A message from Minister Michael Ford

I am proud to be the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism of a province that embraces diversity and inclusion and is home to Canada’s most multicultural population. Our strength lies in the different backgrounds, cultures and faiths that enrich our communities. However, despite our successes, we continue to face significant challenges. Too many individuals are denied opportunities or face discrimination because of the colour of their skin, their cultural identity or their beliefs.

Throughout the COVID‑19 pandemic, we witnessed a rise in acts of hate and intolerance. Recent events, such as the horrific Islamophobic incidents in London and Markham, vandalism targeting Jewish synagogues and Hindu temples and the experiences of racism endured by Indigenous and racialized communities serve as constant reminders that more work needs to be done. Many community members have expressed feelings of social and economic isolation, highlighting the need for increased education and awareness about the painful impact of these discriminatory experiences.

During the Anti-Racism Strategy review process, my colleagues in the government and I had the privilege of meeting with the Premier’s Council on Equality of Opportunity, community partners, sector leaders and others. These consultations included voices from Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities, cultural media, religious organizations, faith groups and two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual and other (2SLGBTQQIA+) communities. They shared their experiences, revealing how racism and its intersections with other identities hinder learning and success in the workplace and compromise community safety.

Through these invaluable conversations, it became clear how successful Ontario can be when we stand together against racism. Together, we can provide more children with better educational opportunities to fill the jobs of tomorrow, foster safer communities and enhance the overall quality of life for all.

Ontario's new Anti-Racism Strategic Plan details investments of over $132.5 million from the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, with additional support from our ministry partners. This investment, along with the work being done across the government to build a stronger Ontario, is creating a more vibrant and inclusive province where every person can participate, contribute and succeed. The plan builds upon the progress we have already made and sets the foundation for further action to address racism and hate head-on and create better, brighter and more prosperous futures for all communities.

Introduction

Building on extensive research and community consultation, the government’s newly amended Anti-Racism Strategy incorporates elements of the previous strategy, such as population-specific initiatives, policy research, accountability and community collaboration, with new themes and initiatives. The strategy will break down barriers and address systemic challenges to ensure every Ontarian — from every corner of the province, urban and rural — can participate, contribute and succeed.

Supported by collaboration and community engagement, this vision will be achieved through a series of initiatives from several ministries that fall into 4 distinct areas of action:

  1. Economic empowerment
  2. Supporting children and youth
  3. Population-specific anti-racism and anti-hate initiatives
  4. Policy and accountability

The Anti-Racism Strategy review: key findings

The government sought feedback on the effectiveness of the original strategy and emerging policy priorities to ensure the voices of Indigenous, Black, Asian, Jewish, Sikh, Muslim, Hindu and other diverse communities and partners were heard. This feedback was critical in informing the updated strategy and its initiatives.

The government met with more than 300 participants through community-led engagements and reviewed over 1,000 online and written submissions from:

  • individuals
  • the private sector
  • municipal governments
  • non-profit organizations
  • cultural media

These consultations emphasized the need for greater awareness and continued transparency and collaboration through collective impact approaches with diverse communities in shaping the policies and initiatives that affect them. The government also heard about the need to explore economic inequities as they transcend workplace experiences, housing displacement, transit usage, access to culturally appropriate services, support for and inclusion of cultural media and more. Similarly, the government heard that incidents of hate and intolerance are a serious issue that negatively affects communities in different ways. Lastly, the government learned about the importance of strengthening supports for children and youth to help the next generation thrive and learn about the importance of diversity and inclusion to Ontario’s cultural fabric.

Areas for action

Economic empowerment

Indigenous Peoples and Black and other racialized communities possess remarkable talent, expertise and potential. However, they often encounter social and economic barriers due to systemic racism that holds them back from:

  • entering the workforce
  • advancing in their careers
  • achieving financial success

Some Indigenous and racialized Ontarians, due to systemic barriers, are less likely to have the same opportunities for education, training and resources to gain access to:

  • in-demand jobs
  • emerging fields
  • skilled trades

They experience higher unemployment and are over-represented in precarious, temporary and low-paying employment. (Labour Market Report, April 2023)

In the first quarter of 2023, nearly 300,000 jobs went unfilled in Ontario (Statistics Canada, June 2023). The economic empowerment initiatives in Building a Stronger and More Inclusive Ontario are:

  • removing systemic barriers in the labour market
  • promoting an inclusive economy
  • unlocking Ontario’s economic potential

This approach is helping to build a stronger and more prosperous province where everyone has equal opportunities to succeed regardless of race or background. These initiatives are assisting Indigenous and racialized Ontarians to:

  • access training and learning opportunities
  • develop skills
  • build networks
  • advance in their careers
  • create successful businesses

Some of these initiatives include:

  • connecting newcomers and Indigenous and racialized communities to education, skills development and employment opportunities
  • supporting Indigenous businesses, Black and other racialized businesses and entrepreneurs
  • creating public- and private-sector partnerships to support communities and grow Ontario’s economy

Enhancements to apprenticeship programs to focus on under-represented groups

(Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)

Ontario recently made enhancements to 3 programs to increase the representation of Indigenous People and Black and other racialized individuals in the skilled trades and apprenticeship system.

Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Ontario is investing $28.3 million in the Pre-Apprenticeship Program in 2023–24 to help people interested in the trades develop job skills and readiness to find work as apprentices. In October 2022, Ontario introduced enhanced outcomes-focused evaluation criteria that prioritize projects that empower and strengthen career pathways for under-represented groups. In 2022–23 Ontario supported 1,592 under-represented clients through this program.

Achievement Incentive Program

Ontario is investing $49 million in 2023–24 in the Achievement Incentive Program to provide employers with a financial incentive when apprentices reach key registration, training and certification milestones. Program enhancements were introduced in 2022–23 to include additional milestone payments for eligible employers who sponsored apprentices from under-represented groups. In 2022–23 Ontario supported 3,964 under-represented clients through this initiative.

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program

In 2022–23, Ontario invested $120,000 in a new pilot to expand the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program to 2 on-reserve First Nations secondary schools to encourage Indigenous youth in exploring the skilled trades and apprenticeship system. In addition to the pilot, in 2022–23 Ontario budgeted $22 million towards the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program and supported 4,772 under-represented clients through the program.

Supporting Indigenous Economic Development

(Ministry of Indigenous Affairs)

Ontario is increasing access and lowering barriers to economic opportunities for Indigenous communities and businesses. The government is supporting programs that focus on:

  • the hiring and retention of qualified individuals in Indigenous communities
  • studying supply chain issues for First Nations populations
  • developing programs and resources to support future opportunities within Indigenous communities
Indigenous Economic Development Officers through Ontario First Nations Economic Developers Association

Ontario is investing $6.8 million over 3 years to enhance training and certification of Economic Development Officers and Indigenous business leaders and to support economic development priorities in First Nations communities.

Loans and grants to Indigenous businesses

Ontario is investing $10 million over 3 years through Indigenous Financial Institutions to provide low-cost financing and grants for Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs.

E-commerce grants to support digitization of Indigenous businesses

Ontario is investing $2.5 million over 3 years to increase digitization and e-commerce among Indigenous businesses in Ontario by providing grants through Indigenous financial institutions and enhancing e-commerce knowledge.

Improving understanding of the Indigenous supply chain

Ontario is investing $800,000 over 3 years through the Chiefs of Ontario to improve understanding of the challenges and opportunities of the First Nations supply chain and to develop an online First Nations supply chain map and business portal.

Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Entrepreneurs (RAISE) Grant Program

(Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism)

Ontario is investing an additional $15 million over 3 years to expand the RAISE grant program to help Indigenous and racialized entrepreneurs start or grow a business. The grant removes economic barriers by providing a $10,000 grant and access to business development training, culturally responsive coaching and support services. The initial 2-year $4 million grant introduced in 2022 has supported nearly 400 aspiring Indigenous and racialized entrepreneurs.

Other initiatives to support economic empowerment

Investing in Women’s Futures Program

(Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services)

Ontario is investing $10 million over 2 years in the Investing in Women’s Futures Program. This will provide employment readiness, counselling and gender-based violence prevention programming to help women facing social and economic barriers transition to employment, including newcomers, 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals and other women from under-represented backgrounds.

Indigenous Transportation Initiatives Fund

(Ministry of Transportation)

Ontario is providing up to $600,000 in 2023–24 to help Indigenous communities and organizations advance locally driven transportation projects that support economic development, mobility and safety.

Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation’s People and Talent Program

(Ministry of Northern Development)

The People and Talent Program’s Indigenous Workforce Development Stream strengthens and develops Northern Ontario’s Indigenous workforce through business partnerships by offering internships to Indigenous persons.

Enhancing the Skills Development Fund to address challenges to hiring, training or retraining workers

(Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)

Ontario is continuing to support the Skills Development Fund in 2023–24 with a $90 million investment to fund innovative projects that focus on economic recovery and growth to support a more resilient workforce. Funding will go to workforce development projects, including ones aimed to help:

  • racialized people
  • people with prior involvement in the criminal justice system
  • at-risk youth
  • people with disabilities
Literacy and basic skills

(Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)

Ontario is investing $108 million over 2 years to help adults develop communication, numeracy, interpersonal and digital skills, leading to educational and employment obtainment.

