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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEquity Anti-Racism Advisory Committee Minutes - 2022-04-27EQUITY & ANTI-RACISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 27, 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, Avni Adams, Ayesha Munir, Christine Furniss, Danny Martin, Saba Oji (Co-Chair), Sharon Van Manen (Co-Chair), Shawn (Bangishimo) Johnson, and Yexin Tan. Absent: Andrea Daley, Keitty Roblero, Paul Okoye Staff: Rea Parchment, Senior Anti-Racism Advisor, Staff Liaison Amanda Drumond, Committee Administrator Sarah Goldrup, Committee Administrator, Legislated Services Division Angie Fritz-Walters, Strategic Plan Engagement & Project Manager Judy Stephens-Wells, Chair, Compass Kitchener Committee Victoria Raab, General Manager, Corporate Services Department 1. CHECK-IN AND FORMAL CO-CHAIR APPOINTMENTS Yexin put forward a motion to move that the committee appoint Saba Oji to serve as Co-Chair of the Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee for a 9-month term. Saba indicated support to have their name stand for the role of Co-Chair. Seconded by Danny. All members voted in favour. Motion carried. Christine put forward a motion to move that the committee appoint Sharon Van Manen to serve as Co- Chair of the Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee for a 9-month term. Sharon indicated support to have their name stand for the role of Co-Chair. Seconded by Aaliyah. All members voted in favour. Motion carried. 2. ADVISORY COMMITTEE TRAINING Sarah Goldrup, Committee Administrator, Legislated Services Division, joined the meeting to give a training presentation about advisory committees. Topics that were covered included: o The role of advisory committees at the City of Kitchener and reporting structure o Roles and responsibilities of advisory committee members, members of council, staff liaison and committee administrator o Meeting procedures and protocols o Code of Conduct o Conflict of Interest Sarah advised that a copy of the presentation would be shared with the committee members following the meeting. 1 EQUITY & ANTI-RACISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 27, 2022 CITY OF KITCHENER Question was raised on whether the City requires a procedure at the beginning of each meeting to adopt the proposed agenda items; it was advised that the adoption of agenda items is not required, but it is a procedural tool that can be used to ensure that committee members are aware of what is coming forward, and depends on what procedures the committee adopts as a group; suggestion was made for the group to agree on upcoming agenda items before the end of the current meeting. Suggestion was made to use Google drive or similar cloud-based sharing system (intended for public materials only) for ease of access and collaboration among committee members; it was advised that the City has specific software platforms used to store and disseminate information, committee materials should only be stored and shared through the meeting package City staff would need to discuss in further detail with Deputy Clerk and TIS division to determine if this would be a possibility. Regarding confidential materials, it was emphasized that committee members should keep the following in-mind: o destroy any hard copies in a permanent way (shredding) o delete electronic copies o o do not discupublic In response to a question of whether confidentiality agreements should be signed by the advisory committee members, Rea advised that she will be looking into this matter further. It was noted that the return to in-person meetings will occur through the following steps: o Council will first begin hybrid meetings o Recommendations will then be provided to committee administrators on how hybrid meetings can be implemented for advisory committees o Transition to hybrid/in-person meetings will begin once all COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted BREAK 6:30-6:40pm 3. COMPASS KITCHENER PRESENTATION Judy Stephens-Wells introduced herself as Chair, Compass Kitchener, as well as Angie Fritz-Walters, Strategic Plan Engagement & Project Manager. A presentation was shared which gave background information regarding the development of the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan is a key document which provides guidance to the community, council and staff as they undertake key initiatives that will move the City forward towards the long-term vision of the future, over the next 20 years. The approach in developing the Strategic Plan is to provide opportunities for the public and stakeholders to have a meaningful role in the decisions that impact the quality of their lives (through surveys, social media campaigns, community engagement events and activities). 2 EQUITY & ANTI-RACISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 27, 2022 CITY OF KITCHENER Compass Kitchener are particularly interested in reaching people with lived experiences and gathering feedback from people who represent the full range of diversity in our community. Timelines of the Strategic Plan process were shared, as well as the evaluation framework that will be used by Compass Kitchener to determine how the City is progressing on the goals of the Strategic Plan. Another goal of Compass Kitchener is to year to focus on areas of shared interest and promote communications. Details of the upcoming meeting of advisory committees were shared taking place on Wednesday, May th 4 (via Zoom) 5:00pm-7:00pm. Advisory committee members were asked to give thought to the groups that would be most valuable for the City to engage in the Strategic Plan process, as well as the most effective approaches to th engagement; ideas can be shared with advisory committee Co-Chairs before the May 4 meeting. 