We are excited to announce that CK Pride has invited our municipal entry to lead the 2024 CK Pride Parade!

We invite you to join other municipal colleagues for a fun, inclusive, and family-friendly event.

All municipal employees are welcome to attend. Please invite family and friends!

Participating in the CK Pride Parade is a voluntary event outside of work time to honour Pride, inclusion, and celebrate together.

Suggest a theme for our entry before July 24th!

Submit an idea for a theme for our entry! This will help us choose how we should dress and decorate.

Use the QR code on the flyer above or email DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca with your ideas.

Help shape our Pride Playlist!

Submit a song idea for our Pride playlist! Share your family-friendly Pride-themed song suggestions to keep us dancing along the parade route.

Use the QR code on the flyer above or email DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca with your request.

Parade Details:

Saturday, August 17^th, 11:00AM

Parade starts at the Chatham Civic Centre and ends at Bill’s Place (48 Centre Street, Chatham).

A van will be available for people who want to participate but can’t walk the route. Stollers or other mobility devices welcome.

Everyone is welcome to stay for the festival afterwards!

Register, share a theme or song idea, or ask questions:

Register, share theme or song suggestions or ask questions through the DEIJ Employee Portal or contact Rebecca Haskell-Thomas, Coordinator, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca 226.312.2023 x 2447.

Learn more about Pride:

More details about local Pride week events are on the CK Pride website.

Learn more about Pride and supporting 2SLGBTQIA+ communities at work from the DEIJ Employee Portal.

Wednesday, July 17, 12:10-1:00PM

PABC 224 or Teams (Hybrid)

Please register ahead by contacting Rebecca DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca or x. 2447

Light snacks provided. Please bring a lunch if you would like.

As we work to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, we may feel pressure to do and say the right thing all the time. But we’re all human! Let’s talk about how we create spaces to share hesitancies, ask questions, make mistakes, learn, and move forward with a goal of building better relationships and a stronger organization

Open to all municipal employees.

Click on the image above to download the July calendar of dates important to communities in Chatham-Kent. Click on the text in the calendar to learn more about each date.

If you are printing the calendar, please print on Legal size paper.

If you are sharing with partners, please use our external website version.

Please contact us if you notice dates missing or errors DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca or x. 2447

How to Use the DEIJ Calendar

Use this calendar to inform programming, scheduling, and to better understand colleagues and communities we serve. For example:

• Avoid scheduling events on days important to communities in CK to ensure everyone can participate and show respect for each other.
• Supervisors: Colleagues may request time off to honour important dates. Employers have a duty to accommodate employee's creed to the point of undue hardship, including providing time off for religious holidays. Learn more from the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Remember that outside of these holidays, people may have regular prayer or reflection practices throughout the week.

We encourage you to get to know your team - find out what days and holidays are important to each other, if and how these days should be acknowledged.

Community Events

We post information about community events throughout the month in the 'Engage' section of the DEIJ Employee Portal.

Outlook Calendar

Did you know you can access more information about each date through a DEIJ Outlook calendar?

To get access to the calendar, email DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca or call x. 2447

Our Pride at Work* group is inviting 2SLGBTQIA+ colleagues and aspiring allies to gather to kick off Pride season on June 12 from 12:30-1:30PM. Join colleagues for Pride-themed trivia, button making, snacks, and socializing.

Location will be shared with people who register.

Register on the DEIJ Employee Portal.

Questions? Contact DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca or x. 2447

*Pride at Work is an informal gathering of 2SLGBTQIA+ identifying colleagues. We meet monthly over a lunch hour and are always happy to accept new members! If you would like more information, please reach out.

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day, a time to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.

We encourage you to participate in local events to honour the day, and National Indigenous History Month (June), as well.

Wednesday, June 19, 6:00 - 9:00PM

Indigenous Arts & Craft Market & Strawberry Social

Deshkan Ziibi, 495 King Street West, Chatham

Join us for strawberries and ice cream, browse, shop, network, and visit. Free event. All welcome.

Learn more about National Indigenous Peoples Day, this and other local upcoming events on the 7 Generations Indigenous Cultural Friendship Centre website.

Indigenous vendors looking to participate (free registration) can contact Naomi naomi@skanaflc.com

Co-sponsored by Ska:na Family Learning Centre, the Bleak House, Women's Equity Business, 7 Generations Indigenous Cultural Friendship Centre, United Way of Chatham-Kent, Municipality of Chatham-Kent, St. Clair Catholic District School Board, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

Thursday, June 20, 2024, 6:30PM

The Spirit Horse Returns

Chatham Capitol Theatre (238 King Street West)

Introducing "The Spirit Horse Returns," a captivating orchestral concert production that seamlessly blends diverse North American Indigenous perspectives, stunning visual art, and a rich orchestral score to tell the powerful stories of the Ojibwe Horses.

The production is a collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous co-creators, including Anishinaabe artist and Ojibwe Horse breed expert Rhonda Snow, songwriter Jodi Contin (Wasauksing First Nation, composers Kevin Lau (a first-generation Canadian), and Andrew Balfour (of Cree descent), writer and performer Ken MacDonald (an eleventh-generation settler), and featuring musicians from London Symphonia.

Pre-show art experience with Rhonda Snow one hour prior to each performance in the Rotary Lounge (Lower Level).

Get evening (open to public) tickets on CKTickets.com

For more information contact cortnee.goure@sccdsb.net

Click on the image above to download the June calendar of dates important to communities in Chatham-Kent. Click on the text in the calendar to learn more about each date.

If you are printing the calendar, please print on Legal size paper.

If you are sharing with partners, please use our external website version.

Please contact us if you notice dates missing or errors DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca or x. 2447

How to Use the DEIJ Calendar

Use this calendar to inform programming, scheduling, and to better understand colleagues and communities we serve. For example:

• Avoid scheduling events on days important to communities in CK to ensure everyone can participate and show respect for each other.
• Supervisors: Colleagues may request time off to honour important dates. For example, Eid is a significant event for people of Muslim faith. Employers have a duty to accommodate employee's creed to the point of undue hardship, including providing time off for religious holidays. Learn more from the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Remember that outside of these holidays, people may have regular prayer or reflection practices throughout the week.

We encourage you to get to know your team - find out what days and holidays are important to each other, if and how these days should be acknowledged.

Community Events:

We post information about community events throughout the month in the 'Engage' section of the DEIJ Employee Portal.

Outlook Calendar

Did you know you can access more information about each date through a DEIJ Outlook calendar?

To get access to the calendar, email DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca or call x. 2447

What's Brewing Chatham-Kent? Newcomer Network

New to Chatham-Kent? Look no further! There are numerous organizations and individuals ready to help newcomers adjust to the community. Whether you are a newcomer to Chatham-Kent, Ontario, or Canada, we are here to welcome you!

Come join us at our monthly events to connect, make new acquaintances, and discover all that Chatham-Kent has in store for you!

One free non-alcoholic beverage included. Sponsored by United Way. Opportunities to win fun prizes!

At Turns & Tales, 213 King Street, Chatham.

Wednesday, May 22nd from 6:00PM - 8:00PM. Sponsored by United Way of Chatham-Kent, Ska:Na Family Learning Centre, Thamesview Family Health Team, Living CK, and CK Public Health.

Contact info@uwock.ca for more information.

Wednesday, May 22, 12:10-1:00PM

PABC 224 or Teams (Hybrid)

Please register ahead by contacting Rebecca DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca or x. 2447

Light snacks provided. Please bring a lunch if you would like.

It can be difficult to tell fact from fiction when it comes to conversations and media coverage about 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Join members of the Lambton Kent District School Board's Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Justice team to learn the facts about 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and human-rights based approaches to equity and inclusion.

Open to all municipal employees.

Send questions in advance anonymously through the DEIJ Employee Portal.

Click on the image above to download the May calendar of dates important to communities in Chatham-Kent. Click on the text in the calendar to learn more about each date.

If you are printing the calendar, please print on Legal size paper.

If you are sharing with partners, please use our external website version.

Please contact us if you notice dates missing or errors DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca or x. 2447

If you are planning an event for Cinco de Mayo, please review our resource about respectful Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

Community Events:

You may want to participate in community events related to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice:

• May 3-5 there are community events in honour of National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Learn more on the DEIJ Employee Portal.
• May 29 the Accessibility Advisory Committee is encouraging people to wear red for Easter Seal’s Red Shirt Day of Action for Accessibility and Inclusion.

We post information about community events throughout the month in the 'Engage' section of the DEIJ Employee Portal.

How to Use the DEIJ Calendar

Use this calendar to inform programming, scheduling, and to better understand colleagues and communities we serve.

Other ways to use this calendar:

• Avoid scheduling events (for staff or community) on days important to communities in CK to ensure everyone can participate and show respect for each other.
• Supervisors: People may ask for time off or for flexibility to honour some of these dates. Employers have a duty to accommodate employee's creed to the point of undue hardship, including providing time off for religious holidays. Learn more from the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Remember that outside of these holidays, people may have regular prayer or reflection practices. For example, Friday afternoons are a significant time of prayer for some people of Muslim faith.

We encourage you to get to know your team - find out what days and holidays are important to each other, if and how these days should be acknowledged.

Outlook Calendar

Did you know you can access more information about each date through a DEIJ Outlook calendar?

To get access to the calendar, email DEIJ@chatham-kent.ca or call x. 2447

The Sikh Community of Chatham-Kent invites the community to the celebration of the 325th Khalsa Sajna Diwas and the first Nagar Kirtan (Sikh Religious Parade) in CK.

The event is April 28, 2024, from 10 am – 2 pm.

The parade starts at Gurdwara Sikh Lehar International (210 King St. E. Chatham) at 10 am. The Sangat will travel along King Street, turning right on William Street and into Tecumseh Park for more celebrations until 2 pm.

Learn about Nagar Kirtan (Sikh Religious Parades)
Etiquette tips from Learn Religion (article). The root of the parades from Basics of Sikhi on YouTube (video).

Learn about Khalsa Sajna Diwas and Vaisakhi

World Sikh Organization (article) or Basics of Sihki on YouTube (video).