Council updates

Council updates

The City of Calgary has been working on becoming an anti-racist organization for several years. The process kicked off with a call to action and petition from Calgarians in 2020 and since then, we have achieved several key milestones. View the updates to Calgary City Council below.

Notice of Motion

A Notice of Motion is a document by Councillor(s) that brings matters to Council for discussion. On June 15, 2020, a Notice of Motion was passed titled Calgary’s commitment to anti-racism directing work to begin in a number of areas. The motion directed the City of Calgary to establish an Anti-Racism Action Committee to develop and implement a community-based anti-racism strategy that will:

  • Identify systemic barriers to accessing City of Calgary programs and services
  • Identify language barriers in accessing information regarding City of Calgary programs and services
  • Identify opportunities to work with community partners and organizations on actions to address structural racism on a community-wide level
  • Be diverse and inclusive, and a true reflection of Calgary’s residents

Additional motions arising resulted in Council approving:

  • $250,000 to fund collaborative, community-based capacity-building initiatives that work to undo systemic racism. (The Calgary Foundation and the United Way of Calgary and Area subsequently contributed an additional $350,000).
  • $120,000 for four murals guided by Pink Flamingo, a QTBIPOC-led (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) organization.

Public hearing on systemic racism

A three-day special meeting was held on July 7, 2020 by the Standing Policy Committee on Community and Protective Services. It was on Calgary’s commitment to anti-racism. It included a panel of experts and a public hearing on systemic racism. The University of Calgary’s vice-provost of equity, diversity and inclusion, Dr. Malinda Smith, acted in a special role as a co-chair to inform the proceedings. A panel of experts occupied the seats normally reserved for Councillors and provided insights into the multiple facets and impacts of racism.

Elders Kelly and Daphne Good Eagle brought blessings in the form of prayer and song at the start of the proceedings.

The panel of experts was made up of people recommended by community members and leaders with anti-racism expertise and The City’s Indigenous Relations Office. Panel members included:

  • Vicki Bouvier
  • Francis Boakye
  • Nyall Dabreo
  • Teresa Woo-Paw
  • Phil Fontaine

The session was followed by public submissions that allowed Council to hear from members of the public about their experiences and perspectives on how The City can move forward. Summarized insights and lessons learned from these days can be found on the What we heard report.

Council presentations

  • October 29, 2024: View the update
    The Anti-Racism Team provided an update about the new Anti-Racism 101 employee online training for City employees, alternative training models, and activities recognizing Emancipation Day. Partnerships and collaboration in creating anti-racist safe spaces in community settings were also discussed.
  • June 18, 2024: View the update
    The Anti-Racism Team provided an update on progress made on employee e-Learning modules, implementation workshops, including a new Calgary Transit pilot for foundational training. The update included a recap of the Racial Justice Conference and Asian Heritage Month engagements.

  • February 27, 2024: View the update
    Information on disaggregated race-based data to inform decision making, the delivery of programs and services, the allocation of resources, and to objectively monitor the effectiveness of policy measures and progress made was presented to Council. The team also discussed the launch of a new tool to help examine and address systemic racism and racialization within municipal public safety service design and delivery.

  • December 6, 2023: Executive Committee – View the update
    Actions on the implementation of the Anti-Racism Strategic Plan were presented to the Executive Committee. The training plan and implementation to-date, along with updates on changes made to policies, including the Peace Officer Code of Conduct were presented.

  • May 9, 2023: View the update
    Dismantling Systemic Racism, Transforming Lives: The City of Calgary Anti-Racism Strategic Plan (2023-2027) was presented to Council. The implementation plan and the need for ongoing community engagement were also presented.

  • January 24, 2023: View the update
    Co-ordinated efforts towards anti-racism across the organization were presented, along with the results of community and employee engagement, critical milestones for the Anti-Racism Program Team and findings from the preliminary Racial Equity Assessment.
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