by the Working Group on Racial Equity

Dear Councillor

The Working Group on Racial Equity thanks you for your past support for our recommendations, as detailed in our brief submission to the Hearings Subcommittee in April 2001.

In our April submission, we had asked for the creation of an anti-racism committee and an Access and Equity Office staffed by an anti-racism coordinator at City Hall. The city has several legal and human rights obligations under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and human rights codes to act on our recommendations.

As a result of our submission, Council had asked for the formation of a staff to do a feasibility study on our recommendations. While we support most of the findings and appreciate the hard work done by staffers, we do have some points of disagreements with the staff report. We have documented and clarified some issues in our response paper which will be included in the Council package for September 26, 2001.

We differ largely from the staff report in calling for a focus on anti-racism, not diversity. The former Mayor's Committee against Racism and Discrimination at City Hall became completely ineffective after it changed its focus from fighting racism to a general focus on diversity. This is why we are pleased that City Council has agreed to a stand-alone committee against racism. We hope that a similar focus on anti-racism issues will be implemented in the Office of Access and Equity through its staff.

Further, we ask for your support in voting for the creation of a fully funded and effective Access and Equity Office staffed by a person of colour with living experience of racism, a demonstrated commitment to anti-racism, and sound, practical knowledge of anti-racism organizational change who would be the anti-racism coordinator at City Hall. We know from practice that an effective anti-racism approach also helps eliminate barriers of gender, age, class, sexual orientation, religion, poverty, physical ability, among others.

The recent wave of hate crimes, assaults and arson have tarnished Hamilton's image nationally and internationally. We believe that this is an opportunity for council to show leadership in combating racism so that Hamilton can be example, not just to the rest of Canada, but to the whole world.

Thanking you in anticipation for your support on September 26, 2001. Please do not hesitate to email me if you need any information.