Resources for Access and Equity Functions and

Final Recommendations of the Task Force on

Community Access and Equity

The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee recommends:

(1)the adoption of the report (May 19, 1999) from the Chief Administrative Officer; and

(2)the adoption of the Action Plan and Final Recommendations of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity appended to the report (May 27, 1999) from Councillor Joe Mihevc, Chair, Task Force on Community Access and Equity, with the exception of Recommendations Nos. (11) and (13).

The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee reports, for the information of Council, having referred Recommendations Nos. (11) and (13) of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity to the Chief Administrative Officer for report thereon to the meeting of Council scheduled to be held on June 9, 1999.

The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee submits the following report (May19,1999) from the Chief Administrative Officer:

Purpose:

This report:

(a)summarizes the resource implications of the recommendations contained in the draft final report of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity; and

(b)presents an approach to the organization of administrative structures for access and equity functions in the City that accommodate the aspirations of the Task Force within the financial constraints of the corporation.

Financial Implications:

The organizational structures defined in this report can be achieved within the approved 1999 Operating Budget but require the transfer of funds for corporate access and equity services between departments as recommended in the report.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)the corporate Access and Equity Unit work with each commissioner to define the functions and reporting relationships for the assignment of dedicated corporate access and equity staff resources to assist individual departments in meeting access and equity objectives;

(2)the staff positions that were reassigned from the pool of corporate access and equity resources to the human resources business units in 1998 be explicitly defined and function as employment equity and human rights consultants, and the Executive Director of Human Resources report to the Administration Committee on how the expertise and skills of these employment equity and human rights consultants are being used to enhance the activities of the human resources business units;

(3)the 1999 approved budget of $1,501,000.00 total gross expenditures ($1,471,000.00 total net expenditures) and 21.3 equivalent funded staff positions for Access and Equity services be transferred from the Human Resources Division in the Corporate Services Department to the Strategic and Corporate Policy Division in the Chief Administrator's Office to facilitate the transfer of program management and administration of the corporate Access and Equity Unit from the Corporate Services Department to the Chief Administrator's Office, and the 1999 Operating Budget be adjusted accordingly;

(4)once in each term of Council, the City Auditor oversee an internal audit of the performance by the corporation as a whole in achieving its access, equity and human rights goals;

(5)in order to ensure that there is a an external community perspective on the City's progress towards access, equity and human rights goals, the City organize an annual community consultation on access, equity and human rights issues that will provide input to planning, policy and program development in subsequent years;

(6)the Task Force on Community Access and Equity be requested to take this report into consideration during the preparation of its final report to Council; and

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

Council Reference:

On January 2, 6, 8 and 9, 1998, City Council adopted Report No. 1 of the Striking Committee, which established a Task Force on Community Access and Equity and appointed Councillor Joe Mihevc as its chair.

The Task Force's terms of reference were adopted as amended by Council on March 4, 5 and 6, 1998 (Special Committee to Review the Final Report of the Toronto Transition Team Report 3 (6)). The terms of reference described the goals and objectives of the Task Force as identifying the necessary policies, structural functions, program priorities and evaluation processes by which the City of Toronto can:

(i)strengthen civic society, and in particular empower those members of the community who face barriers to full participation in the life of the community;

(ii)take a more effective role in addressing the barriers faced by women, people of colour, Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, lesbians and gays, immigrants/refugees, different religious/faith communities;

(iii)strengthen community involvement and public participation in the decision-making processes of the municipality, particularly for equity seeking communities;

(iv)continue the City's proactive role in linking and partnering with other institutions and agencies, as well as with the community, in engaging in initiatives in support of access and equity;

(v)ensure that the contributions, interests and needs of all sectors of Toronto's diverse population are reflected in the City's mission, operation and service delivery; and

(vi)continue the City's leadership in the community as a model employer with a workforce that reflects the diversity of its residents and follows fair and equitable employment practices.

The Chair of the Task Force submitted a draft final report to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee on January 26, 1999. The committee referred the report from the Task Force Chair to the Chief Administrative Officer and requested him to report back to the committee on the financial implications of the report.

On February 2, 3 and 4, 1999, Council extended the mandate of the Task Force to enable it to consider the Chief Administrative Officer's report in the finalization of the Task Force report.

This report responds to the request by the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee. During the preparation of this report, staff:

(a)surveyed departments in regard to the implications of the Task Force's draft recommendations;

(b)interviewed a large sample of staff involved in access and equity activities;

(c)reviewed various written materials provided by the departments and the interim Access and Equity Unit;

(d)met with the chair of the Task Force throughout the process; and

(e)retained the services of a general management consultant to assist with the review of options for the administrative organization of access and equity functions.

Background:

Task Force Draft Recommendations:

The Draft Report of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity contains 82 recommendations. The majority of the recommendations pertain to the City's policies and programs. They propose development of specific corporate policies and positions, development or review of operational policies, and development or review of specific programs and initiatives. The primary impact of such recommendations is on the commitment of human and financial resources and on the establishment of priorities in program plans.

A number of recommendations have implications for organizational structures and processes. Recommendation 82 in the report suggests that "the City establish organizational structures and resources for access, equity and human rights:

(a)to provide policy development;

(b)to facilitate community advisory processes including committees relating to the human rights protected groups and other Committees of Council as required;

(c)to administer anti-racism, access and equity grants;

(d)to investigate human rights issues at arms length;

(e)to implement awareness and public education programs on access, equity and human rights issues;

(f)to act as resources for departments and agencies in developing and implementing action plans;

(g)to liaise with community organizations regarding emerging issues and to assist them with civic involvement;

(h)to conduct research on the needs of the human rights protected groups and to provide results to departments to use in delivering services;

(i)to monitor legislative proposals that impact on the human rights protected groups;

(j)to implement communication strategies to increase involvement and access to services;

(k)to promote the City's position to other levels of government and external bodies; and

(l)to provide advice and research to Council Committees."

Other recommendations propose that the City:

(a)establish seven city-wide community advisory committees to address priorities faced by human rights protected groups (Recommendation No. (1);

(b)permit community councils to establish geographically based access, equity and human rights working groups (Recommendation No. (2);

(c)establish an Office of Aboriginal Affairs (Recommendation No. (11);

(d)establish an Office of Disability Issues (Recommendation No. (13); and

(e)establish a Human Rights Office (Recommendation No.(57).

Discussion:

Current Resources for Access and Equity:

(a)Corporate Resources:

Prior to amalgamation, the former municipalities applied corporate resources to access and equity activities in different ways. The former Metro had dedicated staff in a corporate Access and Equity Centre. The former City of Toronto employed dedicated staff in its Equal Opportunity Program. Although the titles and precise job descriptions varied, the former North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke each had a full or part-time dedicated coordinator of race relations. Other staff, whose primary functions were not in the area of access and equity, may have provided support to access and equity activities, for example, in supporting the work of an advisory committee or by having employment equity and human rights responsibilities incorporated into their overall position.

Because of the varied organizational approaches in the former municipalities to the provision of access and equity services, achieving an accurate count of dedicated access and equity resources at the time of amalgamation was difficult. However, based on the description of staff's primary functions, it is calculated that, at the time of amalgamation, there were 36 positions whose primary purpose was the performance of corporate access, equity and human rights functions. They comprised the pool of corporate access and equity staff resources.

During 1998, a number of these positions were redeployed. Five professional staff and two administrative support staff were assigned to the Staffing, Workforce Transition, Equity and Human Rights Unit in the Human Resources Division to provide specialized employment equity and human rights services.

A further four professional staff were assigned to work as Human Resource Consultants in business units within the Human Resources Division that provide dedicated support to specific departments. These staff are able to add specialized knowledge and expertise in the area of access, equity and human rights to the business units. In addition, two administrative support staff were also redeployed from the original pool of access and equity staff to work in business units in Human Resources.

The remaining staff in the original access and equity pool were assigned to work in an interim corporate Access and Equity Unit which was also located in the Human Resources Division. During the past year 1.7 FTE positions have been deleted from this unit through attrition. The corporate Access and Equity Unit provides programs to address barriers faced by all human rights protected groups, and to assist departments in delivering programs which eliminate these barriers. It provides corporate coordination of Council's anti-discrimination policies and programs and implements awareness regarding these. The unit conducts policy development and research programs in support of the elimination of barriers faced by human rights protected groups. The unit also provides support to various advisory committees and staff working groups.