4. EQUITY DIRECTOR RECRUITMENT PLAN DISCUSSION Victoria Raab introduced herself as General Manager, Corporate Services Department and shared background information about her role at the City, as well as details about the recruitment plan for the new Director, Equity, Anti-Racism and Indigenous Initiatives. The hiring committee will include other members of the will also seek support and involvement from members of the Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee by way of the following: o Assist with the creation of the job posting o Provide recommendations on the marketing strategy to promote and advertise the role, and share with own networks and connections o One member of the committee to participate on the hiring panel to provide insight and assist with development of the interview questions Interested committee members would be asked to submit an expression of interest based on selection criteria to join the first-round panel of interviews; the City will be looking specifically for a Black, racialized or Indigenous member of the committee to participate. It was emphasized that once the recruitment process is underway, all information will be entirely confidential to protect the integrity of the hiring process, and the privacy of the candidates. Details of next steps and recruitment timeline were shared. The City intends to lead the recruitment using best practices in equitable recruitment, as published by posting, and best practices guide has been shared with Rea; advisory committee members were asked to review and provide feedback that would be relevant in helping to attract the right candidate to the role. 3 EQUITY & ANTI-RACISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 27, 2022 CITY OF KITCHENER The following questions were raised by committee members: Describe the interview procedure that would take place there would be a first and second round interview, and possibility a third (informal) interview Will consideration be given to have a committee member participate in the second-round interview depending on the candidates chosen, the City would be open to discussing this possibility What type of interview format will be used this would depend on the preference of the candidate, open to both virtual and in-person interviews (if pandemic restrictions have been lifted) What will the diversity of the hiring committee look like HR associate supporting recruitment is racialized, as well as other members of the senior leadership team Rea will circulate the draft job posting and additional documentation with the advisory committee members for review and to share feedback with Victoria. 5. RISE GRANT SUMMARY/NEXT STEPS Rea provided a summary on the status of the RISE Fund grant applications and next steps. The review committee has approved four (4) groups to receive full-funding and two (2) groups for partial-funding. It was noted that one of the applicants also submitted a duplicate application for the LoveMyHood neighbourhood matching grant and were successful in receiving that request. Therefore, they did not receive funds from the RISE grant, and the extra funds will be carried forward to the next RISE Fund application intake. All nineteen (19) applicants have been notified on the status of their applications. Rea shared that additional funding ($46K) has been secured for the 2022 RISE Fund, therefore grant applications will be accepted again in the fall, exact date to be announced. Next steps for the RISE Fund grant recipients: o Finalization and signing of agreements between the applicants and the City o Recipients are asked to track all expenses and provide a financial summary after the completion of the project/event, along with copies of receipts o Following the conclusion of the project, recipients will be asked to complete an evaluation survey related to improving the RISE Fund grant program and gathering feedback and success stories Committee members were also asked to review the RISE Fund grant process recommendations and make suggestions for improvements to the application process. HONORARIUM QUESTIONS Rea shared that Council has approved an honorarium fee of $150.00 per meeting for the Equity & Anti- Racism Advisory Committee members, payments will be retroactive from January 2022. 4 EQUITY & ANTI-RACISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 27, 2022 CITY OF KITCHENER An honorarium form was previously circulated to committee members via email; members are asked to submit completed forms to Amanda Drumond. Manners in which the committee would like to be recognized publicly by the City will be added as an agenda item at a future meeting date. 6. WORKPLAN PRIORITIZING THE WORK OF THE COMMITTEE Saba presented a recommendation to the committee members of creating a work plan together; it was noted that Andrew Ramsaroop, Social Planning & Affordable Housing Program Lead, will attend the next committee meeting in May to share knowledge and support the creation of a work plan to help prioritize the work of the committee. Committee members were in favour of the recommendation. COMMUNITCATION WITH CITY STAFF Rea noted that as an advisory committee to Council, there is a need to ensure that the mandate of the committee is appropriately communicated with City staff. Committee members were asked to reflect on ways that they wish to engage with other areas of the city and on what topics, so that input can be shared with City staff. This topic will be added as an agenda item at a future meeting date. 7. CALL FOR MAY AGENDA ITEMS o Advisory Committee Workplan Andrew Ramsaroop will attend to help facilitate o Communication with City Staff Members committee members to share feedback o Days of Significance Protocol to be shared with the committee for feedback Suggestion was made to add an item at the beginning of each meeting to allow for the adoption of the agenda for the current meeting. 8. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:36 pm. A. Drumond Committee Administrator 5