SUMMARY
Organizers:
Marie-Claire Dumas
City of Montreal
CANADA
mdumas@pe2.ville.montreal.qc.ca
Khan S. Rahi
Access Action Council of Toronto
CANADA
aackrahi@web.net
Description:
There is certainly no need, in the year 2000, to prove the impact of international immigration on cities, the development of policies and programs, and on the delivery of municipal services. The pressures of migration are being felt throughout the world. Local governments have had to meet unprecedented challenges through innovative strategies for encouraging civic participation.
The challenges associated with diversity have led local governments to increase their efforts to ensure the full participation of newcomers, and of members of ethnocultural communities generally, in the life of their adopted city, in order to ensure social cohesion. Politically, the various levels of government have been forced, in recent decades, to introduce mechanisms and structures for ensuring genuine participation by citizens in the decisions that affect them, and have used these mechanisms to guide their decision-making. It is therefore common practice for most municipal governments to seek advice and to consult the public.
The purpose of this workshop is to explore international experiences of advisory boards and special committees with respect to various issues concerning immigration, refugees, and intercultural relations. Metropolis favours the comparative study approach as the best basis for institutional decision-making and public policy development. This workshop is therefore directed at municipal managers, members of advisory boards, representatives of community organizations, and researchers.
Presenters
Annamaria Andriol, City of the Hague, NETHERLANDS
Alain Jean-Bart, Advisory Committee on Inter-cultural and Inter-racial relations of the Montreal Urban Community, CANADA
Rose Lee, City of Toronto, CANADA Paper
Natasha Pavlova, City of New York, UNITED STATES
Khan Rahi, Toronto Task Force on Community Access and Equity, CANADA
Khatoune Témisjian, City of Montreal, CANADA
Susan Thompson, University of New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
