(file photo/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Angela Brown

Promoting diversity

City approves budget to develop inclusiveness plan

Sep 16, 2021 | 2:14 PM

The City of North Battleford wants to unfurl the welcome mat to people of all ancestries and unique cultures, and those who are marginalized in society, to make them feel more at home and safe in the community.

In May, the city joined the Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities. As part of that membership, the city committed to establish and adopt an action plan to make the community a more inclusive place in which to live.

At its meeting this week, council approved a resolution to authorize administration to move ahead with a community consultation process to identify priorities for creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Community (WIC) Plan.

As well, they gave the go ahead to establish a $2,000 budget in 2022 to develop and implement the plan.

According to the city’s Public and Intergovernmental Relations coordinator David D’Eon’s submitted report, the budget would cover associated costs involved, such as for related surveys and advertisements for example, to develop the plan.

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Budget requirements for the project for 2023 and future years would be determined at that time.

City clerk Stacey Hadley said administration outlined a phased-in type of approach for creating the plan.

“It would commence with public consultation to a degree, to make sure that we form a baseline from which to measure from, for staff to move forward and develop a plan and identify our areas of focus,” she said.

The public will be advised in advance of the planning and community consultation initiatives.

The plan will align with the coalition’s 10 common commitments to promote diversity and inclusion.

The document will also reflect the city’s strategic goals, which include creating a safe community, promoting the city to attract more skilled workers to meet local employers’ needs, increasing engagement between the city and its regional partners, as well as keeping residents informed of city activities and developments.

Administration plans to review some action plans from other cities to start work on the initiative. Staff will also consider information from the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan, to help develop a plan that focuses on eliminating discrimination and promoting an inclusive and diverse culture in the community.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow