Inclusive Municipalities and Their Allies: Plain Language Executive Summary
How to make cities more inclusive
Making sure that all communities are included is a concern shared by municipalities across Canada. But how to go about it?
The Guide for Inclusive Municipalities and Their Allies is based on collaborative work with inclusive and inspiring Quebec municipalities. It is the result of an action research project led by researchers Bob W. White and Jorge Frozzini on behalf of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF).
Between 2022 and 2024, the CRRF’s advisory committee for inclusive municipalities and researchers from the University of Montreal’s Laboratory for Research on Intercultural Relations (LABRRI) met with municipalities across Quebec. Their goal was to identify key issues cities can consider when building an action plan to support inclusion.
Who is the guide for?
The Guide for Inclusive Municipalities and Their Allies is intended for anyone interested in inclusion issues in a municipal context.
Whether you are part of a municipal administration, a city council, or provide services to the citizens in your municipality, the Guide is for you.
In this guide you will find good examples and concrete solutions to the many very real inclusion issues that Quebec municipalities may face. You will also find suggestions on how to get closer to the different communities that enrich your municipality.
Why is this issue important?
Diversity is part of Quebec and Canada’s history. In recent decades, this diversity has increased significantly. Faced with this reality, many urban and rural municipalities see inclusion as a central issue.
Diversity: a definition
According to the UNESCO Universal Declaration proposed in 2001, diversity refers to all the characteristics that make up humanity.
Diversity can then take many forms, such as diversity of culture, ethnicity, religion, language, gender, age, and physical or mental ability.
Municipalities are the level of government and services closest to the population. This makes them the ideal place to promote diversity and implement concrete policies, programs, and action plans that foster inclusion.
Overview of the 6 sections of the guide
The guide includes the following 6 sections, which you can read in order or consult any way you want, depending on your needs:
Section 1: The role of municipalities in inclusion
From the outset, this guide will give you a better understanding of what diversity is and how you can make a difference by taking diversity into account and setting up a real inclusion process.
The guide highlights how important it is for all municipal actors to be committed to recognizing diversity. It is only in this way that a municipality can become truly inclusive for all.
Section 2: Five priority themes for diversity and inclusion in cities
The guide presents 5 themes that address various issues identified during our action research on diversity in the municipal level.
For each of these themes, we present:
- issues identified by municipalities
- questions to ask yourself to understand your own municipal context and then implement an action plan based on your municipality profile
- solutions to consider and inspiring examples from cities in Quebec, Canada and around the world.
Here is a brief description of the 5 themes covered in this section.
Theme 1: From exclusion to inclusion
Here we address exclusion, non-participation and segregation. The exclusion of certain groups, even unconsciously, can affect the implementation of an action plan that aims for total inclusion. When looking at diversity, it is important to be familiar with the concept of exclusion, and to understand how to address non-participation and segregation of certain communities.
Theme 2: Combatting discrimination
Under this theme, we explain the link between the fight against discrimination within a municipal administration and the work of inclusion that can be done within the municipality territory. We present the issue of diversity in a municipal administration and the tools that can be used to address discrimination.
Theme 3: From “Living together” to “Doing together”
With this theme, we go beyond the simple notion of “living together” expanding it into “doing together.” In other words, we address the central role of dialogue between members of the diverse groups that need to be involved in a concrete municipal issue. For example, we discuss how a municipality can attract newcomers in a sustainable way, or what can be done to deal with the housing crisis.
Theme 4: Articulating a municipal vision
With this theme, we explain why and how municipal council members can reach a consensus to adopt a shared municipal vision of diversity. We also show how a municipality can develop a common framework that will withstand electoral cycles and changes in political ideologies.
Theme 5: Implementing municipal policy
This theme highlights the importance of adopting cross-cutting initiatives to implement municipal action, and how to involve all sectors of the municipal administration.
Section 3: Pathways for inclusion policies and programs
This section outlines some of the measures to be taken and people that need to be mobilized to achieve real inclusion. It is based on concrete examples from various cities in Quebec and Europe.
A model pathway is also provided. It will help you determine key requirements according to your municipality’s profile.
Section 4: Ten concrete proposals for inclusive municipalities
Every city faces its own unique challenges when it comes to considering all aspects of its diversity. However, our action research project also found that they faced common challenges. The Guide presents 10 core proposals for solid foundations of truly inclusive policies and programs.
Section 5: A collection of practical tools and resources
This section provides a list of useful tools and resources for those who want to take their inclusion plan to the next level.
Section 6: A glossary of key concepts
The guide ends with a glossary of key concepts. This glossary will enable readers to familiarize themselves with the terms that are common and useful for developing an inclusion action plan within their municipality.
Do you work for a Canadian municipality?
The Guide for Inclusive Municipalities and Their Allies has helpful information and guidelines that can help increase inclusion in cities, townships and villages across Canada. We encourage you to read and share it within your municipal networks.