Diversity Committee
Meeting Minutes
9. Is the idea of a community engagement in the Policing of the City of Windsor something that your community may be interested in? (Yes) (No). If yes, please share your thoughts regarding cities “auxiliary policing” and community involvement.
10. Cultural competence and diversity training is provided at some agencies to staff to support them in service delivery to a diverse client base. Please provide your insight on how to provide a more focused cultural competence and diversity training. How should the training be implemented and who should conduct it?
11. What concerns would you like the Diversity Advisory Committee for the City of Windsor to address together with you?
12. What are some steps to be taken to ensure that the Diversity Committee is included in important initiatives at the City level?
G. Jones states that in terms of Question #8, she suggests that another term rather than simply “employment equity” be used, as there is a Federal Employment Equity Act and people have different ideas on what employment equity actually is. She proposes by giving several examples of what you want input on may provide more accurate and valuable responses from the public.
M. E. Bernard alludes to the question relating to the need for sensitivity training and she adds that some city departments currently offer mandatory cultural training for all staff. She suggests one might want to use the term “heightened training or corporate- wide training”.
The Chair notes that the intent is to send out the questions to the various groups in the community, as everyone should have a voice.
G. Jones suggests that through the City’s 211 Call Centre, that a spreadsheet of the community organizations can be created to assist the Diversity Committee in this initiative.
G. Jones proposes that the subcommittee provide a finalized version of the questions to the committee for further review and additions.
4.3 Hiring Policy within the City of Windsor
S. John refers to the recent panel discussion that was held, and notes that the city staff that were present do not represent the diverse faces in the City of Windsor. It was stated previously, that the diverse representation of City of Windsor staff will take time as many people will be retiring in the near future. She adds that there are those who do question the diversity of the staff that are currently being hired.