Today, the City recognizes International Human Rights Day and reaffirms its commitment to protecting the fundamental human rights and dignity of all residents as well as working to empower individuals to stand up to intolerance, hate and bigotry wherever it occurs.
The City of Toronto is committed to upholding the human rights of individuals, empowering vulnerable communities, working towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and fostering a civil society that is committed to the elimination of discrimination, marginalization and poverty.
The principles of equity, dignity and justice reflected in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights remain as important today as they were seven decades ago.
On December 5, 2017, Toronto City Council unanimously adopted the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism, a five-year plan that leverages the talents, knowledge and experiences of Black residents and Black organizations as partners in making municipal services, spaces and policies fully inclusive and accessible to Torontonians of African descent in both intent and in practice.
“Toronto is the most diverse city in the world and we are committed to ensuring that people are treated equitably,” said Mayor John Tory. “I will continue to work to forge a city where our values and goals are matched by the reality experienced by all of our residents. We must never stop fighting to eliminate discrimination of all kinds. This is why I led the development and adoption of the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism and will continue to ensure it is being fully implemented.”
The Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism includes 22 recommendations and 80 actions to address five issue areas:
• Children and youth development
• Health and community services
• Job and income supports
• Policing and the justice system
• Community engagement and Black leadership.
Key accomplishments in year one of implementing the plan include:
• Developed and staffed the Confronting Anti-Black Racism (CABR) unit to lead the implementation of the action plan.
• Developed the Partnership & Accountability Circle to support accountability, transparency and the implementation of the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism and community engagement.
• Launched the Black Staff Network as a professional development vehicle for City staff of African descent.
• Developed the Mayor’s Roundtable on Black Business to provide strategic advice and guidance to the Mayor on entrepreneurship, business development, cultural industries and economic development issues in Toronto’s Black communities.
• In collaboration with the CABR unit, the Toronto Police Service has developed an in-service 45-minute Anti-Black Racism training module for all frontline officers. In-service training for new hires, lateral hires, special constables and court officers will begin in January 2019 and training for civilian members will begin in the first quarter of 2019.
More information about the Confronting Anti-Black Racism unit and the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism is available at http://www.toronto.ca/abr.
Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of more than 2.9 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world’s most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorontoComms, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.