Summary of findings

Introduction

In early 2022, FCM’s CanWILL program commissioned an environmental scan to identify the ways in which local governments are implementing gender responsive and inclusive approaches that support the direct engagement and leadership of women and gender diverse individuals in local government.

A total of 47 Canadian municipalities were included in the environmental scan, including all 35 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) and another 12 municipalities to include capital cities that are not CMAs and local governments representing smaller and/or rural communities. Below is a summary of the findings of the environmental scan, intended as a reference for other municipal stakeholders who seek to implement gender responsive and inclusive approaches. A full annotated list of identified approaches can be found here.

Overview

Gender responsive and inclusive approaches can be implemented at various stages of municipal policy and programming. The findings in this summary are grouped by those stages and by theme, to allow municipal stakeholders to identify the wide variety of actions they can take at different stages of implementation.

It is important to note that although a “whole of government” or systemic approach to addressing gender barriers can provide comprehensive solutions, any action, no matter how small, can also have meaningful impact and lead to larger systemic change. Starting on the left of this process and working through each stage is therefore not a requirement. Further, the feedback loops in the stages of municipal policy and programming are valuable opportunities to tweak, reinforce and refine the solutions identified.

Figure 1 Theoretical stages of municipal policy and programming for gender responsive and inclusive approaches

Figure 1 Theoretical stages of municipal policy and programming for gender responsive and inclusive approaches

1. Representation, Leadership and Governance

There are many ways to ensure gender responsive approaches have the necessary leadership, oversight and input needed to succeed. A champion within council or senior municipal leadership who advocates for a particular gender responsive and inclusive approach can help gain buy-in and generate consensus. Similarly, the creation of a governance body – such as a committee or task force – will help shepherd initiatives through bureaucratic processes, while an advisory council can ensure those with lived experiences contribute to shaping municipal policy or programming. Finally, the creation of a municipal office to oversee the work provides the human resources needed to design, implement and evaluate equity initiatives. This may come in the form of an explicit Gender Equity Office, or gender embedded in the mandate of a broader Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Office. Adequate leadership and governance oversight for gender equity initiatives also provides accountability mechanisms to monitor progress.

How Municipalities Use Governance Bodies for Gender Equity

The City of Hamilton’s Women and Gender Equity Committee is mandated to act as an advisory committee to the City on matters that affect women, trans and non-binary individuals.
The City of Edmonton’s Women’s Advocacy Voice of Edmonton Committee (WAVE) provides Council with advice on matters that affect women in the municipality, and advocates for gender-based issues related to City policies, decisions and priorities. WAVE was one of the champions and contributors to Edmonton’s success of reaching gender parity in City Council.
The Halifax Regional Municipality’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the African Nova Scotian Affairs Integration Office (ANSAIO), referred to as ‘the Office’ includes Diversity Advisors and provides policy advice, leadership, strategic direction and expert input to Council matters. They are currently developing the Women and Gender Equity Strategy, to align with HRM’s Diversity and Inclusion Framework, and to provide guidance on how to reduce barriers faced by women, gender diverse and non-binary folks of all identities.

For more examples of Representation, Leadership and Governance initiatives, see Section 2 on Governance Bodies in the Annotated Resource List.

2. Assessment and Gap Identification

Identifying a need without a thorough understanding of the root cause(s) or lived experience of those affected will lead to ineffective solutions. It may be easily observable that fewer women than men sit on council, or hold senior leadership positions, but still unclear exactly which barriers are preventing more women from running or getting elected to council, or from being promoted and recruited to senior leadership in a given community. While many solutions may be proposed, carrying out a comprehensive assessment to identify the specific barriers and gaps will allow decision makers to pinpoint solutions more effectively. A good assessment will also ensure the voices of those you’re trying to impact are heard. And it may not all be bad; the assessment may identify factors that are already contributing to an enabling environment, which should not be disregarded but rather strengthened. An assessment may include:

A workplace census or audit, which will identify baseline data on gender (and other) equity issues in the municipal workforce
Carrying out public consultations for input on gender (and other) equity issues in the community
Using a gender-based analysis framework (GBA+) to assess current and future policies and programming

How Municipalities Refine the Need and Identify Solutions for Gender Equity

In partnership with Social Planning Toronto, the City of Toronto began public consultations for their Gender Equity Strategy in December 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for the roll-out of the consultation process, especially in reaching participants who may not have access to the internet, have differing abilities or levels of digital literacy. The early consultation phase has seen the participation and engagement of over 1,000 women, girls and gender diverse residents. To reduce barriers to participation and ensure an intersectional gender equity lens in every aspect of this initiative, the City of Toronto applied effective mechanisms, such as:
- honorarium programs for participants and focus groups;
- training peer leaders and having them lead focus groups, and provide adequate compensation for their time;
- having an external community advisory group made up of individuals and gender equity change agents and community leaders;
- developing an interdivisional working group that helped the Gender Equity unit mobilize, develop and focus on key priority areas of the strategy.
The City of Winnipeg included public consultations in the design of its Safe City program, with a focus on giving voice to Indigenous women. Considering the high proportion of Indigenous Peoples in its population, the higher risk for gender-based violence towards Indigenous women and girls, and the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action, it was important that Winnipeg integrate the needs and lived experiences of Indigenous women in a strategy that focuses on safety. Community conversations were hosted with Indigenous women, newcomer immigrant women and other key informants including health providers and law enforcement.
The City of Kitchener conducted its first ever Workforce Census in 2019 to better understand the composition of its workforce and how that compares to the population they serve. The voluntary survey provided disaggregated data on indigenous identity, age, languages spoken, place of birth, racial/ethnic background, gender identity, sexual orientation and chronic conditions. In response, the City took action to address the representation gap by 1) establishing the Mayor’s Taskforce on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, 2) continuing to analyze the census data and researching solutions, 3) pursuing collaboration with underrepresented individuals and community organizations.

