UTC. Women Transforming Cities Dialogue Cafes. 24 January 2016 Vancouver, Canada

Transcription

1 UTC 18 Women Transforming Cities Dialogue Cafes 24 January 2016 Vancouver, Canada

2 2 Urban Thinkers Campus Partner Organizations Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood House; Coalition of Childcare Advocates of B.C.; Vancouver Status of Women; Women Against Violence Against Women; Remember Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE); Pacific Immigrant Resource Society; Simon Fraser University; Huairou Commission; Housing Justice Canada; SFU Gender, Sexuality and Women s Studies; Vancouver and District Labour Council Women s Committee. Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication pages do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries regarding its economic system or degree of development. Excerpts may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, the United Nations and its member states.

3 3 Table of Contents Urban Thinkers Campus in figures... 4 Introduction to the Urban Thinkers Campus... 5 The City We Need principle(s) addressed... 5 Matrix of linkages - TCWN 1.0 vs. new recommendations... 6 Key outcomes of the UTC... 9 Key recommendations Key actors Outstanding issues Urban solutions must be developed with the people they will impact Speakers... 19

4 4 Urban Thinkers Campus in figures REPRESENTED PARTICIPANTS ORGANIZATIONS COUNTRIES 10 CONSTITUENT GROUPS REPRESENTED Key stakeholders attending Cafés: Local city Councilor and former Deputy Mayor; Chairperson of the Department of Humanities at Simon Fraser University; Chairperson of School of Planning at University of British Columbia; Head of the Social Planning Department at the City of Vancouver; City of Ottawa staff; Executive Director City for All Women Initiative Ottawa; First Nations activist and former city planner; Huairou Commission representative; local planners; Vancity Credit Union representatives; Tiffany Muller Myrdahl, Ruth Wynn Woodward Junior Chair in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women s Studies at Simon Fraser University and an urban geographer; Niki Sharma, lawyer, mother and former Park Board Commissioner; Marnie Tamaki, architect and founder of GROOTS Canada; Ellen Woodsworth, Chairperson Women Transforming Cities and former Vancouver City Councillor; Joyce Brown, the executive-director of Working for Change; Lubna Khalid, the coordinator for Women Speak Out; Carmen Contreras, Coordinator Family Resource Programmes Mt. Pleasant Neighbourhood House; Diana Day, First Nations Justice Advocate; Margaret H., sex worker; Fruma Sloan, postal worker; Sara Ortiz Escalante, member of Col.lectiu Punt 6 and Professor and PhD Student in Planning at UBC.

5 5 Introduction Women Transforming Cities Dialogue Cafés, in cooperation with the Huairou Commission, put an intersectional lens on cities with a focus on grassroots input and achievement: each café was opened by speakers introducing the topic of discussion connected to identifying and creating The City We Need, then the core of the event the round table discussion emerged as respectful, collaborative, and inclusive commitment. Rooms were set up café-style, namely that participants were seated around several round tables, including one table with a translator for participants who were more comfortable speaking in one of the many languages spoken throughout the region. All participants were encouraged and supported to lend their experiences and expertise to the formulation of strong, action-orientated recommendations for cities in Canada. Events closed with a sharing of recommendations from each of the groups, statements of intent for moving forward with the goal to implement women and girl friendly cities. Reports from each of the advance cafés are posted on the Women Transforming Cities website. Topics covered were Women Transforming Cities: Near and Far; making cities work for mothers; Naming public spaces; Women working the night shift; and Ending violence against women. The Grand Tea Party Café was the summation, and included a presentation and discussion of recommendations/characteristics of a women- and girl-friendly city The City We Need. The City We Need principle(s) addressed 1. The city we need is socially inclusive. 2. The city we need is well planned, walkable, and transit-friendly. 3. The city we need is a regenerative city. 4. The city we need is economically vibrant and inclusive. 5. The city we need is a safe city. 6. The city we need is a healthy city. 7. The city we need is affordable and equitable. 27 Jan 2016 Images from the WTC Grand Cafe on Jan. 24, Courtesy of Lara-Dawn Stiegler. (Thank you Lara!!) #cdnfem

