Chatham-Kent's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Strategy

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) is offering a series of FREE workshops for people in equity-deserving communities* who are thiking about running for municipal Council in 2026.

*Equity-deserving communities are communities that often face barriers to participation and, as a result, are often under-represented in municipal government. Examples include but are not limited to people in the following communities: Indigenous, Black, Racialized; Women; 2SLGBTQIA+; People with Disabilities, Newcomers to Canada; Youth.

This 90-minute workshop provides useful insights and strategies to support you in getting your name on the ballot. Facilitated by former municipal Councillors Steve Anderson and Jasvinder Sandhu, you will be taken through:

• What to expect running as a candidate from an equity-deserving community (what they call diverse candidates)
• Critical strategies for successfully campaigning for municipal office
• Understand what it takes to become a candidate
• Identifying your target audience,
• Developing effective messaging and branding,
• Utilizing community engagement practices to enhance visibility and support.
• And more!

Dates:

• December 3, 2025 - 10:00am - 11:30am
• February 4, 2026 - 10:30am - 12:00pm
• April 8, 2026 - 10:00am - 11:30am

Learn more and register on the Association of Municipalities of Ontario website.

Additional Resources

Find additional resources and organizations that support equity-deserving communities to run for municipal office on the Association of Municipalities of Ontario website.

Find information about the 2026 Chatham-Kent municipal election on the Municipality of Chatham-Kent website.

Learn about other ways to get involved in municipal government on the Municipality of Chatham-Kent website

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has launched CKAlert, a new emergency notification service.

Signing up for this service will allow residents to receive important public safety messages in the event of a major emergency in the community, such as flooding, boil water advisories, major road closures, and more.

Learn more about the service and sign up on the Municipality of Chatham-Kent's website.

CK Victim Services has launched a new online tool to report incidents of hate or discrimination in CK.

This new tool will give people an option to report outside of going to the police. Many people don’t report experiences motivated by hate or bias to police. The intention of this new tool is to 1) ensure that people can get access to supports if they need it, and 2) use the combined data to get an idea of trends in the community.

Key points:

• The tool is available on Victim Services website http://www.ckvictimservices.com/report-hate
• People can also call Victim Services at 519-436-6630 and leave a message saying they want to make a report. Calls will be returned within 3 business days.
• People can report their own experiences or experiences they witnessed.
• People have the option of submitting an anonymous report or providing their contact information and indicating that they would like support from Victim Services.
• Hate or discrimination could include things like (but is not limited to) harassment, intimidation, threats, denial of services, witnessing or seeing vandalism aimed at a person or the broader community because of a person’s race, ethnic origin, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disabilities, or other identities.

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent's Employment and Social Services program has created a website with information for people who may need food assistance, including resources like:

• food banks
• little free pantries
• soup kitchens
• food voucher programs
• drop-in/outreach services.

Visit www.chatham-kent.ca/EmergencyFood or scan the QR code above to go to the website.

These services are here to support individuals and families in our community. Whether you're in immediate need or looking for ongoing assistance, there are options available to help you.

Reach Out Chatham-Kent (R.O.C.K) has designed a Homelessness Response Toolkit for local businesses, organizations, and area residents better understand and engage with local homelessness response efforts. The goal is to provide practical guidance, reduce stigma, and encourage compassionate and informed interactions with individuals experiencing homelessness.

The kit includes a quick reference postcard with information on who to call in specific situations, including phone numbers for outreach services, sharps clean-up, shelter, and other essential resources, ensuring that businesses and community members have immediate access to support when needed.

Digital copies can be accessed at www.reachoutck.com/resources.

At the February 2025 Board of Health meeting, CK Public Health released a report about household food insecurity in Chatham-Kent. A few key findings included:

• 1 in 5 households in CK are food insecure
• Many people in CK don't have enough money to buy food
• The root cause of food insecurity is poverty
• Emergency food charity is not a long-term solution.

The report calls on community members and organizations to learn about food insecurity, talk to friends, family, and colleagues about the true causes of food insecurity, and advocate for income solutions.

Find the full report, the above infographic, and more information on the CK Public Health website.

Unbound Book Club.

For people who may feel bound by the lack of accessibility in our works, join to explore new worlds, unique stories and meet new characters through the word of books.

For young adults (18+) who have a disability or are an ally for the disability community.

Books chosen based on availability in both print and audiobook formats.

For more information contact 226-626-6585 or erin.genge@gmail.com

We are pleased to share with you the 2023-2027 Human Resources (HR) Strategies, which include the People and Culture Strategy, Mental Health and Wellbeing (MHW) Strategy, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) Strategy!

We appreciate the collaboration and input many employees and partners have provided tour team since 2021 to develop these Strategies.

Many action items have already been started and many more are on the horizon to achieve our objectives by 2027.

We look forward to sharing the Municipality’s progress and celebrating accomplishments along this path of continuous improvement!

Collège Boréal is providing free, online English classes with a live instructor for people who are Migrant Workers in Chatham-Kent. Reach out to Azuani Cano, 519-384-9393, acano@dol.ca or Jiohanka Perez, 519-397-1677, jiohanka.perez@collegeboreal.ca for more information and to register.

Don't forget to subscribe to the CK Local Immigration Partnership newsletter for more updates like these!

The Chatham Alzheimer Society is rolling out a new initiative throughout Chatham-Kent. The program is called “dementia friendly communities” and the goal of the program is to give Chatham Kent businesses the skills and knowledge to better serve our dementia community. After a 1-hour education session with our education manager, your business can become certified as a dementia friendly supporter. With this designation you will receive a special decal for your display and advertising on the Alzheimer Society of Chatham-Kent’s website and socials. You can learn more about the program here: Dementia Friendly Communities Ontario | Alzheimer Society of Ontario

To receive the designation, 75% of frontline staff must complete either the in person education course (1 hour) or an online e-module course (1 hour) (if you cannot get all employees to attend the in-person course).

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact the Alzheimer Society of Chatham-Kent directly at 519-352-1043 ext. 221 or email info@justasck.ca