September 2014 Our Commitment to Diversity - Town of Ajax · Our Commitment to Diversity ... piano,...

“Explore Ajax” Bus Tour

Our Commitment to Diversity

Diversity & Community Engagement Plan

In June, the Town of Ajax, in partnership with the Ajax Welcome Centre, embarked on the second annual “Explore Ajax” Bus Tour. This tour is designed to provide newcomers to Ajax with an opportunity to learn about Ajax through a guided, interactive hop-on, hop-off style tour. The tour begins and ends at the Ajax Welcome Centre and each year highlights new points of interest.

This year, the tour showcased a number of locations including Pat Bayly Square, Ajax Community Centre, Ajax Public Library, Ajax Operations & Environmental Services, RioCan Durham Centre, Service Canada, RougeValley Health System, and many others.

The first stop on the tour was the beautiful Veterans’ Point at the Ajax waterfront, where participants learned about Ajax’s WWII history, as well as its “birth” as a Town. The second stop was the Ajax Fire Services Headquarters, where participants were invited to explore the station and trucks, while learning about such topics as fire prevention, safety, and emergency preparedness. The third stop was the Audley Recreation Centre and the President’s Choice Pan Am Ballpark, where participants enjoyed a tour of the new facility and saw first-hand where Ajax will host the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games’ premier sports of baseball and softball. The final stop of the tour was Town Hall, where participants enjoyed a full tour, as well as mingled in a meet and greet with Mayor Parish and Council in Council Chambers. At Town Hall, participants learned more about Ajax’s history, the upcoming municipal election, and our commitment to diversity and community engagement. The planning has already begun for next year’s exciting “Explore Ajax” Bus Tour….stay tuned!

ince the April 2014 update, Councillors, staff and Advisory Committee members, have undertaken many initiatives that celebrate the diversity of our community and promote the practice of inclusivity. On behalf of the staff members of the Diversity and Community Engagement (DACE) Plan implementation team, I pleased to present some of the activities that were executed to meet the objectives of the Plan.

S

Donna Bright, Chief Librarian and Executive Officer - Ajax Public LibraryChair - DACE Plan Staff Implementation Committee

September 2014Volume 7


Partnerships & Programs

Ajax Public Library - Activities and Accomplishments

World Storytelling Day: storytellers kept cultural traditions alive through oral storytelling. Tales of Greek mythological creatures and creepy Quebec werewolves were shared with local students at the Library.

Craft Show and Tell: organized by staff and the Library’s Older Adult Advisory Committee - Boomers and Beyond. A total of 14 displays highlighted the talents and creativity of local artisans. Traditional and cultural-specific art techniques sparked the interest of young, and less young, participants alike. Participants were offered hands-on opportunities to acquaint themselves with unfamiliar arts and craft forms.

Travel the Silk Road: as part of South Asian & Asian Heritage Month (May) Library staff developed a passport event and invited customers to “Travel the Silk Road”. The history and cultures of four of the countries along the “Road” - China, India, Sri Lanka, South Korea – were showcased.

Bilingual Job Fair: the Library was privileged to partner with the Durham French Employment Centre in order to offer employment information in both English and French in Durham Region’s first Bilingual Job Fair.

Teen Coffee House: Library staff organized a loud, fun event in conjunction with the Stand Up For committee. Staff reported that, “The spring edition of this event grew on the popularity of the first event last November. Attendance increased and more teens performed. Acts included singers, guitar, piano, drums, saxophone, poetry recitals and even one funny short story.”

Galaxy Heritage Event: Library staff representing the Durham Libraries’ Multicultural Alliance (DLMA) attended the Galaxy event organized by the Multicultural Council of Oshawa/Durham (MCOD). The event allowed staff the opportunity to promote the Library’s services and programs including the multicultural collections, programs and the interpretation service.

French Conversation Circle: in partnership with the Centre D’Emploi Francophone de Durham, the Library is offering an opportunity for people interested in improving their French as a second language skill.

