Social Inclusion As A Local Issue
by John Sewell

There's hardly a better window into Canadian communities than the recent reports prepared under the auspices of Inclusive Cities Canada. ICC partnered with social planning organizations in St. John, Toronto, Burlington, Edmonton and Vancouver/North Vancouver to look at issues of social inclusion and the extent to which these five communities were serving the many households with distinct languages and customs that family members operate within as they adjust to their new lives in Canada.

Two points become clear in reviewing the studies for each community. First, the unmet needs are significant and not difficult to appreciate or understand. Second, apart from issues which are driving recent immigrants into poverty (such as a lack of affordable housing or affordable child care), there are many steps which could be taken to begin including these households more into community life, steps which do not involve large sums of money, only a sense of political will.

One example comes from the report on Toronto: extend municipal voting to all residents regardless of citizenship. Theres no clearer way to begin to include people than to allow them to vote for their local representatives, the ones who are responsible for the parks they play in, the transit they ride, the schools their children attend. Given the current low voting turnout for most municipal elections, it is entirely possible non-citizen voters could have useful influence on the priorities of local government.

The five reports are all specific to their own milieu, and range widely over a range of subjects. They provide insight and challenges for communities of all sizes. They can be accessed at the ICC site, http://www.inclusivecities.ca , and click on "Current Developments."

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