Today, Toronto City Council received the Year Four Update of the City of Toronto’s five-year Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism. Council unanimously adopted recommendations on key priorities for 2023 – the fifth year of the five-year Plan – as well as the creation of a staff and community report assessing the City’s progress on the Plan to date and the development of a new 10-year Action Plan that will build on the critical work completed since the Plan’s launch in 2018.
The Plan has been a catalyst for investing in Black communities and supporting the creation of complex, multi-year initiatives that target Black communities while also benefiting all Torontonians, like the Toronto Community Crisis Service. and the Little Jamaica Initiative.
To date, the Plan has leveraged a cumulative investment of $33.3 million including $7.6 million to support Black communities in 2022. Year Four achievements include:
• 18 Black-mandated organizations accessing $1.6 million in operating funds. The Black-Mandated Funding Framework pilot increased the capacity of Black-serving agencies to expand services and programs for Black residents.
• Providing more than $200,000 to community-led Black housing initiatives and partnerships to address displacement and increase housing access. These initiatives supported housing outcomes in Little Jamaica and other Black communities.
• Supporting more than 200 Black children, in partnership with the Toronto Public Library, through the launch of a Community Librarian position to better serve Black organizations and residents.
• Launching the Innovative Case Management pilot to support Black youth mental health which targeted the needs of Black and Indigenous youth and was delivered in partnership with a mental health organization.
• Welcoming more than 2,000 visits from 2SLGBTQIA+ participants to the 2022 Drag Master Class. The City’s Parks Forestry and Recreation division partnered with 2SLGBTQ+ organizations to develop innovative programming to foster employment and leadership skills for Black queer and trans youth.
• Establishing eight new and enhanced culturally-appropriate farmer’s markets. Through the Toronto Black Food Sovereignty Plan, markets increased food access for Black families and provided jobs and economic opportunities for Black food entrepreneurs in underserved Black communities.
• Providing $100,000 to deliver Black Mental Health Week. Black-mandated organizational partnerships were resourced to increase access, education and awareness of mental health supports. More information about Black Mental Health Week can be found here: https://blackmentalhealthweek.ca/.
• Completing the first term of the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Council Advisory Committee. The Committee advanced 41 agenda items and amplified 24 critical issues to strengthen action to address anti-Black racism at the City.
• Engaging 10,250 Black residents while connecting them to City services and initiatives.
• Offering anti-Black racism training to 7,430 staff in 2022, with a total of 27,303 trained since 2018. Training sessions helping to enhance the capacity to apply an anti-Black racism lens has led to corporate culture change and the development of several division-led anti-Black racism action plans and activities.
In December 2017, Council unanimously approved the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism, a five-year plan containing 22 recommendations and 80 actions across five outcome areas: Children and Youth Development, Health and Community Services, Job opportunities and Income supports, Policing and the Justice System and Community Engagement and Black Leadership.
Since beginning activities in 2018, 80 per cent of all actions are complete including the advancement of 41 actions in Year Four. There are 34 remaining actions in Year Five that will be advanced in collaboration with 17 City divisions, agencies, and community partners.
More information about the City’s five-year Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism is available on the City’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism webpage.
The Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism – Year four Update is available on the City’s website.
Quotes:
“The leadership of the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit, in collaboration with dedicated community partners, has forged a path towards transformative change, driven by the voices and needs of the community. The remarkable achievements highlighted in the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Year Four Update are a source of immense pride for us. As we press forward, we pledge to build upon these accomplishments, taking bold and decisive action for the betterment of Black residents and the entire fabric of Toronto. Together, we will continue to shape a future for this city that is just and equitable for everyone.”
– Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park), Chair of the Infrastructure and Environment Committee
“The Confronting Anti-Black Racism Year Four Update stands as a testament to our city’s unwavering commitment to eliminating anti-Black racism here in Toronto. This report serves as a compass, guiding us towards vital and transformative actions that will ensure we confront anti-Black racism head-on. My sincere thanks go out to the members of the Advisory Committee and City staff who are working to set our city on a path to real and meaningful progress.”
– Councillor Shelley Carroll (Don Valley North), Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee
“Homelessness and housing access are pressing challenges facing many Black Torontonians. Working with the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit in Year 4 has supported Margaret’s to foster important new partnerships, access funding and gain strategic advice to advance critical Black housing priorities for our community”.
– Diane Walter, Margaret’s Housing and Community Support Services
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