Anti-racism a ‘core municipal responsibility’ says Sohi during update on Edmonton’s strategy to address hate-based violence

Edmonton city council is considering an independent organization to help guide systemic change over time to address racism.

The City of Edmonton received an update on its anti-racism strategy on Tuesday.

The strategy to address hate-based violence and support the communities it affects was introduced by Mayor Amarjeet Sohi after the 2021 municipal election and was adopted by city council in 2022.

“Anti-racism work is not peripheral. It is a core municipal responsibility,” Sohi said on Tuesday. “As Edmonton grows, this work ensures our services are becoming more accessible, our communities are inclusive, and our collective potential is fully realized.”

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During a Tuesday update, city administration said two out of three initial recommendations in the strategy had been completed.

Those include expanding anti-racism grant funding – which Sohi said has supported about 140 initiatives in the city – and creating an organization within city administration to incorporate anti-racism and reconciliation action into city processes.

That organization will work to meet seven corporate commitments over the next two years aimed at dismantling systemic barriers.

“The team’s mandate involves working closely with colleagues across the corporation to celebrate diversity, promote inclusion, and begin to change a system that wasn’t originally designed for everybody to be more equitable,” Salima Ebrahim, chief of staff to the city manager, explained.

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Sohi said he and members of his office also joined the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative to learn more about how other North American cities are tackling racism and how Edmonton can follow suit.

“Are our services accessible for people from diverse backgrounds? Are we delivering the right level of services for those communities’ needs, such as support for newcomers or building an efficient, effective public transit system that racialized people, or newcomers and low income people rely on?

“I think those are the things that we need to continue to monitor and press upon to see the positive change that we want to see.”

The third priority, to create an independent anti-racism body has yet to be completed. Sohi said a 15-person panel has been assembled to advise the city on how best to create that body.

More information on Edmonton’s anti-racism strategy can be found on the city’s website.