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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAugust 5, 2021Agenda Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce August 5, 2021 7:00 pm Electronic Meeting Due to COVID-19 and the Premier’s Emergency Orders to limit gatherings and maintain physical distancing, the City of Pickering continues to hold electronic Council and Committee Meetings. Members of the public may observe the meeting proceedings by viewing the livestream. 1. Welcome and Call to Order C. Mosca 2. Review and Approval of Agenda C. Mosca 3. Disclosure of Interest C. Mosca 4. Approval of Minutes – July 15, 2021 C. Mosca See page 1 of this Agenda 5. Delegations 6. General Business 6.1 Discussion of draft for first quarterly report to Council C. Mosca See page 9 of this Agenda 6.2 Amendment to Section 7 of Terms of Reference C. Mosca See page 10 of this Agenda 6.3 Durham Regional Police Service Update C. Mosca 7. Correspondence 8. Other Business 9. Next Meeting – September 9, 2021 10. Adjournment For information related to accessibility requirements please contact: Committee Coordinator 905.420.4611 clerks@pickering.ca Draft Minutes/Meeting Summary Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Thursday, July 15, 2021 7:00 pm Electronic Meeting – Webex Platform Attendees: D. Ryan, Mayor C. Addo-Bekoe, Manager, People and Culture (Staff Liaison) T. Ryce, Supervisor, Cultural Services (Staff Liaison) J. San Antonio, Senior Advisor, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (Staff Liaison) R. Perera, Committee Coordinator G. Chang-Campbell, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member (Chair) C. Mosca, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member Z. Adatia, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member S. Charles-Watson, Pickering Anti-Black Racism T askforce Member A. Davis, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member R. Diaz-Matus, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member C. Farinha, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member M. Francis, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member D. Governor, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member O. Grignon, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member N. Holland, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member A. Laylor, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member K. Noronha, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member (arrived at 8:10 pm) T. Olanbiwonnu, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member N. Sinclair, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member J. Smith, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member D. Poole, Clerk-Typist (Recording Secretary) Absent: A. Graham, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member F. Heath, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member A. Vincent, Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Member Item/ Details & Discussion & Conclusion Action Items/Status Ref # (summary of discussion) (include deadline as appropriate) 1. Call to Order G. Chang-Campbell welcomed everyone in attendance and called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. G. Chang-Campbell introduced Jaclyn San Antonio, Page 1 of 8 - 1 - - 1 - Item/ Details & Discussion & Conclusion Action Items/Status Ref # (summary of discussion) (include deadline as appropriate) Senior Advisor, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and welcomed her as the incoming staff liaison. 2. Disclosure of Interest No disclosure of interest was brought forward by any of the taskforce members. 3. Adoption of Agenda and Previous Minutes The taskforce reviewed the agenda and the minutes from the meeting held on Thursday, June 17, 2021. It was the consensus of the taskforce members to approve the agenda and adopt the minutes as received. 4. Delegations There were no delegates registered for the meeting. 5. Email communications PABRT.ca T. Ryce provided an overview of the guidelines in relation to the new PABRT email address noting the following information:  The PABRT has an email account separate from the corporation, which can be accessed through letstalk@pabrt.ca. The email account will be monitored by the Taskforce executive, which includes the Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurers, and Secretaries as well as the staff liaisons.  All emails received will be sent to the staff liaisons for informational purposes. The Taskforce executive team will forward the staff liaisons a draft response prior to distribution.  No emails are sent out or received without approval of the staff liaison(s). All responses are sent from the Taskforce executive team with the staff liaisons cc’d on each response. Page 2 of 8 - 2 - - 2 - Item/ Details & Discussion & Conclusion Action Items/Status Ref # (summary of discussion) (include deadline as appropriate)  All emails are sent a response within two business days in accordance with the Corporate Communications Policy.  Any email that is requiring the attention or a decision from the Taskforce will be presented to the Taskforce at the next meeting however a generalized response needs to be provided within two business days.  Any email that requires a response from the City, that are not routine in nature and are unable to be answered by the staff liaison(s), will be escalated to Corporate Communications by one of the staff liaisons.  The City Corporate Communications team will cover the $120.00 fee to host the email address each year.  The email account is protected by the City’s IT Department in regards to spam and phishing emails.  Internal Taskforce and Sub-committee communications do not need to be passed through the aforementioned system, and the Taskforce executive team will work with the staff liaisons to identify a platform under which they would like to exchange emails, so long as it works for the group, and is accessible to all members. The liaisons should be included in the group to allow for continuity, should a member of the taskforce depart.  