Inclusivity series goes all in in Markham

Yorkregion.com
May 7, 2015
By Laura Finney

York Region and the Community Partnership Council want residents’ help to make the area more inclusive.

On Monday they launched Let’s Talk Inclusion, a series of open discussions about how to build a more welcoming and inclusive region.

“These discussions really help form and shape what we want to see happen within our communities right across the region,” said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, co-chair of the Community Partnership Council, who helped kick off the first session at the Civic Centre in Markham.

The first phase of discussions is about immigration and cultural diversity.

“We live in a culturally diverse, a very vibrant and multicultural community,” Scarpitti said. “What I love about the vibrancy of this place is we are wanting to meet other cultures, we’re wanting to share our culture and traditions with others.”

That is important, not only for the region’s growth but for its success, he said.

“Our diverse immigration population is actually essential for our economy, it’s essential to our cultural prosperity, and certainly something that our region values.”

Four years ago the region developed the immigration and settlement strategy, said Lisa Gonsalves, director of strategies and partnerships with the community and health services department in York Region.

The intent of the strategy was to create a region that was more welcoming and inclusive.

“We looked at integration as the key facet of that,” said Gonsalves.

What they have learned is there are still some who believe immigration may not be a benefit, she said.

“I don’t’ think it’s a majority, but it’s something we know that we want to work together to address,” she said. “Today is a session about what the community can do ... this is really about changing attitudes, changing the mindset around newcomers coming into York Region.”

Scarpitti said the path to inclusivity is not always easy, but it starts with residents who have lived here welcoming and accepting newcomers.

“We have a quality of life in our community and in this country that is second to none anywhere else in the world,” he said. “Why wouldn’t we want to accept people who believe in that quality of life, who want to enhance that quality of life?”

About 70 people attended the Markham session including representatives from Markham and regional council, the York Regional Police Services Board and various other community groups.

In the discussions, people were asked what the region was doing right, what can be improved and what can be done.

Some of the highlights of Monday’s discussions included comments reflecting how residents could travel the world through the food and festivals in the region and how the governments have embraced diversity.

Some suggestions for improvements were creating more bridging programs to help new residents find employment, better use of immigrant talent and skills and better-funded welcome centres.

Along with the Markham session, there were sessions in Aurora and Newmarket.

May 7 is the East Gwillimbury session and that will be followed by sessions in Vaughan, King, Georgina, Richmond Hill and Whitchurch-Stouffville.

To keep the conversation going, the region is encouraging people to host their own sessions and there are resources on their website to help.

Residents can also use Facebook and Twitter to join the conversation using the hashtag #InclusiveYR.

These discussions are the first phase of the Let’s Talk Inclusion and future discussions will look at other areas of diversity such as gender, age, abilities and sexual orientation.

The information collected will help shape the York Region Diversity and Inclusion Charter to be developed in 2016.

For more information, visit YorkWelcome.ca/LetsTalkInclusion.