Tamil Reading Circle: a partnership with Academic and Fine Arts Durham began in June offering children an hour of storytelling and books shared in both Tamil and English. This monthly program provides children an opportunity to practice their Tamil language skill and have fun with educational activities, including crafts, games, dance and music with a cultural focus.

Mya and Tiffany are Library Champions!

Diversity & Community Engagement PlanPage 2

Council Continues to Support our Diverse Community

Council continues to acknowledge the commitment and work of organizations and individuals. Council recognizes significant dates; art, community and cultural events and celebrations; charitable fundraising/public awareness campaigns; and civic events through formal, public declarations. The following proclamations were acknowledged from May 2014 to July 2014:

Communications & Outreach

Ramadan Friendship Dinner at the Ajax Community Centre

May 2014

• PFLAG Annual Gala “An Evening of Mystique”

• International Day Against Homophobia/Transphobia

• South Asian & Asian Heritage Festival

June 2014

• Tour for Humanity Mobile Education Centre

• Multicultural Forum and Harmony Concert

• Durham Caribbean Festival

• Explore Ajax Newcomer Bus Tour

• Durham Diversity Committee - Celebrating Canada’s Multicultural Day

July 2014

• Ramadan Friendship Dinner

Pride Flag Raising Ceremony at Town Hall

Communications & Outreach - Cont’d


Accessibility in Action! National Access Awareness Week Recognition

In late May, the Town of Ajax Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) partnered with the Ajax Public Library to host an Accessibility Awareness Night, in celebration of National Access Awareness Week. The event helped to support the Committee’s mission of “Cultivating Inclusion” by demonstrating that when we appreciate the unique gifts inside people of all abilities, everyone grows! Guests had the chance to meet AAC members, learn more about various disabilities through hands-on activities and displays, take a tour of the Main Branch’s accessible work station and much, much more. The event was attended by people of all ages and abilities and to cap off the evening, everyone walked away with “seeds of understanding” - flower seeds courtesy of Vandermeer Nursery.

Members of the AAC During Accessibility Awareness Night Donna Trying the Tactile Challenge

Nicole and Rob Trying the Mobility Obstacle Course Sonia Trying the Impairment Simulation Goggles


Ajax is Making Voting More Accessible!

This October, the Town of Ajax will host the largest paperless/fully electronic election ever held in a Canadian municipality! The convenience and independence of voting from anywhere via telephone, internet or in-person at a Polling Station during the October 20 – 27, 2014 voting period will provide increased accessibility to the voter. Everyday tools like computers, telephones and other aids can present accessible opportunities for persons with disabilities to vote, while being consistent with the principles of independence, dignity, integration and equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who may have mobility restrictions, visual impairment, and/or have a difficult time with transportation to an in-person polling station will now be able to vote from the comfort of their own home. Additionally, persons who use their own assistive devices can use them to assist with casting a ballot privately and independently. By allowing persons with disabilities to vote from any location and from a selection of methods suiting their needs, the capability for the voter to vote without any assistance is increased. This provides persons with disabilities the same independence and privacy in participating in the election as other voters.

To ensure accessibility remains a top priority throughout the planning for and implementation of the 2014 Municipal Election, in May, the Town debuted its 2014 Municipal Election Accessibility Plan, a document which identifies measures that will be implemented to ensure equal opportunity for all electors and candidates. The Plan articulates accessibility considerations to be applied to elements of the 2014 Municipal Election including voting locations, voting methods, voting assistance, election officer training, communications and feedback. Following the 2014 Election, a summary report on election accessibility will be presented to Council and the public.


Additional Accessibility Highlights:

• Since January 2014, over 200 full, part-time and seasonal Town staff have received Accessibility & Ontario Human Rights Code training. In June, members of the AAC participated in the delivery of accessibility training to summer recreation staff.

• On June 8, the Ajax Public Library in partnership with the AAC, hosted an accessibility-themed film screening of The Intouchables.

• In June, the AAC launched its Accessibility for Business Tool-kit to assist local Ajax businesses with greater accessibility awareness and resources to improve access for customers and clients.

• In July, staff attended the first-ever International Accessibility Summit, hosted in Ottawa by Carleton University. The Summit showcased innovative inclusive technology, celebrated global best practices and enabled collaborative dialogue and action toward creating accessible and inclusive communities in Ontario and beyond.