6 6 Matrix of linkages - TCWN 1.0 vs. new recommendations The city we need is socially inclusive. 1. Cities must create and use a feminist intersectional lens framework for policy development and evaluation, programmes, budgets and staffing. 2. Collect disaggregated data that reflects the diversity of women and girls and their needs. We need to know what and where women are in their unpaid, volunteer and low paid work. We need to know who they are. Do they speak English or Cree? Are they immigrants, older or younger, lesbian or trans, living in poverty with their children, are they racialized, able-bodied or differently abled, do they work at night, when and where? 3. Review the core funding requirements of services for all and specifically for Aboriginal women and girls and enhance their compatibility with Aboriginal approaches to social development strategies. Ensure funding requirements emphasize programme sustainability. 4. Award grants to increase the number of culture, community, identity and capacity building projects run by Aboriginal women and girls. 5. Recognize Indigenous history. 6. Develop more cohesive and collaborative services to protect Aboriginal women and girls. 7. Improve cultural competency and sensitivity training; this is true for relations between all cultures. 8. Support immigrant women so they can bring their children with them when they come to Canada. 9. Develop feminist intersectional policies that support immigrant women to fully participate in society including educational and English as a Second (or additional) Language programmes, child care and help to transition. 10. Make Vancouver a Sanctuary City for all women and girls regardless of immigration status. 11. Appoint a city immigrant advocate to highlight important issues and solutions for newcomers and engage their participation in the decision-making process. 12. Run at least 50% women for elected municipal office, representing the diversity of our cities and ensuring Aboriginal candidates. 13. Establish a ward system (elected representation by neighbourhood) to ensure women can afford to run for office. 14. Establish civic campaign spending and donation limits and disclosure of all campaign donations. 15. Create a young women s committee to City Council to address gender-specific barriers to leadership and promote active civic engagement. 16. Establish Youth Hubs to provide better access to services, information and safe spaces to gather; reinstate the Vancouver CitizenU programme so youth can combat discrimination and oppression in their communities. 17. Lower the municipal voting age to 16 to establish and maintain youth representation and civic engagement. 18. Ensure women who work at night have the same access to city services such as affordable, safe and frequent public transit, child care, policing, safe lighting, labour laws, night work benefits, access to unions, and safety plans. 19. Increase the conceptualization and implementation of Accessibility (as an entry point to inclusion) to broaden beyond the always important mobility access questions, to include, for example, gender-neutral washroom accessibility, because without a washroom they can safely use, LGBT2SQ+ persons (and ALL persons in reality) have a hard time participating fully in city life.

7 7 The city we need is well planned, walkable, and transit-friendly. The city we need is a regenerative city. The city we need is economically vibrant and inclusive. 1. Create and maintain safe, accessible, affordable public transit. 2. Make Vancouver a free transit zone after dark. 3. Improve transit in off-peak hours, including late night transit service. 4. Advertise night bus stop requests anywhere. 5. Ensure all public spaces are safe and well lit for women, girls, seniors, newcomers etc. 6. Name public spaces and buildings equally after women, with a particular view to include all women especially Aboriginal women. 7. Bring a feminist/intersectional perspective to urban planning. 8. Provide public washrooms that are mother friendly and open at night. 1. Bring a feminist/intersectional perspective to urban planning. 2. Create housing and communities where people can live, work and play within walking distance. Ensure cities have housing that all people can afford with parks, schools and childcare centres in close proximity. 1. Make the City a living wage employer, requiring that all contractors hired by the City pay a living wage. Amend the City s Ethical Purchasing Policy to make living wages a selection factor. 2. Expand public transit services and provide safe transportation to all workers at times when there is no public transportation. 3. Hire, train and maintain all women especially diverse women for jobs where they are under-represented. 4. Formally recognize unpaid and volunteer work. 5. Recognize that individuals and grassroots organisations cannot transform cities and societies without appropriate resources and infrastructure. There is need for systemic change, whether that means reallocation of funding or changes in governmental social welfare strategies, and of course using a feminist intersectional lens on city policies, programmes, budgets and staffing. The off-loading of social welfare work onto the backs of volunteers and grassroots organisations without critical funding and systemic supports is not working. 6. Recognize working at home doing unpaid domestic work, and care-work such as child care, elder care and care for persons with disabilities needs to be seen as important social work contributing to our society. As well, the crucial unpaid work many do in the community needs to be valued. 7. Establish equal pay, and a living wage. The current Living Wage in Vancouver is $20.68 per hour. 8. Work with Unions. They have a role. Low wage jobs are often in unorganized (non-union) work places accompanied by minimum benefits, poor job security and many workers need to work 2 or even 3 jobs just to pay the rent. Earning a Living Wage means working one job and having time to be involved in family and community activities. 9. Work with communities to promote the $10/Day Child Care Plan. 10. Tell the provincial and federal governments that Vancouver expects the $10/Day Child Care Plan to be implemented in BC. 11. Establish quality, affordable and accessible child care. 12. Value, respect and pay well for child care work. Too many child care workers cannot afford the child care they provide. 13. Establish child care that is culturally inclusive and educational, especially for Aboriginal children and families. 14. Establish 24 hour child care. It is needed for those working or studying outside the 9 to 5 hours.