For more examples of Assessment and Gap Identification initiatives, see Section 6 on Gathering Data in the Annotated Resource List.

3. Priority Setting

Once a thorough understanding of the barriers for gender equity is established, several potential solutions may be identified. The process of identifying the solutions and prioritizing them can be documented in a gender equity strategy, but municipalities who are not ready to undertake that level of commitment can still take meaningful action towards gender equity through a priority setting process.

The priority setting process will allow everyone to get on the same page, to align actions from various municipal departments around a common goal, and to prioritize a sequence of action. For example, a municipalities may want outline key actions to be taken immediately, with other actions to be implemented over the medium-to-long term. The process often involves collaboration with stakeholders outside of municipal government, including community organizations, experts and constituents.

Identifying responsible departments for different actions or initiatives, and to demonstrate the role each department to contribute to the larger objective(s) is important for accountability. The process and/or the outcome of priority setting – whether via a gender strategy or not - will also likely require the allocation of human and financial resources for effective implementation and oversight.

For further insights on developing a gender equity strategy, please refer to Considerations for Developing a Gender Equity and Inclusion Municipal Strategy.

Municipalities with a Women and Gender Equity Strategy

City of Calgary’s Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
City of Ottawa’s Women and Gender Equity Strategy
City of Vancouver’s Vancouver: A City for all Women, Women’s Equity Strategy 2018-2028

Municipalities currently developing a Women and Gender Equity Strategy (as of 2022)

City of Halifax’s Women and Gender Equity Strategy
City of Toronto’s Gender Equity Strategy

Municipalities with an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy that includes Gender

City of Montreal’s Solidarity, Equity and Inclusion Plan: So No One is Left Behind
Ville de Saguenay’s Politique d’égalité, d’équité et d’inclusion

For more examples of Priority Setting initiatives, see Section 1 on Strategies in the Annotated Resource List.

4. Human and Financial Resources

Effective responses for gender equity and inclusion require the allocation of adequate human and financial resources. To do so, municipalities have taken various approaches, including:

Human Resources for Gender Equity:

Training and learning series for municipal staff to build awareness and competency around gender-based analysis, diversity, equity and inclusion, and other topics;
Mentorship programs, to support women and gender diverse people for leadership roles and elected positions;
Partnership with community groups and individuals with lived experience, for input on policies and programs; and
Strategic hiring processes, to reflect the community’s diversity in the municipal workforce.

How Municipalities Address Human Resources for Gender Equity

The City of Saskatoon developed a LGBTQ2S+ Employee Training plan in 2017 to increase knowledge and awareness of LGBTQ2S+ individuals and the challenges they face, with the overall goal of offering an inclusive workplace that embraces diverse backgrounds. It was developed with community partner OUTSaskatoon.
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo implemented an Indigenous Learning Series in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls for Action, with a module dedicated to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit (MMIWG2S). Developed with a local Indigenous company, it is required training for municipal employees and offered for free to all residents.
The City of Ottawa’s Women and Gender Equity Strategy (WGES) supports women and gender diverse individuals to participate and lead in municipal government through one of its 4 priority areas which include equitable representation in leadership and decision-making roles. This also includes roles where women are underrepresented (such as in finance, transit, and protective services). To support this, Ottawa has implemented a program called Leverage Equity to Achieve Diversity & Inclusion Targets (LEAD-IT) – a strategic hiring process designed to prioritize the hiring of intersectionally diverse women.

Financial Resources for Gender Equity:

Gender equity budgeting, to substantiate investment for gender equity priorities.

How Municipalities Ensure Financial Resources for Gender Equity

The City of Toronto has mandated the development of a Gender Equity budgeting process, and has an Equity Responsive Budgeting for all equity-deserving groups. The City is currently in its early stages of developing gender-responsive budgeting that will focus on women, girls and gender diverse individuals.

For more examples of Human and Financial Resource initiatives, see Section 4 on Capacity Development and Section 3 on Finance & Budgets in the Annotated Resource List.

5. Actions and Policies

In the process of prioritizing actions to address barriers to gender equity, municipalities may identify actions and policies that directly address women in leadership roles. They may also want to address the environment and enabling factors that can contribute to women and gender diverse people feeling welcome and being able to thrive.

Municipal governments are uniquely placed to influence gender equity barriers in the workplace and internal government organization (internal actions), as well as the broader community and constituency (external actions). The environmental scan revealed several internal and external actions and policies that can provide examples for other municipalities to follow.

