Inclusivity effort earns accolades

By Pam Wright Local Journalism Initiative pamwrightlji@gmail.com

A powerful video outlining five tips for inclusivity has earned top honours for Chatham-Kent.

C-K’s Economic Development Services and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) team were recently recognized for their marketing campaign to help local business support members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community in the workplace.

Chatham-Kent placed first out of 444 Ontario municipalities in the Inclusive Community Based Initiatives and Programming category at the recent Economic Developers Council of Ontario Awards of Excellence conference in Toronto.

“The reception this campaign has received is yet another sign that Chatham-Kent is growing, not just in economy and infrastructure, but in the understanding and acceptance of our diverse population,” said Eric Labadie, economic development’s marketing and communications official. “It was a welcome surprise and a big win for us.”

Labadie said the video can be especially helpful for smaller momand-pop shops that don’t have access to the kind of resources that can be found in a large corporate human resources department.

“The topic may not be top of mind for smaller businesses and the video offers ways these smaller businesses can help,” he explained.

Labadie said the video was filmed in just seven days in partnership with the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance and the Chatham-Kent Gay Pride Association.

The campaign was launched during Pride Week in August 2022 to raise awareness about supporting 2SLGTBQ+ employees, as well as spreading awareness about local groups, allies, resources and advocates within C-K.

Rebecca Haskell-Thomas, the municipality’s co-ordinator of DEIJ, congratulated the economic development team on the effort and all who supported it.

“Our efforts help make our whole community better, “ Haskell-Thomas said. “When people feel safe and welcome, they are more likely to invest, live and work in Chatham-Kent.”

Request For Quotation

Chatham-Kent Municipal Airport Agricultural Land Lease

Quotations sealed in an envelope which shall be clearly marked as to contents, will be received by the Purchasing Officer, Municipality of Chatham-Kent, First Floor, Civic Centre, 315 King Street West, Chatham, Ontario until 1330 h (Local Time) on Thursday, March 9, 2023.

THE MAJOR ITEMS CONSIST OF:

Quotations for the lease of approximately 329.53 acres of property at the Chatham-Kent Municipal Airport to be used for agricultural purposes. The Municipality intends to enter into a three year lease agreement with the selected bidder with an option for two additional one year renewals, based on the needs of the Municipality.

All offers are to be presented on the specific forms provided for this quotation and are subject to specific conditions, both of which are available by contacting the Chatham-Kent Public Works Department by phone at 519.360.1998 x3980, or by email at ckpw@chatham-kent.ca.

More information is available on the Chatham-Kent website at: www.chatham-kent.ca/airportlease.

The Corporation reserves the right to reject any or all quotations if the Corporation’s funding is insufficient or becomes unavailable for any reason.

For questions:

Marion Smith, Airport Manager

Z3 Aviation (519) 676-3455 info@z3aviation.com