The Peel Region Municipal Diversity Plan 2025

In this plan:

1. Introduction
2. Primary objective
3. Strategic alignment
4. Recommendations

1. Introduction

Peel Region is one of the most diverse communities in Canada.

According to 2021 StatsCan data, Peel is recognized as the most diverse municipality in the GTA, with 69% of its population identifying as belonging to a racialized group.

The Community Safety and Policing Act, 2019 came into effect on April 1, 2024.

The Act requires Peel to prepare and adopt a Municipal Diversity Plan to ensure that municipal appointees to the Peel Police Service Board (PPSB) represent the diverse communities the board serves.

The Peel Region Municipal Diversity Plan will ensure Peel Police Service Board membership is comprised of individuals with the skill sets, knowledge, and experience that represent the diversity of Peel communities.

Approved by Peel Region Council on February 13, 2025, it will play a paramount role in the overall effectiveness of policing in addressing diverse community needs.

Peel’s DEI@Peel strategy, endorsed by Council in October 2024, will be amended to include the Municipal Diversity Plan.

2. Primary objective

The plan's main objective is to ensure that representation of the Peel Police Service Board (PPSB) reflects the diversity in the communities it serves.

3. Strategic alignment

The Peel Region Municipal Diversity Plan is aligned with Peel Region’s guiding vision of a Community for Life as well as DEI@Peel, Peel Region’s 5-year Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Strategy, 2025-2029.

This alignment will foster a unified approach, address any challenges or opportunities, and ensure that all initiatives are working towards common objectives and outcomes.

3.1 Community for Life

Mission: Working with you to create a healthy, safe, and connected community. 

Long-term outcomes:

• People’s lives are improved in their time of need.
• Communities are integrated, safe and complete.
• Government is future-oriented and accountable.

3.2 DEI Strategy – DEI@Peel

Mission: Decolonize systems and remove barriers that continue to impact Indigenous and racialized communities, equity-seeking groups, and marginalized populations.

Long-term outcomes:

• A sense of belonging for all
• Community well-being
• Organizational well-being

The Peel Region Municipal Diversity Plan will align with DEI@Peel activities and initiatives through the development of:

• DEI core principles.
• DEI Standards.
• Guidelines and tools.
• Responsibilities and mandatory training for governing bodies.
• A DEI measurement framework

4. Recommendations

4.1 Knowledge and experience

4.1.1 Identified standards

The following standards have been identified to ensure PPSB members have the required knowledge and skills to effectively represent and make recommendations and decisions that impact the well-being and safety of the community:

• Frontline not for profit, corporate, and community experience.
• Meaningful volunteer engagement – regular and long-term volunteer contribution.
• Advocacy and mentorship experience with youth, newcomers, and people facing both historical and current barriers.
• Active commitment to sustainable change.
• Understanding of mental health and wellness and the detrimental impact on diverse communities and peoples.

4.1.2 Community representatives

Community representatives should have the following additional knowledge or experience:

• Demonstrated knowledge of diverse communities peoples and groups.
• Knowledge and understanding of community groups and their specific issues and concerns.
• Working or volunteering (or both) with diverse communities.
• Good understanding of your own power and privilege in relation to diverse communities.
• Understanding and knowing the realities and lived experience of diverse groups in the community.

4.1.3 Council representatives

Council representatives should have the following additional knowledge or experience:

• Representative of diverse communities, peoples, and groups.
• Understanding of government policy and programs.
• Primary and secondary dimensions of diversity related to diverse communities, peoples, and groups.
• Negative experiences and interactions with the police (first and second-hand experience).

4.1.4 Provincial representatives

Provincial representatives should have the following additional knowledge or experience:

• Mental Health and First Aid (MHFA)-certified or be willing to acquire this in the first year.
• Knowledge and experience with diverse communities, peoples, groups, genders, etc.
• Understand or be willing to learn that communities and groups are not monolithic.

4.2 Considerations for improvement

The following have been identified as steps that will embed DEI into process, policies and practices that will enable the selection of diverse candidates for the PPSB.

4.2.1 Community representatives

• Review and revise Policy G20-14, Community Member Appointments to Committees and Boards, applying a DEI lens to all aspects of the policy and procedures to facilitate equitable practices and experiences.
• Incorporate a diverse interview and selection panel in the recruitment for the community representative for the PPSB, such as members of the Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism Committee of Council. Community representative should represent identities disproportionately experiencing harm from the police.

4.2.2 Council representatives

• An understanding of the Peel community, peoples and groups and their unique needs and experiences.

4.2.3 Provincial representatives

• A letter of support from the Regional Chair be sent to the Province to advocate for the provincial appointment process to adopt the required knowledge and experience for all PPSB members.
• Recommend and review the provincial recruitment process to ensure DEI principles are embedded and followed.
• Provincial representatives have knowledge and understanding of Peel communities, peoples, and groups and their unique needs and experiences; and be a member of the Peel community.

4.3 Overall recommendations

• Develop and implement a skills matrix for the selection process for representatives to the PPSB.
• Ensure diversity of the areas the Board serves is represented.
• During the recruitment process, clarify requirements for candidates outlined in the G20-14 Community Member Appointments to Committees and Boards Policy and address any critical questions to create a safe environment for participants during the selection process.
• Involve members of the Diversity, Equity, and Ani-Racism (DEAR) Committee in the recruitment process to ensure that the voices of those disproportionately affected by police actions are represented.