Edmonton to establish new independent body under anti-racism strategy

Jesmeen Gill · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 12, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: June 12

Three years aft approving an anti-racism strategy, Edmonton metropolis council has decided connected the parameters for an autarkic assemblage to oversee efforts wrong the community.  

The long-promised assemblage — the past of 3 strategy priorities to beryllium completed — will beryllium a collaborative radical of existing experts, rather than a recently created non-profit enactment oregon advisory board.

Council's determination means existing anti-racism organizations oregon institutions that are autarkic from authorities structures volition oversee anti-racism efforts and bespeak connected strategy racism astatine each levels successful Edmonton.

"The crushed I'm proposing this question — a collaborative array — is that it allows the existing organizations to enactment together, stock champion practices and beryllium supported by the city," Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said during a assembly gathering connected Tuesday.

Edmonton's anti-racism strategy, which assembly approved successful 2022, contained 3 cardinal priorities: providing sustained funding, creating a precocious level bureau to tackle racism wrong the City of Edmonton corporation, and creating the autarkic anti-racism body. 

A survey of anti-racism efforts successful different jurisdictions over the past 3 years didn't find thing akin to autarkic assemblage being created successful Edmonton, said Andre Tinio, erstwhile seat of the advisory sheet that did the review.

City assembly discussed 3 options for processing an autarkic body: the collaborative approach, a non-profit, and a assembly advisory committee oregon board.

"I bash person concerns astir a non-profit enactment oregon adjacent going backmost to an advisory committee structure, we've done that before," said Keren Tang, councillor for Ward Karhiio. 

Anti-racism strategy

Sohi, who had campaigned connected ending hate-based violence in 2021, introduced the motion asking metropolis unit to instrumentality a collaborative exemplary for the caller body. The question passed unanimously.

More than 2 years ago, immoderate watchers criticized the effectiveness of the anti-racism strategy and questioned wherefore an autarkic assemblage had not yet been established.

"I cognize that it took longer than expected," Sohi said Tuesday.

"In hindsight, possibly taking clip was important."

Between 2022 and 20223, the metropolis spent much than $3.6 cardinal for projects. Grants volition spell toward initiatives like an internship for divers youths to assistance them summation enactment acquisition and stock their experiences. 

Funding has besides been approved for a high-level reconciliation and anti-racism office, with 7 employees, that volition beryllium wrong the metropolis manager's office.

Sohi said the city's enactment was helped by being portion of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. Edmonton was 1 of 3 Canadian cities to instrumentality portion successful the North American program, which helps mayors and metropolis officials tackle analyzable challenges. 

Edmonton was besides chosen for the collaboration way assemblage wrong the program, successful bid to find ways to code these issues done teamwork.

"I judge it sets our metropolis connected a way to beryllium an equitable and sustainable advancement connected anti-racism for years to come," Sohi said.