Open letter to Calgary Mayor and City of Calgary Councillors

June 10, 2020

His Worship Mayor Naheed Nenshi and The City of Calgary Councillors,

The City of Calgary is home to an ethnically diverse population. According to Statistics Canada, in 2016, over 30 per cent of our population identified as a visible minority and about three per cent as Aboriginal. However, racist incidents, crimes, and constraints continue across the city. The City of Calgary municipal government has created a few policies and strategies to promote diversity and inclusion, but our great city needs concrete and ongoing anti-racism action. We want to help the City in coming up with solutions.

The Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation (CCMF) has created a petition asking the City to hold a public consultation on systemic racism and discrimination. Within a week, the petition has amassed close to 70,000 signatures. We have also seen thousands of Calgarians rally in peaceful protests for Black Lives Matter and racial justice to show a societal fatigue of certain systemic occurrences and widespread desire to eradicate or improve conditions for Indigenous and racialized citizens, even during a pandemic. This consultation will allow Calgarians of all backgrounds to participate in the development of concrete solutions to improve the economic, social, cultural and political conditions of Calgary residents, particularly members of Indigenous and racialized communities. Calgary is a great city but we have the chance to build an even better one that is more inclusive, equitable and prosperous.

CCMF is a not-for-profit organization of volunteers working to improve race relations in Calgary and Canada. We utilize education, technology and arts to create cultural understanding and mitigate racism. Being on the forefront of anti-racism advocacy and multiculturalism, our foundation often works with ethnic communities on projects.

We implore the City of Calgary to hold a public consultation on systemic racism and discrimination and be part of this important movement. Our recommendations for the public consultation are as follows:

• The consultation should be led by experts with lived experience of racism who have studied the subject and worked in the field thoroughly.
• The people who have the courage to share their stories are the experts on their own lives and experiences of racism. It is vital that the consultation is facilitated as a safe space to maximize the number of individuals who are comfortable enough to share.
• We must listen to these stories with an open heart and mind. Only with their truth can we develop evidence-based solutions to effectively address systemic racism. While racism affects racialized communities, it is the responsibility of all communities to work together to make improvements. A more equitable society benefits all Calgarians by creating a more prosperous city.
• Because race relations is a very complex issue, we must involve as many racialized communities as possible. Each community, as well as each individual, may experience and respond to racism in different ways, so it is important to include all racialized communities in our city to get a full picture and provide effective recommendations. It is important to work with various community advocates and ethnic organizations who know their communities and can help to plan and spread awareness about the consultation to maximize attendance.
• We must be conscious of the fact that sharing stories of lived experience can be uncomfortable for racialized people; thus, the consultations should be as accessible as possible. This could include: allowing people to submit through an online form anonymously; holding consultations throughout the city in various communities; being mindful of the fact that racialized people disproportionately work outside of the ‘typical’ 9-5 office schedule and may work multiple low-paying jobs; and providing access to a translator for those who are more comfortable sharing their stories in their first language.
• From the consultation, we can work together to develop measurable action items that will inform a high-level report on an ongoing basis (e.g. every three years). This may include areas such as City planning, policies, public safety/police services, social programs, transportation, business development and workplace reporting and accountability - including The City’s staffing personnel and anti-racism reporting initiatives. We need to look beyond the typical HR ‘diversity and inclusion’ initiatives that aren’t mandatory across the organization and are normally provided by individual(s) without lived experiences of racism.
• Other cities in Canada are doing this work and their actions provide inspiration for what we can do in Calgary: The City of Edmonton has an anti-racism committee, a multicultural relations office with anti-racism educators and eliminating racism is a prominent component of their ending poverty initiative. Mayor Don Iveson in fact is holding a council meeting on policing issues today; Montreal held public consultations on systemic racism last year and is currently working on their action plan; and the City of Toronto has a concrete action plan on ending anti-Black racism. We have the opportunity to join these and other world-class cities in truly making our city a better home for everyone. 

We want a city that is proactive, instead of reactive. While there are no magic or quick solutions to addressing systemic racism, we are confident that holding this public consultation will provide much-needed guidance to inform next steps on how the The City can play an active and vital role in improving life for all Calgarians. Thank you for your consideration and our organization would be happy to support this initiative in any way you need.
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Sincerely,
Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation