Charter Development
Perth County is committed to taking steps toward diversity, inclusion and equity for all both as an organization, but also in our community. 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 has been carefully reviewed, aggregated and distilled to draw out the recurring values, principles and themes that directly contributed to the draft 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.
What is the current project status? |
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The image below outlines the proposed project timeline and current 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.
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What is Diversity? |
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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? |
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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:
Source: University of British Columbia
Source: A Guide for Municipalities – Advancing Equity and Inclusion |
What is Inclusion? |
| Inclusion is an active, intentional, and continuous process to address inequities in power and privilege, and build a respectful and diverse community that ensures welcoming spaces and opportunities to flourish for all.
Source: University of British Columbia |
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:
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. |
How can I learn more about this process? |
| Updates will be made to this page as the development process continues. You can subscribe to this page for updates by clicking the link below. If you have questions about the project at any time, please click here to email our team. |
How can I participate? |
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Residents and community members participated in an online survey that was open from March 8, 2021 to April 16, 2021 as well as four virtual community roundtable sessions hosted on the following dates:
The information received through the survey and community roundtables was compiled and analyzed with the assistance of the consultant. The information received through the survey and community roundtables has directly contributed to the draft Charter and will inform the accompanying report. 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 has been carefully reviewed, aggregated and distilled to draw out the recurring values, principles and themes that directly contributed to the draft Charter document. During the second phase of public engagement, the community and local stakeholders were given the opportunity to review the draft Charter document and provide comments. The step-by-step process walked community members through each section of the draft charter document to provide input on each component. This second phase of public engagement was open from May 12, 2021 to June 4, 2021. The next step will be a presentation of the draft Charter document with accompanying recommendations at the June 17, 2021 meeting of County Council. At that meeting, Council will provide direction on the next steps pertaining to the Charter. You can subscribe to this page or follow Perth County on Facebook or Twitter for updates. |
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