HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOR-2022-477 - Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee Membership Appointments
Corporate Services Department www.kitchener.ca
REPORT TO: Committee of the Whole
DATE OF MEETING: November 16, 2022
SUBMITTED BY: Stanberry, Sophia, Director, Equity Anti-Racism & Indigenous
Initiatives, 519-747-2200 ext. 7049
PREPARED BY: Parchment, Rea, Senior Anti-Racism Advisor, 519-747-2200 ext. 7413
WARD(S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: November 4, 2022
REPORT NO.: COR-2022-477
SUBJECT: Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee Membership Appointments
RECOMMENDATION:
That the list of recommended citizen candidates for the 2022-2024 Equity & Anti-Racism
Advisory Committee as outlined in report COR-2022-477 be approved.
REPORT HIGHLIGHTS:
The purpose of this report is to appoint the citizens to the Equity and Anti-Racism Advisory
Committee to Council.
The financial implications are none.
Community engagement include
on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, who compromise the Interim Nominating Committee.
The application process was open to community members, including the inaugural Equity &
thth
Anti-Racism Advisory Committee members from August 29 to September 19, 2022,
Selections by the Interim Nominating Committee were made by prioritizing voices who have
been historically underrepresented or excluded, including Black, Indigenous, racialized,
2SLGBTQ+ identified, people with disabilities, religious minorities and the intersections of
these identities.
This report supports the delivery of core services.
BACKGROUND:
The Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee fulfills an advisory role, providing advice and
recommendations to Council on matters related to equity and anti-racism to support and further
e between eight
(8) to twelve (12) citizen community members who live, work, attend school and/or own property
in Kitchener and will prioritize voices who have been historically underrepresented or excluded,
including Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQ+ identified, people with disabilities, religious
minorities, and the intersections of these identities. Although members of City Council will not
have an official seat on this advisory committee, mechanisms of Council inclusion will be put in
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
place to ensure open channels of communication and opportunities for updates on an ongoing
basis.
The Interim Nominating Committee as approved by Council in report COR-2021-21 fulfils the
role of facilitating a nomination and appointment process led by community members who bring
a diversity of voices and expertise not currently represented in the existing Nominating
Committee. Following the process outlined in COR-2021-
Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion were invited to be part of the Interim Nominating
Committee. Four former members responded to the open call to sit on the Interim Nominating
Committee:
Beth Wilson - Advocate for persons with Developmental Disabilities & Community
Connector
Colleen James EDI Consultant and Community Equity Advocate
David Kuhn Accessibility Advocate
David Ramirez Bumaguin - Member of the Latino-Canadian Community of Waterloo
Region
The Interim Nominating Committee has completed its work and is recommending a list of
appointments for the Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee.
REPORT:
The application process for community members to apply to the Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory
Committee was launched on August 29, 2022, remained open for three (3) weeks and closed
on September 19, 2022. Applications were submitted through an online platform, although paper
copies and alternative methods were made available. A total of twenty-eight (28) applications
were received, twenty (20) from new applicants and eight (8) from current Equity & Anti-Racism
Advisory Committee members. Most of the applications fit the demographics of the priority
groups previously identified (see Appendix A for a summary of demographic data for all
applicants).
Members of the Interim Nominating Committee reviewed all twenty-eight (28) applications
through a thoughtful, collaborative and consistent process.
Each application was rated based on the responses provided to the questions in the application,
which focused on;
1) Why the applicant would like to be a member of the advisory committee,
2) What they hope to contribute, and
3) What they hope to gain.
Each member of the Interim Nominating Committee was provided with an Applicant Review
Table with items to consider while rev
o Do they have an active interest in equity and anti-racism at the local level?
o Do they have the expertise, knowledge, and experience needed to address social
issues at the municipal level?
o Will they attend committee meetings and be actively engaged?
o Would serving on the committee enhance their skills, knowledge, or networks?
o Would the committee benefit from their participation?
o Are they representative of the community the committee aims to amplify (i.e.,
historically,and intentionally excluded groups)?
Based on those considerations the Interim Nominating Committee members were asked to rate
each question from 1-5 based on the instructions provided and provide a tentative decision as
to whether they should hold a position on the committee (yes, no, maybe). In addition to the
responses to the questions, consideration was also given to demographics, representation, and
expertise.
Once all members completed their review of the applicants, a meeting was held of the Interim
Nominating Committee, facilitated by City staff, whereby an amalgamated Applicant Review
Table was shared with the members which ranked the applicants based on their individual
responses. Through both quantitative and qualitative measures, a confirmed list of eleven (11)
applicants were agreed upon with members requesting further information from one applicant.
