THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF PEEL

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND ANTI-RACISM COMMITTEE

MINUTES

DEAR-1/2022
-
Council Chamber, 5th Floor
Regional Administrative Headquarters
10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite A
Brampton, Ontario
Members Present:
  • D. Damerla
  • R. Deo
  • G.S. Dhillon
  • N. Iannicca
  • J. Kovac
  • S. McFadden
  • R. Rokerya
  • R. Santos
Members Absent:
  • T. Awuni
  • J. Downey
Staff Present:
  • J. Baker, Chief Administrative Officer
  • G. Kent, Chief Financial Officer and Commissioner of Corporate Services
  • P. Caza, Regional Solicitor
  • K. Dedman, Commissioner of Public Works
  • J. Sheehy, Commissioner of Human Services
  • J. Jackson, Director, Office of Culture and Inclusion
  • A. Adams, Deputy Clerk
  • H. Gill, Committee Clerk
  • S. Valleau, Legislative Specialist
  • R. Khan, Legislative Technical Coordinator
  • S. MacGregor, Legislative Technical Coordinator
  • J. Jones, Legislative Specialist

1.
CALL TO ORDER
 

Councillor Santos, Committee Vice-Chair, called the Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism Committee meeting to order on February 17, 2022 at 9:31 a.m., in the Council Chambers, Regional Administrative Headquarters, 10 Peel Centre Drive.  Members of the Committee and staff participated electronically.

Committee Member Awuni was absent due to a personal matter.

Councillor Downey was absent due to a personal matter.

Other Councillors present: A. Thompson. 

2.
INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 

Councillor Santos, Committee Vice-Chair read an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement.

3.
DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
 

Nil.

4.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
 

  • RECOMMENDATION DEAR-1-2022:

    That the agenda for the February 17, 2022 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee meeting, be approved.

5.
DELEGATIONS
 

5.1
Bobby Rai, Resident of Peel
This item has attachments. 

1.Bobby Rai, Resident of Peel.pdf

Regarding Equity Issues in the Region of Peel

  • Received

Bobby Rai, Resident of Peel, provided comments regarding: personal experiences related to unpaid employment leave due to non-disclosure of medical information; psychological and mental health impacts on students and their families related to mask mandates and COVID-19 pandemic information; equity and fairness with COVID-19 information sharing; community member vaccine compliance fears; and, justice in the health care system. Bobby Rai suggested that equitable and fair information could be shared through community hall meetings with various ethnic groups, a constituent online platform and vaccine rights education for businesses.

In response to a question from Councillor Kovac regarding the delegate’s perspective as an educator on the lifting of pandemic restrictions, Bobby Rai stated that he is optimistic and looks forward to seeing change after March 1, 2022.

In response to a question from Committee Member Deo regarding the feasibility of a third-party review and report to assess the harm caused by COVID-19 pandemic policies, Bobby Rai expressed his opinion that there should be such a report with contributions from various groups.

6.
REPORTS
 

6.1
Peel’s Approach to Indigenous Engagement
This item has attachments. 

1.Peel’s Approach to Indigenous Engagement.pdf
2.Appendix I – Letter from Chief LaForme to Town of Caledon.pdf

(For information)

  • Received

Members of Committee discussed and raised questions regarding: vaccination hesitancy in the Indigenous community; promotion of respect and dignity for Indigenous community members who do not wish to be vaccinated; the Region of Peel employee vaccination policy; equal opportunities in the Region of Peel; development of partnerships and relationships with Indigenous communities as outlined in the report listed as item 6.1 on the February 17, 2022 committee agenda; population planning table to ensure an Indigenous-centric approach and inclusion of the Indigenous voice in planning; pandemic response and vaccination planning to meeting the needs of the Indigenous community through the indigenous planning table; other specialized community vaccination planning groups; and, community vaccination clinics in Peel.

6.2
Pride in Peel
This item has attachments. 

1.Pride in Peel.pdf

(For information)

  • Received

7.
COMMUNICATIONS
 

Nil.

8.
OTHER BUSINESS
 

Nil.

9.
IN CAMERA MATTERS
 

Nil.

10.
NEXT MEETING
 

Thursday, May 19, 2022
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Council Chamber, 5th Floor
Regional Administrative Headquarters
10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite A
Brampton, Ontario

Please forward regrets to Harjit Gill, Committee Clerk, at [email protected].

11.
ADJOURNMENT
 

The meeting adjourned at 10:19 a.m.

No Item Selected