The Planning Team at Toronto Women’s City Alliance worked hard to help bring about change to the City’s Official Plan Policies for Employment Areas.  In a letter to members of the City’s Planning and Growth Management Committee, the team noted that the proposed policies “fail to acknowledge any connection between employment and social equity.  TWCA has raised this concern at public meetings and through detailed policy suggestions.”  We also gave a deputation at the public meeting of the Committee.

To this end, TWCA designed two policy recommendations which were adopted by City Council this week:

1) “Supporting employment and economic development that meets the objectives of Toronto’s Workforce Development Strategy, including people-based planning and the Vision Statement on Access, Equity and Diversity and promoting infrastructure and support programs to ensure that all Torontonians, particularly equity-seeking groups, such as racialized youth, persons with disabilities, single mothers and new comers, especially refugees, have equitable access to employment opportunities.

2) Recognizing the full diversity of employment activities that are increasingly taking place in non-traditional employment areas, such as homes and public spaces, and strengthening the necessary regulatory frameworks and policies to support this employment.”

These have been added to Chapter 3, Creating a Strong and Diverse Economy in the report from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning (November 5, 2013).  These amendments serve to bring attention to the importance of equity considerations in the Official Plan.  Hopefully, they will pave the way for future policy that is equitable and sensitive to the complex relationship between equity-seeking groups and access to employment opportunities.  Congrats, Planning Team!