Item - 2019.EC6.13

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council receive the report (June 12, 2019) from the Executive Director, Social Development Finance and Administration for information.

In December 2017, City Council unanimously adopted the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism, which contained 80 actions and 22 recommendations for City staff to implement to address anti-Black racism in Toronto.

Anti-Black racism is a historic, pervasive, and systemic issue in Toronto. Anti-Black racism includes policies and practices embedded in Canadian institutions that reflect and reinforce beliefs, attitudes, prejudice, stereotyping and/or discrimination that is directed at people of African descent and is rooted in their unique history and experience of enslavement and colonization here in Canada.

The legacy of anti-Black racism lies in the current social, economic, and political marginalization of Torontonians of African descent. It is experienced as a lack of opportunity, poor health and mental health outcomes, poor education outcomes, higher rates of precarious employment and unemployment, significant poverty, and overrepresentation in the criminal justice, mental health, and child welfare systems.

The Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism is the result of a collaborative effort between the City of Toronto and Torontonians of African descent to take corrective action that addresses anti-Black racism in the most diverse city in the world.

This report is recommended to be received for information and includes:  

-  A progress update on key priority areas in Year One (May 2018 to April 2019) of the Action Plan led by the Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit with further details provided in Appendix A.
-  This report outlines some of the key learnings, challenges and opportunities identified in efforts to address anti-Black racism in Year One. 
-  A report on the Year One work plan compiled by the Partnership and Accountability Circle composed of 12 Toronto residents is attached in Appendix B.
-  Year Two (May 2019 to April 2020) priorities are outlined in Appendix C.