Markham’s Diversity and Eliminating anti-Black racism Action plans

Available Now

The City of Markham began updating its Diversity Action Plan during the fall of 2021. We sought input from residents, community leaders, Advisory Committees, community and service organizations, business owners and entrepreneurs, and individuals who work in Markham through a series of discovery meetings, community consultations and an online survey.

On July 13, 2022, The City of Markham in partnership with Ted Rogers School of Management’s Diversity Institute, officially launched Markham’s Diversity and Eliminating Anti-Black Racism Action Plans at Aaniin Community Centre.

Diversity Action Plan updates

Who participated in the first round of public consultations and survey?

Throughout the Fall of 2021, residents, community leaders, Advisory Committees, community and service organizations, business owners and entrepreneurs, aspiring business owners and entrepreneurs and individuals who work in Markham from all backgrounds shared their feedback with us through a series of discovery meetings, consultations sessions and an online survey.

What was the schedule for the community consultations?

Consultation Session	Title	Date
Session 1	Black, African Diaspora and Caribbean Community Perspectives	Tues. Nov. 16
Session 2	Black, African Diaspora and Caribbean Economic Empowerment (business owners, entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners)	Combined with Session 10 on Wednesday December 1.
Session 3	Racialized, Indigenous and Racialized Immigrant Perspectives (session conducted in English, Farsi and Tamil)	Mon. Nov. 22
Session 4	Chinese Community Perspectives - (session conducted in English, Cantonese & Mandarin)	Tues. Nov. 23
Session 5	2SLGBTQ+ Community Perspectives	Wed. Nov. 24
Session 6	Seniors, Persons Living with Disabilities and Mental Health Perspectives	Thurs. Nov. 25
Session 7	Youth Perspectives (Age 15 – 29)	Fri. Nov. 26
Session 8	Faith, Religious and Spiritual Perspectives	Mon. Nov. 29
Session 9	Community Service Agencies, Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture	Tues. Nov. 30
Session 10	Economic Empowerment Perspectives (business owners, entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners)	Wed. Dec. 1
Session 11	Close Out Session - Sharing What We Have Learned from the Community	Thurs. Dec. 2

What measures were taken to ensure the public consultations were safe?

The City of Markham’s virtual public conversations were offered in a safe space. All participants were asked to attest to respectful communication and behaviour during the registration process. Safe space guidelines were provided at the beginning of consultation sessions. Trauma informed counselling was available during the consultation session and directly after the session in acknowledgement that these conversations are emotionally challenging. In addition, some sessions were targeted to specific community members (sessions related to anti-Black racism and also to the 2SLGBTQ+ community).

Who reviewed the survey responses?

The survey responses were reviewed and analyzed by the City of Markham’s third-party partner – The Diversity Institute (Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University). Themes from the online survey and the public consultations will be incorporated into the updated Diversity Action Plan report and shared with the public.

Will I receive the results of the initial survey?

Themes from the online survey and the public consultations will be reviewed by the City of Markham’s third-party partner – The Diversity Institute (Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University) - and will be incorporated into the updated Diversity Action Plan report, which will be made available in the spring.

Markham’s Diversity and Eliminating anti-Black racism Action plans

Available Now

Diversity Action Plan updates

Who participated in the first round of public consultations and survey?

What was the schedule for the community consultations?

Consultation Session

Title

Date

What measures were taken to ensure the public consultations were safe?

Who reviewed the survey responses?

Will I receive the results of the initial survey?

Community Consultations

Resources

905.477.5530 or customerservice@markham.ca

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