Small Business Enterprise Centres

(Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade)

Ontario is providing $10.9 million in 2023–24 to support 47 small business enterprise centres. The centres offer support and training to entrepreneurs to start and grow their business, such as:

  • consultations
  • seminars and workshops
  • mentorship and training
  • working with partners

The centres work to support the needs of diverse-led businesses and entrepreneurs.

Supporting children and youth

Systemic racism and discrimination can have lasting effects that are felt from early childhood into adulthood. The initiatives to support children and youth in Building a Stronger and More Inclusive Ontario are:

  • providing Indigenous and racialized children and youth with economic, educational and recreational opportunities
  • expanding access to culturally relevant, inclusive and accessible supports
  • improving the health and well-being of children and youth

These initiatives are crucial in creating a more inclusive Ontario where every child is supported and has opportunities in and beyond the classroom to achieve their full potential by:

  • improving child welfare, education and justice systems to better support children and youth
  • removing barriers and improving access to culturally relevant programs in:
    • early learning and childcare
    • education
    • child development
    • health
    • sports and recreation
  • providing culturally relevant, inclusive and accessible services and programs to support children and youth as they learn, develop and pursue opportunities without barriers

Inclusive grassroots recreation

(Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport)

Participation in sports:

  • improves physical and mental well-being
  • builds self-esteem and resilience
  • increases engagement with and connection to one’s community

However, under-represented groups, especially children and youth from diverse communities, continue to face barriers to participation in sport and recreation.

Ontario invested more than $3 million in 2022–23 to enable over 200 community organizations across the province to provide accessible and affordable sport and recreation programming to more than 18,000 children and youth. Emphasis is placed on the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. The government is continuing its successful partnership with Jumpstart and investing an additional $1 million through partnerships with other community organizations to further expand access to active recreation programming to under-represented groups and communities in need.

De-streaming

(Ministry of Education)

Indigenous students, racialized students, students from low-income households and students who have disabilities or special education needs are disproportionately enrolled in applied-level courses, which may result in limited opportunities for post-secondary advancement.

In July 2020, as part of its efforts to ensure all students can reach their full potential, the government announced the de-streaming of Grade 9 students into applied and academic courses, beginning with math in September 2021. As of September 2022, all Grade 9 subjects are offered in one stream. De-streaming helps break down systemic barriers in schools and reduce discrimination so that all students can be successful and pursue any post-secondary pathway they choose.

To continue supporting the implementation of de-streaming, the government is investing $103.7 million in 2023–24 for resources and supports to support student success related to de-streaming, including:

  • student transition supports
  • staffing supports
  • educator capacity building
  • parent resources
  • programming

Community partnerships to combat racism, hate and discrimination

(Ministry of Education)

Ontario heard from community members that there is a need for students, teachers, staff and school boards to learn more about anti-racism and the diversity of culture in Canada. Ontario is working with community partners to enhance and provide culturally relevant and responsive supports, services and resources to students and educators to combat racism, hate and discrimination.

This includes:

  • More than $2.8 million to expand Focus on Youth to provide high-quality program opportunities for thousands of children and youth in 24 school boards by creating employment experiences for high school students and increase access to free or low-cost camps for children and youth.
  • $1.8 million to the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) to address incidents of school violence by supporting inclusion and engagement in schools. To promote student inclusion, TDSB will work with culturally responsive and faith-based community agencies to expand programming for students during and after school hours. These community agencies will engage students through meaningful employment opportunities where secondary students will support younger students by acting as:
    • mentors
    • role models
    • program coordinators
    • instructors
  • $500,000 to the Pinball Clemons Foundation to partner with the One Voice One Team Youth Leadership Organization to provide mentorship, inspiration and ongoing opportunities for connection through in-school and after-school programming.
  • $1 million to combat racism and dismantle systemic barriers faced by underserved, Indigenous and racialized students, including anti-Black racism and Islamophobia, through:
    • youth hotlines
    • counselling services
    • youth support networks
    • lesson plans
    • classroom materials
  • $140,000 to Liberation75 to provide Holocaust/antisemitism education resources for educators and supports for students.
  • $150,000 to Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center to combat antisemitism by equipping educators in elementary schools with resources that share stories of Holocaust survivors.
  • $150,000 to the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate by educating students on Jewish history to develop awareness and empathy for the lived experiences of Jews and other communities and the importance of allyship between communities.
  • $303,500 to Parents of Black Children for continued delivery of the organization’s tutoring program for Black students via the EDGE Tutoring Program. Through this funding, 90 students in kindergarten to Grade 12 will receive culturally responsive tutoring twice weekly in French, Math and English (Language Arts).

