The City of Rossland is one of nine municipalities across Canada to receive funding from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) CanWILL Inclusive Community Initiatives (ICI) program.
Local governments in collaboration with community organizations will deploy ICI projects that will serve to strengthen the capacity of communities to support women and LGBTQ2S+ individuals to serve as leaders in their respective municipalities.
“Rossland is honoured to have been selected for this important project” said Mayor Kathy Moore in a release. “It is imperative that communities large and small think outside the traditional box when it comes to empowering young women and youth who identify as female and others in the c community.
“Encouraging diversity in the public sector will serve to benefit our entire society and bring some fresh talent and new ideas into local government.”
To deliver this project, funding between $5,000 and $10,000 is awarded to municipal governments to collaborate with community organizations and commence their programs by March 2022.
Rossland submitted it’s proposal, “Pride and Power,” whose goal is to engage and encourage women and LGBTQ2S+ individuals to consider municipal leadership.
In their proposal, the city says it will partner with Seven Summits Centre for Learning and a local consultant with expertise on intersectionality in rural development and contexts.
City officials and staff will meet with Pride groups at stakeholder “listening and learning” sessions, where they will review city policies, procedures and programs and develop data on systemic discrimination related to gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.
A three-part engagement series will help participants review research findings, develop local solutions and prepare a report and recommendations for presentation to Council, in an effort to identify and implement best training and best practices procedures.
Rossland will be taking a community-centered and participatory approach that works directly with young women, with a specific target of those that identify within the LGBTQ2S+ community and attempt to identify gaps and/or barriers in rural municipal structures as well as the broader social barriers that exist.
This project is intended to allow voices to emerge from the community and create solutions that support individuals to run for - and ultimately be successful in public office.
“Investing and supporting all of our community inclusively in exploring the option of local governance means that we will have more diverse voices in decision making, and broader representation of our citizens,” said Rossland Coun. Janice Nightingale. “We need to reduce the barriers that girls and women, and people with non-binary gender presentation or of colour must navigate to become leaders in our society.”
In 2021, studies show that women held just over one-quarter of municipal council seats.
“Everyone who has an interest in local governance should have the opportunity to add their unique value to our civic processes,” added Nightingale.
The ICI project’s expected completion date is September 2022, with hopes of promoting awareness of Rossland’s upcoming Civic Election in October and increase prospective council candidates from under-represented communities.