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s the world grappled with an unprecedented global pandemic over the past two years, there emerged a rising consciousness around issues in equity, diversity and inclusion.
J AC LY N SAN ANT ONIO Senior Advisor, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Pickering 30 | Your City Magazine - Issue 2
14,000 Pickering residents live with one or more disabilities. These are only a few of the demographic features that influencediversityinPickering,not including other aspects like gender, sexual orientation, faith, class, and language, among others, and further not accounting for the intersections among people’s varying identities and life experiences. Nevertheless, these demographics highlight the importance of accounting for the diverse needs, interests and experiences of stakeholders with an equity-based approach to government service and an overall vision to build and foster inclusive communities.
From the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement around the world; to the disproportionate rise of hate crimes against Asian communities scapegoated for COVID-19; to the tragic Islamophobic attack of a family out on an evening walk in London, Ontario; to growing accounts of unmarked graves of Indigenous children at former residential school To this end, the City of Pickering has sites across Canada, there has been no committed to developing a 10-year shortage of social problems demanding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) transformative change. These events have Strategy. In 2020, an interdepartmental not only awakened the public to world steering committee was struck to inform issues but to their local realities. For the development of this strategy with governments like the City of Pickering, representation from Human Resources, these realities have prompted deeper theOceoftheCAO,CityDevelopment, reflectiononwaystobetterservediverse Community Services, Engineering communities. Services, Fire Services, and Economic Development. Central to this process is The shifting focus on matters of equity, having an external consultant conduct an diversity and inclusion is particularly objective assessment of how existing City important for cities like Pickering that policies,practices,andprogramsreflect are on the cusp of dramatic urban equity, diversity and inclusion. This growth as new residential communities involves engaging Members of Council, like Seaton take shape while other seniormanagement,frontlinestaand developments around Durham Live and other community stakeholders through the City Centre move forward. As these interviews, focus groups, town changesinevitablycreateaninfluxofsurveys, new halls and other consultation methods to residents, employees, and visitors, so too identify existing gaps and recommend will the diversity of interests among these areas of opportunity to advance EDI community stakeholders increase. In at the City. This approach recognizes fact, the City’s population is expected to better serving diverse communities reach 150,000 residents by 2036, making must begin with improving the internal Pickering the most populous city in organizational structure, operations Durham Region. and culture of those responsible for that There are many ways to consider serviceinthefirstplace.Preliminary Pickering’s diversity. According to research has been underway since June the 2016 Census, a third of the city’s 2021 with results to be synthesized and population self-identify as “visible shared in 2022. minorities” with the largest representation Tosupporttheseeorts,theCityalso coming from South Asian, Black and created a new position of Senior Advisor, Filipino communities. Approximately Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and 66% of population growth in Pickering hired Jaclyn San Antonio in July 2021. is also attributed to immigration, further Jaclyn joined the City with more than shaping the diversity of residents through 15 years of experience in EDI-based newcomers. Additionally, Pickering research, education and community has an aging population compared to advocacy. Her work includes local and otherareasinDurhamRegion,reflected transnational research on topics such in the fact that residents aged 90 and as hate crimes, interpersonal violence, older tripled from 250 to 630 in the last and poverty; teaching social justice decade. Estimates also suggest that
