City of Vancouver shutters Equity Office

An office dedicated to equity, diversity and inclusion has been shuttered as the mayor looks to cut costs to keep property taxes down.

The City of Vancouver has closed down its Equity Office, according to an internal email viewed by CTV News.

The email was sent to staff by newly sworn-in City Manager Donny van Dyk, and states the office closed Sept. 26.

It goes on to read, “established in 2020, the Equity Office played a key role in building a strong foundation for equity, diversion, and inclusion (EDI) across the organization.”

“Over the past years, EDI has been embedded into training, policy and leadership practices,” the email continues, adding that going forward “internal development and workplace restoration will be realigned to human resources.”

The city manager ends his email by thanking Susanna Tam, who has served as the city’s Chief Equity Officer since 2023. “We wish her all her best in her future endeavors,” van Dyck wrote.

According to publicly available records, Tam’s salary for 2024 was $179,042.

Savings of $285,000

In a statement to CTV News, the City of Vancouver said, the remaining three staff at the Equity Office have been transferred into departments whose area of responsibility aligns with those staff members’ work. The city added, the preliminary budget adjustment includes savings of approximately $285,000.

When asked why the city made this decision, the city said it believes it is more effective to further embed its EDI efforts into the city’s operational departments versus maintaining it as a standalone function.

“All departments are expected to support and deliver this work as part of our shared commitment to EDI,” the statement continued.

The Equity Office isn’t the city’s sole department to face cutbacks. On Monday, the city said, eight exempt staff have been transitioned out of the Facilities Development Team.

‘Sends the wrong message’

In a statement to CTV News, Clara Prager, the Manager of Civic Engagement and Advocacy at Women Transforming Cities, said all too often when governments cut spending, equity is the first thing to go.

“We’re seeing it at the federal level with 80 per cent reductions to Women and Gender Equality, we’re seeing it south of the border with Trump’s attack on immigrants and women’s rights, and sadly, we’re seeing it now with the decision to eliminate the equity office,” Prager said.

“Cutting the only office with a dedicated mandate to embed equity in the city’s operations sends the wrong message amidst rising transphobia, anti-Indigenous racism, and ableism that affects both city staff and residents’ ability to have a decent quality of living in Vancouver.”

The closure of the Equity Office comes as Mayor Ken Sim is asking staff to look at a property tax as low as zero per cent for 2026.