The Task Force on Community Access and Equity has not completed its mandate but is no longer active. The following information is provided for archival purposes.

The Task Force on Community Access and Equity was absorbed by the Roundtable on Access, Equity and Human Rights.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - June 9, 1998

Mayor Lastman and Councillor Mihevc announce consultations on access and equity issues

Today, Mayor Mel Lastman and Councillor Joe Mihevc (York-Eglinton), chair of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity, launched the consultation process to consider the roles and responsibilities of the City of Toronto for the implementation of access and equity policies and programs.

"In Toronto, diversity is our strength. We are the most diverse city in the world," says Lastman. "If we provide opportunities for everyone to participate in our great city, our economic health improves, our communities interact and foster mutual understanding and everyone is a winner."

The City of Toronto and its agencies play a multiple role: they are employers of a diverse workforce, they are providers of services to clients from a wide variety of backgrounds, they are major purchasers of goods and services, and as a government, the City plays an important leadership role to the community as a whole.

"If diversity is to be inclusive and about everyone, it is unlikely to be attained unless concerned citizens and the communities themselves are able to take action," says Mihevc. "Community issues have been supported by the City to enable communities to work together to address diversity issues, to monitor institutional policies and ensure their implementation."

"The ability of community residents - particularly the participation of marginalized groups - to effectively address discrimination and disadvantage is a program priority for the City of Toronto," says Lastman.

The Task Force consultations will be held on a sectoral basis with specific sessions focussing on women, Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, lesbians/gays/bisexual and transgendered communities, racial minorities, immigrants and refugees. Consultations will focus on solutions, which preserve and enhance community access to programs, services and decision-making with the City Council, and within the broader Toronto community.

"Our stakeholders believe that access and equity must be a core feature of the City of Toronto, that City Council must play a clear, visible and high profile role in supporting access and equity," says Sylvia Maracle, co-chair of the Task Force. "The communities have an opportunity to make a difference, to voice their concerns, suggest solutions and make Toronto a model community of the 21st century."

For more information please e-mail us at AccessandEquity@toronto.ca.

Media Contact:
Charles Smith
Access & Equity Centre
Phone: (416) 392-5581