Two of the staff in the unit are dedicated to Aboriginal affairs and effectively perform the functions of an Aboriginal Affairs Office as contemplated in recommendation 11 in the Task Force's draft final report. Another staff person carries a disabilities issues portfolio, which includes the responsibilities envisaged in recommendation 13 in the draft final report. Other staff also carry portfolios including immigrant and refugee issues, gay and lesbian issues and issues regarding the status of women.

In 1999, the approved budget for the corporate Access and Equity Unit includes total net expenditures of $1.471 million ($1.501 million total gross expenditures). The approved staffing complement is 21.3 positions.

(b)Departmental Resources:

The work of the corporate access and equity staff is bolstered by staff in operating departments who are performing access and equity functions in the course of departmental delivery of programs and services. Some examples follow.

The Department of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism has a number of full-time positions dedicated to providing integrated recreational programs and services. The department estimates that approximately four full-time equivalents spread over seven positions currently are developing and coordinating adapted and integrated recreational services. Three of the positions (two in the West District and one in the North District) are full-time. Their core functions are:

(i)to provide required supports and/or adapt recreational programs to integrate persons with special needs or develop specialized programs where appropriate;

(ii)to arrange for the supports required by individuals;

(iii)to undertake special projects to increase access; and

(iv)to train staff and volunteers.

The full-time staff are also able to act as access and equity resources and advocates - for example, reviewing and advising on program and facility design, consulting and liaising with the community and agencies, mediating conflicts and potential human rights disputes, providing training and organizing and hosting special events which showcase and promote integration and participation. Additional program staff are hired as needed to provide the supports required to integrate persons with disabilities into recreational programs and to work in specialized programs.

In the Finance department, part of the job function of the Manager of Client and Support Services in the Purchasing and Materials Management Division is to provide administrative, training and outreach support to the division and its clients with respect to access issues.

The Urban Planning and Development Services Department employs an Accessibility Planner. This position assesses proposals for consistency with legislation, by-laws and City policies with respect to accessibility for elderly and disabled persons. The position has also served as a resource to other departments through the coordination of interdepartmental working groups and provision of advice.

With the exception of its Public Health Division, the Community and Neighbourhood Services Department does not identify staff positions dedicated solely to access and equity work. Rather, access and equity are integrated into all considerations and delivery of services by the department. This is reflected in the criteria for the community grants programs for which the department is responsible, the operating policies, publications, training and consultation initiatives undertaken by the various divisions. The department's five Community Development Officers work closely with community groups and agencies to develop community capacity and accessible human services.

Equal access is a general standard in the "Mandatory Services Guideline" pursuant to Section 7 of the Health Promotion and Protection Act. This standard requires Boards of Health to reduce barriers to accessing mandatory public health programs. The Board of Health is also required to integrate equal access strategies into all programs. There are approximately 2.5 full time equivalent specialized staff positions to support program staff in this regard.

Resource Implications of the Task Force Draft Recommendations:

In the course of preparing this report, staff requested each department to comment on the implications of any of the Task Force's recommendations that were relevant to them. All departments provided detailed feedback. This material is being provided to the Task Force to assist it in completing its final report.

The comments from departments indicate general support for the overall direction in which the Task Force wants the City to move. The departmental comments reveal that some of what is recommended in the Task Force's Draft Final Report is already underway. The Task Force recommendations in these instances serve to reinforce the importance of the initiatives or to ensure their continuation.

The departments' feedback also suggests, however, that implementation of recommendations, if they are adopted by Council, will have to be moderated by the availability of resources. The package of recommendations contained in the draft final report cannot be implemented immediately within current resource constraints.

The Task Force's draft final report includes various recommendations to undertake policy reviews and also to make specific program changes. Departments have pointed out that implementation would have to be phased in over time. The recommended initiatives can be built into departments' multi-year business plans to form part of a longer term work program.

Administrative Organization for Access and Equity Functions:

The extent to which the City moves successfully and willingly in the direction proposed by the Task Force will be influenced by how well equipped administratively the City is to perform access and equity functions. Simply creating a specific structure to deal with each topic area covered in the Task Force report is not the way to proceed. It is essential that the administrative organization for access and equity be approached thoughtfully and from first principles. Why should the City be interested in access and equity in the first place? Resources are scarce and there is competition among priorities. The organization of access and equity functions needs to make wise use of these scarce resources.

In reviewing the work of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity, it is important to begin by establishing broad principles and guidelines, which should influence the City's organization structures for delivering access and equity services. These principles and guidelines are drawn from two main sources - the work of the Task Force itself, and what others in the field are doing (the so-called "best practices").

General Principles and Guidelines Contained in the Task Force Report:

Throughout its consultation process, the Task Force heard that municipal government has access and equity responsibilities in four areas:

(i)as an employer;

(ii)as a provider of services and programs;

(iii)as a purchaser of goods and services; and

(iv)as a grant giving agency.

In addition, based on an assessment of the information contained in the Task Force's Draft Report, the City government has a further responsibility:

(i)as a civic leader in the area of community access and equity.

Each of these above-noted areas of municipal responsibility has a number of guiding principles as outlined below.

(1)The City as Employer:

The Task Force's Draft Report sets out the following policy principle:

"The diverse population of the City of Toronto shall be reflected and represented throughout every level of the municipal workforce, including its Agencies, Boards, Commissions and Special Purpose Bodies.

"The dignity, worth and contribution of each person shall be respected in an equitable municipal work environment."

This overall policy principle translates into the following guidelines:

(i)being a "good" employer with fair and consistent work practices;

(ii)being a model employer for others to learn from; and

(iii)being a leader by setting an example of excellence in the workplace in terms of access and equity practices.

(2)The City as Provider of Services and Programs:

The policy principle proposed by the Task Force is:

"All residents shall be entitled to municipal services and programs which are racially sensitive, culturally and linguistically appropriate, gender appropriate, accommodate disability, and are adequately resourced to ensure equitable access and outcomes."

This overall policy principle translates into the following guidelines:

(i)services and programs that are accessible;

(ii)services and programs that are sensitive; and

(iii)services and programs that meet identified needs.

(3)The City as Purchaser of Goods and Services:

The policy principle outlined in the Draft Report is:

"The municipality shall ensure equitable access and allocation to providers of goods and services; ensure that organizations which supply goods and services to the municipality through contractual agreements implement and maintain employment equity; and adopt anti-discrimination and anti-harassment practices."

This overall policy principle translates into the following guidelines:

(i)contracts are open to all to bid;

(ii)there should be outreach to businesses owned and operated by members of human rights protected groups;

(iii)purchasing policies should address the issues of diversity and equity; and

(iv)size of contracts should be established which enable small businesses to compete.

(4)The City as Grant Giving Body:

The policy principle set out by the Task Force requires that:

"The municipality shall ensure that its financing and grants are equitably allocated to reflect the changing and differential needs of all sectors of the community in order to achieve equitable outcomes."

This overall policy principle translates into the following guidelines:

(i)grant applications should include the City's anti-racism, access and equity policy as part of the evaluation process;

(ii)grants should reflect the demographics of the City; and

(iii)grants should be designed to encourage access and equity groups to apply and be eligible.

(5)The City as Civic Leader:

In 1998, Council adopted the declaration "Diversity our Strength" as the City's motto. The motto represents a fundamental value held by Council that has to permeate the entire organization. The City is faced with the task of making the motto real. How do we live up to our motto?

A commitment to the value of strength in diversity requires the municipal government to look outward to the community. This emphasizes the responsibility of the government to exercise civic leadership by facilitating and strengthening community capacity and civil society.

This responsibility is explicitly recognized by the Task Force on Community Access and Equity's discussion of principles. The Draft Report states:

"The municipality, in concerning itself with the social well-being of all its residents, shall assert a proactive role in responding to community issues, influencing public opinion and pursuing broad-based efforts in partnership with the community and other institutional sectors to address diversity issues."

"The municipality shall support community-based voluntary organizations to make sure that all sectors of Toronto's diverse communities are able to effectively participate in and influence the decisions that affect their lives."

This overall policy principle translates into the following guidelines:

(i)community development to be a window into the City of Toronto and out to the community;

(ii)advocacy initiatives;

(iii)education on diversity and community access and equity - what it means and how it works; and

(iv)partnerships wherever possible to take advantage of the skills and experience in the community.

