THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF PEEL

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND ANTI-RACISM COMMITTEE

MINUTES

DEAR-2/2022

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

Members Present:

• R. Deo
• G.S. Dhillon
• J. Downey
• N. Iannicca
• J. Kovac
• S. McFadden
• R. Rokerya

Members Absent:

• T. Awuni
• D. Damerla
• R. Santos

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
• N. Polsinelli, Commissioner of Health Services
• J. Jackson, Director, Office of Culture and Inclusion
• Dr. L. Loh, Medical Officer of Health
• A. Adams, Regional Clerk
• C. Thomson, Deputy Clerk and Manager of Legislative Services
• H. Gill, Committee Clerk
• S. Valleau, Legislative Technical Coordinator
• S. MacGregor, Legislative Technical Coordinator
• A. Basit, Legislative Assistant

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1.

CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL

Councillor Downey, Committee Chair, called the Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism Committee meeting to order on May 19, 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.

Councillor Damerla was absent due to a leave of absence. 

Councillor Santos was absent due to other municipal business.

Other Councillors present: P. Mullin.

2.

INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Councillor Downey, Committee Chair, read an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement.

3.

DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Nil.

4.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

• RECOMMENDATION DEAR-2-2022:

  That the agenda for the May 19, 2022 Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism Committee meeting, be approved.

5.

DELEGATIONS

5.1

Angela Carter, Executive Director, Roots Community Services; and Liz Estey Noad, Director, System Planning – Peel Mass Vaccination Program

Regarding Health Equity in Practice, Working with the Community to Drive Peel's Mass Vaccination Program 

• Received

Angela Carter, Executive Director, Roots Community Services; and Liz Estey Noad, Director, System Planning – Peel Mass Vaccination Program, spoke of racism, systemic discrimination and inequities faced by Peel residents.  They provided an overview of the collaborative work with community partners to drive Peel's Mass Vaccination Program (MVP); health inequities in Ontario's racialized communities; development of community-based pandemic response interventions; community wellness fairs; proposed Black, African and Caribbean Communities Integrated Health and Social Services Hub; and the need to increase access to culturally responsive primary health care and social services.

Members of Committee discussed and raised questions regarding: the current COVID-19 vaccine uptake for children; vaccine hesitancy; health promotion strategies; community support services; magnification of health care inequities identified during the pandemic; and the importance of continuing to work with community partners to drive positive change.  Members commented on how the approach used with MVP was a good example of a client-centric, ethical and responsive way to remove barriers for the community. 

5.2

Varsha Naik, Co-Chair, Gurpreet Malhotra, Co-Chair, and Sean Meagher, Member, Peel’s Anti-Black Racism and Systemic Discrimination (ABR-SD) Collective

Regarding the ABR-SD Collective's Work and Seeking Endorsement in Support of Systemic Issues in Peel

• Received
• RECOMMENDATION DEAR-3-2022:
  1. That the Region of Peel support the concerns described by the Anti-Black Racism and Systemic Discrimination (ABR-SD) Collective through their delegation to the May 19, 2022 Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism Committee meeting and in their letter to the Premier of Ontario dated April 27, 2021; and
  2. That the Region of Peel integrate an equity lens in the Region of Peel’s advocacy priorities and advocate to the provincial government at the AMO Conference in August 2022, to highlight the specific challenges that the Region of Peel is facing due to systemic discrimination.

Varsha Naik, Co-Chair, Gurpreet Malhotra, Co-Chair, and Sean Meagher, Member, Peel's Anti-Black Racism and Systemic Discrimination (ABR-SD) Collective, provided an overview of the ABR-SD Collective's work and strategic priorities.  They highlighted key areas of concern in Peel as they relate to racism, systemic discrimination and inequities; overarching issues affecting racialized communities; under-resourcing for provincial programs in Peel and the impacts on particular communities and groups; and, the need for partnerships and co-design to capitalize on the capacity of community-based agencies.

Members of Committee discussed and raised questions regarding: community struggles with discrimination and racism; organizational challenges experienced in attaining goals; a dismantling anti-black racism and systemic discrimination tool kit for community organizations; the local impact of global issues; the need for a wholesome community approach to tackle racism and systemic discrimination with an intersectional lens; building collaborative working groups that seek out positive and meaningful change; and, advocacy opportunities with the provincial government.

5.3

Linden King, Chair, Mississauga Black Caucus; Claudia McKoy, Principal Consultant, UpSurgence; and Natasha Mistry, Senior Advisor, Stakeholder Relations, Office of the Mayor, City of Mississauga

Regarding the City of Mississauga Black Community Engagement Report 

• Received

Claudia McKoy, Principal Consultant, UpSurgence provided an overview of the City of Mississauga's Black Community Engagement (BCE) report and highlighted the report recommendations and their intended impacts.  Claudia McKoy noted the unique approach to the development of the BCE report recommendations that included: a co-design approach to access insights and gain community and stakeholder buy-in; guiding principles; and forecasted timelines.

6.

REPORTS

6.1

Diverse Supply Chain Program Pilot

• RECOMMENDATION DEAR-4-2022:
  1. That a pilot program to embed supplier diversity into select Region of Peel procurement opportunities to increase equitable access for third-party certified diverse Vendors, be approved; and
  2. That the Director of Procurement be authorized to enter into agreements with established third-party certification organizations as required to verify diverse suppliers.

6.2

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Status Update

(For information)

• Received

7.

COMMUNICATIONS

Nil.

8.

OTHER BUSINESS

Nil.

9.

IN CAMERA

Nil.

10.

NEXT MEETING

Thursday, September 1, 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 11:01 a.m.