3. Declaration of Conflict 

None disclosed.

4. Adoption of the Minutes

Moved by Y. Huff, seconded by S. John, That the minutes of the meeting of the Diversity Committee of its meeting held June 13, 2019 BE ADOPTED as presented. Carried.

5. Business Items

5.1 Access Without Fear – Review and Next Steps

The highlights of the presentation provided by Gemma Smyth, Associate Professor of Law, University of Windsor at the meeting of the Diversity Committee held October 2, 2018 is as follows: 

•  A well-considered access without fear policy has the potential to clarify and set in policy Windsor's already strong reputation as a welcoming and diverse community.
•  Windsor is surrounded by cities that have sanctuary city or access without fear policies (Chicago, Detroit, and London).
•  The goal is to support Windsor in adopting or reaffirming policies that are inclusive for people without immigration status.
•  An access without fear policy can support people in not losing immigration status and to regain it once they have lost it.
•  Access without fear policies can function to:
• o Set benchmarks for inclusion o Promote good practice or advertise welcoming practices that already exist
• o Promote diversity and support immigration and refugee policy more generally
• o Improve police/immigrant community relationships, including reporting of crime
• o Encourage people to seek pathways toward status
• o Create safer communities
•  There is no single Access Without Fear policy or sanctuary policy. Each city adopts its own and it means different things in different municipalities.
•  In terms of what a policy might look like, it would be important to consider:
• o Consultation – what would good consultation look like?
• o Gaps- what gaps in service and knowledge exist in the community
• o Funding – what are the recommendations and what would they entail? Does it include training? Education? Service improvement?