SECOND MEETING OF THE
RACE RELATIONS COMMITTEE FOR 2009
TOWN OF MARKHAM
Ontario Room, Markham Civic Centre
Monday, April 6, 2009
7:15 PM – 9:00 PM
MINUTES
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ATTENDANCE: Committee Councillor L. Kanapathi Jobson Easow, Chair Rochelle Bowmile, Vice Chair Aisha Manji Winnie Wales Vilvan Gunasingham Sharon Laing, Director of Human Resource Nadine Daley, Manager of Diversity, Compensation and Benefits Staff Laura Gold, Committee Clerk |
Regrets |
The second meeting of Markham Race Relations Committee convened at 7:25 PM with Mr. Jobson Easow presiding as Chair.
1. CHAIRS OPENING REMARKS
Mr. Jobson Easow, Chair welcomed the Committee to the second Race Relations Committee of 2009.
2. MINUTES OF THE MARKHAM RACE RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Moved Javid Khan
Seconded Thereesa Coulter
That the minutes of the Race Relations Committee held on January 5, 2009 be adopted.
CARRIED
3. CHANGES OR ADDITIONS TO
THE AGENDA
Ms. Sharon Laing corrected Ms. Tina Eadon’s name on the agenda.
4. POLICING OUR
MULTICULTURAL REGION
Sergeant Ricky Veerappan, Diversity & Cultural Resources, York Regional Police (YRP), provided a presentation on the YRP roadmap to inclusivity. He outlined three functions used to achieve its goal of inclusivity:
1) The YRP gets to know the community by identifying stakeholders, bridging gaps, and continual communication with the community;
2) The YRP monitors and investigates hate crimes;
3) The YRP provides training in diversity, and conducts racial profiling.
Mr. Veerappan explained that
Canada is a land of immigrants and that in recent years York Region has been a
primary place for immigrants to migrate.
He advised that this trend is new, as immigrants used to migrate to larger
cities. He reported that 2 out 5
residents living in York Region are a visible minority and that
Mr. Veerappan explained that the YRP responds to its diverse community by having a diverse workforce, advising that 17.2% of it Officers are females, and 14.4% of its Officers are from diverse communities. The YRP recruits with a vision, which he explained as strategic recruitment, where special attention is given to under represented groups in its recruitment campaigns.
Mr. Veerappan spoke about the challenges facing policing in multicultural areas, for instance a resident telling an Officer that in his culture that it okay for him to hit his wife. He explained that Officers are reminded that in this Country it is a criminal offence and not to let anyone intimidate them based on their cultural or religious beliefs.
He advised that the YRP works
closely with religious leaders to obtain their feedback. He reported that the YRP is the only force in
Mr. Veerappan advised that people that live in York Region sometimes have strong ties to other places in the world. Consequently, international conflicts can have a strong impact on the community. He believed that for this reason it was important to keep open communication with the community and for Officers to maintain a global mindset.
Mr. Veerappan advised that hate crimes are motivated by biased, historical animosity, economic success, immigrant scapegoats, neighbourhood demographics, media reports, and thrill seeking. He reported that the YRP is fighting hate crimes in the following ways: 1) it has a Hate Crime Advisory Committee; 2) Officers are taken to various places of worship (places they are not familiar with); 3) the YRP celebrates a variety of religious holidays at its stations; 4) Officers learn about the Holocaust; 5) new Officers will spend time with different communities such as, the Aids community in York Region; and 6) they invite people from the community to share information about their religion. The YRP thinks of new ways of doing things (policing outside of the box) by going beyond law enforcement. It works towards building stronger, safer, and inclusive communities.
Questions and Answers
Mr. Veerappan was asked if he
thinks the number of diverse officer will reach 65% (the percentage of the
community that is diverse in
Mr. Veerappan was asked what type of hate crimes are committed. He explained that 2/3 of hate crimes are vandalism related. Some other examples included threats, harassing phone calls, and assaults. He advised that the Jewish, and African American communities experience the highest number of hate crimes. He believed that education, and awareness was important to prevent these types of crimes.
Mr. Veerappan was asked how the YRP keeps the media out of hate crimes. He replied that YRP works closely with the media and advised that certain details may not be published in order to protect the investigation, noting that the YRP will advise religious leaders in the area if there is a hate crime.
Mr. Veerappan was asked what residents should do if they feel they have been discriminated against by a YRP Officer. He advised that you should take the Officer’s badge number, and license number and make a formal complaint, noting every Officer that wears a uniform must provide the same level of professionalism.
5. RESIGNATION
Moved by Vilvan
Seconded by Rochelle Bowmile
That the resignation of Heather Christian- Simmonds be accepted; and that the position be declared vacant and a replacement member be appointed.
CARRIED.
6. DIVERSECITY
PRESENTATION
Ms. Tina Edan, Maytree Foundation, provided a presentation on its Diverse City Project. The purpose of the project is to increase the number of diverse leaders on GTA board of directors. She noted that 56% of corporate boards of directors have no visible minorities, and only 9% of City of Toronto Councillors are visible minorities. She reported that corporations that have boards of directors composed of diverse leaders have stronger financial performance, greater productivity, and enhanced civic engagement.
7. SUB-COMMITTEE UPDATE
7. A. EVENT SUB-COMMITTEE
UPDATE
Winnie Wales, Committee Member, provided an update on the Many Faces of Markham event to be held on April 18, 2009 at 2:30 PM at Markham Theatre. She advised the Committee of the following performers at the Many Faces of Markham Event:
· A vocalist (a 9 year old girl)
· A national choir
· A group of musician playing Chinese musical instruments
· Spanish dancing
· Scottish dancing
· A hip hop performance (2 boys)
She reported the winners were selected for both the writing and art contests. The tickets for the winner will be available for pick up at Information Markham. The Committee Members were provided with 2 tickets per Committee Member.
7. B. POLICY SUB-COMMITTEE
UPDATE
The Chair advised that the Town
of
8. DIVERSITY UPDATE
Ms. Laing advised that the Diversity Plan is in its final draft stages and that once it is completed the plan will be presented to the Committee for its review and comment. She hoped the plan would go to Council for approval before the summer break. She explained that the Town joined the UNESCO Coalition Against Racism and Discrimination because it was consistent with its strategic direction.
The Committee congratulated Rochelle Bowmile, Committee Member, for winning the National Post contest for “What Black History Month Means to me” and for the media recognition she received from Global Television.
Ms. Laing reported that the Town
of
9. ADJOURNMENT
The second meeting of the Markham Race Relations Committee adjourned at 9:15 PM.