OTTAWA'S COMMITMENT
The City of Ottawa has made a commitment to gender equality. Since 1999, there have been a series of policies, plans and adopted motions that assert this commitment to address inequalities that women face in our city.
INTEGRATING GENDER EQUALITY INTO CORPORATE PLAN, 2005
In September 2005, City Council accepted amendments to the Corporate Plan to include the implementation of the Gender Equality Guide city wide (2007), based on the learning from the pilot in Community and Protective Services (2006).
INTEGRATING GENDER EQUALITY INTO STRATEGIC PLANS, 2005
In May 2005, City Council passed the following motion: “That the City of Ottawa and Community and Protective Services, as the lead department, work with the City for All Women Initiative/ Initiative une ville pour toutes les femmes to ensure that the goal, of implementing practices and strategic plans that increase gender sensitivity and enhance gender equality, is realized.”
COMMUNITY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES PLAN AND CORPORATE PLAN
“This involves giving priority to initiatives that will ensure full diversity of women and men are able to participate wholly in the economic and social life of the community. It relates to funding, programs and policy. Implementation of this plan will take into account what is needed to promote social inclusion and address existing inequalities.
This will include considering the specific needs and contributions of equity-seeking groups designated in the City of Ottawa Equity and Diversity Policy (visible minorities, aboriginal people, women, people with disabilities and GLBT community), as well as other groups whose inclusion is important to ensure quality of life for the full diversity of citizens (people living on low income, new immigrants, francophones, and people living in rural communities).”
CITY OF OTTAWA, EQUITY AND DIVERSITY POLICY, 2002 (IULA Declaration)
In 2002, City Council adopted the Equity and Diversity Policy which recognizes women, visible minorities, people with disabilities, GLBT and Aboriginal people as designated groups. In addition, to requiring diversity in the city workforce, the policy aims to “establish a framework that requires all departments within the City to embrace the spirit of equity and diversity in the development of their policies and programs that impact the delivery of City services, the use of City facilities, grants to external agencies and other outwardly focused activities”.
CITY OF OTTAWA, HUMAN SERVICES PLAN, OTTAWA 20/20
The Human Services Plan, of the Ottawa 20/20 Growth Management Plan, identifies Diversity and Inclusion as its first strategic direction. Under that Strategic Direction areas of action for women are identified.
WOMEN’S ACCESS TO MUNICIPAL SERVICES REPORT
In 2002, City Council accepted recommendations developed by the Working Group on Women’s Access to Municipal Services and committed to identifying strategies for addressing them.
CITY OF OTTAWA, GENDER EQUALITY RESOLUTION, 1999 (IULA report)
In 1999, the former Regional Council of Ottawa-Carleton adopted the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA) Worldwide Declaration on Women in Local Government. By adopting the IULA Declaration, a municipality supports:
• Strengthening efforts to make equal the number of women and men in decision-making bodies in all policy areas.
• Integrating a gender perspective into all polices programs and service-delivery activities.
• Looking at new ways to ensure women are represented and actively participate by formal as well as informal means in local governance.
