Notice of the following motion was provided by Acting Regional Councillor Chan, seconded by Mayor Taylor:
WHEREAS the York Regional Police (YRP) has reported in April 2021 that an increase of 137.5% of hate crime occurrences against East and South East Asian communities in the 2020 statistics;
WHEREAS there have been incidents motivated by Asian-hate reported in the York Region throughout 2021, including charges laid against an individual in March 2021, a confrontation in August 2021 and hate-crime charge made by the YRP in September 2021;
WHEREAS the Regional Municipality of York is committed to taking action to achieve the vision as espoused in the Inclusion Charter to celebrate the diverse population of 1.2 million in the Region where everyone can live with respect, dignity and freedom from discrimination;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
Council affirms its commitment to the vision of the York Region Inclusion Charter, and condemns the increasing hate-related incidents against residents of Asian descent. And furthermore that York Region declares zero-tolerance of any form of hate-related behaviour and conduct against its residents, and that
Council directs staff to report to Council in the first quarter of 2022 with a proposed plan to work with community organizations to establish a process based on the best practices in other jurisdictions to combat hate-motivated incidents in York Region.