Council embracing diversity in the municipal workforce
By Tim Kalinowski on March 12, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com Lethbridge city council has voted unanimously to embrace a new mandate for diversification of the workforce for the corporation of the City of Lethbridge.The motion, brought forward by Coun. Belinda Crowson, directs the city manager to create a municipal workforce that is “broadly reflective of the citizens and communities it serves — and to look at its hiring practices and policies in order to accomplish the goal.
“There is an old document that used to hang in classrooms during the Second World War called the ‘Canadians’ Creed,'” said Crowson in her closing debate during Tuesday’s city council meeting.
“While some parts of it are outdated, there is a phrase that always sticks with me– that the government must be ‘Of the people, by the people, and for the people.’ And the corporation of the City of Lethbridge should reflect that as well. And this is what this (motion) is aiming towards. We are the government. We are the corporation of the municipality of the City of Lethbridge. It is important that we reflect this community, and that we work toward making sure our workforce is inclusive and diverse.”
As part of the resolution, city council also directed City Manager Craig Dalton to report annually on efforts and achievements related to creating a workforce that reflects the community and ensures an “equity, diversity and inclusion lens is applied to City hiring and employment policies, procedures and practices.”
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