From Policy Principles to Organizational Effectiveness:

The policy principles and guidelines contained in the Task Force's Draft Report provide a framework of values and corporate goals. The challenge for Toronto's municipal government lies in incorporating the idea of strength in diversity and a commitment to community access and equity as core values in all of its functions and activities.

The expression of core values and the achievement of goals lie in outcomes defined by the policy principles and guidelines described above. The principles and guidelines should be seamless and integrated into the City's operations, not isolated or marginalized. They should help to shape:

(i)the implementation of corporate and departmental policies;

(ii)the design of programs and services; and

(iii)the manner in which programs and services are delivered.

The way in which access and equity guidelines are built into the City's organizational structure will influence how this happens.

The Experience of Others in Organizational Best Practices:

All of the former municipalities that are now part of the City of Toronto were committed to access and equity. The Toronto Transition Team commended the former municipalities for their leadership in the provision of access and equity services. The amalgamated City of Toronto can build on this legacy. It can also learn from the experiences in other jurisdictions.

As part of the background research for the Task Force, staff in the City's interim Access and Equity Unit compiled information on the organizational approaches to access and equity taken by jurisdictions in the United States and Great Britain. A review of this material reveals the following reasons for municipal governments to provide explicit access and equity services:

(i)enhancing local democracy and accountability;

(ii)enhancing customer satisfaction;

(iii)understanding customers' needs;

(iv)using people's talents to the full;

(v)becoming an "employer of choice";

(vi)enhancing partnership with the private sector;

(vii)enhancing the relationship with other levels of government; and

(viii)avoiding the costs of discrimination.

In addition, in a study of 41 municipalities, the Commission for Racial Equality in Britain identified the following six essential organizational conditions for effective implementation of equity policies within municipal government:

(a)Commitment: - Both councillors and senior managers must bring the strongest commitment to equity, a commitment that goes beyond the generalities of policy statements on "core values" to set specific, measurable and timetabled equity objectives.

(b)Corporate advice and guidance: - Specialist advice and guidance should be provided from the centre.

(c)Resources: - All departments should get the resources they need to frame effective action plans.

(d)Delegation: - Managers should have the power to decide on the steps they need to take to achieve their targets.

(e)Equity objectives at all levels: - The achievement of equity objectives should be integral to the service or business plans of all departments, and to all service agreements and contracts with the private sector and other bodies.

(f)Effective monitoring: - All key areas of municipal practice should be monitored at both corporate and departmental levels, using accurate and reliable systems, and according to clear definitions of responsibility.

A Framework for Organizing Access and Equity Functions in the City of Toronto:

When the general policy principles and lessons from other jurisdictions are taken into account, three functional areas, each with a discrete set of activities, need to be incorporated into Toronto's administrative organization. The three areas of activity are:

(1)Departmental Activities:

This means that each department should:

(a)take responsibility for integrating access and equity core values, objectives and policies into their normal business activities;

(b)commit resources and develop explicit action plans to meet access and equity objectives; and

(c)be held accountable for integrating core values and corporate policies on diversity and equity into their services to the public and their practices as employers and purchasers and users of services.

(2)Corporate Support Functions:

Corporate resources must be available to support departments in their implementation of access and equity policies, programs and practices. This means:

(a)setting the corporate policies and standards for the City's access and equity activities;

(b)providing a focal point for internal advocacy for access and equity issues within the municipal government, including building awareness within the corporation of what access and equity means and how it is practised;

(c)undertaking specialized research and policy development;

(d)providing advice, education and training support;

(e)providing a window through which to maintain a connection to the state of access and equity in the community; and

(f)ensuring the availability of specialized supports in the areas of employment equity, human rights standards and investigations and corporate training around diversity and access and equity issues.

(3)Monitoring Functions:

This means:

(a)having in place objective mechanisms to monitor and evaluate how well the municipal government is meeting access and equity goals and objectives;

(b)monitoring and assessing the relevance of corporate activities to the state of diversity and equity in the community; and

(c)having appropriate checks and balances in place by ensuring that the monitoring function is objective and independent of both departments and providers of corporate support functions.

The foregoing three sets of activities were in place to varying degrees in the former municipalities.

Organizational Design Principles:

The following basic organizational design principles can be used to guide consideration of organizational forms to accommodate departmental, corporate support and monitoring functions with respect to the City's access and equity activities:

(1)Accountability:

(i)applies corporately and within departments;

(ii)must be strong and visible to the public;

(iii)must be based on agreed upon performance measures; and

(iv)monitoring and evaluation must be undertaken by an objective third party.

(2)Expertise:

(i)staff must be experienced in the provision of access and equity functions; and

(ii)the organization must be able to explain access and equity clearly.

(3)Consistency:

(i)this is related to how the public receives services across departments and in the City's different service districts.

(4)Accessibility:

(i)in terms of physical accessibility to the City's programs and services;

(ii)in terms of the absence of cultural and linguistic barriers to programs and services; and

(iii)geographical accessibility as issues often relate to cultural communities of interest.

(5)Building on existing networks:

(i)build on partnerships with existing community organizations and groups representing community access and equity interests.

(6)Profile:

(i)community access and equity must be visible within the Council and the civic public service;

(ii)profile is required to demonstrate the importance and priority of access and equity; and

(iii)profile is required to demonstrate to the community the value placed by the City on community access and equity.

(7)Broad direction setting:

(i)any corporate support functions should be responsible for establishing policies and directions and not for operationalizing them; and

(ii)corporate support staff are not service providers but facilitators to those with direct service responsibility.

(8)Recognizing fiscal realities:

(i)staffing levels must be accommodated within available resources and take budget reductions into account; and

(ii)must use the scarce and skilled resources of access and equity staff effectively.

These organizational design principles are consistent with the above-noted essential organizational conditions for effective implementation of access and equity policies that were identified by the Commission for Racial Equality in Britain

Organizational Structures for the City's Access and Equity Functions:

Structure for Departmental Functions:

In June 1998, the Task Force interviewed the commissioners and senior managers in each of the City's six departments about the role of access and equity. A review of the notes from these meetings shows that the commissioners' consistent advice to the Task Force was that access and equity must be grounded organizationally:

"¼within program operations and service delivery levels for it to be meaningful. This is key in gaining ownership of these issues. Access and equity should rest with line departments which should play an active role in setting realistic performance measures."

"Access and Equity has to be part of the fabric of the way we do business. It has to be part of everyone's job in terms of how we treat staff and how we provide services."

Locating responsibility for access and equity in departments means that departments must ensure that access and equity values and goals are part and parcel of the services they provide. Departmental responsibility for access and equity entails:

(i)developing explicit access and equity action plans;

(ii)being a good employer;

(iii)providing accessible services; and

(iv)holding staff accountable for the effective delivery of access and equity services.

Exercising these responsibilities successfully requires:

(i)staff to possess specific skills and knowledge in the area of access and equity; and

(ii)departmental resources and programs dedicated to access and equity initiatives.

In an ideal, stable and mature organization, in which access and equity core values have been internalized successfully into day-to-day operations, departmental and program staff would all possess the necessary skills and knowledge to meet access and equity objectives.

In reality, organizationally, the City of Toronto is in the midst of a period of major change. Amalgamation, service harmonization, the accommodation of provincial downloading of service and financial responsibilities, the process of staffing up new administrative structures and the many other changes that accompany the transition from seven municipal administrations to one have presented departments with many competing challenges and priorities.

In such an environment, it is possible for access and equity objectives to fall between the cracks of change. Therefore, to ensure that access and equity policies are practised, a dedicated corporate access and equity staff resource should be assigned to work with each department. These staff will:

(i)provide general information and assistance to other staff within the department;

(ii)serve as a link to other corporate access and equity resources; and

(iii)help coordinate the preparation of access and equity action plans within the department.

Full-time, dedicated specialists should staff these positions. They will be drawn from the pool of 21.3 corporate access and equity funded equivalent positions that were approved in the 1999 Operating Budget. These resources should not be used by departments to replace other departmental staff who may be performing access and equity functions. Rather, their role as an internal advocate within the respective department to which they are assigned should be to focus the department on access and equity issues and objectives, coordinate access and equity activities across the department and facilitate linkages to other supports.