City staff contacted the applicant via email requesting additional information which was shared
with the Interim Nominating Committee. Based on th
th
the members and the 12 member of the Equity and Anti-Racism Advisory Committee was
decided on and the recommendations for the group of applicants listed below were made.
As per the outlined process, all applications were reviewed, discussed, and carefully considered
by members of the community whom themselves have experienced racism, oppression,
homophobia, ableism, discrimination, exclusion, and who also hold significant expertise in the
areas of community engagement, access and inclusion and equitable practices.
Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee
All twelve (12) spots were available for appointment; however, consideration was given to
current committee members re-applying as the inaugural Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory
Committee, since they had a shortened term (10 months). In addition, the continuation of
members from this committee was seen as beneficial by the Interim Nominating Committee. The
following twelve (12) individuals have applied and are being recommended for appointment:
Ann Marie Beals
Avni Adams*
Ayesha Munir*
Danny Martin*
Fiorella Benini
Leo Campbell
Oluseun Olayinka
Paul Okoye*
Rida Rahman
Saba Oji*
Veronica Vasquez
Yexin Tan*
*Denotes a returning committee member
It is the recommendation of City staff that Council approves the list of twelve (12) nominees put
forward for the Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This report supports the delivery of core services.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no financial implications at the time of writing this report. A review of Committee
Compensation/Honoraria practices is expected to be completed in Q1 2023. Any financial
implications as a result of the review will be presented to Council in a separate report.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT:
INFORM
council/committee meeting.
COLLABORATE The Interim Nominating Committee was developed in collaboration with
comprised of community members, whose lived experiences and expertise in a wide variety of
areas directly informed the recommendations made for the membership on the Equity & Anti-
Racism Advisory Committee.
PREVIOUS REPORTS/AUTHORITIES:
COR-2021-21: Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee to Council
COR-2021-27: Interim Nominating Committee recommendations for
membership
GOV-BOA- 010: Appointments to Boards & Committees
APPROVED BY: Victoria Raab, General Manager, Corporate Services
ATTACHMENTS:
Appendix A Summary of all applicant demographics for the Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory
Committee.
Appendix B Demographical summary of the 12 recommended nominees for the Equity &
Anti-Racism Advisory Committee
Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee Applications
Summary of Demographic Data for all Applicants (N=28)
Age Category N %
Born in Canada N %
18 - 29 years old 8 29%
Yes 10 36%
30 - 39 years old 7 25%
No 16 57%
40 49 years old 7 25%
Prefer not to say 2 7%
50 59 years old 3 11%
Total 28 100%
Prefer not to say 3 11%
Total 28 100%
Gender Identity N %
Woman 17 61%
Man 8 29%
Gender non-conforming 2 7%
Prefer not to say 1 4%
Total 28 100%
Sexuality N %
Heterosexual 14 50%
Other* (Asexual, Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Queer, Bisexual) 8 29%
Prefer not to say 6 21%
Total 28 100%
*Categories were collapsed to protect individual identity and prevent reporting a call size smaller than 4
Racial/Ethnic Background N %
South, West, or East Asian 7 25%
Black (Caribbean, African, North American) 10 36%
Other* (White, Indigenous, Latin American, Indian Caribbean, 9 32%
Mixed Heritage)
Prefer not to say 2 7%
Total 28 100%
*Categories were collapsed to protect individual identity and prevent reporting a call size smaller than 4
Committee Nominee Demographical Data
Summary of Demographical Data for Recommended Nominees (N=12)
Age Category N %
Born in Canada N %
18 - 29 years old 6 50%
Yes 5 42%
30 - 39 years old 1 8%
No 7 58%
40 49 years old 3 25%
Total 12 100%
50 59 years old 1 8%
Prefer not to say 1 8%
Total 12 100%
Gender Identity N %
Woman 5 42%
Man 2 17%
Gender non-conforming 5 42%
Total 12 100%
Sexuality N %
Heterosexual 5 42%
Other* (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Queer, Bisexual) 4 33%
Prefer not to say 3 25%
Total 12 100%
*Categories were collapsed to protect individual identity and prevent reporting a call size smaller than 4
Racial/Ethnic Background N %
South, West, or East Asian 5 42%
Other* (Black, White, Afro-Indigenous, Latin American, Mixed 7 58%
Heritage)
Total 12 100%
*Categories were collapsed to protect individual identity and prevent reporting a call size smaller than 4