Other initiatives to support children and youth

Black Youth Action Plan

(Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism and Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services)

Between 2020 and 2023, Ontario expanded funding to the Black Youth Action Plan by investing $60 million in prevention-focused programs that connect Black children, youth and their families to holistic supports, as well as new economic empowerment initiatives to support Black youth in achieving social and economic success.

In 2023–24, the province is investing $31 million to support the core Black Youth Action Plan program, as well as the expansion of economic empowerment initiatives to further help community organizations, Black-led employers and business leaders to create career pathways for Black youth and young professionals.

Youth justice services redesign for Black and Indigenous youth

(Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services)

Ontario is exploring opportunities and investments to redesign youth justice services to address the over-representation of Black and Indigenous youth in the justice system and improve outcomes. This will be achieved through the delivery of system responses that are co-developed and delivered by partner organizations and communities and provide greater connection to culturally relevant services and supports delivered by diverse organizations and communities.

Children at Risk of Exploitation Units

(Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services)

Ontario is investing $11.5 million over 3 years to Children at Risk of Exploitation Units, which pair child protection workers with police officers to locate children and youth who are victims of sex trafficking. Indigenous, Black and other racialized women and girls are over-represented as human trafficking survivors.

Indigenous Student Success Fund

(Ministry of Colleges and Universities)

Indigenous student support offices at publicly assisted colleges and universities are receiving $18.2 million in 2023–24 through the Indigenous Student Success Fund to provide specific services and supports to Indigenous learners, including:

  • employment readiness
  • career planning
  • transition supports
Community Aboriginal Recreation Activator Program

(Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport)

Ontario is investing $1.4 million in 2023–24 to support the Community Aboriginal Recreation Activator Program, which will enable 27 First Nation communities to hire recreation “activators” to plan and deliver sport, recreation and physical activity programming that is tailored to community needs.

Youth Cultural Camps

(Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport)

Ontario invests $2.5 million annually to fund up to 11 Indigenous organizations and/or communities to deliver cultural and land-based programming opportunities that help Indigenous youth learn about their languages and traditions and develop leadership skills.

Sport Pathway for Ontario Native Wellness

(Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport)

Ontario invests $1.3 million annually to support an integrated network of regional opportunities for all Indigenous Peoples, on and off reserve, to participate in sport at the recreational level and advance to their desired level of competition.

Targeted education supports for Indigenous, Black and other racialized students

(Ministry of Education)

Ontario funds a variety of programs to enhance educational opportunities for Indigenous and racialized students, including:

  • early Intervention in Math for Students with Special Education Needs, which provides $16.6 million over 2 years to help address learning gaps and prepare elementary students with special education needs for a de-streamed grade 9 math course
  • Supports for Struggling Readers, which improves reading achievement and educational pathways for students from under-represented communities through an updated approach to reading instruction, dedicating funding, an educator’s guide and updated curriculum in response to the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read Report
  • expansion of Dual Credit Program, providing $3.7 million over 2 years to support students facing challenges to graduation
  • the Indigenous Grad Coach Program, which will provide $4.8 million in 2023–24 to support Indigenous students in obtaining an Ontario Secondary School Diploma
  • the Black Grad Coach Program, which offers $4.7 million in 2023–24 to support Black students in obtaining an Ontario Secondary School Diploma
Student mental health funding for Indigenous, racialized and marginalized students

(Ministry of Education)

Ontario is investing $3.8 million to fund First Nations, Urban Indigenous organizations and targeted community organizations to provide culturally relevant and responsive mental health and addictions services.

Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Program

(Ministry of Education)

Ontario is providing $350,000 in 2023–24 to the Martin Family Initiative to work with Indigenous leaders, educators, governments and other organizations to provide Indigenous-focused educational materials on entrepreneurship and teacher resource guides. These materials were developed by Indigenous educators and integrate Indigenous worldviews, highlighting the stories of Indigenous entrepreneurs.

Elimination of discretionary suspensions for K–3 students

(Ministry of Education)

Ontario is investing $43.5 million in 2023–24 in policy changes to address the disproportionate effect of suspension policies on racialized students and those with special education needs by limiting suspensions for students in junior kindergarten to Grade 3.

Strengthening racial equity in education

(Ministry of Education)

Ontario is supporting efforts to advance racial equity in school boards, including through:

  • providing $118.1 million in 2023–24 to school boards to develop Board Action Plans on Indigenous Education
  • trustee and senior education leadership anti-hate training, working with community organizations including:
    • the Muslim Association of Canada (MAC)
    • African Canadian Coalition against Hate, Oppression and Racism (ANCHOR)
    • Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center
    • Égale
    • FrancoQueer
    • L'Association Canadienne pour la Promotion des Héritages Africains (ACPHA)
    • Indigenous Trustees’ Council Chair
Youth Opportunities Fund

(Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services)

Ontario provides $16.8 million annually for the Youth Opportunities Fund through the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The fund provides grants to families, youth-led grassroots groups and system partners serving young people who face multiple barriers to economic and social well-being.