8 8 The city we need is a safe city. The city we need is a healthy city. The city we need is affordable and equitable. 1. Develop and implement a comprehensive Violence Against Women and Girls Civic Action Plan. 2. Fund women s organizations. 3. Fund 24/7 comprehensive centres for women and girls in each area of the city. 4. Provide a fully accessible, centrally located Women s Hub. 5. Work collaboratively and effectively with both the Provincial and Federal Government to end violence against women and girls. 6. Require leaders and all those who interact and work directly or indirectly with Aboriginal women and girls to develop culturally safe approaches to services. 7. Educate men and boys to act to stop violence against women. 8. Develop Emergency preparedness plans that have a feminist intersectional lens using disaggregated data so we know where women are, what languages they speak and how mothers can get their children and elders to safety. 9. Recognize the continued oppression and violence against women and girls, in particular Aboriginal women and girls. 10. Establish safe transit. 11. Establish more education about violence against women. 12. Establish more lighting everywhere to increase women and girls ability to navigate the city safely. 13. Install more public phones. 14. Establish more women-only shelters and other women- and girls -only spaces. 15. Develop more infrastructures and funding for those working to end violence against women. 16. Ensure that employers take seriously the responsibility to provide safe work environments. 1. Review green policies through a feminist intersectional lens that includes all women s work and responsibilities. 2. Increase women s and girls access to recreation and community centres, and playing fields, including dedicated spaces and programmes to ensure equality. 3. Create women- and girl-friendly, safe bike routes. 1. Generate a housing and homeless strategy that addresses the distinctive and diverse housing and homeless circumstances of women and girls, especially Aboriginal women and girls such as vulnerability to violence, income inequality and family responsibilities. 2. Design and Implement sustainable low-income housing options that focus on women and children. 3. Request that the federal and provincial governments reinvest resources toward housing strategy development, and housing supply and maintenance, with a focus on supporting the diverse housing needs of women and girls. 4. Use city land for public affordable housing.

