Sarnia's mayor wants city council and city staff to take diversity, equity and inclusion training.
A motion from Mike Bradley to continue the educational process, after a number of training sessions already this term, will be considered during Monday's meeting.
"As we try to diversify the community and attract more people, that diversity, I think, needs to be understood by all of us in certain leadership positions," said Bradley.
Bradley said the training would line up well with a campaign launched earlier this week to promote inclusivity.
"There's been a lot of discussion with Lambton College about the international students and the value they bring to the community. They certainly have changed the culture of the community and given appreciation to others about the benefits of immigration into this community and that's part of it. As the college grows and the international student program grows, I think it's important the leadership of the community understands the aspects of diversity and the different cultures that we're dealing with."
Ideally, Bradley hopes the training can be done face-to-face.
"I left the motion open to the end of this year in 2021, so I hope it would be in-person and we could have that in-person type of dialogue, which you just can't recreate by video. That to me is what this is about. It's an exchange of ideas and views and understanding diversity and what we need to know about different cultures, about ourselves, and our own views and how we should be open to the changes that are happening across this country."
Bradley has also recommended the Sarnia Police Services Board participate.
Although a dispute with a female officer has been resolved, a racism complaint against Sarnia police, by one of its officers, was still being investigated.
