City of Waterloo council summary - June 11, 2020

** The council summary below provides a snapshot of the major items presented at today's council meeting. Please refer to the minutes for an official record of the meeting.

Statement on Black Lives Matter from Mayor Dave Jaworsky

Mayor Jaworsky read the following statement during today’s special council meeting:

Black Lives Matter.

George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and Regis Korchinski-Paquet.

Their lives mattered and they still do.

In their name, as well as many others who have been tragically killed, the time to end racism against the Black community is now. The change must come from individuals and institutions. We need to identify and reflect on our biases in ways that change the way we do things; we must change the way we view and treat members of the Black community; we must challenge long-standing procedures; and we need to be honest, vulnerable, and strong enough to have uncomfortable conversations and accept uncomfortable realities in order to change. Moreover, we must listen to the Black community with an open mind and open heart. We must also commit to doing the learning and unlearning on our own, without the expectation that Black people will do that practical and emotional labour on behalf of us.

The City of Waterloo is committed to being part of the solution. In 2018, the city launched an internal Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. We recognized we need to get our own organization in order if we’re going to influence change in our community. We launched a diversity census and inclusion survey to our employees and learned we need to make changes so that people feel as valued and welcomed as they should within the organization. That led to the formation of a Diversity Equity and Inclusion Task Force, which has five working groups. They are identifying the systemic barriers within the organization and creating actionable plans that will drive the change.

And while we get our own house in order, we are now dedicating more resources to support one of the pillars in Council’s 2019-2022 strategic plan: equity, inclusion and a sense of belonging, namely:

• Plans to develop a community focused Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy which will include ways to better engage with and serve equity-seeking communities in Waterloo
• Fund a DEI interim-action Plan to be used to support equity-seeking organizations in Waterloo while we finalize the community focused DEI strategy
• Staff participation in Wellbeing Waterloo Region groups which have emphasized equity, and working toward transformational change across our region
• Explore ways of building better support systems for racialized staff to enhance belonging

Beyond getting our own house in order, we are also being asked to dismantle existing systems that have been built on racism and white supremacy and to work towards the creation of new systems that are built on anti-racism, truth and reconciliation, justice, and equitable access to the city. We are ready to engage in that work, too.

We know we have a lot more work to do to make significant change to eliminate anti-Black racism, and all forms of racism, to further advance diversity and equity in our community and we are committed to this and know it will be an ongoing process.

Mayor Dave Jaworsky
Councillor Tenille Bonoguore
Councillor Royce Bodaly
Councillor Diane Freeman
Councillor Jeff Henry
Councillor Angela Vieth
Councillor Jen Vasic
Councillor Sandra Hanmer

Council approves extension of patios
Patio season just received a big boost with Council’s approval of the S∙O∙L∙E∙R (Support Our Local Economic Recovery) Initiative. S∙O∙L∙E∙R is designed to assist local businesses and artisans, such as restaurants and bars, rebound from the impacts of the pandemic.

The initiative permits the use of private lands and parking lots and certain municipal lands to be temporarily used for commercial purposes, including patios and patio expansions by local bars, restaurants, other commercial entities and artists.

This exemption is permitted anywhere in the city, following a successful application to the city.

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Media contact:
Tony Iavarone
Director, Corporate Communications
519-747-8513
tony.iavarone@waterloo.ca