While the general nature of the support provided to departments by these staff should be consistent, the specific needs and capacity of each department are unique. Therefore it is recommended that the corporate Access and Equity Unit work with each commissioner to define the functions and reporting relationships for the assignment of dedicated corporate access and equity staff resources to meet the needs of individual departments.

Structure for Corporate Support Functions:

While the commissioners are consistent in their view that access and equity must be grounded in the departments and their own operations, they also agree on the need for corporate access and equity activities.

"Corporate functions can enable departments to understand and move ahead by providing supportive services such as training, human rights management, policy support [and] links to the community. There has to be a group within the organization charged with making sure awareness and action are taking place in all departments¼The corporate function should be to build linkages to make things happen with departments, communities and Council. It should enhance the expertise and be a catalyst and have the time and resources to dedicate to this. In an ideal world, the corporate function should not be needed at all; however, it is a transitional requirement to ensure we adapt appropriately to the many changes within our community."

There are two general types of corporate support functions: those that relate to the corporation's responsibilities as an employer; and those that provide policy, research and linkages to community issues, and a coordinating role within the City in terms of initiatives in the area of access and equity.

Structure for Corporate Employment Equity and Human Rights Support:

The corporation's Human Resources Division in the Corporate Services Department provides support to all departments through the development of human resource hiring and management policies and practices, assistance with the recruitment process and assistance with conflict resolution. It is appropriate that access and equity objectives and values should be integrated fully into the activities of this division.

Management of employment equity and human rights enquiries and investigations are currently incorporated into the mandate of the Staffing, Workforce Transition, Equity and Human Rights unit within the Human Resources Division. Two employment equity specialists, three human rights specialists and two program administrative assistants are located in the unit to perform these functions.

The focus of these positions is internal to the activities of the corporation as an employer. They are appropriately located. Human rights, as they are defined in the legislation go beyond access and equity to include all manner of activities relative to workplace employment. The location of employment equity and human rights specialists within the staffing unit is also consistent with the principle of having departments take responsibility for access and equity. Their location is designed to ensure that the unit focuses on these issues in its provision of support to the departments.

In addition, as noted earlier in this report, in 1998 four professional staff and two program administrative assistants were reassigned from the original pool of corporate access and equity staff resources to add an employment equity and human rights focus to the human resources business units. In order to ensure that the value of the assignment of these staff positions is maintained, it is recommended that the staff positions that were reassigned from the original pool of corporate access and equity staff resources to the human resources business units in 1998 be explicitly defined and function as employment equity and human rights consultants. It is further recommended that the Executive Director of Human Resources report to the Administration Committee on how the expertise and skills of these employment equity and human rights consultants are being used to enhance the activities of the human resources business units.

There are two potential weaknesses with the current organization for human rights enquiries and investigations. While the function's present location is satisfactory from an administrative point of view, there is concern that it is buried within a broader range of activities and therefore lacks profile. This could limit employees' and managers' use of the specialists. The second concern is that people need to feel that it is safe to approach the human rights specialists for information, advice, conflict resolution or to lodge a formal complaint. For this to happen, the human rights specialists must be able and perceived to provide unbiased advice and conduct independent and objective investigations.

To address these issues, a Human Rights Office will be created comprised of the existing human rights specialists and a program administrative assistant. The office will be identified as a distinct unit in all corporate directories. For administrative purposes, the office will continue to report to the Manager of Staffing, Workforce Transition, Equity and Human Rights. However the sole focus of the office will be on human rights. The staff will provide advice, respond to enquiries and conduct investigations. The Human Rights Office will monitor the incidence of complaints against the corporation. This activity will include monitoring complaints lodged externally with the Ontario Human Rights Commission. As part of their management of the human rights file, staff in the Human Rights Office must have the competence to develop corporate human rights policies. They will work closely with the corporate Access and Equity Unit on the development of corporate human rights policies. They will also work closely with employment equity and human rights consultants in the human resources business units and with dedicated access and equity specialists assigned to work with individual departments.

Reports on human rights investigations will be sent directly to the Chief Administrative Officer as well as to the relevant commissioner to ensure that the highest priority is attached to acting upon the findings.

Structure for a Corporate Access and Equity Office:

There is agreement by the Task Force and the Commissioners that a corporate access and equity function is necessary at this stage in the evolution of the corporation and the City. As already described, the function would provide specialist advice and guidance to departments, conduct specialized research and policy development, be an advocate within the corporation and present a corporate window to the community.

One organizational option would be to locate the corporate access and equity function within an operating department for administrative purposes. For example, the social development mandate and activities of the Community and Neighbourhood Services Department converge somewhat with corporate access and equity objectives and functions.

However, housing these support functions in an operating department would give the appearance of ownership of the functions by one particular department. There needs to be a much more visible demonstration of corporate commitment consistent with the conclusions drawn from the experience in other jurisdictions. The function provides a corporate resource and therefore must be located in a corporate department.

Three options were considered:

(i)creating an arms length organization;

(ii)locating the function in the Corporate Services Department; or

(iii)locating it in the Chief Administrator's Office.

An Arms Length Access and Equity Office:

This approach runs the risk of separating the function from its importance relative to the civic administration. The corporate access and equity function must be firmly entrenched in the corporation to achieve staff buy-in at all levels. A separate, arms length function flies in the face of lessons learned from best practices in other jurisdictions. The Commission for Racial Equality in Britain concluded that specialist advice and guidance must come from the very centre of the organization.

In addition, in performing its role as a civic leader, there is value in the City being directly involved in the provision of access and equity services.

Locating an Access and Equity Office in the Corporate Services Department:

The current, interim Access and Equity Unit is housed in the Human Resources Division of the Corporate Services Department. A rationale for this approach is that access and equity affects the workforce. The Human Resources Division is already providing an employment and training function. There is a link to the Chief Administrative Officer because the Executive Director of Human Resources and Amalgamation reports directly to the Chief Administrative Officer on human resource matters.

The main disadvantage of the current location is that the emphasis in the host division is on employment. Therefore, there is the risk that the purpose of the function will come to be seen primarily in terms of employment equity. Thus key responsibilities, including community outreach and liaison, civic leadership and community education and the focus on access and equity issues in general may receive less profile or attention.

In addition, the organization is undergoing a major transformation and is in the midst of staffing up departments. In such an environment, it is difficult for the Human Resources Division to afford the access and equity function the priority, profile and attention it requires.

This problem would not be overcome even if the function reported directly to the Commissioner of Corporate Services. The Commissioner, too, has a fairly broad set of responsibilities with many competing priorities and interests. These are accentuated by the amalgamation process as it relates to staffing, facilities and technology for the new City, without adding another direct reporting relationship.

Finally, maintaining the corporate access and equity function in the Corporate Services Department serves to bury the importance of the function. The profile of the function, its support of a core corporate value, its orientation both internally to the activities of the corporation and externally to the community and its embodiment of the City's motto will all be enhanced if the function is located in the Chief Administrator's Office.

Locating an Access and Equity Office in the Chief Administrator's Office:

Consideration was given to creating a stand alone Access and Equity Office that reports directly to the Chief Administrative Officer. The disadvantage of this approach is the difficulty gaining the time and attention required to direct this critical corporate function. The Chief Administrative Officer has responsibility for overseeing the work of six commissioners responsible for large departments and has little available time to manage a small organizational function like access and equity.

The preferred option is to locate the function within an existing division in the Chief Administrator's Office. The appropriate location is the Strategic and Corporate Policy Division. The advantages of placing the function in this division are:

(i)it meets the Task Force's expectation that the function should be in a high profile location;

(ii)it complements and can support other functions, skill sets and responsibilities of the division; and

(iii)it begins to make access and equity a truly corporate initiative by positioning it as a strategic resource to departments, Council and the community.

The Strategic and Corporate Policy Division currently houses the corporate policy function and the Healthy City Office. The corporate access and equity function fits well into the overall mandate of the division. The division:

(a)comprises highly skilled and conceptual thinkers in their respective areas of expertise;

(b)exists as a resource to the corporation by providing:

(i)overall policy coordination corporately; and

(ii)assisting departments in the provision of programs and services that are the best they can be;

(c)is a point of access for other governments; it is a window into and out of the corporation;

(d)deals with high profile, sensitive issues that involve diverse, sometimes conflicting interests and sets precedents by its recommendations;

(e)articulates and disseminates overall corporate strategies and core corporate values; and

(f)sets corporate directions.