• This summer, Donna Mullings, Co-Chair of the AAC, participated in the season finale taping of DurAbility, a panel program on Rogers Television providing information about local resources available for people living with disabilities. The episode focused on the work, value and engagement of municipal accessibility advisory committees.



Viva La Noche Ajax! - Celebrating the 1 Year Countdown to the 2015 Pan Am Games

On Thursday, July 10, 2014, the Town of Ajax celebrated the 1 Year Countdown to the 2015 Pan American Games. The Town really “hit it out of the park” with the Latin-infused Viva la Noche Ajax (Live Night Ajax) event at the Audley Recreation Centre, located beside the future President’s Choice Ajax Pan Am Ballpark.

More than 2,000 Ajacians and other visitors came out to enjoy a variety of activities, including sports “try-its”, mask-making, face painting, piñata breaking, carnival games, and limbo. Particpants enjoyed the opportunity to meet Chris Bisson, member of Team Canada, who won Gold at the 2011 Pan Am Games held in Guadalajara. The Pan Am Sports Village featured local sports groups, the adorable mascot, Pachi the porcupine, and to top it all off, an exciting trip around the park on the Pan Am Express train.

Emcee, Olympic medalist in baseball, Warren Sawkiw, was surprised and awed by the “Take me out to the Ballgame” flashmob dance by Dance Collective Inc. Civic pride was on display when our own Eastside Harmony Chorus sang the National Anthem. Guests were inspired by local celebrity and musical artist, Jessica Tyler (of Degrassi fame), as she performed the new Ajax song “We Stand As One”. It was impossible for guests to stay in their seats as the headline band Sugar Heat wrapped the night up with flair, playing Top 40 Latin Pop hits. The night ended with a bang, as people enjoyed an incredible display of dazzling fireworks. Viva la Noche Ajax, was a night to remember and has ignited a passion, vibrancy, and excitement in the community as we look forward to welcoming the Pan American Games to Ajax...see you next year!

The DACE Committee was pleased to have the Honourable Chris Alexander, Minister of Citizenship & Immigration and MP, Ajax-Pickering, as its guest speaker at a recent meeting. Mr. Alexander spoke to the federal government’s priorities regarding immigration and settlement. He also commented on the important work that municipalities, like Ajax, do to foster a climate of inclusivity that encourages migration to Canada.

The Honourable Chris Alexander Speaks to the DACE Committee

The Honourable Chris Alexander at a Recent DACE Committee Meeting


WorldPride Parade

In June the City of Toronto hosted the first ever North American WorldPride festival, the 4th such celebration in the world. WorldPride attracted people from all over the globe to collectively honour, celebrate, and inspire a better future for LGBTTIQQ2SA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Questioning, Two-Spirited, and Allies) communities everywhere. Town staff and community volunteers were proud to represent the Town of Ajax’s commitment to celebrating diversity and practicing inclusivity by marching in the festival’s parade, alongside, or inside, the Town’s brightly decorated float.


The Launch of the Tour for Humanity in the Town of Ajax

The DACE Committee, with support from the Office of the CAO, arranged for the launch of the Tour for Humanity in the Town of Ajax. The Tour is an interactive mobile human rights education centre. An initiative of The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, it was created to promote greater tolerance and understanding in Canadian society, and to demonstrate the positive effect that individuals can have in taking action to make the world a better place. Five workshops, attended by more than 135 staff and Advisory Committee members, focused on diversity, democracy, and Canadian civic rights and responsibilities. Staff Outside the Tour for Humanity Interactive Mobile Human Rights Education Centre

The Town of Ajax at the WorldPride Parade Staff and Volunteers at the WorldPride Festival


Ajax Staff - A Diverse World Amongst Us

Department - Ajax Public Library

Born - Hong Kong

Arrived in Canada - 1981 (student), 1992 (immigration)

Due to the limited post-secondary education opportunities available in Hong Kong in the 1980s, Conrad attended the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He remembers it as “a lovely place to study - but cold!” After graduation, Conrad returned to Hong Kong, taught in high school and later worked as a researcher for a high-profile international magazine.

