Help shape the City’s first Anti-Racism Strategy

The Anti-Racism Secretariat is holding virtual resident town halls on Saturday, January 15 and Thursday, January 20. These will complete a series of public engagement sessions the Anti-Racism Secretariat launched last year.

This year, the City of Ottawa will develop its first Anti-Racism Strategy, which will include strategic actions, key performance indicators and expected outcomes to confront systemic racism in Ottawa’s systems and structures.

To help inform the strategy, the Anti-Racism Secretariat is holding virtual resident town halls on Saturday, January 15 and Thursday, January 20. These will complete a series of public engagement sessions the Anti-Racism Secretariat launched last year.

The townhalls will give residents and community stakeholders the opportunity to respond to the What We Heard report, which summarizes the recommendations and feedback received during the sessions about how the City can address systemic racism within the six priority areas previously identified by the community (employment equity, governance, housing, economic development, health outcomes and youth development). Participants can also provide further feedback and highlight any gaps that should be considered in the Anti-Racism Strategy.

To register for one of the following virtual town halls and to read the full What We Heard report, please visit the Anti-Racism Secretariat’s Engage Ottawa page:

Bilingual Indigenous and racialized resident town hall – Saturday, January 15, 10 am to noon
Bilingual all resident town hall – Thursday, January 20, 5:30 to 7:30 pm

The Anti-Racism Secretariat will incorporate town hall feedback into the Anti-Racism Strategy and present it to Council later this year.

The City condemns all forms of racism. Municipal governments play a leading role in identifying and challenging systemic racism. Led by its Anti-Racism Secretariat, the City is committed to advancing a more inclusive and responsive municipal government, to ensure all people are served fairly and free of discrimination.