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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEquity Anti-Racism Advisory Committee Minutes - 2022-02-23EQUITY & ANTI-RACISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 23, 2022 CITY OF KITCHENER The Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee to Council met electronically this date, commencing at 5:30 p.m. Present: Aaliyah Whyte-Watson, Andrea Daley, Avni Adams, Ayesha Munir, Christine Furniss, Danny Martin, Keitty Roblero, Paul Okoye, Saba Oji, Sharon Van Manen, Shawn (Bangishimo) Johnson, and Yexin Tan. Staff: Rea Parchment, Senior Anti-Racism Advisor Chair Elin Moorlag Silk, Acting Director, Equity, Anti-Racism & Indigenous Initiatives Amanda Drumond, Committee Administrator 1. WELCOME & CHECK-IN Elin introduced Amanda and welcomed her to the meeting, advising the members that she will be providing administrative support to the committee going forward. 2. ADDITION TO TERMS OF REFERENCE Rea shared the most current version of the draft Equity and Anti-Racism Advisory Committee Terms of Reference (ToR). She advised that there is only one further addition to the ToR, that being the addition of a fourth purpose of the Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee. The addition was added to ensure that the committee had the ability to discuss and action items and topics beyond those already Members were asked for input on any further changes; it was agreed that the Committee is comfortable approving the ToR and no further changes are required at this time. Rea advised that the ToR will be published and made publicly available; it was also noted that ToR will be reviewed by the advisory committee at least once per term and updated as required. 3. OVERVIEW OF MUNICIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES Elin shared a presentation which provided an overview of municipal roles and responsibilities, including organizational structure of city departments, differentiation between the municipalities (City of Kitchener vs. Region of Waterloo), and the role of City Council. In response to a question of whether the CAO is appointed by the Mayor, it was advised that the CAO is recruited and hired by the Mayor and all members of Council and reports directly to Council. In response to a question of what social services are included at the regional level, it was advised that provincial supports would be distributed through the Region, such as Ontario Works; subsidized housing and childcare are also provided by the Region; Public Health services are also provided at the regional level. 1 EQUITY & ANTI-RACISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 23, 2022 CITY OF KITCHENER Elin provided background information about on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the work that was completed which led Equity and Anti-Racism Strategy. The Equity, Anti-Racism & Indigenous Initiatives division, along with the Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, will continue to drive the work forward and focus on the deliverables as outlined in the in the strategy. Elin reviewed each of the actions of the strategy: Creation of a new permanent full-time 5-person staff team Creation of an Equity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism Policy Develop a funding opportunity for Black, Indigenous and racialized groups Develop, implement and maintain a corporate Equity & Anti-Racism training strategy Develop a systematic demographic data collection strategy across the corporation Develop an Equity & Anti-Racism communications guide for staff Conduct an Equity Audit of HR policies and practices pertaining to recruitment and hiring Develop recommendations for a revised youth mentorship program for low-income youth In response to a question of whether the equity training would also be available to committee members, it was advised that yes, the training will be available to all volunteers at the City of Kitchener, and therefore committee members would also be eligible. It was noted that a large amount of community engagement was conducted to inform all the work that came out of the task force. 4. UPCOMING TRAINING LEGISLATED SERVICES Elin notified the group that training on procedural processes for bringing items forward to council will be delivered by the Legislated Services division at the next upcoming meeting date. Legislated Services will also be providing information about the process for nominating a chair and vice-chair for the Advisory Committee; members were asked to give some consideration on whether they would like to use this model and if they would be interested in taking on either of these roles. A question was raised about city staff involvement in the committee if a chair/vice-chair model was chosen; it was advised that yes, staff support will always be available to the committee. The plan is that Rea will continue to be the staff lead for all advisory committee meetings, and Amanda will provide admin support. It was then advised that the city is currently in the process of developing their next Strategic Plan (2023- 2026); this presents an opportunity for the committee to inform City Council on areas of consideration and focus for the next Strategic Plan. 5. HONORARIUM SURVEY RESULTS & NEXT STEPS Rea shared a presentation which summarized the overall honorarium survey results: 2 EQUITY & ANTI-RACISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 23, 2022 CITY OF KITCHENER Overall, monetary contribution was the preferred choice Preferred amount for monetary contribution was $150 per meeting Desire by the committee to have recognition beyond monetary contribution Public Recognition meaningful external communication to the public about what the group is doing, to hold the committee and the city accountable for the work being undertaken Quarterly updates were suggested Elin advised that letters of recognition from the Mayor/Council already exist and will circulate to the group as a draft template. Elin also shared details of how honorarium payments will be processed for committee members. Rea will plan to set aside time at the next meeting to discuss external updates to the public/council, i.e., how often, what will be shared, who contributes, and how the information will be sent out. Members were asked for any further input or considerations for the honorarium; there were no further suggestions from the group. 