LEADERSHIP, CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND BELONGING
How are we responding to a changing Toronto?
In 2013, City Council voted to reform the electoral system:
If approved by the Province, this will extend municipal voting rights to the more than 200,000 permanent residents living in Toronto. Toronto would benefit from the civic participation of these residents, who already pay taxes, work and volunteer in their communities. A record 15 women were elected to Toronto City Council (which consists of the Mayor and 44 City Councillors) in 2010, but the Council’s 13-member executive committee had no women members in mid-2013:
Until June 2013, only one of Toronto’s 15 women Councillors sat on the committee. In 2013, Toronto joined 36 U.S. cities in becoming a “Sanctuary City”:
Toronto is the first Canadian city to prohibit municipal employees from inquiring about the immigration status of residents, ensuring that all Torontonians can access City services such as public health programs, emergency medical services and shelters without fear of being reported. 2011 census data reveals startling differences in the diversity of Toronto’s neighbourhoods:
In Toronto’s most diverse neighbourhood, the mother tongues of 1% or more of the residents add up to 19 languages, where 31% list English as their mother tongue. In the least diverse neighbourhood the total is 3 languages, where 86.8% list English as their mother tongue. More than eight in 10 young people (82.3%) reported a strong sense of belonging to their local community in 2012 (compared to 68.3% of all Torontonians):
The percentage of youth (12 -19) who report a strong sense of belonging has risen 12% since 2008. But in 2012, only six out of 10 young adults (aged 20-34) (59.2%) reported that they felt they belonged. City of Toronto voter turnout has been increasing over time:
In the 2000 municipal elections, 36.1% of eligible voters cast a ballot. In 2006, the voter turnout increased to 39.3%, and in 2010, it increased to 50.55%.