Informed by life experiences
County of Kings supporting equity, diversity in Strategy for Belonging
A new strategy developed in Kings County could be considered the groundwork of building a community of communities where everyone belongs.
In a recent unanimous vote, Kings County council adopted Toward Equity and Diversity: A Strategy for Belonging.
The document will guide the evaluation of municipal policies, services, programs and partnerships through three key lenses.
These include reconciliation and Mi’kmaq treaty rights; African diaspora; anti-Black racism and reparations; and equity, inclusion and diversity.
Brittany Mastroianni, the municipality’s manager of community development, played an integral role in developing the strategy in her former role as the county’s diversity specialist.
She said the community responded with an “overwhelming willingness” to engage in extensive consultations, which greatly informed the development of the document.
INFORMED BY LIFE EXPERIENCES
Mastroianni said discussions were frank and there were a lot of difficult conversations.
However, she said the process was a very rewarding experience.
“We’ve been informed by very real lived experiences, some of which have been quite traumatic for people,” Mastroianni said.
She said the municipality remains committed to truth telling and “fidelity to the truth,” which can be recognized throughout the new strategy.
“That’s kind of the backbone to this plan, it’s being truthful and honest about things and then moving forward in an authentic way with the goal of achieving belonging for everybody,” she said.
Mastroianni said the strategy shouldn’t be considered a final product because this type of work involves a perpetual journey. She said community has been and will continue to be at the centre of the work, and she is proud of that.
The strategy contains more than 100 action items and Mastroianni said they will be reporting back to the community about progress on an annual basis.
Action items will be added as needs are identified and the municipality will continue to
community take feedback from the as to whether or not action items are addressing needs.
Mastroianni said municipal
implement staff is now working to those actions items that have initially been identified with the goal of achieving them during the next five years.
“We fully expect that more will be added, or existing ones will be tweaked as communities grow and change."
She said initial community consultations took longer than expected but they were fortunate that council was supportive of them taking the time to ensure it was done right.
NOT FOR CARBON COPY
Nadine Bernard, owner of Indigivisor Advisory and Consulting, was one of three consultants hired to assist with the development of the strategy.
She said several other municipalities were interested as soon as the Kings strategy was made public and wanted to adopt it.
Bernard cautioned the strategy shouldn’t be carbon copied and implemented elsewhere because it is so uniquely reflective of Kings County experiences.
She hopes people will read the plan and that perhaps other municipalities will be
develop inspired to do the work to similar strategies.
Bernard said the approach taken by the County of Kings to address equity, inclusion and diversity is progressive. It’s an example of where such initiatives are going, and it sets a certain standard for Nova Scotia municipalities.
By taking such an in-depth approach, the strategy is more than a superficial examination of what is being done well on the surface. Bernard said they dug deeper to examine what is not being done well in terms
inclusion of promoting equity, and diversity or what is not being done at all in Kings County.
“We had lots of uncomfortable conversations as well, and lots of truth sharing that came in it,” Bernard said.
She said it was interesting to hear from the internal organizations and partners who were on the committee and to hear from the communities they consulted.
“It was great to hear feedback,” Bernard said. “Nobody’s answers were the same.”
She said the participants they interviewed shared not only their professional opinions but their personal experiences as residents and minorities. Bernard believes
accountability this will lead to greater on the part of the municipality and a desire to do better.
She said it’s important that the strategy is a living, amendable document because circumstances, communities and needs change over time.
TRANSFORMATIVE STRATEGY
In a recent news release, current County of Kings diversity specialist Kenisha Gordon said the implementation
of the strategy is expected to transform the social and economic fabric of the Kings region.
This would be accomplished through equitable hiring processes; service delivery, diverse representation on municipal committees and relationship building initiatives with diverse communities.
“The realization of these outcomes will see more people from historically underrepresented communities such as the Indigenous, Black, other people of colour, 2SLGBTQ+, newcomers, women and youth involved in municipal programs, recreation services and the social procurement process,” Gordon said.
Mayor Peter Muttart said representatives of the municipality have committed themselves to constant education, self-awareness, sensitivity and action.
“We want all communities within the Kings region to be known as inclusive,” Muttart said. “Representing ourselves as being so is not sufficient. Intention must be converted to action.”