THUNDER BAY – A program that allows Thunder Bay residents to report instances of racism saw a sharp drop in submissions in its second year, but advocates say that doesn’t detract from its value.
The initiative, known as the Incident Reporting & Referral Service, presented its second year report to city council on Monday. It's administered by the Lakehead Social Planning Council (LSPC) and overseen by a working group including representatives from the city's anti-racism committee and Diversity Thunder Bay.
The reporting system saw just 56 submissions from September 2018 to Dec 2019, compared to 176 in its first year.
Jason Veltri, who chairs the city’s Anti-Racism & Respect Committee, said the drop in numbers reflects a need to continue building awareness of the reporting system by working more closely with community organizations.
That work had already begun with the inclusion this year of student unions at Confederation College and Lakehead University, which he believed had contributed to a higher level of participation from racialized students noted in the report.
“I personally don't see the lower response rate as a problem,” he said. “We know racism exists in our community, and we know that the Indigenous and racialized communities are experiencing racism in high numbers.”
Residents can report incidents of racism – which range from discrimination and verbal abuse to physical assault – online, by calling 211, or at the LSPC office.
Nearly two-thirds of the incidents reported in 2018-19 targeted Indigenous people. Many respondents described racism as an inescapable part of their everyday life in the city.
The most frequent venues for reported incidents were local stores, followed by online and on the street.
Among four reported physical assaults, one included an Indigenous man reportedly kicked in the chest so hard by a security guard that he was sent to hospital with three broken ribs, according to a worker at a legal clinic.
Other incidents included a spray painted swastika and an Indigenous family pointedly ignored by a cab driver.
The report included recommendations to make the program’s data more available to the public, prioritize cultural competency training in problem areas identified in the report, do more outreach to grow awareness and participation, offer respondents more follow-up support, and advocate for better collection of race-based data.
While several councillors praised the reporting service, many wanted to see more tangible action come from the data it generates about racism in the city.
“We know racism is a problem,” said Coun. Andrew Foulds. “What I don’t want to happen is one year from now, we have the same presentation. I’d like some deliverables in the next year."
Mayor Bill Mauro agreed.
“People are looking for something to happen as a result of the exercise that you’ve been doing for the past two or three years,” he said.
“We don’t need more studies on racism,” said Coun. Aldo Ruberto, saying the city should focus on action.
He also wanted to see more celebration of what he described as significant progress on racial justice over the past decade, such as the proliferation of Indigenous liaison departments and anti-racism training and policies.
Amy Siciliano, a former coordinator of the city’s crime prevention council who authored the latest report, said the reporting program should be seen as an important step in itself.
“Providing a service where people can report incidents, and seek supports for dealing with their impacts is a valuable action,” she told Tbnewswatch.
“I think a better metric of its utility can be measured by looking at how this service can help individuals access resources to support addressing the trauma that may come from experiencing racism.”
