Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice on Municipal Council

One of our three areas of focus for the Municipal Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice (DEIJ) Strategy is to further DEIJ at our Municipal Council and Committees of Council.

2022 is a Municipal election year. Because of that, on February 7th, Municipal Council passed a motion to promote becoming a Municipal Councillor, or a member of a Committee of Council, in communities that are under-represented on those groups. At that meeting, a number of Councillors volunteered to act as resources for people from under-represented groups who are interested in getting involved in local government.

The Municipal DEIJ Team is supporting a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and just Municipal Council by:

1) Sharing information about how to run for Council.

People who are interested in running for Municipal Council can submit their nomination forms between May 2nd and August 19th. If you or your organization are interested in learning more about how to get involved with Municipal Council, please visit the links below or contact our DEIJ Team before May 2nd.

Learn more about running for Municipal Council here.

General information about the Municipal election (including how to vote) is available here. A subscribe button will be available soon.

Applications for Committees of Council will open in the Fall. We will engage in outreach again at that time. In the meantime, learn about Committees of Council here.

2) Connecting people to Councillors.

Have questions about the process of running for Council? Or, what being a member of Council is really like? The Municipal Councillors listed below have volunteered to act as a resource for people in communities that are currently under-represented on Council. Councillors are listed in alphabetical order. You may contact Councillors from any Ward (it doesn't have to be your own).

Councillor Marjorie Crew, Ward 6, 519-436-3218, Marjorie.crew@chatham-kent.ca

Councillor Joe Faas, Ward 4, 519-436-3208, Joe.faas@chatham-kent.ca

Councillor Melissa Harrigan, Ward 1, 519-350-8254, Melissa.harrigan@chatham-kent.ca

Councillor Mary Clare Latimer, Ward 2, 519-436-3207, Maryclare.latimer@chatham-kent.ca

Councillor Brock McGregor, Ward 6, 519-350-2537, Brock.mcgregor@chatham-kent.ca

Councillor Carmen McGregor, Ward 5, 519-350-3659, Carmen.mcgregor@chatham-kent.ca

Councillor Trevor Thompson, Ward 2, 519-350-3715, Trevor.thompson@chatham-kent.ca

3) Learning about barriers and facilitators to Civic Engagement

The DEIJ team is gathering information to learn about what helps and keeps people in currently under-represented communities from engaging in Municipal Council, Committees of Council, and other forms of local Civic engagement.

Please reach out to the DEIJ Team if you'd like to share your perspectives.

We'd love to hear from you.

Please contact us if you or your organization would like to learn about the upcoming Municipal Election or to talk about what helps and keeps people in under-represented communities from engaging in local government in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.

Thank you for working together to build a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and just Municipality!