Toronto – The City of Toronto in collaboration with Black communities, leaders, Black-serving agencies and partners is beginning public consultations to inform Toronto’s next Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism.
The new Plan will build on the achievements of the inaugural Five-Year Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism and aims to deliver improvements to the lives of Black Torontonians and deepen culture and systems change by expanding the City’s commitment to delivering outcomes over the next decade.
The development of a 10-Year Action Plan is the longest anti-Black racism mandate and strategy in Canada. Some accomplishments of the Five-Year Plan include:
- The delivery of incubation support for Black-owned businesses through the development of a 10-week program to support early-stage Black entrepreneurs and individuals in increasing their business viability and scalability. This includes strategic investments in Black food and public market initiatives through the Toronto Black Food Sovereignty Plan. A copy of this Plan is available on the City’s website
. - Improved representation of Black leadership in City governance and at decision-making tables. This includes establishing Toronto’s first Confronting Anti-Black Racism advisory body that directly advises Toronto City Council on strategic city-wide and intergovernmental action to dismantle anti-Black racism.
- Investments in youth training, employment and leadership development through the creation of stable employment opportunities across 13 City divisions for Black queer and trans youth and investing $520,000 to improve outcomes for the Black Youth Leadership Project Grants.
- Expanded culturally appropriate programming for Black children and families by deploying $1.6 million at EarlyON sites as well as designing a case management pilot providing mental health supports for Black and Indigenous youth.
- Increasing accountability, transparency and access to all open data collected by Toronto Police Service Race-Based Data Collection Policy and supporting alternatives to policing that include creating and expanding the Toronto Community Crisis response.
This work aligns with the City’s observance of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent and advances its three themes of recognition, justice and development.
More information about the program and upcoming consultations is available on the City’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism webpage. For more information on progress to date, the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism – Year Four Update is available on the City’s website.
“I am proud to play a role in the development a new 10-Year Action Plan that will build upon the achievements of the past five years and deliver meaningful progress for Black communities across the city. Alongside our community partners, we remain steadfast in our commitment to eliminating anti-Black racism in Toronto and creating a city where everyone can live, work, and play with the respect and dignity they deserve.” – Mayor Olivia Chow