Anti-Racism Strategy
On February 14th, at the Community and Public Services Committee meeting, Administration brought forward the report on the Anti-Racism Strategy. Before I dive into what was brought forward to the Community and Public Services Committee, which will in turn be presented at council next week, I wanted to discuss the motion that spurred this report.
Mayor Sohi brought forward a motion in response to the continuous incidents of hate based violence occurring against BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) communities within our city and acknowledges that Edmontonians are ready for their city to take action against racism. The frequency of attacks against Black Muslin women in Edmonton, brought anti-racist work and efforts to the forefront of how we can do better as a city.
The motion specifically asked for a strategy with actionable items that as council we could move forward to continue the work. The motion asked for collaborative decision making between Administration and the Anti-Racism Advisory Committee and BIPOC communities with work aimed to be reported back to council in 100 days. Due to the short timeline there were a few limitations including engagement that was not as extensive as some individuals or communities would like.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their hard work on this issue. Anti-racist work and anti-oppressive work is forever ongoing so that we can ensure the equitable treatment of all those who call Edmonton home. Social equity work is often emotionally exhausting work and as city council we will try our best to do well by all the work you have done and continue to do.
As I read this work and listen to the experiences of everyone who came to speak at committee today, I think of my own experience in our city. I am able to take a walk down the street, take transit, go to the grocery store, all without fear of hate, verbal harassment or violent attacks due to my race and gender. That is just one way in which the interplay of privilege and oppression manifests within our daily routines at the city level. It is an honour to serve constituents of all backgrounds and that includes taking into consideration how each individual experiences our city.
In recent years, perhaps even months or weeks for members of our racialized communities, individuals have been feeling less safe. And as our city council received this report, just at the beginning of this month, a Filipina woman was the victim of a hate crime within Ward Nakota Isga. Our work regarding anti-racism is not just timely but critical. All people deserve to experience our city without fear of harassment with regards to race and all intersections of oppressions including but not limited to gender, heterosexism, transphobia, ableism, age and religious expression.
The following recommendation was brought forward:
That Community and Public Services Committee recommend to City Council:
1. That the Anti-Racism Strategy, as set out in Attachment 5 of the February 14, 2022,
Community Services report CS00872, be approved.
2. That the 2022 operating expenditure budget for the Social Development branch be
increased by $2 million on a one-time basis, with funding from the Edmonton Police
Services funds held within Financial Strategies.
At the November 1-5, 2021, City Council meeting, the following motion passed:
That Administration work with the Anti-Racism Advisory Committee and the BIPOC
community, in a collaborative decision making way, to develop actionable items and a
comprehensive strategy on anti-racism that:
1. address hate based violence and supports for communities experiencing hate and
violence;
2. champion anti-racist and anti-violence initiatives to the provincial and federal
governments to secure resources and support, and advocating for legislative tools; and
3. work with partners to support and amplify anti-racist initiatives and responses.
City Council is being asked to approve the Anti-Racism Strategy to support the equity of racialized communities in Edmonton, structural changes within the City of Edmonton Administration, as well as the development of an implementation and financing plan to activate the Strategy. This work will be prioritized in Administration's work for the long-term City Plan alignment.
Anti-racism can be defined as the active, ongoing strategy and process that seeks to identify and eliminate racism by changing systems, institutions, policies and attitudes that perpetuate racism.
The proposed Anti-Racism Strategy outlines the three elements to advance the ongoing efforts of anti-racism in Edmonton:
Independent Anti-Racism Body
High Level Anti-racism Organization in City Administration
Core Operation and Capacity-Building Funding
With the Anti-Racism Strategy approved, an implementation plan and financing strategy will be developed for Council approval.
The proposed outcomes and measures are as follows:
Reducing, with the intent of eliminating, incidents of racism and hate based violence in Edmonton
Disempowering the causes of such violence i.e. to disempower racism in all its forms, and empowering anti-racism into as many layers as possible in the city
Stimulating healing and facilitating recovery for communities affected by hate based violence
Increasing a sense of solidarity and connectedness between all diversities and communities in Edmonton
Increasing knowledge of anti-racism in Edmonton and among our partners
Advocating for and achieving anti-racist and anti-violence iniitative, resources and legislative tools from the provincial and federal governments
Influencing all organizations and partners in Edmonton to create anti-racism strategies and policies and connecting them to the city’s long term Anti-Racism Strategy and Plan
There are three pillars that will advance anti-racism work in Edmonton for the next four years and beyond.
At the 12 January 2022 meeting of the Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, ARAC members, members of BIPOC communities, BIPOC youth and Administration worked together to agree by consensus the following three recommendations to provide the structural change needed to effectively address racism and hate-based violence in Edmonton:
Independent Anti-racism Body
A community-driven, equitably resourced body that is independent from other city bodies (such as City of Edmonton Administration, Edmonton Police Service, school boards and districts, etc.) will be established to oversee anti-racism in Edmonton and have the ability to stimulate reflection on and challenge systemic racism at all levels in Edmonton.
High Level Anti-racism Organization in City Administration
A new anti-racism organization within Administration will be created to challenge racism within the City of Edmonton corporation, including challenging systemic racism, developing a culture of
anti-racism, embedding anti-racist action into all processes within Administration, and acting as a collaborative partner with the Independent Anti-Racism Body to co-create a long term Anti-Racism Strategy and Plan for Edmonton.
Core Operational and Capacity-Building Funding
Core Operational and Capacity-Building Funding: In order to strengthen grassroots, BIPOC-led organizations and support them to be more effective with work that empowers BIPOC communities, influences the greater Edmonton culture, and is linked to long term goals in an
Anti-Racism Strategy and Plan for Edmonton; the City will establish funding for core
operations, capacity-building and other needs identified through collaborative decision
Making
These pillars will serve as the foundation for Anti-racist work that we plan on implementing.
The strategy proposes a number of actions where the costing has not been fully calculated. As anti-racism work is iterative, the current resources to advance the transformative shifts as suggested in the proposed strategy are not available using existing program budgets. Implementation of the Anti-Racism strategy will require one-time funding of $2 million to begin.
Administration recommends that the strategy be funded from the Edmonton Police Services funds held within Financial Strategies. Prior to consideration of the recommendation in this report, the balance of ongoing Edmonton Police Services funds available within Financial Strategies in 2022 is $14.4 million, and $18.7 million starting in 2023. Current allocated funding for anti-racism grants includes $300,000 annually plus additional one-time funding in 2022 of $1.174 million.
I look forward to seeing this item come back to council next week, discussing the future of this work with relevant stakeholders and engaging with communities and also continuously educating myself on this matter.
