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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-09-11If 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 September 11th, 2025, 7:00pm Online via MS Teams CDAC Members: Tenzin Shomar (Chair) Bev Neblett (Vice Chair) Danae Watt - Bethesda House Shanelle Paguirigan Belinda Gruber – Lakeridge Health Lauren Reyes-Grange (7:02-7:09pm) Pranay Gunti Ron Hooper Councillor Anderson (from 7:52pm) Regrets: Starlee DeGrace Vincent Wong Koren Kassirer Also Present: Jeannette Whynot – Staff Laision Nirosha Balakumar – Supervisor, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Melissa Westover – Manager, Communications Donnalee Smith - CMLA The Meeting was called to order at 7:03pm 1. Land Acknowledgement: T. Shomar shared a land acknowledgment statement. 2. Declaration of interest No declaration of interest by members. 3. Review and Approval of agenda Moved by R. Hooper; seconded by B. Neblett, That the agenda be approved as presented. Carried 4. Review and approval of June 12, 2025 and June 28, 2025, meeting minutes Moved by R. Hooper; seconded by P. Gunti, That the minutes from June 12 and June 28, 2025, for the CDAC meeting, be approved as presented. Carried 5. New Member Introductions T. Shomar welcomed new members to the committee and invited N. Balakumar, S. Paguirigan and D. Watts to introduce themselves to the committee. Existing members and staff also introduced themselves. 6. Committee Priorities for Remainder of Term T. Shomar led the committee through a discussion to review their strategic priorities to ensure the remainder of their term is impactful. Past initiatives include: 1. Advocating and implementing the Diversity Leadership Bursary to support Clarington students who show leadership and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. Discussion about adding a mentorship has occurred but requires additional work to launch and be successful. 2. Responding to incidents of hate by forming a working group to research municipal responses and actions. The working groups presented recommendations to the committee, which were then submitted to Council as a committee motion. 3. Youth civic engagement has been discussed; however momentum has slowed on creating a Model City Hall program. New Suggestions: 1. S. Paguirigan strongly supported adding a mentorship component to the bursary. She emphasized a lack of awareness among students and recommended in- person school visits to promote it and a more active social-media campaign to improve outreach. It was noted that relying on Guidance Councillors isn’t ideal because they often do minimal promotion. 2. R. Hooper recommended for stronger collaboration with Durham Region and other lower-tier municipalities. Concern for losing alignment with Regional DEI activities was expressed. 3. B. Gruber proposed exploring accommodations for public delegations to Council, emphasizing how this would increase civic engagement for newcomers and neurodivergent individuals. Next Steps: T. Shomar will send a follow-up email to gather interest in working groups for these different initiatives and to collect additional ideas and priorities from members. T. Shomar advised that working groups are a great way to streamline efforts and allow for focused progress on key initiatives. 7. Elect Respect Pledge T. Shomar introduced the Elect Respect Pledge, which was recently passed at Clarington’s General Government Committee (GGC) meeting on September 8th, 2025. The pledge addresses the growing harassment and intimidation faced by elected officials, particularly women and racialized individuals. The pledge condemns harassment and abuse directed at elected officials, promotes respectful discourse in municipal politics, encourages diverse participation in elections by ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for candidates and to raise awareness about the impact of toxic behaviour on democratic engagement. T. Shomar emphasized the relevance of the pledge to the committee ’s mandate and recommended the committee consider a motion to indicate support for the pledge and Council’s support of the pledge. Moved by R. Hooper, seconded by S. Paguirigan, That the Diversity Advisory Committee endorse the Municipality of Clarington’s motion to endorse the Elect Respect Pledge. Carried. 8. Council Updates Councillor Anderson invited members to attend Garba Fest on September 19th. Tickets are available online and all are welcome to enjoy this festival which will be outdoors at Garnet B. Rickard Arena in Bowmanville. Councillor Anderson raised concerns about the rise in hate speech and harassment. He noted that Durham Regional Police Service (DRPS) has a dedicated anti-racism unit with three officers, however it’s already insufficient for the volume of hate. Community members are encouraged to report incidents of hate because even if charges cannot be laid, police can intervene, monitor and track. Councillor Anderson also emphasized the need for residents to speak out against hate and not remain passive. Councillor Anderson briefly spoke about the 2024-2027 multi-year budget. Since it is an approved multi-year budget, there will be no public budget open houses however residents and committee members are encouraged to submit suggestions or concerns via email to Council or the Communications team. 9. Staff Updates N. Balakumar provided an overview on this years National Day for Truth and Reconciliation initiatives in Clarington and across Durham. Additional information will be shared with members over email. N. Balakumar advised that staff have been reviewing Council’s request that staff determine a location for a second rainbow crosswalk. N. Balakumar explained that given the high costs of installation and maintenance, staff plan to propose an alternative: rainbow pole wraps. Pole wraps are a fraction of the cost of a painted crosswalk and will allow staff to install them at multiple locations across the municipality. Moved by B. Beblett, seconded by D. Watt, That the Diversity Advisory Committee endorses the staff recommendation to replace a second rainbow crosswalk with rainbow wrapped poles at multiple municipal facilities. Carried. N. Balakumar advised that on November 1st there will be a Walk to End Intimate Partner Violence at Durham Region HQ in Whitby. Additional details will be provided via email. N. Balakumar shared that Council approved the committee’s motion on banning symbols of hate. Staff are working through the approved Council motions and will provide the committee updates as progress is made. 10. Other Business B. Neblett shared an update on the Region’s Together Against Hate campaign. This campaign is funded by the Canadian Race Relation’s National Anti-Racism Fund. It is led by the Region and aims to mobilize communities so they can stand against hate. There is a steering committee and three core pillars: coalition building, public awareness campaign and an anti-hate conference on November 7th, 2025. Sub-group activities are well underway and involve resource development and community outreach. There is also an advisory subgroup that reviews materials created by other subgroups, explores policy implications and supports the conference agenda. B. Neblett emphasized the importance of regional consistency in messaging and responding to hate. The campaign is designed to be inclusive, proactive and community driven. Updates will continue and conference information will be shared once more information is available. 11. Adjournment Moved by B. Gruber, seconded by R. Hooper That the meeting be adjourned. Carried. Next Meeting: Thursday October 9, 2025 7:00pm, via Teams.