The City of Hamilton lies within an area of 1,113 square kilometres on the western end of Lake Ontario. Hamilton is considered to be one of the most diverse cities in Canada with a population of more than 470,000 residents. Hamilton is the third destination of choice for new immigrants to Canada and not surprisingly according to Statistics Canada more than 24% of our population is born outside of Canada.
In light of the obviously changing demographics, Hamilton City Council made an explicit commitment in 2001 towards ensuring that the City places a high value on the diversity of its residents and desires to develop, promote and possess an equitable and inclusive environment. As a result, the Access and Equity Office was created with the mandate that includes but not limited to the review, development and implementation of policies, practices, programs, services and opportunities, ensuring that equity and access are key considerations in the way we deliver service and to remove and prevent further barriers to the equitable participation of our diverse communities. Participation in the decision making process is a priority regardless of an individual’s colour, race, gender, disability citizenship, sex, age, marital status, political affiliation, religion, language, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, creed, immigrant status, family status, same sex partnership, and gender identification.
The Access and Equity office supports several Council Advisory Committees. The membership of the committees are recruited and selected by the City Councillors who are committed to ensure that the committees and local boards reflect the diverse nature of the City of Hamilton’s population. Council encourages all residents to consider this opportunity to participate.