The access and equity and Healthy City Office functions overlap with respect to community outreach and community capacity building activities. The access and equity and corporate policy functions overlap, too. These overlaps present opportunities within the division for capacity building, cross training, and reinforcement of corporate initiatives, corporate coordination and corporate policy development.

The result will be a Strategic and Corporate Policy Division with a strengthened corporate focus that will have an impact on how Council sets priorities and strategic directions for the corporation, and sets the framework of values and practices against which the city government wants to be viewed and judged. The placement of access and equity within this division will clearly establish these functions as part of the City's core values.

Organizing the Access and Equity Function within the Strategic and Corporate Policy Division:

Given the functional overlaps and the potential for rationalization, consideration was given to thoroughly integrating the access and equity function into the rest of the Strategic and Corporate Policy Division. Consideration was also paid to merging the Healthy City Office and current interim Access and Equity Unit to create a new unit within the division.

Rationalization of functions along one or other of those lines may be appropriate when the corporation is more stable and mature. At present it is important to retain an identifiable and focused set of access and equity functions and an identifiable set of healthy city functions and corporate policy functions. Therefore an Access and Equity Unit will be created within the Strategic and Corporate Policy Division. This unit will report to the Director of Strategic and Corporate Policy, who in turn will be accountable for its performance to the Chief Administrative Officer.

The Access and Equity Unit will replace the interim Access and Equity Unit in the Corporate Services Department. It will be responsible for:

(i)specialized advice, guidance and support to the Chief Administrative Officer, Council and departments;

(ii)specialized research and policy development;

(iii)monitoring legislative proposals that impact on human rights protected groups;

(iv)internal advocacy for access and equity objectives and policies;

(v)coordination of City-wide access and equity information;

(vi)Aboriginal affairs;

(vii)coordination of portfolios related to equity seeking groups;

(viii)community liaison, outreach and development;

(ix)implementation of awareness and public education programs on access, equity and human rights issues;

(x)coordination of support to community advisory committees on access and equity; and

(xi)administration of specialized access and equity grants.

In adopting the 1999 Operating Budget, Council approved an appropriation of $1,501,000.00 total gross expenditures ($1,471,000.00 total net expenditures) and 21.3 equivalent funded staff positions for the Access and Equity Unit. It is recommended that this appropriation and the positions be transferred from the Human Resources Division in the Corporate Services Department to the Strategic and Corporate Policy Division in the Chief Administrator's Office to facilitate the transfer of program management and administration of the corporate Access and Equity unit from the Corporate Services Department to the Chief Administrator's Office, and the 1999 Operating Budget be adjusted accordingly.

Structure for Monitoring Functions:

When they were interviewed by Task Force members in June 1998, the commissioners indicated that departments had to be held accountable for delivering their access and equity commitments. However, they did not believe that it should be the role of the corporate access and equity function to evaluate their performance. There needs to be a more level playing field where one part of the organization does not sit in judgement over the other. The corporate access and equity unit is an enabler, supporter and expert in the field. A policing function would compromise its role as a facilitator.

To ensure that departments are held accountable and to ensure that there is objective assessment of the corporation's performance in the area of access and equity, monitoring and evaluation will occur at three levels:

(a)Annual Performance Reviews:

Departments will demonstrate how they are meeting their commitments and implementing their access and equity action plans through the regular cycle of annual performance reviews.

A template has been developed for departments to use in preparing their multi-year business plans. Access and equity considerations have been incorporated into the template. Thus program areas will have to describe explicitly:

(i)how they will integrate access and equity objectives and policies into normal business activities;

(ii)what resources have been committed and action plans developed to meet access and equity objectives; and

(iii)how access and equity objectives will be reflected in staff composition, training and development.

Within the Corporate Management Framework, which Council approved in 1998, multi-year business plans form the basis for annual program budgets and performance reviews. The foundation for the Corporate Management Framework is the City's Strategic Plan, which is currently being developed. Access and equity goals and objectives should be incorporated into the Strategic Plan.

(b)Internal Audit:

Although it is not reflected in the Task Force's list of draft recommendations, the Task Force's draft final report proposes that, "for each term of Council (every 3 years), an external access, equity and human rights evaluation/audit will be conducted on the City's progress in achieving its goals."

It is appropriate to conduct the type of focused audit proposed by the Task Force. However, such an audit falls within the mandate and competence of the City Auditor and need not be managed by an external party. The City Auditor is independent of the programs, activities and parties that would be subject to the proposed audit.

Therefore, it is recommended that, once in each term of Council, the City Auditor oversee an internal audit of the performance by the corporation as a whole. The purpose the audit will be to monitor the City's overall achievement in meeting its access and equity goals.

(c)Annual Community Consultation:

Part of the intent of the Task Force's proposal that there be an externally conducted audit is to ensure that there is a community perspective in the evaluation of the City's access and equity efforts. In order to receive an external community perspective on the progress being made by the City and its relevance to issues in the community, it would be appropriate to convene an annual consultation with a report card that would provide input to planning, policy and program development in subsequent years. It is recommended that the City convene such an annual community consultation on access, equity and human rights issues. This process could form part of a more general initiative to report on the State of the City. It could also contribute to the purpose of the biannual joint meetings of community advisory committees contemplated in recommendation 76 in the Task Force's draft final report.

Conclusions:

The organizational approach described in this report is based on the premise that the City wants to embrace access and equity as cornerstones of its activities and relationship with the community. The administrative structures and accountability processes have been designed to accommodate the aspirations of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity. The Task Force's draft report sets out a direction for Council to follow. Movement in that direction will be quicker in some years, slower in others, depending on Council's relative priorities and the resource constraints of the day.

It is recommended that the Task Force on Community Access and Equity be requested to take this report into consideration during the preparation of its final report to Council.

The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee also submits the following report (May 27, 1999) from Councillor Joe Mihevc, Chair, Task Force on Community Access and Equity entitled "Final Recommendations of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity":

On January 29, 1999, the Task Force on Community Access and Equity tabled its Draft Report at the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee with a request for the Chief Administrative Officer to bring forward a report regarding administrative options for implementing the proposed Action Plan. The Draft Report was widely circulated for comment and input and the Action Plan and Recommendations have been finalized and are attached.

Members of the Task Force have reviewed the Chief Administrative Officer's report (May 19,1999) regarding the resources and organizational placement of access and equity functions. Task Force members offer the following recommendations:

(1)that Recommendation No. (4) in the Report (May 19, 1999) from the Chief Administrative Officer be amended by deleting the word "internal"; and

that the Report of the Chief Administrative Officer be adopted as amended.

(2)that the Action Plan and Final Recommendations of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity be approved as the policy and program framework for implementing access and equity.

The Task Force also wishes to advise that it has established an implementation sub-committee which will continue its work until December 31, 1999, by which time the new advisory committees and working groups will be in place.

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City of Toronto

Task Force on Community Access and Equity

Action Plan and Final Recommendations

May, 1999.

Community Advisory Committees:

(1)that City Council establish seven City-wide access, equity and human rights community advisory committees to address the priorities faced by the human rights protected groups:

(a)Aboriginal Affairs Committee;

(b)Disability Issues Committee;

(c)Status of Women Committee;

(d)Racial Minorities Committee;

(e)Ethnocultural and Faith Issues Committee;

(f)Immigrant and Refugee Issues Committee; and

(g)Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Issues.

(2)that Community Councils establish working groups on access, equity and human rights issues as needs currently exist or arise and permit membership on these working groups to include individuals who work or reside in the City;

(3)that the community advisory committees advise City Council, its agencies, boards and commissions, and advocate to external bodies on removing barriers that restrict human rights protected groups from participating in public life and achieving social, cultural, economic and political well-being;

(4)that the community advisory committees include: individuals; individuals who work in community agencies serving the human rights protected groups; individuals with technical expertise; and, that the membership represent all regions of the City, and reflect the diversity of the City's population;

(5)that the community advisory committees on access, equity and human rights report to Council through the appropriate Standing Committees on issues within the mandate of the Standing Committees and to the Policy and Finance Committee for issues which are strategic in nature;

(6)that a publicly advertised process with a nominating committee be used to select the members of the community advisory committees and working groups on access, equity and human rights outlined in Appendix A;

(7)that City Council appoint at least 2 Members of Council to serve on each of the above named community advisory committees on access, equity and human-rights;

(8)that City Council appoint a Member of Council as a special advocate on disability issues; and

(9)that the City provide sensitivity and awareness training and materials on access, equity and human rights issues to all persons involved with the municipal structure, including elected officials, emergency services personnel, staff, contractors and persons appointed to city committees.

