Calgary passed its first Anti-Racism Strategic Plan. Now what?
Global News
Calgary's Anti-Racism Strategic Plan, voted in on Monday, outlines the guiding principles and focus areas for the city's anti-racism work from 2023 to 2027.
Calgary city council passed its first Anti-Racism Strategic Plan on Tuesday, promising to take action to remove systemic racism in the city.
The plan, which has been in the works for three years, outlines the guiding principles and focus areas for the city’s anti-racism work from 2023 to 2027.
Guiding principles include adopting anti-colonial frameworks, advocating for racial equity and amplifying transformative and productive engagement. It also includes applying intersectionality into conversations around racial justice, centering conversations about lived experiences and monitoring for accountability at City Hall.
Focus areas include making anti-racism training and education available within communities, hiring a diverse workforce (especially in leadership), and creating racially-equitable programs and services.
The strategic plan also included stories from community members who have experienced racism in the city.
The strategic plan passed unanimously in council chambers on Tuesday.
“I’m incredibly pleased that this council has today voted unanimously on a report that was prepared by some incredible human beings within our administration, together with members of the community and other partner organisations, to talk about how we actually take action that makes us an anti-racist city,” Mayor Jyoti Gondek told reporters on Tuesday.
“I cannot stress enough the heavy work that the administration team did together with their community partners to bring this forward today.”