The Urban Indigenous Action Plan supports reconciliation between urban Indigenous communities, the provincial government and the broader public service by:
- Recognizing relationships and culture as the foundational requirements for policy and program development; and,
- Guiding government and the broader public service to develop responsive, inclusive policies, programs and evaluations with, and that meet the needs of, urban Indigenous communities.
The Urban Indigenous Action Plan works to achieve improved community outcomes based on the ongoing and future work of provincial strategies, with a continued focus on addressing the TRC's Calls to Action. It is anticipated that the implementation of the proposed action areas will support areas highlighted by the TRC, including reconciliation, education, the child welfare system, health and healthcare, involvement in the justice system and overall wellbeing.
The Ontario Public Service has a responsibility to lead by example by driving innovation and excellence in public policy development and service delivery. Our organization must also ensure all people are served equitably – including public service employees. To create an equitable OPS, we need to recognize that there are systemic racism barriers that prevent people from reaching their full potential. We need to recognize that histories of colonialism and slavery have resulted in institutionalized inequity for Indigenous, Black and racialized people.
Women in Ontario have long faced barriers to their success, including gender bias, discrimination and the undervaluing of female-dominated work. For generations, women have found ways to overcome these barriers — through collaboration, persistence and incredible tenacity. But barriers still exist. Far too many women have limited choices for the kind of work they do; or face limits on how far their careers can go. And in turn, they don't benefit equally from the economy and the economy doesn't benefit from the many and varied skills, qualifications and experiences that women have to offer.
Ontario's economy is performing well. This is largely due to the businesses and entrepreneurs who create jobs and to the women and men who get up each morning to go to the plant, or the office, or another place of work to make Ontario a more prosperous province.
At the same time, the government has made strategic investments to support growth. Enhanced education, skills and training, new infrastructure, a competitive business environment and support for startups and small businesses are helping create good jobs.
A Better Way Forward: Ontario's 3-Year Anti-Racism Strategic Plan is the province's commitment to change the way we do things and break down barriers to advance racial equity. This means reviewing government policies, programs and services to find ways for everyone to have better opportunities and outcomes. It's about making sure government is here to serve and support everyone.
Significant and important progress was made in the plan's first year – including the launch of the award-winning #WhoWillYouHelp campaign, which received more than 85 million views worldwide, raised awareness and shifted attitudes. In addition, an updated Health and Physical Education curriculum was implemented in all publically funded schools; stabilized and increased funding was provided to community-based sexual assault centres and additional investments were made in hospital-based Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Treatment Centres.
Ontario is committed to ending all forms of violence against anyone based on their gender, gender expression or gender identity. Investments as part of It's Never Okay: Ontario's Gender-Based Violence Strategy will help survivors and families get the support they need, when and where they need it—while helping to prevent violence by intervening early.
This guide explains what every worker, supervisor, employer and constructor needs to know about workplace violence and workplace harassment requirements in the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It describes everyone's rights and responsibilities, and answers in plain language the questions that are most commonly asked about these requirements.
LEAF seeks a legal approach that addresses the equality rights of women both as accused persons and complainants in HIV non-disclosure cases and protects women's equality rights in the law of sexual offences more generally.
The following summarizes LEAF's position, which we explain further below:
- HIV non-disclosure should not be treated as a sexual offence.
- Where HIV non-disclosure results in actual transmission of the virus, prosecution may be appropriate under non-sexual Criminal Code offences, ensuring that those who contract HIV from irresponsible partners receive protection from the criminal law.
- However, even where transmission takes place, prosecutorial guidelines should ensure that HIV positive women who are victims of violence, coercion or sexual assault are not prosecuted for their failure to disclose their HIV status when that failure is itself a product of the violence or threats of violence committed against them.
- The law of sexual assault is intended to promote women's equality. As explained below, this requires affirming the broad scope of consent in sexual assault law and ensuring that the approach to fraud in the context of sexual assault prioritizes and protects women's bodily and sexual autonomy.