REPORT TO COUNCIL

SPECIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON CULTURAL COMMUNITIES

January 16, 1998

RECOMMENDATION

1.Mandate, Goals and Objectives

The following is presented to apprise Council of the intended direction of the Cultural Communities Committee for its current term.

The Special Advisory Committee on Cultural Communities was formed by Council on March 29, 1994, to replace the Special Advisory Committee on Race Relations. The Committee has fifteen members. On January 31, 1995, Council approved the following mandate for the Committee.

MANDATE

To act as a conduit towards forging and enhancing cohesive values in Vancouver's diverse communities and to promote harmony through cultural communities involvement.

The Committee reviewed its mandate and, on November 5, 1997, resolved to accept the foregoing as its current mandate. In addition, the Committee presents the following three goals and associated objectives for Council's information. The Committee intends to come forward to Council in future with more specific action plans for projects as may arise.

GOAL 1:

-To promote and increase welcoming and inclusion of all cultural communities in neighbourhoods and communities of Vancouver.

Clause 1 Cont'd

OBJECTIVES:

1.Sponsor a public awareness campaign and improve cultural harmony, such as: Cultural Harmony Awards, March 21 Anti-Racism events, consideration of

a subsequent phase of "From Barriers to Bridges", development of a focussed media watch project.

2.Encourage the City of Vancouver to recognize and celebrate cultural and inter-cultural festivals and events.

3.Create an awareness of the contribution that the various cultural communities have made and continue to make to the City of Vancouver.

4.Collaborate with the Vancouver School Board and Park Board to promote policies that accurately reflect the diversity of the citizens of Vancouver.

GOAL 2:

-To facilitate the communication between cultural communities and the City of Vancouver.

OBJECTIVES

1.Review the information brochure for the Special Advisory Committee on Cultural Communities.

2.Partner with cultural organizations in order to collect and reflect grassroots concerns and opinions on issues within the mandate of the Committee.

GOAL 3:

-To promote sensitivity, fairness and effectiveness of City policies, action plans, strategies, services, programs and systems that impact cultural communities.

Clause 1 Cont'd

OBJECTIVES:

1.Encourage the City of Vancouver to provide diversity training to all City committee members and Councillors.

2.Liaise with the City of Vancouver Departments to promote implementation of cultural diversity principles in their policies and practices.

The Committee, therefore

RECOMMENDS

THAT Council receive for information the foregoing report of the Special Advisory Committee on Cultural Communities.

"Eleanor Atienza/Dianne Ledingham"

Interim Chairs

Special Advisory Committee

on Cultural Communities

COMMENTS OF THE CITY MANAGER:

The City Manager RECOMMENDS approval of the foregoing.

(c) 1997 City of Vancouver