COQUITLAM, B.C., March 29, 2023 – Coquitlam is recognizing Celebrate Diversity Month in April with initiatives that highlight what makes each person unique and how these differences contribute to a vibrant, welcoming community.
Throughout the month, the City of Coquitlam will be highlighting the work taking place to break down barriers and ensure that everyone – regardless of ability, race, culture, gender, sexual orientation and other lived experiences – is able to live, work and thrive in a safe, welcoming community. This includes promoting awareness and appreciation of diversity with displays and positive messaging in public spaces, social media posts and other initiatives.
Coquitlam’s Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
As an organization, Coquitlam is on a journey to better serve its vibrant and diverse community by incorporating an EDI perspective in all City business – including policies and practices, the language used, how neighbourhoods are planned, and how and what services the City provides.
EDI-related work aims to break down barriers to ensure that everyone – regardless of ability, race, culture, gender, sexual orientation and other diversity characteristics – is able to live, work and thrive in a safe and welcoming environment.
Celebrate Diversity Month is part of the City’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, a top business priority and a focus of ongoing work highlighted at coquitlam.ca/edi.
City-led Initiatives to Build a More Inclusive Community
Starting in 2022, Coquitlam began incorporating the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in the annual Business Plan that guides priorities, decision-making and all work across the organization. Examples of some of the City’s work to date includes:
- Earning a Rick Hansen Foundation grant to improve accessibility at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex, Dogwood Pavilion and Town Centre Park Community Centre, as well as to provide accessibility training to staff.
- Earning a grant from the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association in support of accessible programming as part of their Reaching Each and Every One program.
- Becoming the first B.C. municipal government to support Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s GoHere Washroom Access Program, adding 36 washrooms to the GoHere App.
- Adding the Google Translate™ tool to the coquitlam.ca website, enabling translation of the content into over 100 languages and making the City’s online information more accessible to those who speak other languages.
- Incorporating a multicultural and accessibility perspective in City decisions through dedicated City advisory committees.
- Celebrating multiculturalism and diversity at festivals such as Colour Fest, Canada Day, the Summer Concert Series, ScotFestBC – B.C. Highland Games and World Music Festival, Caribbean Days Festival, B.C. Dumpling Festival and Kaleidoscope Arts Festival.
- Providing community resources at coquitlam.ca/edi and coquitlam.ca/multicultural.
- Staff education, training and resources on a variety of diversity topics.
- Providing parental or caregiver leave for elected City officials to help encourage diverse candidates and remove financial barriers to serving in public office.
Additional initiatives planned for 2023 will be reported to Council-in-Committee on Monday, April 17 and are based on the City’s current EDI foundation, Council direction, community and staff feedback, and internationally-recognized best practices such as the Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Benchmarks (GDEIB). More information about the City’s EDI work can be found at coquitlam.ca/edi.
Celebrate Diversity Month Initiatives
Supported by the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, Celebrate Diversity Month was started in 2004 to recognize and honour the diversity of the world around us and encourage people to understand and value what makes each of us unique.
In addition to a comprehensive annual work plan, the City will be launching several initiatives in April such as:
- ‘Walk in My Shoes’ – a display at City Hall that aims to enhance empathy and understanding amongst neighbours by showcasing the stories of five newcomer women in the Tri-Cities.
- New street banners with designs and messages that support inclusivity and belonging: Diversity Lives Here, Everyone is Welcome, Coquitlam Welcomes You, and Be Here. Be You. Belong.
- Copies of Mina’s Lunch, a book recently published by the Asian Impact Society with themes of belonging and cultural awareness, will be available to read in the lobbies of various City facilities.
- City facilities will have messages promoting diversity on signs, screens, posters in public spaces and decals at all entrances.
- Providing free posters celebrating diversity to local businesses and groups.
Celebrate Diversity Month Your Way
Coquitlam also encourages residents to take time in April to celebrate our community’s diversity. A few ideas:
- Sample cuisine from around the globe at one of Coquitlam’s many multicultural restaurants, showcased in our video (bit.ly/globalflavourscoquitlam) and on the Tourism Coquitlam website at visitcoquitlam.ca.
- Search your music app for podcasts, songs and sounds from different countries and by artists from different backgrounds and experiences.
- Watch an international film at home, purchasing snacks from local vendors.
- Visit Coquitlam Public Library and ask for recommended authors or ideas on resources celebrating diversity.
- Get the whole family involved in cooking up an international feast, sourcing as many ingredients as possible locally.
- Research the importance of diversity and inclusion, see the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion website.
Hate Has No Place in Coquitlam
Coquitlam has developed the following statement of allyship, a word that describes active support for people or groups who have been historically marginalized:
“Allyship is not a one-time action, it is a journey of support, learning and commitment. This is a journey that we, as an organization, are also embarking on with purpose, while keeping the safety of our residents and community top of mind.
The City of Coquitlam condemns hate in all forms. We are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all, including people from equity-deserving groups such as LGBTQ2S+, racialized and disability communities.”
Coquitlam’s Ethnic Diversity: Did You Know?
As a settler community, Coquitlam has a long history of immigration from around the world that continues to build and enhance our diverse city today.
According to the 2021 Census, 46 per cent of Coquitlam’s residents were born outside of Canada, with the top five places of origin being China (8.6 per cent), South Korea (5.7 per cent), Iran (5.1 per cent), Hong Kong (3.4 per cent) and the Philippines (2.8 per cent). More than half of Coquitlam’s newcomers arrived in Canada within the last 22 years.
Coquitlam residents speak more than 80 non-Indigenous languages at home. English tops the list at 51.6 per cent, followed by Chinese languages (12.8 per cent), Korean (5.6 per cent) and Iranian Persian (Farsi) (4.3 per cent). Rounding out the top 10 are Russian (1.1 per cent), Spanish (1.1 per cent), Tagalog (Filipino) (0.8 per cent), Arabic (0.5 per cent), Portuguese (0.4 per cent) and Punjabi (0.4 per cent).
Learn More
Follow the City of Coquitlam on social media for updates on Celebrate Diversity Month and visit coquitlam.ca/edi for more information about how Coquitlam is working towards building a safe and inclusive community for all, as well as resources for learning.
Media contact:
Manisha Dutta
Manager, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
media@coquitlam.ca