Aboriginal Self-Determination:

(10)that City Council endorse the principle of Aboriginal self-determination and work with Aboriginal people to achieve this goal;

(11)that City Council establish an Office of Aboriginal Affairs; and

(12)that City Council establish initiatives to support the cultural, social, economic and political participation of Aboriginal communities in Toronto's civic life.

Disability Access:

(13)That City Council establish an Office of Disability Issues;

(14)that City Council and City staff review all disability-related policies of former municipalities, and compile best practices to remove systemic barriers in employment, goods, services and facilities, and that City Council endorse these best practices;

(15)that City Council authorize an external review of the policies and services and establish time lines for changing or improving the mobility and access of people with disabilities including all forms of transportation services in the city, including:

(i)adding streetscaping amenities (e.g. ramped corners with tactile warning strips, practical street door accesses, and enforcing clear paths on all pedestrian walkways);

(ii)installing specialized traffic signals (e.g. audio signals at which those users who cannot cross safely during the standard cycle timing can prolong the pedestrian walk cycle); and

(iii)improving the services provided by the TTC, Wheeltrans and increasing the number of accessible taxicabs.

(16)that City Council establish TTY's in all departments, in public areas of City facilities and in the community.

Advocacy and Partnership:

(17)that City Council continue to act as an advocate for the equal treatment of same-sex spouses;

(18)that City Council take steps to establish parallel pension benefits programs for same-sex spousal families and that these remain in place until other governments remove legislative prohibitions, and that no limits be set on retroactivity for these benefits;

(19)that work against hate activity include hate crimes and incidents motivated by racism, sexism, antisemitism, bigotry, or homophobia;

(20)that the City request the inter-agency working group on hate activity to continue its work;

(21)that, where required, City Council and City staff should work to establish inter-agency staff working groups to address specific problems; and

(b)that a working group be established on Language Equity and Literacy; and

(c)that the working group on Employment Equity include the City's bargaining agents as well as community organizations.

(22)that the City vigorously implement the already approved implementation strategy arising from the Urban Forum on Immigration and Refugee Issues;

Civic Appointments:

(23)that for the purpose of implementing Council's policy on appointments to agencies, boards, commissions and special purpose bodies, the City will define 'citizen' to include all persons who pay property taxes or business taxes or who live within the boundaries of the City of Toronto including permanent residents, refugees, refugee claimants, residents without homes;

(24)that the City use the foregoing definition of 'citizen' in making appointments to agencies, boards, commissions and special purpose bodies, except where law requires Canadian Citizenship for an individual to serve as a member of these bodies;

(25)that the City remove the age restriction in making appointments to agencies, boards, commissions and special purpose bodies except where law requires an individual to attain a particular age to serve as a member of these bodies;

(26)that City Council advocate for changes to any law which creates barriers to civic appointments for persons who are residents or who pay property taxes or business taxes;

(27)that the Nominating Committee establish goals and timetables for increasing the diversity among persons it recommends for civic appointments; and

(28)that City staff provide an annual report to City Council on the participation rates of the human rights protected groups in appointments made to agencies, boards, commissions and special purpose bodies.

Participation and Communications:

(29)that the City make resources available to facilitate members of the public in participating on advisory committees which Council establishes and the advisory or management committees/boards of agencies, boards, commissions and special purpose bodies, including providing information in alternate formats, languages, attendant care, child care, and using accessible locations;

(30)that the communications strategies for municipal elections take account of the City's linguistic diversity and levels of literacy;

(31)that all graphic design, cultural programs and special events of the City reflect the diversity of the City's population;

(32)that the City continue to provide awareness and public education programs which support the principles of including all groups, respecting differences, achieving human rights, and eliminating harassment and hate activities;

(33)that the City continue its awards and scholarship programs which recognize and contribute to the City's objectives regarding access, equity and human rights;

(34)that the City provide space in its press gallery for the "ethnic and community" media to help expand coverage of municipal issues;

(35)that the City maintain and enhance its multi-lingual capacity by encouraging staff to use the multi-lingual AT&T telephone service, providing printed materials in various languages, purchasing service agreements with community agencies, identifying and remunerating staff with language skills, and continuing to use in-house interpreters and community liaison staff; and

(36)that City extend guidelines regarding anti-discrimination which govern the use of Nathan Phillips Square to all "civic squares" and that the City amend the Municipal Code accordingly.

Services and Planning:

(37)that the City set annual targets for increasing the number of child care spaces and their hours of operation;

(38)that the City make housing services for refugees a priority;

(39)that the Official Plan and the Social Development Strategy respond to the barriers and specific needs identified during the consultations held by the Task Force;

(40)that the Official Plan provide for recognizing the ethno-racial and cultural heritage and needs of the diverse communities in the City;

(41)that City Departments involve residents in program advisory committees to evaluate services and make sure that these processes include persons who are from the City's diverse communities;

(42)that the City continue recreation programs which are targeted to specific communities, including lifeguard training for black youth, special hours for Muslim women, and leadership training for youth from high-risk populations;

(43)(a)that the City review its zoning, building and fire regulations to address the barriers faced by Aboriginal people and other communities practicing cultural and spiritual traditions, and identify those regulations which fall under the mandate of other levels of government, and advocate for changes as required; and

(b)that appropriate civic officials be requested to report further on these matters including the provision of residential uses at places of worship and various burial traditions.

(44)that City Council adopt a set of accessibility guidelines for all City-owned buildings and other properties and that it determine accessibility gaps and implement an action plan to address these gaps;

(45)that the City work to proactively respond to accessibility issues with architects and developers by seeking to enhance the legislated requirements under the Ontario Building Code and more stringently enforcing them;

(46)that the City investigate means of augmenting the city's stock of affordable accessible housing for people with disabilities, both privately and publicly owned; and

(47)that the City modify its subsidies program to create portability which matches the need of the tenant with the disability, rather than the unit;

Employment and Leadership:

(48)that the City adopt an employment equity policy to achieve a workforce which reflects the population at all occupational levels of the City;

(49)that the City conduct additional workforce surveys as needed to assemble a complete data base from which to monitor the ongoing participation of designated groups in the City's workforce;

(50)that when the City establishes any new compensation and benefit programs for employees it arrange for an independent "gender equity"/ "wage gap" analysis to determine the impact of new systems on the "wage gap";

(51)that the City establish "mentoring" and "job demonstration" programs to help individuals from groups who face barriers gain work experience, and that the City encourage and recognize employees who act as volunteers for these programs;

(52)that the City offer specialized training programs to employees to enhance their language and literacy skills or to facilitate entry into "non-traditional" work, paying particular attention to employees whose first language is not English, or for whom technology and high literacy levels have not been occupational requirements;

(53)that Council allocate sufficient resources to accommodate employees with disabilities in the workplace so that their productivity and work experience parallels as nearly as possible that of their peers; and

(54)that the City's Fair Wage and Labour Trades Office continue to oversee the anti-discrimination requirement of the Workers Rights Policy and that it update the grounds of anti-discrimination to include those covered by the Human Rights Policy.

Employee Consultation:

(55)that the City continue its employee working groups, as needed, on issues related to the designated groups to address emerging issues, and that they liaise with the relevant community advisory committees on an ongoing basis; and

(56)that the City encourage employees to participate in corporate and community programs to help staff better understand the City's diverse communities;

Complaints:

(57)that the City establish a Human Rights Office to receive inquiries and investigate complaints of discrimination regarding employment, access to services, and hate-related activities;

(58)that the organizational placement of the City's Human Rights Office facilitate arm's-length investigations, including those relating to complaints of discrimination in employment, service delivery and hate activity; and

(59)(a)that the Human Rights Office submit an annual report to Council on its activities; and

(b)that this Annual Report include the success rates of resolving complaints, including those which have been filed with the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Building Economic Capacity:

(60)that the City's Economic Development Strategy specifically outline proactive strategies that include the City's diverse communities;

(61)that the City implement the implementation strategy arising from recommendations of the Urban Aboriginal Economic Development Seminar and that it provide progress reports;

(62)that to promote the image of Toronto as a "global city", city-endorsed programs, such as the Olympic Bid, The Gay Games, small business outreach, strategies be implemented to use these as opportunities for businesses owned and operated by members of the human rights protected groups;

(63)that the City use its purchasing process for communicating the City's leadership role on employment equity, anti-discrimination and against harassment in the workplaces of Toronto;

(64)that the City continue information and outreach activities, which make sure that businesses from various communities have access to the procurement process of the City and its agencies;

(65)that the City's purchasing process utilize strategies such as reducing the size of contracts and sub-contracts to increase the number of businesses owned by designated groups participating in the process and for achieving employment equity among firms seeking to do business with the City; and

(66)(a)that City staff submit an annual report to Council on the proportion of expenditure the City spent with businesses owned by the designated groups and that this report include information on the employment equity policies of firms who are suppliers to the City; and

(b)that a report be submitted to Council every 5 years, coinciding with the Census, on the status of designated groups in supplier workforces.