9 9 Key outcomes The Women Transforming Cities UTC identified 5 themes: social inclusion, income and working, childcare, safety, and solidarity that is, working together. As we do take a feminist intersectional approach, it was no surprise that these recurring issues also intersected; that is no issue stands alone, that women and girls experience in cities is not compartmentalized or separate, but is a complete community experience. These themes appear as continuing barriers to women and girls truly thriving in cities, and to having, as we note in Women Transforming Cities vision statement, real social, economic and political power. Safety/Violence against Women The reality is that violence in the home, in the community, on the streets, at work, on transit, everywhere in the city is an ongoing pervasive concern. Domestic violence and intimate partner violence continues. Assaults, harassment, feeling unsafe and even the extremes of violent death are women and girls daily experience. The prevalence of violence against Aboriginal women and the horrific reality of the Murdered and Missing Women was and is woven into our society and is now our sad and awful context. Threaded throughout all the discussions was the absolute imperative for women and girls and the work they do and the lives they live to be visible and heard and reflected in all aspects in our cities, from the naming of streets, parks and other civic places, to having women in leadership positions in council and organizations, to meeting basic needs of housing, living wage, safety and child care. Social inclusion Although much has been accomplished in terms of the acceptance and rights of diverse peoples living and working in cities, much more remains to be done to improve lived realities. By that we mean, as a café participant said, cities where every single person can live a life where they are not just free from discrimination, but celebrated for their uniqueness. Lack of adequate income Low income and poverty framed and constrained transportation issues, child care, working late at night, lack of nutritious food, and the ability to be successfully engaged in the community. Women still earn significantly less than their male counterparts. Unpaid work, lower income and poverty magnify and intensify all the difficulties that women in cities encounter. Child Care The absolute need for quality, affordable and accessible child care and the need for child care work to be valued, respected and paid well. Too many child care workers cannot afford the child care they provide. Many spoke about the importance of child care to be culturally inclusive and educational, especially for Aboriginal children and families and for the need for twenty-four hour child care. We heard about the need for child care at community and public events so that all may be able to participate. The lack of good child care impacts women in all aspects of their lives. Solidarity/Working Together Working together at all levels has been identified as important and necessary. As one participant said, We can t do it without each other. Individuals, grassroots community groups, businesses and government all need to sit down at the table to plan to act together. Those with political authority and money must ask and listen to what women and girls need. We heard much about feelings of isolation and how hearing other voices at the Cafés was a reminder that we are not alone, but part of community of women and girls with intersecting and overlapping concerns. 24 Jan 2016 Many, many thanks to everyone who joined us today to celebrate 30 WTC Cafes and the culmination of our UN- Habitat

10 10 Key recommendations Resources and infrastructure The city we need has improved infrastructures--better lighting and transportation, benches with no barriers to prevent the homeless or the merely tired from lying down for a nap, ramps for strollers and wheel chairs, places to change and feed kids, public washrooms, and more safe, gender-inclusive community public spaces overall. The city we need has adequate, affordable housing;housing is a fundamental human need and right is not there for all women and girls in this city. Recommendations Significant throughout the dialogue process to date has been the recognition that individuals and grassroots organisations cannot transform cities and societies without appropriate resources and infrastructure. There is need for systemic change, whether that means reallocation of funding or changes in governmental social welfare strategies, and of course using a feminist intersectional lens on city policies, programmes, budgets and staffing. The off-loading of social welfare work onto the backs of volunteers and grassroots organisations without critical funding and systemic supports is not working. Social inclusion The city we need focuses on the needs of the most marginalised women and girls, and the needs of aboriginal persons and other diverse, intersecting identities such as age, ability, language, income, culture. Recommendations specific to Aboriginal women and girls Aboriginal women and girls and their allies told us that they want and need change. As one UTC participant said, the system is not working. What is required includes: Recognition of Indigenous history Recognition of the continued oppression and violence against women and girls, in particular Aboriginal women and girls. More cohesive and collaborative services to protect Aboriginal women and girls.

11 11 Recommendations for social inclusion more broadly We need improved cultural competency and sensitivity training; this is true for relations between all cultures. Immigrant women need support so they can bring their children with them when they come to Canada. We need policies that support immigrant women to fully participate in society including educational and ESL programs, child care and help to transition. Child Care The city we need provides culturally inclusive, high quality, accessible, and affordable child care, in groups, homes, on week days, weekends, and evenings. Recommendations We heard a dire need for quality, affordable and accessible child care. Child care work needs to be valued, respected and paid well. Too many child care workers cannot afford the child care they provide. Accessibility (as an entry point to inclusion), needs to broaden beyond the always important mobility access questions, to include, for example, washroom accessibility, because without a washroom they can safely use, LGBT2SQ+ persons (and ALL persons in reality) have a hard time participating fully in city life. Child care needs to be culturally inclusive and educational, especially for aboriginal children and families. 24 hour child care is needed for those working or studying outside the 9 to 5 hours. Income and poverty In the city we need, women are paid a living wage, because adequate income is essential to lift women out of dire poverty and provide opportunities to participate in the community Many women continue to have at minimum two jobs: one unpaid in the home and one paid in the work place. Recommendations Working at home doing unpaid domestic work, child care, elder care and crucial emotional work needs to be seen as important social work contributing to our society. As well, the crucial unpaid work many do in the community needs to be valued. Safety/Violence against Women In the city we need, women and girls feel and are safe. Violence against women and girls has got to stop. Period. The level of being and feeling unsafe increases at night and for more marginalized, poorer women. Those reliant on public transportation are more at risk to violence than those who have cars. Significantly, at a recent Women Transforming Cities Café in Toronto hosted by Women Speak Out and GROOTS Canada, safe, accessible transportation was identified as a key element in a community s poverty reduction strategy. In the workplace we need equal pay, and a living wage. The Current Living Wage in Vancouver is $20.68 per hour. Unions have a role. Low wage jobs are often in unorganized work places accompanied by minimum benefits, poor job security and many workers need to work 2 or even 3 jobs just to pay the rent. Earning a Living wage means working one job and having time to be involved in family and community activities.