Population-specific anti-racism and anti-hate initiatives

Ontario’s diversity and inclusiveness play a pivotal role in making the province one of the best places in the world to live, work and succeed. They help enrich the cultural fabric of communities and make the province stronger and more vibrant. However, certain communities and populations disproportionately experience systemic racism and hate compared to others. In the last few years, for example, there has been a surge in hate-motivated incidents across the province, with Indigenous, Black, Muslim and Jewish communities being the most targeted. (Statistics Canada, March 2023)

The population-specific anti-racism and anti-hate initiatives outlined in Building a Stronger and More Inclusive Ontario will:

  • help address the impact of racism and hate, with the potential to enhance safety for populations most affected by racism and hate
  • increase awareness and understanding to respond to hate-motivated behaviours and support population-specific needs
  • improve access to supports that reflect the unique needs and histories of Indigenous and racialized communities

Ontario is addressing the adverse consequences of different forms of racism and hate, including, but not limited to, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia by:

  • creating and supporting targeted strategies, initiatives and resources that promote anti-racism and address hate-driven behaviours
  • supporting community and sector-specific needs through strong proactive and reactive actions
  • working with community partners to develop and enhance community-informed initiatives to eliminate all expressions of racism and hate

Anti-Hate Security and Prevention Grant

(Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism)

Ontario is investing $25.5 million to protect and secure mosques, synagogues, temples, churches, gurdwaras and other faith and cultural spaces against hate-motivated incidents, graffiti, vandalism or other damage. This builds on the $40 million the government previously committed to increase safety and security at places of worship and cultural community spaces.

Anti-hate response project with the City of London

(Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism)

Ontario is investing $500,000 to support the City of London in launching a public education campaign and an online library of anti-hate resources, which will include guides, videos and other resources about various ways of responding to racism, hate and Islamophobia in the community.

Anti-hate and anti-racism resources for students

(Ministry of Education)

Ontario is investing $3 million over 2 years in anti-hate initiatives that include development of classroom resources to promote diversity and that reflect the population of Canada. Working with community partners, the funds will also help provide curriculum-linked educational resources on digital literacy to increase student awareness of online misinformation, critical thinking skills and awareness of online hate and threats.

Hate Crimes and Extremism Investigative Team

(Ministry of the Solicitor General)

Ontario is currently investing $1.2 million over 4 years to support the Hate Crimes and Extremism Investigative Team. This funding supports the team’s ability to investigate and reduce hate crimes and to work with partners to develop local community safety and well-being initiatives.

Restorative justice programs

(Ministry of the Attorney General)

Restorative justice programs support the twin goals of reducing the over-representation of Indigenous People in the criminal justice system and supporting Indigenous community-based justice processes. Ontario is contributing $39.3 million over 4 years into 58 Indigenous community-based restorative justice programs, co-funded with the Government of Canada, to address the over-representation of Indigenous People in the criminal justice system. These programs aim to address the root causes of crime and reduce recidivism.

Other initiatives to support population-specific anti-hate and anti-racism efforts

Indigenous relationship building

(Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism)

Ontario is continuing to work with First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Urban Indigenous partners, recognizing the impact of colonialism and intergenerational trauma, to advance anti-racism efforts and partner on anti-racism and anti-hate approaches that will help eliminate barriers and advance racial equity for Indigenous communities.

Anti-Black Racism Strategy

(Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism)

Ontario is continuing to deliver the Anti-Black Racism Strategy to address the adverse impacts of anti-Black racism and eliminate disparities in:

  • the child welfare system
  • the education system
  • justice systems

This will support long-term change across systems in order to reduce the disproportionately negative outcomes for Black Ontarians.

Gladue programs

(Ministry of the Attorney General)

Ontario is investing $13.8 million over 4 years to Gladue programs to address discrimination faced by Indigenous People involved with the criminal justice system. The application of Gladue principles in Ontario courts is important in addressing the over-representation of Indigenous People in the criminal justice system and is required by Section 718.2(e) of the Criminal Code of Canada. Gladue programs ensure that courts have the information needed to consider the systemic, historical and personal factors that may have contributed to the Indigenous person appearing before them.

Makwa Patrol

(Ministry of the Solicitor General)

Ontario is providing $2.1 million over 3 years to the Makwa Patrol, which is a collaborative initiative between Ontario and the Kenora Chiefs Advisory. The patrol acts as an intermediary between the police and Indigenous People in Kenora by providing on-street assistance to Indigenous People and others in need in downtown Kenora.

