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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-06-12Ciarftwn If this information is required in an alternate format, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131 Clarington Diversity Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes June 12th, 2025, 7:OOpm Hybrid Meeting Online via MS Teams CDAC Members: Tenzin Shomar Bev Neblett Koren Kassirer Starlee DeGrace Lauren Reyes -Grange (until 7:49pm) Ron Hooper (until 7:40pm) Pranay Gunti Belinda Gruber Regrets: Councillor Anderson Vincent Wong Bethesda House Shanelle Paguirian Also Present: Jeannette Whynot, Staff Liaison Donnalee Smith (CLMA) Meeting called to order at 7:02pm 1. Land Acknowledgement: B. Neblett shared a personalized land acknowledgment statement. 2. Declaration of interest No declaration of interest by members. 3. Review and Approval of agenda Moved by B. Neblett; seconded by L. Reyes -Grange That the agenda be approved as presented. Carried 4. Review of May 8, 2025, meeting minutes Moved by L. Reyes -Grange; seconded by P. Gunti That the minutes from May 8, 2025, for the CDAC meeting, be approved as presented. Carried 5. New Member Introductions T. Shomar advised that three new members were recently appointed to the committee. Lakeridge Health and Bethesda House are the community organizations appointed to the Committee. Belinda Gruber will be attending on behalf of Lakeridge Health and Danae Watt will be attending on behalf of Bethesda House. Shanelle Paguirian is the new youth member. B. Gruber shared a brief introduction. D. Watt and S. Paguirigan were not present to introduce themselves. 6. Vice Chair Election T. Shomar advised that the Vice Chair recently resigned from the committee due to other personal commitments. T. Shomar provided an overview of the nomination process and opened the floor for nominations. L. Reyes -Grange nominated B. Neblett No other nominations were put forward. B. Neblett accepted the nomination and was elected by acclamation as Vice Chair. 7. Student Bursary Update & Motion to Select Recipients T. Shomar shared that the bursary sub -committee was impressed with the number and quality of applications received this year. The sub -committee interviewed five applicants and after deliberation have reached a consensus on who should receive the bursary. Moved by B. Neblett; seconded by L. Reyes -Grange, That the applicants A. Gregory and J. Kniaz be selected as the recipients of this year's Diversity Student Leadership Award for the 2025-2026 school year. Carried 8. Discussion on Recent Acts of Hate T. Shomar presented a draft motion for the Committee's consideration on behalf of the hate symbol working group, in response to the recent acts of hate within Clarington. A broad discussion about how the Committee, Municipality and community can respond in a meaningful way to these incidents and what can be done to proactively address hate within the community. Moved by B. Neblett; seconded by L. Reyes -Grange WHEREAS hate has no home in Clarington; AND WHEREAS acts of hate have a profound impact on those directly targeted, as well as the community as a whole; AND WHEREAS municipalities such as Hamilton, Uxbridge, and Peterborough have either amended their sign by-laws or passed motions banning the display of hate symbols on municipal property; AND WHEREAS all levels of government have a collective responsibility in keeping our communities safe and welcoming for all residents; AND WHEREAS, in previous sessions of Parliament, bills were introduced to amend the Criminal Code to ban hate symbols; AND WHEREAS regular data reporting on hate crime incidents, charges and convictions will provide transparency, create awareness, and identify areas of focus. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT CDAC recommends that Clarington Council: a. Ban symbols of hate on municipal property, either through policy or amendments to the Sign Bylaw; b. Urge the Federal Government to amend the Criminal Code to ban public displays of hate symbols; c. Request that DRPS make publicly available statistics on hate -related incidents through a ate crime dashboarc_and present an annual report on hate crimes, similar to those of the Toronto Police Service; d. Endorse the development of the regional, community -based hate reporting system proposed in Report #2025-A-4 of Durham Region's F&A Committee and request that the Region add CDAC and other lower -tier DEI advisory committees in future consultations on the system's development and other anti -hate initiatives; and e. Forward a copy of Council's resolution to the Region of Durham, other Durham Region municipalities and their DEI advisory committees (where applicable) Carried 9. Indigenous Veteran's Day A discussion on the lack of Indigenous representation in Remembrance Day ceremonies took place. Members noted that Indigenous Veteran's Day is separate from Remembrance Day and takes place in November 8t" Members discussed whether it was feasible to organize an event for 2025. T. Shomar recommended a working group be formed to work on this outside of CDAC meetings. B. Gruber, T. Shomar, S. DeGrace and K. Kassirer offered to participate in this working group. By mutual agreement, the working group will explore ways to engage with the local Indigenous community and develop a plan to recognize Indigenous Veteran's Day in Clarington in the future. 10. Civic Youth Engagement Originally proposed in 2024, planning for a Mock Council Day had been paused due to time constraints and competing priorities. T. Shomar shared that there seems to be a renewed interest in moving this forward since his presentation to Council in May. The project is currently envisioned as a way to engage local Grade 10 students in local government through a hands-on learning experience in Council Chambers. The goal is to build civic awareness and leaderships skills through mock Council debates and decision making. T. Shomar reaffirmed his interest in supporting this project and inquired if other Committee members were interested in supporting a working group for this initiative. B. Neblett and K. Kassirer offered to support as needed. Next Steps: T. Shomar to meet with Municipal staff to resume planning and report back to the Committee in the Fall. 11. Council Update No Council update. 12.IDEA Update: Quorum was lost at 7:49pm J. Whynot shared that "Together, We Are Clarington" officially launched last week and the response has been extremely positive so far. She expressed gratitude to everyone involved in the campaign. J. Whynot shared an overview of Pride Month activities that the Municipality is supporting including attendance at Youth Pride Durham (June 1st), Pride Durham Parade & Festival (June 7), month -long food drive in support for Durham Alliance Outreach (DAO) in collaboration with CLMA, and the distribution of "Every One Is Welcome Here" Progressive Pride Flag window stickers for local businesses and allies 13.Other Business Notification about a Special CDAC in response to the recent acts of hate at the Orono Mosque has been scheduled for Thursday June 26t" at 7:30pm in hybrid format was shared with the committee. T. Shomar advised that in light of this incident, he and Mayor Foster felt it necessary to hold a special meeting to discuss what happened and how the Community can move forward and show that hate has no place in Clarington. J. Whynot advised that a meeting invitation can expect a meeting invitation shortly. 14.Adjournment Meeting was adjourned at 8:01 pm Next meeting Thursday June 26, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. Hybrid format.