The Task Force on Community Access and Equity has not completed its mandate but is no longer active.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.

Agenda

Date of Meeting:	Thursday, September 24, 1998
Time:	9:30 a.m.
Location:	Committee Room No. 309 3rd Floor, Metro Hall 55 John Street Toronto
Enquiry:	Margaret Lewis, Interim Contact Phone: (416) 395-7354 Fax: 395-7337

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST PURSUANT TO THE MUNICIPAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST ACT.


CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES.


PRESENTATION - 9:30 a.m.

(DEFERRED FROM PREVIOUS MEETING)

A. TORONTO ARTS COUNCIL - PAPER ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY - 1992 REPORT TITLED "CULTURAL EQUITY".

Rita Davies, Executive Director, Toronto Arts Council
(June 15, 1998)

Forwarding a paper (June 4, 1998) on the work that the Toronto Arts Council has done in the area of cultural diversity and a copy of the Toronto Arts Council's (June 1992) report titled "Cultural Equity"; commenting that the consultation schedule does not appear to have a session specifically focussed on cultural equity; and recommending that the Task Force seriously consider providing an opportunity for the cultural community to speak on the issue.

A COPY OF THE TORONTO ARTS COUNCIL'S PAPER ON CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND THE TORONTO ARTS COUNCIL'S JUNE 1992 REPORT TITLED "CULTURAL EQUITY" HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE ONLY.


COMMUNICATIONS/REPORTS.

1. COMMUNICATIONS AND CONSULTATION PLAN FOR PHASE II.

Task Force on Community Access and Equity Communications Sub-Committee September 14, 1998

Recommending that:

1. Focus group meetings be held locally throughout the City of Toronto, specifically in locations other than those in the first phase. The Task Force should identify day and evening meetings in the schedule so as to accommodate as many residents as possible;

2. there be wide-spread publicity in all newspapers (both ethnic/community and mainstream). If the Task Force were to plan ahead, most of the publicity could be obtained through such mediums as radio, TV and print Public service Announcements. This should be given serious consideration if we are going to reach out to people who did not either know of the first round of consultations or heard about them too late to participate;

3. accessible accommodation needs must be fully met and be consistent amongst all consultation meetings, for example: day care, sign language, interpretation, translation, attendant services and wheel chair access should be built into the consultation;

4. the Task Force consider exploring other ways of consulting such as telephone response lines, the website, questionnaires, attendance at community councils and organization board meetings;

5. all who attended the first phase of consultations be invited to the second round;

6. specific communication tools be provided to the facilitators at each of the focus meetings that effectively explain the recommendations. These could be in the form of overheads, braille, diskette, large print, audio cassette and video with up close caption, be made available on request and be used in a consistent manner in order to provide effective feedback and consistency; and

7. the necessary arrangements be made for pre- registration at all locations.

(i) the ODA Committee's Analysis of the Discussion Paper;

(ii) draft letters to Ontario Ministries; and

(iii) list of Regional Contacts for the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee.

(1) the direction being taken in the development of a Municipal Grants Policy outlined in the report be endorsed;

(2) the workplan outlined in Appendix "D" be approved, with specific reference to when the Municipal Grants Review Committee will hear deputations regarding the Municipal Grants Policy;

(3) the report be forwarded to the City Task Forces addressing Seniors, Access and Equity, Community Safety, Children and Youth, and Homelessness for comment; and,

(4) the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

(1) the report from the Sub-Committee on Grants recommending that the City of Toronto:

(i) ensure the implementation of an accessible grants system which is clear, consistent and accountable to community;

(ii) require all funded agencies to be evaluated to ensure these agencies are consistent in their approach on access and equity; and involve the community in this process;

(iii) ensure that the City's grants programs can assist agencies they fund in organizational change and community development activities which are required to enable older and newer organizations to perform effectively;

(iv) adopt anti-racist, access and equity criteria to provide standards for all agencies receiving funding;

(v) require its grants programs to monitor and audit funded agencies to ensure proper performance by funded agencies, particularly on access and equity implementation;

(vi) require its grants programs to reallocate funding as required to address both geographic and community concerns so that all parts of the new City are involved in the grants system;

(vii) require its grants programs to develop a strategy to ensure equitable distribution of grants funding;

(viii) require its grants programs to develop consistency in the language of access and equity so that grants staff are consistent in their communication on expectations and requirements with funded agencies and the broader community; and to achieve this, adopt the glossary of terms such as the one included in the handbook "Hate: Communities Can Respond", as standard terms and definitions in the access and equity field;

(ix) increase the "Access and Equity" grants program funding and change the name to "Anti-Racism, Access and Equity"; if no additional funds are provided, change the name to "Anti-Racism and Anti-Hate"; and subsequently revise the eligibility criteria;

(x) ensure that ethno-specific and other equity seeking agencies are included in the discussion on grants distribution and that such agencies receive the funding, organizational and community development support they require to be effective; and

(xi) consider effective means of supporting the development of ethno-specific and other equity-seeking umbrella organizations, i.e., the Portuguese Interagency Network, Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, Hispanic Development Council, and Coalition of Visible Minority Women;

be submitted to the Municipal Grants Review Committee for its meeting on September 28, 1998 and that the Co-Chair of the Task Force along with the Task Force's Sub-Committee on Grants appear before the Municipal Grants Review Committee to present the Task Force's views;

(2) the Municipal Grants Review Committee provide information to the Task Force on its recommendations regarding the restructuring of the City's grants programs; and

(3) the appropriate City officials be authorized and directed to give effect thereto.

(a) promote participation by the people in all communities in Toronto;

(b) define the social agenda for their neighbourhoods; and

(c) ensure that the City responds to the needs that have been identified collectively;

(1) a defined leadership role for Council on equity, access and anti-racism in Toronto;

(2) a mechanism to perform equity audits of all City functions;

(3) a mechanism to ensure barrier-free access to participation by Toronto residents in the City's decision-making processes;

(4) a budget for equity and access work by the City;

(5) a minimum commitment of funding available for support to community-based organizations working for equity, access and anti-racism in the City; and (6) the incorporation of the adopted recommendations into the City's Official Plan and Social Development Strategy.

"(2) (deleted the Miller Committee and) the Task Forces on Community Access and Equity, Agencies, Boards and Commissions and the Environment immediately recommend to (rather than report to) Council through the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee in order to bring them into conformity with the principles in Recommendation No. (1) above (added) and that ..............."

(1) that City Council approve the 20th anniversary program for the Constance E. Hamilton Award and the continuation of this award to recognize Person's Day;

(2) that the Commissioner, Corporate Services make the arrangements for the Constance E. Hamilton Award and that joint advertising take place with the Access Award and the William Hubbard Race Relations Award as outlined in this report; and

(3) that this report be forwarded to the Task Force on Community Access and Equity for information.

(1) that City Council endorse the selection of Bonnie Hunter as the undergraduate recipient of 1998 - 1999 City of Toronto Women's Studies Scholarship at the University of Toronto; and (2) that the appropriate City officials be authorized to take the necessary action to give effect thereto.

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