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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-04-28Clarftwn Clarington Diversity Advisory Committee Thursday, April 28, 2022, 6:00 PM Microsoft Teams If this information is required in an alternate format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext 2131 Present: Councillor Ron Hooper Rajeshwari Saharan Laila Shafi Sajida Kadri Meera McDonald Lyndsay Riddoch Rachel Traore Dione Valentine Also Present: Lee -Ann Reck — Manager, Client Services Regrets: Sajida Kadri Lyndsay Riddoch Yasmin Shafi Rachel Traore Dione Valentine Erica Mittag — Community Development Coordinator The meeting called to order at 6:05 p.m. 1. Adoption of Agenda Moved by Laila Shafi, seconded by Rajeshwari Saharan That the agenda of the meeting of April 28, 2022, be approved. Carried 2. Adoption of Minutes Moved by Lyndsay Riddoch, seconded by Laila Shafi That the minutes of the meeting of March 24, 2022, be approved. Confirmation of Vice -Chair position to be moved to next meeting Carried 3. Council Updates Updates from Councillor Hooper: Maplefest is Saturday, May 7, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. • Look for our Clarington Tourism booth located on Temperance Street for all your latest information on events and festivals this summer! Elections 2022 are online and by phone • Our new elections website is now live www.votes.clarington.net. Check to make sure you are on the Voters' List to ensure that you receive your Voter Information Letter in the mail in late September and early October with information on how to vote. You can vote anywhere and anytime using a smartphone, computer or tablet. The voting period is from October 18 to October 24, 2022. Municipality partners with LEAF on a backyard tree planting program • Clarington is partnering with Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF) and the Region of Durham on a one-year backyard tree planting pilot project to assist residents in planting more trees and shrubs on their properties. Both Clarington and the Region of Durham will provide $15,000 each for this pilot project. Residents living in urban and suburban areas will be able to apply to participate in the program and access a 30-minute site consultation with a LEAF arborist who will provide them with advice on what to plant, where to plant it and how to care for it. The overall cost to the resident will be between $100 and $170. The LEAF Backyard Tree Planting Program essentially subsidizes the cost of accessing experts that provide a full -service tree -planting service for residents and includes access to shrubs, native plant kits and several educational opportunities. LEAF is a non-profit organization "that teaches people about trees and gets them excited about the urban forest," as outlined on its website. More information about this pilot program and how to apply will be available in the coming weeks. Inclusive government: Clarington to lift fee for change of name forms • To promote inclusion and diversity, Clarington is permanently removing the Commissioner of Oaths fee charged for change of name forms. The $25 fee will no longer apply beginning June 1, 2022. The Municipality recognizes the added burden this fee placed on the 2SLGBTQI and transgender communities as well as our Indigenous communities when people wanted to change their name for a variety of reasons. It also signifies Clarington's commitment to reconciliation by supporting Action Item #17 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action: • "We call upon all levels of government to enable residential school Survivors and their families to reclaim names changed by the residential school system by waiving administrative costs for a period of five years for the name -change process and the revision of official identity documents, such as birth certificates, passports, driver's licenses, health cards, status cards, and social insurance numbers." This fee charge removal applies to all residents and reinforces Clarington's commitment to adapt and evolve our operations with a focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion. 4. Community Updates Updates from Lee -Ann Reck: • Signing of the contract for the CPRA Youth Employment Experience, to be able to hire youth for community development and parks. • Currently finalizing the project charter for the LEAD project, and in doing so have realized we have already accomplished some of the items • Have been working on indigenous cultural awareness • Continue to work on hiring inclusion staff for support in our summer camps 5. Recognition and Celebration of Events: • Lyndsay discussed the events calendar and how it lists the various events and celebrations • Rachel mentioned that the list was not exhaustive, and some events and celebrations needed to be added • Lyndsay agreed and said the calendar was still being updated 6. 2022 Workplan: • Meera updated the committee that Erica had compiled the workplan into an excel spreadsheet that would be presented to the committee at the next meeting to review all the accomplishments of the committee • Lee -Ann also mentioned that a report would be compiled and taken to Council 7. Symbols and Meanings: • Discussion about the by-laws regarding hate symbols. • There was an incident in Whitby of a sign above a homeowner's garage where by-law officials asked the resident to take the sign down. This brings the question of what signage can and cannot be removed by the municipality, without infringing on the charter • It was suggested that a delegation go before Durham Region to bring this issue forward, Erica will investigate how to become a delegation at Durham Region 8. Other Business • Lyndsay provided an update from the Community Safety Council at DRPS. The Diversity Advisory Committee had asked about their training for the neighborhood watch volunteers. DRPS has said that the neighborhood watch was disbanded two years ago, and they were looking into updating their training The meeting was adjourned at 6:45 p.m. Next meeting: TO BE DETERMINED, at 7:00 PM Microsoft Teams