Examples of Gender Responsive Internal Actions and Policy

In general, these policies create a more accommodating and inclusive space for diverse women to thrive in their careers and pursue leadership in their municipalities.

City of Halifax’s Parental Accommodation Policy for Elected Officials (2019) offers members of council full remuneration for the duration of their parental leave, up to 52 weeks and within the term of the Council member.
City of Moncton’s Breastfeeding Policy (2017) recognizes the right of women to breastfeed on City property and in municipal facilities without being harassed or criticized.
City of Iqaluit’s Respectful Workplace Policy aims to create a workplace, and by extension an environment for municipal services, where harassment is not tolerated and the existence of a work climate of understanding and mutual respect. It applies to all City employees, elected officials, visitors to City facilities and individuals conducting business with the City.

Other internal initiatives may include: shorter/earlier council meetings to accommodate councillors and staff with young children, council recess schedule aligned with school breaks and religious holidays, harassment investigative procedures and whistleblower policies.

Examples of Gender Responsive External Actions and Policy

The City of Gatineau’s implementation of Universal Washrooms and Changerooms initiative at two City swimming pool facilities aims to reduce gender-based discrimination while simultaneously increasing the participation of people of all gender identities in local social and recreational activities offered by the municipality. Additionally, this initiative is expected to make bathroom trips more accessible for mothers with sons or fathers with daughters, and increase the capacity for caregivers to provide care to the elderly or people with disabilities.
The City of Vancouver’s consultation process for their Women’s Equity Strategy (2018-2028) revealed recurring themes and priority areas from residents to help improve equity and inclusion in the broader community, namely: addressing safety and security issues for women including gender-based violence, providing accessible childcare, providing safe and affordable housing to address housing insecurity.
The City of Calgary’s She Governs: Participating in Municipal Leadership is a simulation of a ‘mock’ City Council. It is a virtual panel event offered to young women from grades 9 to 12, at no cost to participants, and designed to inspire, empower and equip young women towards participation in politics in the future.

Other priority areas for external action include: equitable representation of women and gender diverse individuals, particularly in leadership roles in the workforce and in communities, increasing public awareness and education on challenges that women and gender diverse individuals encounter and experience, providing safe and equitable spaces in municipal facilities (including breastfeeding spaces, universal toilets, gender equitable distribution of ice times at arenas) and in the community (such as ride shares, taxis, Ubers, etc.)

For more examples of Action and Policy initiatives, see Section 5 on Policies (Internal) and Section 7 on Other: Community Initiatives in the Annotated Resource List.

6. Data and Evaluation

A crucial stage of implementing gender responsive and inclusive approaches involves data. Without adequate data, decision-makers are left without the necessary evidence to learn from existing programs and inform policy and programming design. It is thus incredibly valuable to collect and assess baseline data (see Section 2), to set success metrics, and then report on progress. Gender strategies will often identify those success metrics and define the reporting frequency, but even in the absence of a comprehensive gender strategy, individual actions and policies should be designed based on the best available data, and define success based on a measurable outcome.

One tangible first step that municipalities can take to improve the collection and analysis of data is to adjust existing surveys, censuses and municipal forms, to allow for disaggregated data – based on gender and other intersectional identities – to be collected. Doing so will allow staff to more clearly identify gaps in gender equity in municipal workforces, programming and access to services. It will also provide the needed baseline to then be able to measure progress when actions and policies are put in place.

How Municipalities Use Data for Gender Equity

The City of Vancouver’s Annual Gender Diversity and Intersectional (GDI) Audit is a collaborative project between the City Clerk’s Office, Equity Office and the Department of Arts, Culture and Community Services, established in 2020. The purpose is to examine how the City promotes and integrates gender, diversity and intersectional equity in their operations, policies and by-laws. Some of the work involves collecting demographic statistics of the City’s workforce. The data is stored in one place, streamlining the process for accessing the information needed to apply an equity lens analysis. It also ensures that Council members and Advisory Board members are more informed on the decisions they take, and the results of the audit have been used to recruit more diverse members to various Advisory Boards.
In 2020, the City of Wood Buffalo conducted an Equity and Inclusion: Employee Census as a means to survey the level of diversity and inclusion among the City’s staff. The Municipality uses GBA Plus in its assessments, programs, policies, initiatives, etc., and intersectionality was applied to this employee census by considering intersecting identities and formulating the survey questions to allow for self-identification. The Census revealed gaps related to structural barriers and inequities specifically for:
- Indigenous Peoples, persons with disability, and 2SLGBTQ+ individuals in accessing senior leadership roles,
- Women, racialized individuals, and Indigenous Peoples in accessing full-time roles, and
- Women in accessing unionized positions.
This collection of disaggregated data has helped the City identify key areas needing improvement. As a result of Census findings and additional research, the Equity and Inclusion Office was able to provide key recommendations to the Municipality to eliminate barriers that racialized individuals and equity-seeking groups face.

For more examples of Data and Evaluation initiatives, see Section 6 on Gathering Data in the Annotated Resource List.

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