Congratulations as well to our seven finalists: Canada Safeway, Alano Club in Courtenay, Cook Street Village in Victoria, the Senior’s Connection Department with Mission Community Services Society, MLA Raj Chouhan’s Community Office, in Burnaby Edmonds, MLA Spencer Chandra-Herbert’s Community Office in the West End, Vancouver, the Service BC centre in Duncan.

Thank you to everyone who was involved in creating and implementing the Safe Harbour program. This award is a testament to your hard work and dedication to welcoming environments, diversity, anti-discrimination and Respect for All.

The Provincial Nesika Awards celebrate British Columbia’s diverse communities by recognizing the people, organizations and communities who bring together British Columbia’s diverse cultures. For more information about the Provincial Nesika Awards please click here. 

For the 2011 Provincial Nesika Awards announcement released by the BC Government please click here. 

My name is Heidi (name withheld to protect anonymity) and I am a twelfth grade student at Alberni District Secondary School.

I am writing you this letter to address the issue of Racism. Did you know that there is at the moment more than 250 million people all around the world that suffer from apartheid and or other forms of discrimination? Civil rights are constantly being violated in ways of anti-immigration, legislation, voting, education, genocide, and employment. I have chosen this topic because I myself have experienced racism, I am a mixture of cultures I am Native, Irish, Hawaiian, and Chinese. But the only thing some people see is the color of my skin. And I know that some people are going to hate me with a passion before they even get to know who I am as a person. I have been called many racist slurs by people I don’t know. When I was a little girl I didn’t understand why some people didn’t like me for no apparent reason, I always thought it was something wrong with me but in reality it was something wrong with their perception of me. And this will always happen because some people think they hold power over another race, ethnic group, or color.

People are being separated from one another and have been for generations because of race, ethnic groups, or skin color. I think there should be dinners held and at these dinners there will be people from all ethnicities and everyone will sit have dinner and learn about each ethnicity and learn to be open with one another, maybe this would help to bring down those walls we have built to separate people from…people. Another idea is when children are in there early ages teach them about other nationalities and cultures, teach them to be open minded, teach them to love everyone.

Thank you for reading this letter I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Name Withheld

This is an important article on racism in Canada: http://www.montrealgazette.com/opinion/Racism+alive+well+Canada/5466155/story.html

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”. – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

To Whom It May Concern,

This is one of Dr. King’s well known quotes and now one of my favourites.  When it came across my desk the other day it had renewed meaning for me.  Over the past several months my family and I have been speaking out in our community about a local business called Hire-A-Slave.  We have reached out to our civic leaders at City Hall, our business leaders at the Chamber of Commerce and the community at large.  Unfortunately, other than loving words of support from some close friends, it saddens me to say that our concerns have been received with an overall sense of disregard and unimportance. 

The business name approval process is the responsibility of the provincial government so our City Council members do not believe it’s “their problem”.  The proprietor of this business sits on the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce so it is quite clear that the silence we have received from them is in support of this business owner.  And in regard to the community at large, I believe that there is a lack of awareness and sensitivity that could possibly be changed with some education.

The provincial authourity that approved this business name received our complaint and concern with a reasonable level of empathy and understanding.  They apologetically claimed that they do not have the legal authourity to rescind this business name, however they did inform us that they have now placed the word “slave” (used in this context) on their restricted list.  Even though the provincial government did not tell us exactly what we wanted to hear, we at least felt heard.  This is at the very least what we expected from our local officials.  We understand that at the municipal government level they do not have the authourity to force this proprietor to change his business name.  However, I do strongly believe that with some positive dialogue and influence they could encourage him as a member of the Chamber of Commerce and a director that sits on the Board, that for the betterment of this community he should change his business name.

This community is where my parents have lived for almost 40 years, where I grew up as a child and where I have chosen to return to raise my children.  As you can imagine my whole perception of this community has been altered and I am now increasingly concerned about raising my children here.   I have gone from feeling “safe”, living a simple life in a small town, to feeling vulnerable and untrusting.  I know that I have the choice to leave this town and call somewhere else home, however regardless of whether we stay or go I still feel a social, moral and parental responsibility to create some sort of change in the attitudes of the people living here and the leaders who purport to want what’s best for their community.

