EDI Roundtable

November 2022: Residents and organizations took part in an open forum at the Orillia Public Library on Nov. 30, 2022 at 5 p.m. regarding the establishment of an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Roundtable. 

Early 2022, the City of Orillia, with the support and guidance of a community stakeholder working group, completed extensive research and community consultation to determine a local approach to the establishment of an advisory body that can act as a sounding board for Council and the community on matters related to equity, diversity and inclusion, address acts of hate, discrimination and racism, inform municipal policy and practices, and give voice to the needs and ideas of equity deserving members within the community. 

This work informed the recommendation adopted by Orillia Council to establish an EDI Roundtable led by members of the community. The Roundtable functions outside of the municipal committee structure, at the grassroots level, and will require leadership and commitment from the community to guide, support and advance its work.

Click here for the presentation

October 2022: The City drafts a diversity, equity and inclusion procedure to ensure principles of equity and inclusion are applied to all aspects of City business including the delivery of services, interactions with employees, and employee recruitment. 

• The development of strategies and programs that will work towards combating racism and discrimination, and develop Orillia as a more inclusive and welcoming community; and
• The development of a corporate policy to formally enshrine and enhance the currently practiced principles that equity, diversity and inclusivity are implemented when the City conducts business and delivers services.

January 2021: Local residents, Tshweu Moleme, Alasoba Kelsy-Braide, and Wesley Erskine, of the Orillia BIPOC (BIPOC refers to Black, Indigenous and people of colour) propose the establishment of an advisory body with a mandate to develop strategies, policies and programs to combat racism and discrimination that ensure Orillia is an inclusive and welcoming community. Their vision was to help the City of Orillia build an inclusive Orillia that is free of barriers to inclusion, reflects the City's full diversity, and is a place where all feel welcome, celebrated, and a sense of belonging.

December 2019: The City of Orillia’s Strategic Plan is adopted by Council, and serves as a roadmap for decision making and priority setting over the next several years. The Plan identifies the importance of the City actively pursue a welcoming, caring, inclusive, accessible and engaging community for all of its citizens regardless of age, ethnicity, orientation, physical ability and economic capacity to residents' quality of life.

 Demographic information can help the City improve its services to residents. The public survey described in reported report BDCT-22-06, and used to inform recommendations into the establishment of an advisory body advance equity, diversity and inclusivity within the City of Orillia, gave participants the option to provide demographic information in their owns words, free from checklists and dropdown menus contrived of societal labels. This was important to members of the Working Group to remove any bias or discriminatory language.

While only Thirty-four out of 119 respondents answered this section, the result was a rich collection of responses related to gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, physical ability, age, mental health, religion and many other personal attributes, demonstrating the deeply complex nature of those living within our community.

Of note, many respondents identified with more than one of the following marginalized or underrepresented groups:

• International students
• Indigenous Groups
• BIPOC
• 2SLGBTQIA+ persons
• Immigrants
• Persons living with a disability

The infographic provides a snapshot of Orillia’s diversity relative to the demographics above, and were sourced from Stats Canada. Below are the definitions used in the 2016 and 2021 Census.

¹Aboriginal identity includes persons who are First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuk (Inuit) and/or those who are Registered or Treaty Indians (that is, registered under the Indian Act of Canada) and/or those who have membership in a First Nation or Indian band. The City of Orillia is situated on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabe peoples, specifically the Chippewas of Rama First Nation, a member of the Chippewa Tri-Council which includes the Chippewas of Beausoleil First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation. These lands are covered by the Williams Treaties and Upper Canada Treaties.

²2016 Stats Canada: Visible minority refers to whether a person belongs to a visible minority group as defined by the Employment Equity Act and if so the visible minority group to which the person belongs. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as "persons other than Aboriginal peoples who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour." The visible minority population consists mainly of the following groups: South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Arab, Southeast Asian, West Asian,  Korean and Japanese.

³2021 was the first year Stats Canada collected and published data on gender diversity from the national census.  Results found that 1 in 300 Canadians 15 years and older identify as transgender or non-binary.

• Gender: an individual’s personal and social identity as a man, woman or non-binary person
• Sex at birth: typically assigned at birth based on a person's reproductive system and other physical characteristics
• Cisgender person: a man or woman whose gender corresponds with sex assigned at birth
• Transgender person: a man or woman whose gender does not correspond with sex assigned at birth
• Non-binary person: an individual who is not exclusively a man or a woman, for example, agender, fluid, queer, or Two-Spirit

⁴The 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) provides a range of data on 10 different disability types: hearing, vision, mobility, flexibility, dexterity, pain, learning, mental health, memory and developmental.

Other Existing Policies and Programs

• Integrated Accessibility Standards 1.14.1.2.
• Workplace Harassment, Workplace Sexual Harassment and Workplace Violence 5.1.2.1.
• Accessibility Standards – Individual Accommodation Plan 5.1.6.1.
• Recreation and Youth Services offers inclusion services for recreation programs and provide 1:1 staff support during summer camp operations as required. Registrants are also welcome to bring in their own support network to facilitate their participation in programming throughout the year.
• The Accessibility Advisory Committee is mandated by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act to help identify, remove, and prevent barriers to persons with disabilities.
• The Orillia Sunshine Youth Senate is an Advisory Committee led by youth, for youth, working on efforts that encourage all youth to be actively engaged in arising issues and creation of solutions for the community.