“….we’ll work with them to make the centre move forward….,” Mayor Sohi pledges support to a Francophone Community Centre for people of African descent.
April 15, was a meeting of the Francophones of African descent, Edmonton’s Mayor, Amarjeet Sohi, and Edmonton City Manager, Andre Corbould.
This is one of the City of Edmonton’s senior leadership working with community to host a community engagement session with Edmonton’s Black communities.
This meeting was to hear how, together, they can better address the challenges of anti-Black racism and systemic racism in Edmonton.
The major item on the agenda was a multipurpose community centre for Francophones of African descent.
Other issues that came up from the community members include; support to heavily under-funded programs of Black youths by Alliance Jeunesse Famille De l’Alberta Society (AJFAS), recruitment of people from diverse backgrounds at all levels of the City’s structure, support to Black entrepreneurs, racism, and discrimination.
Mayor Sohi made racism and discrimination his top priority at his very first city council meeting in October 2021 – promising to build a city for everyone.
The motion, unanimously supported by all Edmonton City Councillors called on City’s administration to work with the city’s anti-racism advisory committee and BIPOC community to develop “actionable items and a comprehensive strategy on anti-racism”….
Since the first community engagement meeting between the Black communities and an all-white City’s administration leaders, Deputy City Managers; Catrin Owen, and Kim Armstrong have left their positions.
Multicultural community members who make up over 40% of Edmonton could not help but hope that Andre Corbould, the City Manager, will show real commitment to diversity and inclusion and follow Council’s direction and fill those positions with people who look like 40% of Edmonton, to flash the much needed rays of diversity to an all but one white City’s Leadership Team.
To understand how to diversify the City of Edmonton, it’s important to understand how the City is structured….
Edmonton’s City Council has two employees, the City Auditor and City Manager.
Who’s the City Manager and what does he do?
The City Manager, Andre Corbould, supported by Deputy City Managers, down to the frontline teams, leads more than 10,000 employees tasked to make life better for nearly a million Edmontonians, as well as, provide programs and services across 73 different lines of business. The City Manager also supports City Council in making decisions and setting policy, like this critical one on anti-racism, directed by all Edmonton Councillors and Mayor.
This’s what the Mayor said during the meeting with the Black Francophone Communities, that has been accomplished so far to tackle racism and discrimination in Edmonton as the community engagement carries on:
$1.5 million grants for communities to undertake anti-racism work.
Launched App for Edmontonians to report hate symbols for Bylaw officers to act.
Hiring 13 youths interns from multicultural communities to get experience and be inspired.
The community engagement continues with the City’s senior leadership, and the consultants hired to collect feedback from the community.
Stay tuned to the report that the consultants will submit soon in a project with potential to make or break the Black Communities in Edmonton.