12 12 Recommendations We need safe transit More education about violence against women Individual actors/actions 1. Women Transforming Cities UTC participants put forward very practical everyday advice for individual action such as: be friendly and welcoming More lighting everywhere to increase women and girls ability to navigate the city safely More public phones More women-only shelters and other women- and girls -only spaces More infrastructures and funding for those working against violence against women introduce yourself be conscious of privilege learn how to be an ally learn from each other check in to see how friends, neighbor s, and co-workers are doing Employers need to take seriously the responsibility to provide safe work environments 2. Out in the community we can: join community groups Proposed actors and actions The city we need is a city where the basic needs of women and girls in terms of social inclusion, income, housing, child care, safety, and working together are met. It is a city where each person s culture and orientation are valued, where the parks are truly welcoming for all, where each person sees herself reflected in leadership positions, and in the media, and where women and girls are seen and their voices heard. advocate for more women and girl friendly programs be aware of the needs of seniors, single mothers, LGBT2Q+ folks, and more NGO s/grassroots 1. Take action to hold elected officials accountable. The city we need listens to all the voices of those who live and work in the city, and provides opportunities for everyone to contribute, collaborate and take action together. Individuals, grassroots community groups, businesses and government all need to sit down at the table to plan to act together. The public and private sectors need to start ongoing, and mandatory training; not just for frontline workers, but for staff at all levels said a UTC participant. 2. We heard that the journey into political life is often a different path for women and often very community based. There is a role for NGO s to assist, educate and enable women to become leaders. Governmental actors/actions 1. Our elected officials need to be accountable. 2. Governments must use disaggregated data to develop intersectional policies, programming, infrastructures and funding that enable the characteristics of a women friendly city to be met. 3. The responsibility for a city that meets the needs and supports women and girls must not be sidelined or marginalised as just one more bit of unwaged work women do.

13 13 Key actors Key Actors New Recommendations The city we need is socially inclusive All municipal bodies including council, parks boards, fire and policing services, libraries, housing, shelters, schools, universities, health care, seniors facilities and community centres All city funding bodies and all aboriginal organizational funding City and School Board responsibility 1. Cities must create and use a feminist intersectional lens framework for policy development and evaluation, programmes, budgets and staffing. 2. Collect disaggregated data that reflects the diversity of women and girls and their needs. We need to know what and where women are in their unpaid, volunteer and low paid work. We need to know who they are. Do they speak English or Cree? Are they immigrants, older or younger, lesbian or trans, living in poverty with their children, are they racialized, able-bodied or differently abled, do they work at night, when and where? 1. Review the core funding requirements of services for all and specifically for Aboriginal women and girls and enhance their compatibility with Aboriginal approaches to social development strategies. Ensure funding requirements emphasize programme sustainability. 2. Award grants to increase the number of culture, community, identity and capacity building projects run by Aboriginal women and girls. Recognize Indigenous history. Police departments and aboriginal services All city staff from all departments City working with the Provincial and Federal government Develop more cohesive and collaborative services to protect Aboriginal women and girls. Improve cultural competency and sensitivity training; this is true for relations between all cultures. Support immigrant women so they can bring their children with them when they come to Canada. Provincial government responsibility working with the city Develop feminist intersectional policies that support immigrant women to fully participate in society including educational and English as a Second (or additional) Language programmes, child care and help to transition. City responsibility 1. Make Vancouver a Sanctuary City for all women and girls regardless of immigration status. Provincial guidelines and party responsibility City must get provincial government approval Provincial guidelines required 2. Appoint a city immigrant advocate to highlight important issues and solutions for newcomers and engage their participation in the decision-making process. Run at least 50% women for elected municipal office, representing the diversity of our cities and ensuring Aboriginal candidates. Establish a ward system (elected representation by neighbourhood) to ensure women can afford to run for office. Establish civic campaign spending and donation limits and disclosure of all campaign donations.