First Nation Mobile Crisis Response Teams

(Ministry of the Solicitor General)

Ontario is providing approximately $1.7 million in 2023–24 to help First Nations police respond to calls from individuals experiencing a mental health and addictions crisis and alleviate the long-term occupational stress effects for officers.

Indigenous Cultural Safety training

(Ministry of Health)

Ontario is investing $1 million in 2023–24 to provide training to front-line health care providers and administrators who work with Indigenous people and communities to enhance their knowledge and understanding of First Nations, Inuit and Métis history, culture and challenges affecting health outcomes. This training helps health care providers adopt culturally safer and more appropriate practices to improve quality of care and patient experience. Since 2021, over 5,800 health care professionals have received training through these online modules, which were designed by Indigenous people and providers and based on real experiences within the healthcare system.

Indigenous mental health and addictions system coordinators

(Ministry of Health)

Ontario is investing $1.5 million to provide funding to 10 Indigenous partners to hire Indigenous mental health and addictions system coordinators. The coordinators will make it easier to access service pathways by improving client journeys and coordination between providers that serve Indigenous communities. They will also work with local Indigenous populations, health service providers, the Ministry of Health, and Ontario Health to develop and implement recommendations to improve service coordination for Indigenous patients and their families.

Seniors Active Living Centre programs

(Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility)

Ontario is investing $60.5 million over 4 years to nearly 300 Seniors Active Living Centre programs, which provide services, including culturally relevant programming, to help seniors stay active, healthy and connected.

Seniors Community Grant Program

(Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility)

Ontario is investing $15 million over 4 years through the Seniors Community Grant Program to improve the quality of life of older adults and help them stay active, healthy and connected to their communities. The grant provides local organizations with up to $25,000 to deliver programs and services for older adults, including culturally relevantly supports.

Seniors Safety Line

(Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility)

Ontario is investing $2.2 million over 4 years in the Seniors Safety Line, a provincial 24/7 crisis helpline for seniors who are experiencing abuse (or persons calling on their behalf). Translation services are available in over 200 languages.

Ontario 211 helpline

(Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services)

Ontario is investing $16 million over 4 years to the Ontario 211 helpline, a 24/7 telephone and internet-based community information service available in up to 150 languages, to help all people in Ontario navigate social services, programs and community supports from all levels of government and the charitable sector.

Population-specific curriculum resources

(Ministry of Education)

Ontario is investing $300,000 over 2023–24 to co-develop resources for teachers and students to strengthen awareness of various forms of discrimination and hate that impact communities.

Safer and Vital Communities Grant

(Ministry of the Solicitor General)

The government is investing more than $1.5 million through the Safer and Vital Communities Grant between 2022–24. This funding will help 17 community-based, not-for-profit organizations and First Nations Chiefs and Band Councils support projects that prevent online hate crime, human trafficking and fraud.

Policy and accountability

Ontario has made significant progress in combatting systemic racism, but the work is not done. The government is developing and implementing policies, initiatives and resources to eliminate systemic racism, advance racial equity and assess progress of the Anti-Racism Strategy. Building on progress made, these approaches will help identify and inform the next steps the government can take to eliminate systemic racism in policies, programs and services and ensure the government is accountable to the communities it serves.

By improving and expanding anti-racism policy and accountability strategies and initiatives, the government is committed to:

  • identifying and eliminating racial disparities
  • continuing Ontario’s race-based data collection processes and supporting accountability by assessing the progress of anti-racism efforts and the Anti-Racism Strategy
  • engaging with communities
  • increasing the public awareness of systemic racism and the government’s anti-racism actions

Implementing race-based data collection in the Anti-Racism Act, 2017 (ARA)-regulated areas and initiatives

(Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism)

The government is collecting, analyzing, using and publicly reporting race-based data in 9 regulated areas in the justice, education and child welfare sectors. Data collection helps the government improve outcomes for Indigenous Peoples and Black and other racialized communities by identifying, understanding and eliminating systemic racism, disparities and disproportionalities. Considerable progress has been made by regulated areas in establishing race-based data with compliance rates ranging from 80 to 100% since first reported in 2020.

High Priority Communities Strategy

(Ministry of Health)

Ontario is investing an additional $25 million in 2023–24 in the High Priority Communities Strategy to make it easier for high priority communities, including low-income and diverse populations, to connect to healthcare services.

This strategy addresses local community and population health needs through partnerships with Ontario Health, strategic partners and lead agencies to develop locally informed culturally responsive interventions to improve access to healthcare services, including chronic disease screening and prevention, mental health and addiction supports, routine immunization, primary care attachment and wraparound supports.

