Diversity Equity and Inclusion

What is Diversity?

Differences in the lived experiences and perspectives of people that may include race, ethnicity, colour, ancestry, place of origin, political belief, religion, marital status, family status, physical disability, mental disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, class, and/or socio-economic situations.

Source: University of British Columbia

What is Equity?

Equity refers to achieving parity in policy, process and outcomes for historically and/or currently underrepresented and/or marginalized people and groups while accounting for diversity. It considers power, access, opportunities, treatment, impacts and outcomes, in three main areas:

• Representational equity: the proportional participation at all levels of an institution;
• Resource equity: the distribution of resources in order to close equity gaps; and
• Equity-mindedness: the demonstration of an awareness of, and willingness to, address equity issues.

Source: University of British Columbia

Source: A Guide for Municipalities – Advancing Equity and Inclusion

 What is Inclusion?

Source: University of British Columbia

Helpful Links and Documents

• Glossary of Terms
• A Guide for Municipalities - Advancing Equity and Inclusion

Charter Development Initiative

On January 28, 2021, County Council unanimously approved a motion for Perth County to begin the development of a Charter for Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism.

Thank you to everyone who provided input through survey responses or attended one of the virtual community roundtable sessions during the first phase of public engagement. The input provided was carefully reviewed, aggregated and distilled to draw out the recurring values, principles and themes that directly contributed to the Charter document. We also appreciate those who took the time to complete a review of the draft charter document through the second phase of public engagement. 

The draft Charter and accompanying recommendations were presented to County Council on June 17, 2021 and Council has approved the Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism Charter for Perth County. Read the full News Release by clicking here. To view a copy of the Charter, click here.

About Our Facilitator:
Dharshi Lacey, Director Equity, Inclusion & Governance, Pillar Nonprofit Network

Dharshi has worked for over 20 years in the nonprofit sector. She has many years experience in Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Works. She has facilitated sessions with boards and organizations to help them embed an inclusive lens in their leadership and operational work.

Dharshi also leads professional development workshops on board governance for Pillar Nonprofit Network and offers consulting services to nonprofit boards. She teaches Board Governance for the Nonprofit Management Post-Degree Diploma offered by Western University Continuing Studies.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the current project status?

The image below outlines the project timeline and status:

January 28, 2021 (Complete): Council approved the motion to develop a charter for Perth County

February 2021 (Complete): Project planning and education phase. Development of public engagement survey and scheduling of community round tables for enhanced project input. 

March 2021 (Complete): Survey launch, virtual community roundtables and stakeholder outreach for input to the charter document.

April 2021 (Complete): Continuation of community outreach through survey (closed April 16, 2021) and interviews. Compilation and analysis of survey results and input from community roundtable sessions. Development of first draft of charter document.

May 2021 (Complete): Community review and revisions of draft charter. Preparation of the report to County Council.

June 2021 (Complete): Charter was presented to and approved by County Council on June 17, 2021. To view the report, please visit the Perth County CivicWeb Portal. Read more in the News Release by clicking here.

What will a Charter mean for Perth County?

There is no single methodology or template for developing a charter. Communities across Canada have taken a wide variety of approaches and have developed charter documents that vary greatly. The common thread among all charter documents is that the communities reach out to their citizens and stakeholders to develop a document with language that reflects the needs of the community.

Once developed and adopted, based on the best practice research, there are a number of common ways that a charter could be used by Council and staff and employed on an ongoing basis:

• Serve as a tool to communicate the County’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and anti-racism
• Serve as a guidance document and be referenced when initiating specific diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout the County’s divisions
• Identify the values and principles related to diversity, equity and anti-racism that each division should incorporate when delivering annual business plans in conjunction with the County Strategic Plan.
• Serve how diversity, equity and anti-racism are considered within regular reports to Council
• Support Council decision-making through the application of an inclusionary and anti-racism lens

Throughout the course of the charter development process, Perth County has provided a variety of opportunities for members of the community, service providers and other stakeholders to provide input.