14 14 Key Actors City Council decision City responsibility Provincial responsibility Translink, City and Provincial regulations City and Park Board responsibility New Recommendations Create a young women s committee to City Council to address gender-specific barriers to leadership and promote active civic engagement. Establish Youth Hubs to provide better access to services, information and safe spaces to gather; reinstate the Vancouver CitizenU programme so youth can combat discrimination and oppression in their communities. Lower the municipal voting age to 16 to establish and maintain youth representation and civic engagement. Ensure women who work at night have the same access to city services such as affordable, safe and frequent public transit, child care, policing, safe lighting, labour laws, night work benefits, access to unions, and safety plans. Expand the conceptualization and implementation of Accessibility (as an entry point to inclusion) to broaden beyond the always important mobility access questions, to include, for example, gender-neutral washroom accessibility, because without a washroom they can safely use, LGBT2SQ+ persons (and ALL persons in reality) have a hard time participating fully in city life. The city we need is well planned, walkable, and transit-friendly Translink (Provincial government) responsibility 1. Create and maintain safe, accessible, affordable public transit. 2. Make Vancouver a free transit zone after dark. 3. Improve transit in off-peak hours, including late night transit service. 4. Advertise night bus stop requests anywhere. City responsibility 1. Ensure all public spaces are safe and well lit for women, girls, seniors, newcomers in short, for all residents, workers and visitors to the city. 2. Name public spaces and buildings equally after women, with a particular view to include all women especially Aboriginal women. The city we need is a regenerative city City and university responsibility 3. Provide public washrooms that are mother friendly and open at night. Bring a feminist/intersectional perspective to urban planning. City, provincial, federal governments and developers guided by city laws responsibility Create housing and communities where people can live, work and play within walking distance. Ensure cities have housing that all people can afford with parks, schools and childcare centres in close proximity. The city we need is economically vibrant and inclusive City Council responsibility Make the City a living wage employer, requiring that all contractors hired by the City pay a living wage. Amend the City s Ethical Purchasing Policy to make living wages a selection factor. Translink & Provincial responsibility Expand public transit services and provide safe transportation to all workers at times when there is no public transportation.

15 15 Key Actors City guidelines needed for all city staff. Education by province for all cities Federal, provincial and municipal governments responsibility Provincial responsibility Federal responsibility, unions could advocate for employers to provide time off Minimum wage is a Provincial responsibility but companies can choose to pay more Trade Unions can educate and advocate for a living wage Municipal governments and non-government organizations must advocate for these guidelines from the Provincial government Municipalities ask the province for a fully funded plan New Recommendations Hire, train and maintain all women especially diverse women for jobs where they are under-represented. Formally recognize unpaid and volunteer work. Recognize that individuals and grassroots organisations cannot transform cities and societies without appropriate resources and infrastructure. There is need for systemic change, whether that means reallocation of funding or changes in governmental social welfare strategies, and of course using a feminist intersectional lens on city policies, programmes, budgets and staffing. The off-loading of social welfare work onto the backs of volunteers and grassroots organisations without critical funding and systemic supports is not working. Recognize working at home doing unpaid domestic work, and care-work such as child care, elder care and care for persons with disabilities needs to be seen as important social work contributing to our society. As well, the crucial unpaid work many do in the community needs to be valued. Establish equal pay, and a living wage. The current Living Wage in Vancouver is $20.68 per hour. Work with Trade Unions. They have a role. Low wage jobs are often in unorganized (non-union) work places accompanied by minimum benefits, poor job security and many workers need to work 2 or even 3 jobs just to pay the rent. Earning a Living Wage means working one job and having time to be involved in family and community activities. Work with communities to promote the $10/Day Child Care Plan. Tell the provincial and federal governments that Vancouver expects the $10/Day Child Care Plan to be implemented in BC. Provincial responsibility 1. Establish quality, affordable and accessible child care. 2. Establish child care that is culturally inclusive and educational, especially for Aboriginal children and families. Provincial responsibility though the unions could educate and advocate for higher wages The city we need is a safe city City working with women s organizations City responsibility City responsibility City responsibility 3. Establish 24 hour child care. It is needed for those working or studying outside the 9 to 5 hours. Value, respect and pay well for child care work. Too many child care workers cannot afford the child care they provide. Develop and implement a comprehensive Violence Against Women and Girls Civic Action Plan. Fund women s organizations. Fund 24/7 comprehensive centres for women and girls in each area of the city. Provide a fully accessible, centrally located Women s Hub.