The strategy achieves this by:

  • conducting community-led engagement and outreach to increase access to information and resources, including connecting them to existing health and wraparound supports
  • developing and implementing culturally responsive interventions to remove barriers and increase health service utilization and access
  • providing wraparound supports to address social determinants of health, such as income and housing supports, transportation and food security, through partnerships

Through the High Priority Communities Strategy in 2022–23 individuals were contacted through community engagement and outreach activities including:

  • over 5,000 individuals received referrals or completed screening tests for diabetes screening
  • over 17,000 individuals received referrals for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening
  • over 16,000 individuals received referrals or direct services for mental health and addictions, including distributing 3,059 naloxone kits
  • 1,811 individuals received referrals for primary care, including successfully attaching 301 individuals
  • nearly 40,000 individuals received referrals or direct services for health and broader social supports, such as food security, income, housing, child care and transportation

Other policy and accountability initiatives

Engagement with community partners

(Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism)

Ontario will continue to engage and champion diverse communities through avenues like the Premier’s Council on Equality of Opportunity and the Advocate for Community Opportunities to help drive the strategy from a user-centred approach.

Development and promotion of anti-racism resources

(Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism)

The government will continue to develop, implement and promote policies, programs and resources to identify and eliminate systemic racism in policies and programs.

Strengthening standards and education for teachers

(Ministry of Education)

Ontario is strengthening standards and anti-racist education for teachers, including:

  • Anti-Black racism Additional Qualifications (AQs) for teachers
  • Anti-Black racism professional advisory for teachers
  • Additional Qualifications (AQ) for teachers related to issues faced by Jewish communities
  • anti-racism and anti-discrimination training as a mandatory Professional Activity (PA) day topic
  • the amendment of Ontario Regulation 437/97, Professional Misconduct, to recognize hateful remarks and behaviour as misconduct
  • the removal of Ontario Regulation 274/12 and implementing PPM 165: Teacher Hiring Practices, to ensure teacher hiring is dictated by merit, diversity and unique needs
Temporary help agency reform

(Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development)

To help protect vulnerable workers, starting January 1, 2024, the government is requiring agencies and recruiters to have a licence to operate in the province, such as newcomers and temporary foreign workers.

Moving forward

Community collaboration and engagement is integral to how Ontario’s anti-racism policies, processes and programs are defined. The government will continue to engage and work with Indigenous Peoples and Black and other racialized communities to take further action to address racism and hate and create a better and brighter future for all Ontarians.

Measuring progress

Building a Stronger and More Inclusive Ontario includes data collection resources to assess and measure progress on the strategy. Ontario will continue to support the implementation of race-based data collection across the justice, education and child welfare sectors.

Ontario will monitor:

  • compliance rates, such as the percentage and number of regulated programs, services and functions collecting race-based data on:
    • Indigenous identity
    • race
    • ethnic origin
    • religious affiliation
  • response rates, including the percentage and number of individuals providing their race-based data.

Ontario will continue to work with regulated areas to ensure timely annual reporting and publish annual progress reports on the strategy.

Building a Stronger and More Inclusive Ontario

The Government of Ontario thanks community partners for their collaboration in developing this updated Anti-Racism Strategic Plan. We recognize and value their voice in making Ontario a province of opportunity.

As we move forward from our foundational efforts, we appreciate their insights to ensure our initiatives continue to be accessible and relevant.

Thank you for your support.

Connect with us

Web —  www.ontario.ca/antiracism

Twitter (X) —  @ONAntiracism,  @ONantiracisme

LinkedIn —  Ontario Anti-Racism Directorate

Email —  antiracism@ontario.ca

Terminology list

Anti-Black racism

Anti-Black racism is prejudice, attitudes, beliefs, stereotyping and discrimination that is directed at people of African descent and is rooted in their unique history and experience of enslavement.

Anti-Black racism is deeply entrenched in Canadian institutions, policies and practices, such that anti-Black racism is either functionally normalized or rendered invisible to the larger white society.

Anti-Black racism is manifested in the legacy of the current social, economic and political marginalization of African Canadians in society such as:

  • lack of opportunities
  • lower socio-economic status
  • higher unemployment
  • significant poverty rates
  • over-representation in the criminal justice system
Antisemitism

Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

Collective impact

Collective impact is an approach to tackling deeply entrenched, complex social problems that is defined by collaboration across government and community. It is based on a recognition that achieving lasting social change such as eradicating racial inequities within any one system (for example, child welfare, justice, or education) requires addressing interlocking and interdependent systems beyond it.

Colonialism

Colonialism is a practice of domination that involves the subjugation of one people to another. Settler colonialism, such as in Canada, is the unique process where the colonizing population:

  • does not leave the territory
  • asserts ongoing sovereignty to the land
  • actively seeks to assimilate the Indigenous
Disaggregated data

In the context of race-based data, disaggregated data means breaking down composite (“aggregate”) categories such as “visible minority” into component parts, such as Black, Chinese, Arab, etc.