Ongoing day to day activities of committee and sub-committee business do not need to go through this email account. Executive to provide details regarding the  Taskforce members are requested to keep the Microsoft team platforms chairs and staff liaisons apprised of work they to Liaisons, and ensure are undertaking by including them on equity of access to all communications. Official responses or taskforce members. partnership requests should be sent through Page 3 of 8 - 3 - - 3 - Item/ Details & Discussion & Conclusion Action Items/Status Ref # (summary of discussion) (include deadline as appropriate) the staff liaisons. i.e., Gmail and Google Drives are free and available to all. D. Governor inquired if the emails coming into the J. San Antonio to inquire letstalk@pabrt.ca are subject to Freedom of if emails received by this Information requests. account are subject to FOI requests. 6. Vulnerable Children & Youth Initiative This agenda item has been delayed until the grant has been awarded. 7. Timeline for First Quarterly to Council C. Mosca reviewed the timeline for the first quarterly report to Council noting that it is due on Monday, September 27, 2021. 8. Template for Declaration of Adherence to Code of Conduct C. Mosca reviewed the Code of Conduct document and requested that all of the Taskforce members provide a signed copy to C. Addo-Bekoe. 9. Sub-committee Updates T. Olanbiwonnu advised that the Health and Wellness Services Sub-committee are working on their action plan and anticipate reaching out to community groups to host a focus group in September. Z. Adatia advised that the Community and Civic Engagement Sub-committee is preparing to participated in the upcoming piano event in Esplanade park, which presents a great opportunity to promote the PABRT. A. Laylor advised that members of the Education Sub-committee rece ntly met with a member of the DDSB to talk about the black compendium of student success and how they can partner on a bang the table event. The Sub-committee is looking to meet Page 4 of 8 - 4 - - 4 - Item/ Details & Discussion & Conclusion Action Items/Status Ref # (summary of discussion) (include deadline as appropriate) with representatives from the African Canadian Christian Network to discuss the possibility of a train the trainer event, which will assist in the facilitation of workshops. J. Smith advised that Employment Opportunities and Financial Supports Sub-committee is working on their action plan and the development of a series called “Ask the Professional.” D. Governor advised that the Inclusive Governance and Leadership Sub-committee intends to meet next week to discuss their action plan and budget. A. Davis advised that the Policing and the Justice System Sub-committee is working on their action plan and that she recently received a request from the DRPS Diversity Training Coordinator with respect to developing a working relationship. Consequently, they will be setting up a meeting in August to discuss potential opportunities. R. Diaz-Matus advised that the Youth Development Sub-committee is working on their action plan. Recently, communication was received from T. Higgins, Accessibility Coordinator, pertaining to a grant partnership opportunity with the PABRT for a recreation program for at risk youth. T. Higgins requested a letter of support from the PABRT to support this grant opportunity. Discussion ensued regarding the budget, and the taskforce requested direction on how much they had to work with. Staff explained this was part of the action plan development, the group should identify priorities and needed funds as part of their work, and could ask liaisons for support or suggestions. When the group is determining how to divide funds where for each sub-committee they could prioritize projects, assigning a set portion of the budget to priority items, allowing for additional items to be completed should funding be available. T. Ryce suggested that all of the Sub-committees put in the money they think they need, that each sub-committee could start with an Page 5 of 8 - 5 - - 5 - Item/ Details & Discussion & Conclusion Action Items/Status Ref # (summary of discussion) (include deadline as appropriate) equal portion of the available or each group can vie for funding. The Taskforce has $25,000.00 in their budget until the end of this fiscal year. City staff will put into the budget another $25,000.00 for Council approval next fiscal year. Monies must be spent by December 15 this year; Invoices need to be sent by this date and goods or services must be received by then. Signed invoices must be provided to staff by the end of the year. T. Ryce noted that the Purchasing Policy has been provided to the treasures for distribution. 10. Call for Sub-committee Members O. Grignon advised that the call for Sub-committee members opened on July 9 and will remain open for a period of five weeks until August 13. Applications will be reviewed the following week resulting in subsequent group interviews. O. Grignon requested that anyone interested in attending the round table discussions notify her in the next couple of weeks. 11. Website and Social Media O. Grignon advised that the PABRT website is now active under pabrt.ca and provided an overview of the various tabs and features. 