16 16 Key Actors City must work with all levels of government and anti violence women s organizations City, aboriginal organizations and all those working with aboriginal people All levels of government, schools, universities, media, unions, banks, NGO s and businesses City responsibility All of society Translink & the Provincial government responsible Schools and universities and levels of government and the media responsible City responsibility Phone companies, municipal guidelines City and provincial governments responsibility All levels of government and funders Provincial government responsibility The city we need is a healthy city All levels of government and environmental agencies Park Board responsibility City responsibility The city we need is affordable and equitable All levels of government City government working with housing providers Federal and Provincial government responsibility City responsibility New Recommendations Work collaboratively and effectively with both the Provincial and Federal Government to end violence against women and girls. Require leaders and all those who interact and work directly or indirectly with Aboriginal women and girls to develop culturally safe approaches to services. Educate men and boys to act to stop violence against women. Develop Emergency preparedness plans that have a feminist intersectional lens using disaggregated data so we know where women are, what languages they speak and how mothers can get their children and elders to safety. Recognize the continued oppression and violence against women and girls, in particular Aboriginal women and girls. Establish safe transit. Establish more education about violence against women. Establish more lighting everywhere to increase women and girls ability to navigate the city safely. Install more public phones. Establish more women-only shelters and other women- and girls -only spaces. Develop more infrastructures and funding for those working to end violence against women. Ensure that employers take seriously the responsibility to provide safe work environments. Review green policies through a feminist intersectional lens that includes all women s paid and unpaid work and responsibilities. Increase women s and girls access to recreation and community centres, and playing fields, including dedicated spaces and programmes to ensure equality. Create women- and girl-friendly, safe bike routes. Generate a housing and homeless strategy that addresses the distinctive and diverse housing and homeless circumstances of women and girls, especially Aboriginal women and girls such as vulnerability to violence, income inequality and family responsibilities. Design and Implement sustainable low-income housing options that focus on women and children. Request that the federal and provincial governments reinvest resources toward housing strategy development, and housing supply and maintenance, with a focus on supporting the diverse housing needs of women and girls. Use city land for public affordable housing.

17 17 Outstanding issues Although much has changed for women and girls in the cities, much more needs to be done for all to be able to fully realize their ability to be engaged in all levels of city life: family, work, community, politics, economic and decision making. The outstanding issues are ones we have identified as we know that the work accomplished to date is only the beginning. As well, society in all ways is changing, so we are conscience that the city we need is changing. One priority feminist intersectional area that we have already identified as needing more research, discussion and work is women and disabilities. Here we include visible disabilities and invisible, including mental health. We also encompass mothers who are rearing children with disabilities, an area of societal work that is largely unrecognized. The significant changes in our city in terms of housing require more work in this area and in the whole issue of women and money. Immigrant and refugee women and their children are another area. WTC is planning on future Cafes and events to learn more what the city can do to meet the needs of women and girls. Urban solutions must be developed with the people they will impact Advancing Equity and Inclusion: A Guide for Municipalities was identified as an Urban Solution during the Women Transforming Cities Dialogue Cafes. Launched in June 2015 in Ottawa, Canada, the guide is now being shared with municipalities across Canada. Working from an intersectional lens, this guide presents critical paths to advancing equity and inclusion in order to address problems facing cities while providing best practices for solving these problems. When municipalities work for those who are most at risk of exclusion, including diverse women and girls, they work for everyone. Five Canadian cities and seven non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working on the major social issues and internal challenges facing their cities were brought together to examine these problems and to devise a handbook of solutions to be used by elected officials, senior and middle management, municipal staff and local organizations, community organizers, unions and academics. It was found, for example, that cities are facing huge population growth of diverse people, leading to new social inequities yet inadequate resources to address them. Municipalities face challenges such as competing demands on staff time, disbelief that inequities exist, lack of political will and limited knowledge of the value of using an intersectional lens which takes into account the ways in which advantage and disadvantage intersect to affect how people experience policies and programs. As a result, Advancing Equity and Inclusion: a Guide for Municipalities outlines key solutions for large and small municipalities. The Guide examines each issue and follows up with a step by step approach to improve the position of diverse groups of the population: immigrants, aboriginal, LGTBQ2s (lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual, queer, two spirited), people living in poverty, racialized persons, women, youth and seniors.