Conrad ChoiInformation Assistant

Department - Operations & Environmental Services

For over 20 years, Lorrie has been a trailblazer in the traditionally male-dominated world of outdoor construction and maintenance work.

Born and raised in Oshawa, Lorrie’s natural love of the outdoors included several summers spent flagging traffic on road construction projects throughout northern Ontario. She obtained her own class “DZ” driver’s licence, which allowed her

Lorrie NeumanEnvironmental Services Worker

In 1992, the impending return of Hong Kong to China presented an unsettling future and persuaded Conrad and his entire family (parents, two brothers, one sister) to emigrate. Once again, the choice was Canada! Conrad’s skills and experience soon found him work with a prominent Chinese-language newspaper in Toronto. He also married Nathalie Kit and moved to Ajax in 1992.

Conrad obtained an information retrieval designation from Seneca College and began his career as an Information Assistant with Ajax Public Library in 1999.

to operate heavy vehicles and equipment - an extraordinary feat for a young woman in the early 1990s. Her unique combination of qualifications and gender were an advantage in gaining a position with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, where her duties included driving a snow plow on provincial highways.

Since 2004, Lorrie has worked for the Town of Ajax’s Operations & Environmental Services department. She operates a variety of equipment and is familiar with all corners of the town. Town residents benefit from her skill and high standards in caring for the Town’s substantial amount of public land.


Ajax Staff - A Diverse World Amongst Us

Each year, beginning in early June, Recreation & Culture welcomes a team of approximately 120 part-time staff, who are the faces and spirit of the Town of Ajax Summer Camps, Playgrounds and Inclusion Services.

It is a long process to get to the first day of Summer Camps and Playgrounds. It begins with staff recruitment in mid-December and extends for almost three months, ending in mid-February. In addition to the traditional methods of recruitment, i.e. website and high school visits, Community Recreation Coordinators distribute summer employment information to diverse networks, including: YMCA, Northern Lights Canada, New Immigrant Welcome Centres, Settlement Workers in Schools, The Youth Centre, and Girls Inc., to name a few.

Each year, approximately one-third of the summer staff team are newly recruited. The remaining staff complement has been retained from previous summers. As part of the recruitment process, potential staff participate in a hiring workshop. This workshop consistently highlights the level of skill our staff possess, as it provides an opportunity for them to showcase their abilities, experience, backgrounds and interests. It is often these unique activities which capture the attention of the hiring panel. Recent examples include dance routines, a drumming circle, inclusive/therapeutic games, cultural sport demonstrations, and singing. Year after year, Recreation & Culture has been fortunate to hire such unique programmers whose diverse experiences and backgrounds have contributed to enhancing our service delivery to Ajax residents.

The diversity of the Recreation & Culture summer staff team is what contributes to the strength of our Camps, Playgrounds and Inclusion Services. Their ability to create positive and memorable recreation experiences for the Ajax community comes from sharing their own experiences, backgrounds and interests and using these to develop diverse programs.

Recreation & Culture strives to hire staff from many facets of life to be reflective of the residents we serve - from students putting themselves through post-secondary education to those first entering the workforce. Staff are representative of different religions, ethnicities and cultures. Our team speaks in languages as diverse as French, Anishinaabemowin, American Sign Language and Swahili, and they eagerly share their passions for sports and the arts. Recreation & Culture is committed to diversity. We respect, encourage and celebrate our diversity and its contribution to making Ajax a great place to live and work.

Meet the Team!


In the Spotlight

Recreation & Culture Summer Staff Training

Sarah Moore, Committee & Accessibility Coordinator, demonstrating increased voting accessibility online and by phone

Taping of DurAbility at Rogers Television Studios

Regular Readers are Library Champions Samba Kidz at the Library

Having Fun at Viva la Noche Ajax, the 1 Year Countdown Event to the 2015 Pan American Games (Photo by G. Baylon)

September 2014 Our Commitment to Diversity - Town of Ajax · Our Commitment to Diversity ... piano,...

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