Building and Supporting Community Capacity:

(67)that City Council continue to support community organizations through its various grants programs and that it develop a strategy to facilitate the equitable distribution of grants funding.

(68)that the City continue to provide resource support, such as meeting space, information sessions and research information to community organizations to assist them in providing services to their communities and to facilitate their participation in civic society;

(69)that the City require all organizations receiving City grants to demonstrate their commitment to access and equity;

(70)that the City expand its Day Care grants program across the City;

(71)that the City expand its Breaking the Cycle of Violence (BTCV) grants program across the City;

(72)that the Multicultural grants program maintain anti-racism and anti-hate as program criteria, if no new funds are available in 1999; and

(73)that City Council work to establish a comprehensive access and equity grants program to support the advocacy efforts of human rights protected groups.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

(74)that City staff modify the report template for all reports to Council to include an impact statement on access, equity and human rights;

(75)that City staff prepare comprehensive demographic profiles of all City wards to guide policy development, program planning and service delivery;

(76)(a)that the community advisory committees on access, equity and human rights issues meet jointly at least twice per year to review the ongoing implementation of the corporate action plan for access, equity and human rights and to review the annual reports;

(b)that these joint meetings include any access, equity and human rights working groups established by Community Councils; and

(c)that during this annual meeting, the schedule be arranged to provide for participants to come together on a geographical as well as on an issue basis;

(77)that each Department, Agency, Board, Commission or special purpose body submit an Access, Equity and Human Rights Action Plan to City Council;

(78)that each Department evaluate its policies, programs and services to identify barriers experienced by the human rights protected groups and that measurement tools be prepared for this purpose;

(79)that City Council request its Agencies, Boards, Commissions and special purpose bodies to provide an annual report on how they implemented employment equity, community access, service equity and human rights;

(80)that the annual employment equity report to Council on the status of the human rights protected groups include data on its workforce as a whole and by Departments regarding representation, occupations, promotions, compensation, training, benefits, exits, and developmental opportunities; and

(81)that the City produce an annual consolidation of access and equity measures in a report card format.

Organization and Resources:

(82)that the City establish organizational structures and resources for access, equity and human rights:

(i)to provide policy development;

(ii)to facilitate community advisory processes including committees relating to the human rights protected groups and other Committees of Council as required;

(iii)to administer anti-racism, access and equity grants;

(iv)to investigate human rights issues at arm's length;

(v)to implement awareness and public education programs on access, equity and human rights issues;

(vi)to act as a resource for departments and agencies in developing and implementing action plans;

(vii)to liaise with community organizations regarding emerging issues and to assist them with civic involvement;

(viii)to conduct research on the needs of the human rights protected groups and to provide results to departments to use in delivering services;

(ix)to monitor legislative proposals that impact on the human rights protected groups;

(x)to implement communication strategies to increase involvement and access to services;

(xi)to promote the City's position to other levels of government and external bodies; and,

(xii)to provide advice and research to Council Committees.

(83)that Agencies, Boards and Commissions be requested to implement access, equity and human rights policies and programs consistent with those of City Council; and

(84)that the Workers Information and Action Centre be continued as a resource for addressing employment discrimination in the Toronto labour market and that the Small Business Centres operated by the City ensure that information regarding employment equity and human rights are provided to business owners.

Implementation and Follow-up:

(85)(a)that an external evaluation or Access, Equity and Human Rights Audit be conducted by City Council every three years for each term of Council on the implementation of Council's access, equity and human rights policies and programs";

(b)that a reference group be established to oversee the evaluation process and that this include representatives of the community advisory committees and community organizations, and be chaired by a Member of Council serving on one of the community advisory committees; and

(c)that the external evaluation be conducted by individuals/firms who are recognized as professionals with experience and expertise in the access, equity and human rights field; and

(86)that the Chief Administrative Officer provide a status report 12 months after approval by Council on the implementation of recommendations;

External Agencies:

(87)that the Toronto District School Board and all Boards of Education be requested to implement comprehensive access, equity and human rights policies;

(88)that the Government of Ontario be requested to provide resources for education, transportation, housing, etc., to improve the status of the human rights protected groups; and

(89)that the Government of Canada be encouraged to provide resources to the City, and other agencies for settlement, education and employment certification for immigrants and refugees.

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Appendix A

Terms of Reference for Community Advisory Committees

Names of recommended committees:

(i)Aboriginal Affairs Committee;

(ii)Disability Issues Committee;

(iii)Status of Women Committee;

(iv)Racial Minorities Committee;

(v)Ethno-cultural and Multi-faith Issues Committee;

(vi)Immigrant and Refugee Issues Committee; and

(vii)Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Issues.

Role and responsibilities:

The Community Advisory Committees shall use their knowledge and expertise to provide advice to City Council, through the standing committees of Council, and act as a liaison with external bodies on barriers to participation in public life and to the achievement of social, cultural and economic well-being of the City's residents.

Each Community Advisory Committee shall also address the specific issues facing particular communities, develop options for Council's consideration and make recommendations for positive changes that shall improve the quality of the lives of the members of the City's diverse communities.

Process:

In providing advice to Council, the Community Advisory Committees shall consult and hold public meetings with communities around specific issues. Meeting schedules/locations shall take into consideration regional/geographic concerns.

Membership and Eligibility:

Each Community Advisory Committee will be composed of 18 community members and 2 Members of Council. Members are appointed as individuals and not as representatives of organizations. Members shall include individuals, individuals who work in community agencies serving human rights protected groups, and individuals with technical expertise. The overall membership shall represent all regions of the City, reflect the diversity of the given community, and at least two thirds of the membership shall be reflective of the issues being addressed by the respective committees. All committees shall have equal numbers of men and women, except for the status of women committee, of which at least two thirds of its membership shall be women.

To be eligible, a member must reside or pay business or property taxes in the City of Toronto. A position is vacated automatically if eligibility criteria are no longer met by the incumbent.

Membership selection:

City Council shall appoint members. An initial selection committee will recommend to City Council the membership for each community advisory committee. After the first appointments, the selection process will be turned over to each committee and shall follow the procedures outlined in this report, unless amended by City Council.

The initial selection committee will consist of men and women representing each of the proposed committees. Membership shall be drawn from existing municipal advisory committees, community members of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity and individuals from community groups who are not seeking appointment to any of the proposed advisory committees or working groups. The selection committee will be facilitated by the Task Force Chair and supported by a staff team from the Access and Equity Unit.

The selection of co-chairs of the community advisory committees will be made by the members of the advisory committees.

Guidelines for Administering Selection:

An information seminar will be held for each Committee, at which attendance is mandatory for all applicants.

A Standard application form will be used by all applicants and application forms will be distributed at the information seminars.

Interviews will be conducted by interview teams which will include at least one member of Council who is appointed to the Committee.

A standard list of interview questions will be used during the interview process.

The recommendations of the Interview Teams will be forwarded to the appropriate Committee and to Council.

Each Committee will undertake an orientation session for its citizen members.

How to Find Interested Members:

A widely advertised public process shall be used, including local community-based media, groups and organizations and information sessions, etc. to call for applications to the community advisory committees. The following criteria used for the selection of the members of the Task Force shall continue to be used:

(i)experience working in an advisory committee or similar setting;

(ii)leadership in the community on access, equity issues ;

(iii)history of public service such as volunteer work;

(iv)proven ability to consult within and across their sector;

(v)demonstrated commitment, knowledge and understanding of access and equity issues;

(vi)availability and willingness to attend meetings;

(vii)skills in listening, analysis and learning; and

(viii)ability to work in a team setting, including an interest and capacity to work through consensus.

