City to create anti-racism advisory committee

After more than three years of advocacy from community groups, the city is “taking a first and important step” forward in grappling with racism issues in the city.

Council’s community and public services committee unanimously approved the formation of a 13-member committee to provide perspective and advice to councillors when dealing with issues and decisions that may have a significant impact on racialized communities.

The advisory committee made up of volunteer residents, with applications to be accepted soon, is expected to cost about $300,000 annually — mostly going toward a grant program to support community projects.

Coun. Sarah Hamilton said an example of how this program could have helped in the past is the cancellation of Edmonton’s Pride parade, partly due to lack of funding for requests made by groups representing people of colour.

“That’s something that could have been funded through this granting program. So the Pride committee could have applied for a grant to actually do some community engagement instead of having to fundraise for it, as an example.”

Community advocates attended Wednesday’s meeting, first voicing their trepidation that the proposed committee didn’t reflect the years of discussion leading to this point. But by the end of the meeting, many concurred the new body will continue to evolve and it is a good step in the right direction.

After a request from city council to form a committee back in March 2018, city staff responded instead with the recommendation for a two-day symposium citing concerns that a committee might duplicate the role of community groups or work being done at other levels of government.

Ufuoma Odebala-frefene, executive director of Reez Community Foundation advocating for residents of African descent, said the formation of this board will get the much-needed conversation going.

“We hope that through this dialogue, we will be able to create solutions. Racism is not just about racialized communities and Indigenous people. It’s about all of us, it’s a societal problem,” she said.

The problems of racism in society today were made clear to Odebala-frefene through issues all of her four sons faced in school.

“I am a mom of four boys ... each one of them had to deal (with racism),” she said. “We need to begin to socialize our children and have this dialogue in our community for a better world.”

Committee members will be appointed by city councillors and serve up to two-year terms for a maximum of six consecutive years.