciation to all who support the Jamat through their time, treasure, and talent, and thank each of you in helping to keep our community strong, vibrant and resilient through whatever challenges and opportunities come our way.

Let us honour this day by pledging to attend Jamatkhana regularly, volunteer our time and knowledge in the service of the Jamat and the wider community, and live the ethics of our faith in every possible way. Let us continue to offer shukrana to Mawlana Hazar Imam for his guidance to the Jamat, and let us pray for his continued benevolence. We pray for unity, barakah, good health, safety, and spiritual and material success for the Jamat worldwide. Ameen. Once again, on this very happy occasion, we extend warmest Khushiali Mubarak wishes to each and every member of the Jamat.

Sheherazade Hirji
President, Aga Khan Council for Ontario

Amir Mirshahi
Chairman, Ismaili Tariqah & Religious Education Board for Ontario

Hussein Sunderji
Chairman, Grants and Review Board for Ontario

Karim Kurji
Chairman, Conciliation and Arbitration Board for Ontario

Moez Rajwani
Mukhisaheb, Headquarters Jamatkhana