A shortlist of qualified candidates who are available for future appointment shall be maintained for six months and contacted as vacancies arise.

Term of office:

Members shall be appointed for a three-year term and/or until a successor is appointed. The terms of office of members will overlap to maintain continuity. In the first term, half of the members shall be appointed for a two-year term and half shall be appointed for a three-year term.

A person appointed when a member resigns only serves the remainder of that term and is eligible to reapply.

Individuals are eligible for membership for a maximum of two consecutive terms, i.e., six years.

Quorum:

A quorum shall be fifty percent of community members on the Advisory Committee.

Reporting relationship:

The Community Advisory Committees shall report to Council through the appropriate standing committees on issues within the mandates of the standing committee, and to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee for issues which are strategic in nature.

Operating procedures:

The Advisory Committee shall follow the rules and procedures of Council committees.

Selection process for Access, Equity and Human Rights Working Groups established by Community Councils:

A selection process similar to that for the community advisory committees shall be followed.

The initial selection committee will be drawn from the existing municipal advisory committees operating at the local communities who are not seeking reappointment, another local community group and from the Task Force on Community Access and Equity.

The size of the working groups shall be established by the Community Council.

The selection process shall be facilitated by a Member of Community Council who has served on a municipal advisory committee regarding access and equity. The process will be supported by the Access and Equity Unit.

Selection process for Issue-Based Working Groups:

The Issue-Based Working Groups shall be chaired by a Member of Council. Membership shall include organizational representatives from agencies and other institutions whose mandate includes the issues addressed by the Working Group. Expressions of interest should be sought from interested organizations and a membership list established and reported to City Council along with the terms of reference for the working group. The membership shall have representation from all regions of the City and shall reflect the diversity of the City's population.

The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee also submits the following communication (February 23,1999) from the City Clerk:

Recommendation:

The York Community Council recommended that the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee be advised that it endorses in principle, the Draft Report of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity.

Background:

The Community Council on February 17, 1999, had before it the communication (January 22, 1999) from Councillor Joe Mihevc, Chair, Task Force on Community Access and Equity, to the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee, forwarding the Draft Report of the Task Force.

The following persons appeared before the Community Council in connection with the foregoing matter:

-Mr. Charles Ng, member of the Task Force;

-Ms. Sonja Greckol, member of the Task Force;

-Mr. Al Reeves, member of the Task Force; and

-Ms. Rose Lee, Access and Equity Centre.

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(Report dated January 22, 1999, addressed to the

Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee

from Councillor Joe Mihevc, Chair,

Task Force on Community Access and Equity)

Purpose:

To extend the mandate of the Task Force on Community Access and Equity by three months to allow the Chief Administrative Officer to prepare an options report on administrative structures to be considered in the finalization of the Report.

Financial Implications:

None. Each of the former municipalities allocated resources for the implementation of programs and services to support achieving access and equity for all human rights designated groups facing barriers and for the participation of representatives of these groups on municipal advisory committees on equity issues. The Chief Administrative Officer's report regarding the implementation plan for the Final Report of the Task Force will address resource requirements.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that:

(1)the Chief Administrative Officer be requested to prepare a report for the end of March, if possible, for consideration by the Task Force on Community Access and Equity and that the report address the following:

(a)administrative options to support this Action Plan which includes community advisory committees; an Aboriginal Affairs Office, a Disability Issues Office, a Human Rights Office; and an Access and Equity Centre with geographic sites;

(b)an external evaluation mechanism for conducting an Access, Equity and Human Rights Audit every 3 years for each term of Council on the implementation of Council's policies on access, equity and human rights; and

(c)the level of resources required for the harmonization and leveling up of the access, equity and human rights programs and policies of the former municipalities.

(2)the mandate for the Task Force on Community Access and Equity be extended by 3 months to provide the time required by the Chief Administrative Officer to prepare the options report outlined in Recommendation No. 1; and

(3)the appropriate City officials be authorized to take the necessary actions to give effect thereto.

Council Reference:

At its meeting of March 4, 5 and 6, 1998, Toronto City Council established the Task Force on Community Access and Equity to address the ways in which the City can:

"(i)strengthen civic society and in particular empower those members of the community who face barriers to full participation in the life of the community;

(ii)take a more effective role in addressing the barriers faced by women, people of colour, Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, lesbians, gays, bi-sexual and transgendered, immigrants/refugees, different religious/faith communities;

(iii)strengthen community involvement and public participation in the decision-making processes of the municipality, particularly for equity seeking communities;

(iv)continue the City's pro-active role in linking and partnering with other institutions and agencies, as well as with the community, in engaging in initiatives in support of access and equity;

(v)ensure that the contributions, interests and needs of all sectors of Toronto's diverse population are reflected in the City's mission, operation and service delivery; and

(vi)continue the City's leadership in the community as a model employer with a workforce that reflects the diversity of its residents and which follows fair and equitable employment practices".

Council also authorized the continuation of the existing advisory committees of the former municipalities; the filling of vacancies using Task Force selection criteria; and the continuation of all the access and equity policies and programs of these municipalities. Council requested the Task Force to submit its final report in January, 1999 and to remain in place until the end of March to advise on implementation.

Comments:

The Task Force Members were appointed in April, 1998. The Task Force has met monthly and held a number of consultations with a wide range of community organizations at many different locations across the City.

Many people who participated in the consultations were pleased that the Task Force consulted them about access, equity and human rights issues, but were anxious about whether the consultations meant that the City of Toronto was no longer committed to the previous policies and programs of the former municipalities.

Community members stated over and over again, that despite their personal and group situations, the strong voice with which the City has spoken on many issues has made the City a better place to live. However, members of the community are mindful of the increase in hate motivated activities against many of the human rights protected groups. Many members of these groups have found that lack of recognition of non-Canadian work experience, difficulties with gaining Canadian work experience, lack of accommodation, inadequate child care and transportation barriers continue to be problems. During consultations, they reported that downloading is negatively affecting members of their communities and that their organizations, faced with budgetary cuts, are unable to respond to need.

Members of the groups have very positive feelings about the past and ongoing efforts of the City to be an advocate to other levels of government and to respond to the diverse service needs of its population. Community members also stressed that the assembly of people from all corners of the world living and working in the City has created a social fabric that is the envy of many.

The Task Force also found that the feelings of "ownership" and "belonging", were fostered by the presence of the community advisory committees established by the former municipalities, both at the City wide and departmental levels. Through these committees, groups who face barriers were able to give advice on policy issues to their Councils and to provide input to Departments about specific service needs.

However, the Task Force also heard very clearly from the Aboriginal community that there is a failure to recognize, respect or value their distinct status within society.

The Task Force also noted that there was a wide variation among the former municipalities regarding the policies, programs, resource allocation and administrative structures with respect to access, employment equity, service equity and human rights. In particular, the Task Force noted in its review of reports prepared for the Toronto Transition Team that 38 of the 44 staff positions specifically dedicated to the delivery of access, service equity, human rights and employment equity programs were staff of either the former Metro Toronto or the former City of Toronto.

Task Force Preliminary Conclusions:

The Task Force members are beginning to conclude that:

(1)there is a continuing need for community advisory committees regarding access and equity resulting from the barriers faced by human rights protected groups and lack of access to full participation in all aspects of social, cultural, economic and political life;

(2)there is a continued advocacy role which City Council must play with other levels of government, institutions and the community at large;

(3)the City can assist the Aboriginal people of Toronto who are working towards "self determination";

(4)the City must maintain its corporate leadership role in implementing employment equity and human rights programs, and in providing services which respect the unique needs of human rights protected groups;

(5)the City must continue to build community capacity through grants and other resource supports; and

(6)the pro-active stance taken by the former municipalities and the new city on these issues have helped to foster a spirit of mutuality and trust among the people of Toronto and has contributed to the City's reputation for its ability to embrace and nurture its diverse communities.

Councillor Joe Mihevc, Chair, Task Force on Community Access and Equity appeared before the Strategic Policies and Prioriaties Committee in connection with the foregoing matter.

(A copy of the draft report dated January, 1999, from the Task Force on Community Access and Equity entitled "Diversity Our Strength - Access and Equity Our Goal", was forwarded to all Members of Council with the June 1, 1999, agenda of the Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee and a copy thereof is also on file in the office of the City Clerk.)