6. RISE FUND GRANT INFORMATION SESSION Rea shared a presentation which provided an overview of the RISE Fund grant; the RISE Fund is a community grant that provides support for BIPOC community-led organizations, programs, initiatives or events meant to decrease inequities and increase opportunities and well-being for Black, Indigenous and racialized communities in Kitchener. Eligibility requirements were shared, along with funding categories, minimum/maximum grant amounts and application timelines; it was noted that the grant has been designed to be very open and flexible in nature, with as few barriers as possible for applicants. The advisory committee is the selection committee for the grant. Staff will provide facilitative and administrative support only and do not have voting privileges in the grant selection. An online tool will be used to access all applications and evaluate them. Question was raised about exclusion of committee members from the selection process if applications are received from groups within their community networks; Rea advised that the topic of conflict of interest will be discussed in further detail when reviewing evaluation criteria at a future meeting, but in general committee members will not be required to be involved in the selection process for any applications which they may have a personal bias towards. In response to a question about how the RISE Fund grant is being promoted, it was advised that the following channels are being utilized: news release from the City of Kitchener, sharing amongst advisory posting on social media accounts, website; it was further advised that hard copies of promotional materials such as flyers/posters at libraries and community centres will be distributed to city facility locations. 3 EQUITY & ANTI-RACISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 23, 2022 CITY OF KITCHENER Question was raised related to the accessibility of the RISE Fund application process for those who prefer another language besides English; it was advised that the City of Kitchener has a multi-language translation service available at no cost for anyone who wishes to speak with a city staff person in an alternative language; translation service is also available for applications submitted in any other language besides English. In response to a question about opportunities to provide feedback to applicants, it was advised that Rea is listed as the main contact / staff support person for any questions about the application process, eligibility criteria, etc. As a take-away for future consideration, the committee was asked to think about other factors beyond the eligibility criteria listed on the application to be used when evaluating the applications; another meeting will be scheduled to discuss the RISE Fund specifically and how the committee will work as a group to assess and evaluate the applications. BREAK 6:50-7:00pm 7. BRAINSTORM SESSION Members participated in a group discussion / brainstorm session about the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is observed on March 21, 2022. This yearYouth standing against racism. Suggestions from the committee: - Tasks for corporate leadership to complete (management teams, Council, Mayor) o Take part in educational component (list of resources provided) o Messages to be sent out to staff work teams o Statement from Mayor and Council - Tasks for city staff to complete on that day o Personal reflection on prejudice, discrimination and racism o Taking the implicit bias test o Engage in activities and support local organizations - Internal / external communications - Bring youth to the forefront, amplify their voices, ask what youth want from their city/council - Create an ongoing process or mechanism where community members can share feedback, comments, concerns with the city - Develop an evaluation framework to inform the advisory committee - Plan a public event in the community e.g., paint a crosswalk or design a mural - Coordinate with the WRDSB for student involvement e.g., poetry contest or artwork - Creating awareness at schools through leader visits with the students e.g., co-presidents from various high schools could speak at the elementary schools, so students can see themselves in leadership positions 4 EQUITY & ANTI-RACISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES FEBRUARY 23, 2022 CITY OF KITCHENER - Reaching out to student associations at local universities/colleges to have events on campus for international students who are new to the community - Student speaker series; students from marginalized groups can speak to certain topics, share knowledge, and create opportunities to network (ongoing throughout the year) - Ongoing effort for student participation; immigration short film series at City Hall - Hearing from youth about the impacts of COVID-19 and how the pandemic has amplified the inequities that youth have faced - Reach out to collaborate with museums or galleries to run a city-sponsored event or program to commemorate the day together Rea will share consolidated list of ideas with the group and make suggestions of what activities would be possible; committee members can then come to a decision on how to move forward with an event. 8. COMMITTEE DISCUSSION DEFERRED Designing meaningful meetings that meet the needs of the committee. 9. CALL FOR MARCH AGENDA ITEMS Committee members to submit agenda items for next meeting (March 30th) to Rea via email. 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:37 pm. A. Drumond Committee Administrator 5