One very positive outcome so far during this journey has been my introduction to Safe Harbour.  After feeling as though I had hit the wall trying to be heard by the leaders in my own community I turned to the outside.  In a casual conversation with someone at a luncheon I was told about the Safe Harbour program.  I jumped and immediately contacted the program.  The support, encouragement and validation I have received so far has been incredibly empowering.  I am living first hand what Safe Harbour is needed for.  I am so grateful for all of you out there that are supporting this program and working toward making our communities welcoming and respectful for everyone. 

I truly hope that I will be able to write again soon and tell you that this business name has been changed and that my community has gained some understanding and sensitivity.  Thank you.
~Name Withheld, Port Alberni

*As of Sept. 26, 2011, the business name still exists according to the Chamber of Commerce website. http://www.avcoc.com/cms/modules/weblinks/search.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdCRgI4sq6A

Given Canada’s long experience with multiculturalism, the anti-immigrant message underlying the Norway massacre seems less of a threat here, though the rise in hate crimes and negative political rhetoric in this country are ominous warning signs, experts say.

What do you think? Email us your thoughts to nationalsafeharbour@amssa.org

See: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/08/03/multicultural-experts.html

Express Yourself

SCHEMA magazine tells us about the importance of expressing culture and representing community as taken up by aple.de.ap, a Filipino member of Black Eyed Peas…
 
See: http://www.schemamag.ca/archive2/2011/08/apldeap_of_bep_representing_th.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SchemaMagazine+%28SCHEMA+MAGAZINE%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

To read more about how people are celebrating today in Vancouver, see:

http://kayavancouver.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/nad-trout-lake-2011/

YQQ First Canadian Airport Designated as a Safe Harbour

The Comox Valley Airport is now a certifiedSafeHarbourlocation and the first airport in Canada to display the decal that promises respectful treatment for all and provides a visible marker for those needing access to an immediate safe space.

“We are so pleased to bring the Comox Valley Airport on board as a designated Safe Harbour location,” said Kathie Landry, Safe Harbour Program Coordinator.  “YQQ is already such a welcoming place and this program is a natural fit with the culture of the airport.”

The certification acknowledges that each employee, as a representative of the airport, is prepared to provide a safe place for individuals being insulted, bullied or harassed; and to provide a welcoming environment and treat all members of our diverse community with fairness and respect.

“Our participation in this program publicly displays YQQ’s commitment to provide an inclusive workplace environment where employees, customers and passengers of diverse backgrounds know that they will be respected and safe from discrimination,” said Comox Valley Airport CEO, Shirley de Silva. 

As part of its certification process, YQQ employees participated in a training workshop that explored stereotyping, privilege and marginalization, as well as practical ways to address discrimination. The training provided staff with an opportunity to learn about diversity and inclusion and provided information about how to respond to requests for an immediate safe space.  Workshop participants were also encouraged to speak about SafeHarbourto other members of their own community.

“The Safe Harbour: Respect for All Program is intended to create opportunities for businesses, institutions, agencies, and municipalities to celebrate differences and help to create safer, more welcoming communities that support diversity and reject discrimination,” said Landry.  “The Comox Valley Airport joins more than 50 other businesses in the Comox Valleythat have committed to these principles.”

The Safe Harbour: Respect for All program is provided in the Comox Valley by the Creative Employment Access Society through funding from the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia. There are currently over 1,000 Safe Harbour-certified locations in BC, Alberta, Manitoba, and Newfoundland, coordinated by the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC. 

For more information on SafeHarbourvisit: www.safeharbour.ca

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Media Contacts:

Kathie Landry
Creative Employment Access Society
Ph.250-334-3119 or 250-287-3557 

Christianne Wile
Comox Valley Airport
Ph. 250-890-0829 ext. 253
Cell. 250-218-2249

Ken says the idea came from a growing concern in his community about increasing segregation, as well as his own recent experience of discrimination when he was barred from a party because of his race.

For more info, see http://kenherar.blogspot.com/