Full house at Red Deer's city council chambers on Monday for item on the Diversity & Inclusion Plan. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

What is equity?

Red Deer city council supports Diversity & Inclusion Plan; tension raised around definitions

Jul 24, 2023 | 8:51 PM

Red Deer city council supported a community-informed Diversity and Inclusion Plan on Monday, following some tense discussion, in front of a full house at council chambers.

Officials say the plan acknowledges that the City has an important role to play alongside community members in enhancing communal well-being. They say the plan also outlines that the City needs to model desired behaviours and actions to demonstrate ongoing systemic change.

Administration explained that the plan was inspired by significant events occurring in the city between 2017 and 2020 that increased racial tensions like fights in schools, the “Yellow Vests Protests”, which some claimed to have concerned opinions on immigration, and vandalism at places of worship.

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The Local Immigrant Partnership (LIP) of Red Deer initiated a survey in 2021 to create an understanding of local experiences of racism. Results indicated that racism exists in the city, with participants’ most common answer being that Red Deer was a lot worse than other places and around 46 per cent saying that racism had gotten worse since the beginning of the pandemic.

READ: Report on racism in Red Deer shows a community divided

The plan contains various quotes from residents following numerous engagement initiatives such as interviews, design labs and inclusion sessions.

Identified in the plan are nine priority areas which indicate starting points for actions to increase equitable access and celebrate diversity:

1. Address Mistreatment in Communities, Workplaces and Education Systems
2. Address Inequity
3. Increase Accessibility and Community Participation
4. Increase Baseline Levels of Essential Knowledge Needed to Support Diversity and Inclusion
5. Create Opportunities to Nurture a Greater Sense of Connection
6. Develop and Communicate a City Culture of Diversity and Inclusion
7. Build Trust by Acting Visibly and with Accountability
8. Address Inequities and Mistreatments Within and Between Marginalized Communities
9. Be a Powerful Advocate

Each priority is further accompanied by a series of recommendations to be taken by The City, Red Deer’s Welcoming and Inclusion Community Network (WIC) and other organizations.

Councillor Vesna Higham said that while she is proud of the document, she questioned if council would have a chance to amend the plan, voicing disagreement with definitions for certain terms, particularly for “equity” within the “Understanding Equity” section.

The section outlines the difference between equity and equality stating, “Equity is about eliminating the processes that maintain oppression.”

Councillor Higham expressed that the definition is not encompassing for all members in the community and does not align with other accepted definitions of equity, such as that of the United Way of Canada which states equity is about, “eliminating disparities and barriers to fair opportunities for all.”

She shared her parents’ experience as immigrants from a former communist country with language, social, institutional and educational barriers within society.

“The concept of equity should, in my view, apply broadly enough to capture all forms of discrimination, bias and disrespect against any identifiable individual, group or member of our society,” she said, adding that not all bias and discrimination are the result of systemic oppression.

Mayor Ken Johnston responded that the report should be honored as is until another date when it could be discussed further, to which members of the public in council chambers applauded.

City Manager Tara Lodewyk confirmed there would be future opportunities for councillors and members of the public to share their voice as the plan is just a starting point.

Dieulita Datus-Hall, Program Manager with Red Deer’s LIP, said at the meeting while there is optimism with the report being passed unanimously, she wished there was more discussion around the definitions of oppression and justice and how they intertwine with systems, governments and equity.

“There are groups who have been oppressed for over 400 years and who continue to feel oppressed by different systems,” she said, providing examples of groups who were not allowed to vote until 60 years ago or who were not allowed to swim in public pools.

“There are groups, when they enter the justice system, who are not treated like everybody else and so that’s the conversation that we need to have to be able to understand.”

Councillor Lawrence Lee shared that the City has grown culturally in its population since he was in school and the document is representative of this shift.

Councillor Victor Doerksen voiced support for the plan, drawing on his experience as former Executive Director of the Care for Newcomers organization and former Director of Finance for the Central Alberta Residence Society which supported individuals with disabilities.

By receiving the report for information, council directed administration to develop an implementation strategy for the City that honours their leadership role within the community.

“This community plan is inspired by community voices who offered their individual experiences, and I commend all participants for the bravery demonstrated by sharing these stories,” said Mayor Johnston. “Acknowledging these experiences and being open to learning from them is an important first step. Recognizing opportunities and creating capacity to intentionally action this work is where we will begin to see true progress in our community. We all come from different places and each of us is capable of making a difference.”

The City says next steps over the coming months include the development of a measurable and sustainable Diversity and Inclusion Framework for The City to address the priorities and recommendations, recognizing resources that might be required.

They claim actioning this plan will increase awareness, demonstrate commitment and assist in dismantling barriers towards equitable success.