Diversity Action Plan

Report to: General Committee Date Report Authored: April 1, 2010

SUBJECT: Markham Diversity Action Plan - Draft

PREPARED BY: Nadine Daley, Manager Human Resources ext. 3225

RECOMMENDATION:

1) That the draft Markham Diversity Action Plan be received; and

2) That Council approve the draft Plan for the purposes of broad external stakeholder consultation; and further,

3) That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

1. Purpose 2. Background 3. Discussion 4. Financial

5. Others (HR, Strategic, Affected Units) 6. Attachment(s)

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this report is to share the details of the draft Diversity Action Plan and to update Council on the work undertaken in the creation of the Plan.

BACKGROUND:

Council established Diversity as one of its key strategies and committed to a plan of action. As such, staff reviewed a number of possible frameworks to commence the development of Markham’s Plan and adopted a framework from the Ontario Healthy Communities[1] which defined Inclusivity as creating a climate where people experience both the feeling and reality of belonging. The creation of the Plan was conducted under the guidance of an external consultant Maureen Brown, of Diversity Trainers Plus, who is a recognized expert in the area of diversity. The Plan took shape through a number of phased activities which included:

Information sharing to build project awareness;
An assessment of the Town’s current state;
A series of broad consultations and data gathering exercises that complemented the community insights gained through the Building Markham’s Future Together consultations. In particular, 16 internal consultations, 12 external consultations with more than 88 organizations, 4 community consultations, 10 key informant interviews and a comprehensive all-staff survey;
Data review and categorization of themes;
Development of the Plan recommendations.

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

Markham has recognized the opportunity to proactively embrace its community through the creation of a Diversity Action Plan that has a focus on inclusion. Social inclusion is a social science concept which promotes that all members of a community have the knowledge of and access to services facilitating their full participation in society. It further suggests that barriers in access, whether in processes, buildings or behaviour which prevent people from participating to the degree to which they are qualified and entitled as citizens, impacts the economics, health and sustainability of the community.

Markham’s Context

Through the development of the Diversity Action Plan Markham is well positioned to take significant steps towards a more inclusive organization and community. The Diversity Action Plan while focused on what Markham can and will do in the future, is also designed to educate on the great work we have already accomplished and to pay tribute to Markham’s rich history through stories of settlement, immigration and the evolution of our community makeup. Research from the University of Florida[2] suggests that the knowledge of one another is an important piece in building relationships between individuals and across communities. Further, as the work of diversity largely centers around impacting personal values and behaviour, the Plan, in part, is aimed at allowing the audience to see themselves reflected.

Rooted in a broad consultation process the document sets out fourteen themes and identifies sixty-six recommendations. Several of the recommendations contained in the Plan are replicated in the Integrated Leisure Master Plan, Markham 2020, Green Print and Growth Plan documents as appropriate. The intersection of recommendations acknowledges that diversity is owned by all business units and touches all facets of our business. This approach facilitates social inclusion by enabling staff at all levels of the organization to play a meaningful role in the removal of community facing barriers.

Later this month through a series of information sessions, the draft Diversity Action Plan will be shared with the community. Input from these consultations will inform the finalization of the Plan and it will be brought back to Council for final approval during the month of June.

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND TEMPLATE: (external link)

The cost implications for those recommendations where the Human Resources department is indentified as the lead department have an estimated one-time finical impact of $90,000. These costs are for the purposes of brand consulting services, employment advertisement branding, salary costs to attend diversity competence training and to increase the number of communication tools available to serve the hearing impaired. The individual requests associated with these initiatives will be identified in detail and be brought forward through 2011 and future business planning and budget processes.

The financial implications of the other recommendations where various departments have lead responsibility will be brought forward by the individual business units as per the respective plans.

HUMAN RESOURCES CONSIDERATIONS

Not Applicable.

ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:

The Diversity Action Plan has been aligned to incorporate key recommendations relating to the areas of: Economic Development, Environment, Growth Management, Transportation/Transit, Municipal Services: Parks, Recreation, Culture and Library Master Plan/Public Safety.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

All business units.

RECOMMENDED BY:

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ATTACHMENTS:

Appendix A – DIVERSITY ACTION PLAN (DRAFT) RECOMMENDATIONS WITH LEAD DEPARTMENT HUMAN RESOURCES COST ESTIMATES

Appendix B - OVERLAP BETWEEN THE DIVERSITY ACTION PLAN (DRAFT)

RECCOMENDATIONS AND EXISTING STRATEGIC DOCUMENTS/PLANS

Appendix C - Town of Markham Diversity Action Plan - Presentation to General Committee

[1] http://www.ohcc-ccso.ca/en/inclusive-community-organizations-a-tool-kit