12. Goss Gilroy Update . G. Chang-Campbell advised that she was joined by R. Diaz-Matus and members of the Library’s Anti- Black Racism Working Group at a meeting with the CAO, the Director of Human Resources and the Manager of Supply & Services to discuss the contents of the Goss Gilroy letter. G. Chang- Campbell provided an overview of the discussion that occurred noting that the conversation was productive and staff listened to the concerns presented while recognizing that there were some missed opportunities. Page 6 of 8 - 6 - - 6 - Item/ Details & Discussion & Conclusion Action Items/Status Ref # (summary of discussion) (include deadline as appropriate) D. Governor inquired if the responses and the scoring criteria in relation to the RFP can be provided to the Taskforce to develop a better understanding of the procurement process. D. Governor inquired if the procurement process passes a substantive portion where equity and fairness is factored into the weighting. D. Governor inquired if the Taskforce could have access to the responses to the RFP for the EDI consultancy work that was awarded to Goss Gilroy along with the final proposal packages that were submitted by the vendors along with a blank scoring sheet. G. Chang-Campbell noted that they were advised in writing that bid submissions cannot be shared. C. Addo-Bekoe advised that the responses from the vendors can’t be shared however further discussion can take place with Supply & Services staff that a Diversity and Inclusion lens be included in the Purchasing Policy. 13. Clarification on PABRT Spending S. Charles-Watson indicated that a meeting will be arranged with T. Ryce, or another staff liaison, to discuss financial items that were not discussed earlier during this meeting and require clarification. 14. Logo F. Heath was absent from the meeting therefore no update was provided. Page 7 of 8 - 7 - - 7 - 15. Other Business N. Holland discussed the possibility of pursuing T. Ryce to provide N. sponsorship opportunities and the need to have a Holland with a copy of the formalized letter template that can be utilized by all Corporate Sponsorship of the Sub-committees. Policy. T. Ryce advised that there is a Corporate Sponsorship Policy that is managed by Mark Guinto, Manager, Public Affairs & Corporate Communications. T. Ryce recommended setting up a meeting between M. Guinto and the Sub-committee chairs to discuss sponsorship opportunities that the City may be able to support. T. Ryce recommended that the sub-committees include a note in their action plan for each item they would like to seek sponsorship in preparation for their meeting with M. Guinto. Discussion ensued regarding promotional material for the Taskforce. It was the consensus of the taskforce members to explore sourcing opportunities. M. Francis gave notice of her resignation from the Taskforce effective immediately and advised that this will be the last meeting that she will be attending. She thanked staff for all their hard work in making the Taskforce come to fruition and thanked the group as a collective for their contributions. G. Chang-Campbell, on behalf of the Taskforce, expressed her appreciation and gratitude to M. Francis for her contributions to the Taskforce. C. Addo-Bekoe and T. Ryce praised M. Francis for her exceptional work as a member of the preparatory sub-committee as well as a member of the Taskforce, noting that her contributions were truly invaluable and greatly appreciated. No other business was conducted resulting in the adjournment of the meeting at 8:28 pm. Meeting Adjourned: 8:28 pm Copy: (Acting) Director, Community Services City Clerk Page 8 of 8 - 8 - - 8 - The Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce is pleased to submit, for Council’s information, the 2021 quarterly report and Action Plans as follows. Struck in early 2021, the PABRT has so far completed the following: •At our April 8th meeting, the taskforce appointed our executive team, appointing the positions of chair, vice-chair, treasurer, and two secretaries •Our Terms of Reference was formally adopted by the taskforce on April 26th •At the May 6th meeting, our 7 sub-committees were struck: Youth Development Education Health and Wellness Services Employment Opportunities and Financial Supports Community and Civic Engagement Inclusive Governance and Leadership Policing and the Justice System •The taskforce voted to provide a letter of support for the Community Piano Project (Music and Wellness Safe Space for City of Pickering) at June 3rd meeting •Various communication tools (PABRT.ca, Microsoft Teams site) and a regular meeting cadence (for executive and sub-committee meetings) has been established •Joined with the Pickering Library Anti-Black Racism Working Group in sending a letter of concern to the City of Pickering regarding the hiring of Goss Gilroy as the selected vendor to support the city in forming its strategy and achieving its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion objectives. Key concerns of both the PABRT and the ABRWG is that Goss Gilroy’s public image and information does not demonstrate expertise in EDI, nor do they represent racialized communities/reflect the City of Pickering’s residents •Code of Ethics and Conduct created specifically for the PABRT by vice-chair Catherine Mosca – accepted by vote in June, individual taskforce member adherence forms signed and submitted in July •Initial meetings with key partners: DRPS, DDSB, Andrea Horwath •TOR revised to provide greater clarity on the autonomy and accountability of sub- committee co-chairs to streamline communications and more efficiently complete taskforce work DRAFT - 9 - Refer to Item 6.1 Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce Proposed Amendment to Terms of Reference, Section 7.0 (Taskforce Structure and Positions) Only sub-committee chairs with the mandate for that work should be meeting with the city liaisons on that topic. Responses to questions of the taskforce and/or city liaisons on areas within sub-committee mandates will come from the sub-committee chairs. The taskforce will respectfully acknowledge that a discussion has taken place, and a decision has been made by the person(s) responsible for the work. If there are follow up questions from the taskforce on the information provided by the sub-committee chair, this is to be addressed by the sub-committee chair to the liaison in advance of the monthly taskforce meeting. This will allow city liaisons time to respond and collect responses, allowing the sub- committee chairs to own their work. The sub-committee chair will provide an update on their chosen action at the next meeting. - 10 - - 10 - Refer to Item 6.2