Disparity

Disparity refers to the unequal outcomes of one group as compared to another.

Disproportionate

Disproportionate refers to the over-representation of a particular group of people in a particular program or system as compared to their representation in the general population.

Diversity

Diversity is the understanding that each individual is unique among individual differences. These differences can be along the dimensions of:

  • race
  • ethnicity
  • gender
  • sexual orientation
  • socio-economic status
  • age
  • physical abilities
  • religious beliefs
  • political beliefs
  • other ideologies

This can also include differences that are entirely personal, such as personality, style and ability.

Hate crime

Hate crime refers to any criminal offence motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on:

  • race
  • national or ethnic origin
  • language
  • colour
  • religion
  • sex
  • age
  • mental or physical disability
  • sexual orientation
  • gender identity or expression
  • any other similar factor

The Criminal Code of Canada contains specific hate-related offences such as:

  • advocating genocide
  • public incitement of hatred
  • wilful promotion of hatred
  • wilful promotion of antisemitism
  • mischief relating to religious property, educational institutions, etc.
Indigenous, First Nations, Métis and Inuit

Generally used in the international context, Indigenous refers to peoples who are original to a particular land or territory. It also describes individuals who identify as being descended from the original inhabitants (the first peoples) of what is now known as Canada. In this context, Indigenous People in Canada are First Nations, Métis and/or Inuit.

Intergenerational trauma

Intergenerational trauma is usually seen within a family in which the parents or grandparents were traumatized, and each generation of that family continues to experience trauma in some form.

Direct survivors of these experiences often transmit the trauma to later generations when they don’t recognize or have the opportunity to address their issues.

Over the course of time these behaviours, often destructive, become normalized within the family and their community, leading to the next generation suffering the same problems.

Intersectionality

Intersectionality acknowledges the ways in which people’s lives are shaped by their multiple and overlapping identities and social locations, which, together, can produce a unique and distinct experience for that individual or group — for example, creating additional barriers or opportunities.

In the context of race, this means recognizing the ways in which people’s experiences of racism or privilege, including within any one racialized group, may differ and vary depending on the individual’s or group’s additional overlapping (or “intersecting”) social identities, such as:

  • ethnicity
  • Indigenous identification
  • experiences with colonialism
  • religion
  • gender
  • citizenship
  • socio-economic status
  • sexual orientation
Islamophobia

Islamophobia includes racism, stereotypes, prejudice, fear or acts of hostility directed towards individual Muslims or followers of Islam in general. In addition to individual acts of intolerance and racial profiling, Islamophobia can lead to viewing and treating Muslims as a greater security threat on an institutional, systemic and societal level.

Marginalization

Refers to a long-term, structural process of systemic discrimination that creates a class of disadvantaged minorities. These groups become permanently confined to the margins of society; their status is continually reproduced because of the various dimensions of exclusion, particularly in the labour market, but also from full and meaningful participation in society.

Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is the existence and state recognition of multiple cultural traditions within a single country. In 1971, Canada was the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as an official policy. By so doing, Canada affirmed the value and dignity of all Canadian citizens, respectful of their ethnic, linguistic and religious differences. The 1971 Multiculturalism Policy of Canada also confirmed the rights of Indigenous Peoples and the status of Canada’s 2 official languages.

Race

Race is a term used to classify people into groups based principally on physical traits (phenotype) such as skin colour. Racial categories are not based on science or biology, but on differences that society has chosen to emphasize, with significant consequences for people’s lives. Racial categories may vary over time and place and can overlap with ethnic, cultural or religious groupings.

Racial equity

Racial equity refers to the systemic fair treatment of all people that results in equitable opportunities and outcomes for everyone.

Racialization

A process of delineation of group boundaries and of allocation of persons within those boundaries by primary reference to supposedly inherent and/or biological characteristics.

Racialized (person)

Often used to stand in for “visible minority,” this more fluid term acknowledges that race is a social construction that can change over time and place. It can be applied to people who have racial meanings attributed to them as a group in ways that negatively impact their social, political and economic life — for example, Black, Asian, Muslim and Roma.

Racism

Racism refers to ideas or practices that establish, maintain or perpetuate the racial superiority or dominance of one group over another.

Social inclusion

Social inclusion is based on notions of belonging, acceptance and recognition and entails the realization of full and equal participation in economic, social, cultural and political institutions. It is about:

  • recognizing and valuing diversity
  • engendering feelings of belonging by increasing social equality
  • the participation of diverse and disadvantaged populations.
Systemic racism

Systemic racism entails the creation or maintenance of racial inequity by institutions or systems, often as a result of hidden institutional biases in policies, practices and procedures that privilege some groups and disadvantage others.