City called on to be less complacent on racism
Red Deer’s Welcoming and Inclusive Communities (WIC) Network is calling upon the municipality that created it in 2015 to do more to combat racism.
At the heart of the matter, says former WIC co-chair Sadia Khan, is the City’s lack of action despite not only forming WIC, but also signing onto the Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities (CIM) in 2013 and introducing a protocol with the Urban Aboriginal Voices Society (UAVS) in 2017 to improve relations with the local Indigenous community.
“The City put out a blanket statement last month after we protested literally at their doorstep. But the City did not reach out to WIC to ask our thoughts or about how we felt,” says Khan. “They did not engage in a conversation with WIC prior to or after putting that blanket statement out. They shouldn’t get to pick and choose when to work with us.”
The City of Red Deer tells rdnewsNOW that it didn’t consult with WIC on the statement primarily due to tight timelines.