18 18 The seven sections of Advancing Equity and Inclusion: a Guide for Municipalities are the following: 6. Building a Welcoming Workplace: talks about a representational workforce, diverse leadership, workplace culture and training. 1. This Guide explains who the guide is for, why it matters and how to use it. 7. Deliver Inclusive Services: offers a wide variety of best practices from cities large and small. 2. What informs the guide: shares guiding principles and shows how to use an equity and inclusion lens. It explains how and why to use an intersectional lens. It explains how to apply the work and who to include. 3. Create and Sustain Impact: 10 critical factors: Identify Multiple Entry Points; Cultivate Champions; Seek Support From All Levels; Create Mandates and Directives; Engage Communities; Demonstrate Results; Provide Training; Communicate Throughout Organization; Celebrate Success 4. Get Ready for Change: teaches how to strategize for change and create the conditions for change. It includes a thorough Environmental Scan Checklist as well as a chart tool for any issue, allowing for an analysis of expected results, performance indicators, and results indicators. 5. Engage Communities: examines key factors in working with communities: Understanding the Issues; Recognize Community Experience; Create Relationships; Work Together; Be Accountable Throughout the guide are many examples of best practices used in municipalities. Some examples include Transgender people in the Vancouver Park Board; Violence against Women in Public Transit; CCMARD Toolkit for strengthening local initiatives and policies against racism and discrimination and the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association tool to measure inclusivity. The guide has been developed by Women Transforming Cities International Society; Municipalities of Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Lethbridge, and Stratford; the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Canadian Commission for UNESCO; Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination; University of Ottawa; City for All Women Initiative, Ottawa; Springtide Resources, Toronto, ON; Toronto Women s City Alliance; PEI Coalition for Women in Government. The guide can be accessed here:

19 19 Speakers Andrea Reimer, City of Vancouver Councillor Carmen Contreras, Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House Christine O Fallon, Women Transforming Cities City of Vancouver Civic Naming Committee Diana Day, First Nations Social Justice Advocate Ellen Woodsworth, Women Transforming Cities Fruma Sloan, Union Activist Ingrid Kolsteren, Women Transforming Cities Jessica Wood, Gitxan-Tsimshian, Activist, Community Builder Joyce Brown, the executive-director of Working for Change, Toronto, Canada Lakshmi Lochan, Women Transforming Cities Lubna Khalid, the coordinator for Women Speak Out, Toronto, CanadaMargaret, Sex Worker Marnie Tamaki, Architect & member of GROOTS Canada Niki Sharma, Mother, Lawyer, former Vancouver Park Board Commissioner Raging Grannies, Performers Remember Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) ReSisters, Performers Sara Ortiz, Feminist Activist, Planner & Researcher Suzanne Doerge, City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) Tiffany Muller Myrdahl, Simon Fraser University Ruth Wynn Woodward Chair Vanity Feral, Burlesque Performer Women Speak Out leadership training program members Women Transforming Cities Members

20 United Nations Human Settlements Programme P.O. Box Nairobi 00100, Kenya World Urban Campaign Secretariat Tel.: