A community meeting on fighting systemic racism throughout Ontario will be held in London next month.
The meeting, scheduled for October 7, is one of nine being held by the Ontario government in various cities throughout the province between September and December. Each will be headed up by Michael Coteau, the Minister responsible for anti-racism.
Anti-black racism, as well as Islamophobia, anti-Indigenous racism, and racism experienced by other communities will be the focus of the meetings.
The province will use the information gathered to identify priority areas for its Anti-Racism Directorate to apply an anti-racism perspective to government policies, programs, and services. A complete report will be compiled and released to Ontarians after the last of the meetings are held.
The first gathering on the issue was held in Toronto on July 14.
"Through the July community meeting in Toronto, we heard loud and clear that systemic racism continues to create unfair outcomes for racialized communities across Ontario, which is exactly why our government is committed to addressing and tackling these barriers. I’m looking forward to hearing from more members of the public this fall," says Coteau.
Other cities slated to host meetings include Windsor, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ottawa, Mississauga, and Scarborough.
While the location and time have yet to be announced for the London meeting, other meeting details can be found at Ontario.ca/antiracism.