Developing an Inclusive Framework for Social Planning in the City of Toronto - A Summary of the Preliminary Discussion Paper
October 25, 2005
Prepared by Romona Gananathan for the Toronto Social Development Network
October 2005
Imagine A City…
Where community and difference is celebrated, where neighbours talk to each other, share ideas and get involved in their neighbourhoods. Where individuals feel they have a voice and are reflected in the political, institutional and societal structures of the City. Imagine Toronto as a City where everyone regardless of what community they live in can have access to affordable housing, childcare, healthcare and other services; where income security is adequate to live on and where no one needs to go hungry or lives on the streets. Imagine a City where immigrants of colour are not just the dishwashers and taxi drivers, but share in the wealth of the City and are able to use their skills to gain access to better jobs.
Imagine youth leading local decision making and engineering their futures. Imagine the frail, elderly and seniors being supported as vibrant elders in their communities and not institutionalized into passivity. Imagine a city where the disabled are able to move freely with everyone else and public transportation is affordable and accessible. Imagine a city where there are no unsafe neighbourhoods that residents are afraid to walk through. Where children in lesbian and gay families are not harassed on the school playgrounds, where there are no ghettos of immigrants and Jane-Finch doesn't equate to black-on-black violence. Imagine what Toronto could be if every individual is given the support to be informed, engaged and active in shaping the future of their communities and their City.
Click here to download the full discussion paper. (Adobe Acrobat PDF format - 175 KB, 16 pages)
Introduction
The Toronto Social Development Network (TSDN) is a newly formed “table” that has come together to develop an equity focused and inclusive social planning framework for the City of Toronto. The initial members of the network have established a Work Group that has undertaken the stewardship of this process.
We believe that the ultimate goal of planning should be to facilitate the engagement of communities themselves to identify their needs, overcome barriers and engage in strategies to improve social conditions in ways that decrease inequality and exclusion – and build equitable, just, inclusive and sustainable communities. Community social planning is a process , a way to get where we want to go. It is one way of working together to realize the vision you have just read.
As the Work Group, we have created this paper to get people thinking about the kinds of supports that need to be in place in order to have effective community social planning happening in our city. We already know that some valuable tools and practices of community social planning include:
- engagement of diverse and marginalized residents
- community education/ community development
- leadership development
- local advocacy and action planning
- service planning
- creating links across sectors and groups
- community-directed research and policy development
- city-wide or broader advocacy, research, policy initiatives and campaigns designed to improve our communities
Some key questions have helped us think about how these tools and practices should be made available for all communities in our City:
- What do community members need to be able to engage in planning and policy issues that affect their lives?
- How can the voices of those who usually have the least power or opportunity to influence decisions be made central?
- How can the Toronto realities of immigration, racialization and poverty be reflected in our planning processes?
- How could government decision-making processes be more accessible and responsive to community input?
- How can communities be more involved in social planning and policy development at the city, province and national levels?
Along the way, the outcomes of successful community social planning will include:
- Transformed programs and services to ensure equitable access to all residents, so that community members marginalized as a result of race, gender, ability and sexual orientation are no longer excluded
- Improved social and economic policies that will reduce inequities, for example in the areas of income security, employment, childcare, affordable housing and public transportation.
- Increased community services to address our city's “social infrastructure deficit” the fact that not all areas of our city and communities have the kinds of government services and community-run programs that they need
- More democratic and participatory relationships between community members, policy makers, politicians and institutions (both public and private sector).
In the next pages we identify some of the key principles that we think community social planning should be based on, and the kinds of supports or components that would need to be in place so that planning in our city could really make those principles come alive.
Key Concepts and Principles
- Moving beyond simplistic representation to more complex models of engagement and participation that tap into the true breadth and complexity of identity, community and engagement.
- We need to have planning and engagement capacity in the city that can truly respond to the realities of immigration, racialization and poverty in our City…
Central Components that would deliver the above Concepts and Principles
In order for community planning to be encouraged and nurtured locally and across the City, there needs to be a range of supports and initiatives in place which may include the following principles and concepts:
- An integrated equity framework that ensures the active participation and inclusion of individuals and communities that are not reflected in the decision-making structures of the City.
- City wide networks of community individuals, planners and social advocates, who share ideas, debate their merits and engage in social action and advocacy together.
- Support for local engagement, capacity building and planning in neighbourhoods and communities of common bond.
- Real connection between governments and their social policy agendas that are realized in the City, through ongoing discussion; shared policy development and adequate investment of resources.
We believe that these principles can be achieved through the following strategies:
- A Network of community planners across the City
- Models to enable grassroots engagement and advocacy.
- Re-Vitalizing existing community organizations as sites that integrate community engagement, planning and service delivery.
- Properly resourced city-wide community social planning organizations
- Established links with key institutions and other sectors (school boards, faith groups, unions, local business, etc)
- Linking globally to share inclusive practices
- Decentralized Mega-City and investment in community planning and social development in Toronto
The TSDN is expected to report back to City Council in April 2006, with the results of this process and recommendations on:
- Implementing an inclusive planning framework for the City of Toronto, based on community consultations and best practice.
- Developing a mechanism/process for the sharing of information, supporting the development of emerging groups, joint research initiatives and sharing of resources.
We want you to explore these ideas with us and tell us the best way to include your knowledge and perspective in the discussion. Together we hope to continue to broaden the vision, relevance and impact of community social planning in our city.
* The Community Planning Work Group , is comprised of representatives from the following city-wide organizations: African Canadian Social Development Council, Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, Hispanic Development Council, Chinese Canadian National Council – Toronto Chapter, Community Social Planning Council of Toronto, Aboriginal PeoplesCouncil of Toronto, Portuguese Interagency Network, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, Toronto Neighbourhood Centres, Toronto Women's Network.
Click here to download the full discussion paper. (Adobe Acrobat PDF format - 175 KB, 16 pages)