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Environment and Diversity Program
The face of Ontario is changing. We are well aware that the population in the Hamilton Harbour watershed continues to grow with people new to Canadian culture and our environmental context. We want to make sure that all our watershed residents:
- Feel comfortable and safe in their environment
- Are aware of what they can do to clean and improve the Hamilton Harbour Watershed
- Are familiar with services and recreational opportunities Hamilton Harbour provides
- Feel welcome to get involved in the good work of local environmental non-profits
At BARC, we want to assure that we have a purposeful, effective approach in reaching under-represented groups in our local community. Under-represented groups may include but are not limited to Aboriginal peoples, low-income residents, immigrants, and cultural minorities. The mission of the Environment and Diversity Program is to:
Engage typically under-represented groups in the environment, through involvement with BARC, Hamilton Harbour and our watershed.
Through this program, BARC held its first annual Multicultural Waterfest with assistance from Settlement & Integration Services Ontario and multiple other partners. The event was an overwhelming success, with over 300 participants given the opportunity to experience the Harbour in a safe and fun way.
BARC has also created a new ‘Welcome to Canada’ series on Hamilton’s environment. These presentations are held once a month at the Red Hill branch of the Hamilton Public Library. The goal of this series is to help new Canadians become more familiar with Hamilton’s water system, environmental issues and recreational opportunities. During each presentation, participants have an opportunity to share their environmental concerns, ask questions and discuss solutions.
BARC has committed to do the best it can to assure that our programs do not prevent people from participating because of their race, gender, income level, ability, sexual orientation, religion, or language. As part of our effort to become more inclusive, we’ve translated our ‘Don’t Feed Waterfowl’ flyers into some of the most commonly used languages in our region, after English.
The Environment and Diversity Program at BARC builds on a partnership with five other environmental non-profit organizations in the Greater Toronto Area led by the Sustainability Network. To see a video highlighting this partnership, click here.
Since 2009, BARC has begun the difficult, yet important, task of being an effective agent of change in the culture of environmental non-profits. If you have recommendations on how we can further welcome diversity, please contact Rhoda deJonge, Diversity Coordinator: rdejonge@hamiltonharbour.ca.
As progress continues, the Environment and Diversity Program will evolve as we focus more on internal change, while simultaneous broadening our base of support. We need to reach out to all members of our community to truly be a representative of the people. After all, the Bay belongs to all of us!
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