Our Commitment

As a health care organization, Lakeridge Health denounces systemic racism and all forms of discrimination and injustice and is committed to advancing equity and inclusion in our organization and broader community.

Recent acts of violence against  Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) have fueled international condemnation and compel each of us to reflect on how we can understand and work to address systemic racism and discrimination in our own lives, communities and workplaces.

Lakeridge Health is committed to working with our community and inside our organization to take clear and measurable actions to promote a healing environment that is just and equitable for everyone.

Engaging our Community to Create an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Action Plan

Our Board of Trustees recently created an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee to provide oversight for a Board-focused action plan to address anti-racism, inclusion, and equity. The Board is focusing their action plan on addressing and understanding experiences of racism and/or discrimination for Black people, Indigenous people, People of Colour, the LGBTQIA2S+ community, newcomers, women, people with disabilities, and those who face other challenges including unstable access to employment, housing, and regular or sufficient income. As supported by the World Health Organization, the Board of Trustees recognizes and acknowledges the disproportionate and unique experiences of racism for people within Black and Indigenous communities, resulting from the impacts of colonialism and enslavement.

As part of this work, the IDEA Committee has launched a survey for our community to share their feedback so we can better understand the barriers, gaps, and areas of opportunity within the Lakeridge Health system. The engagement also includes focus group sessions with community members, partners, and other groups.

Durham Region residents are invited to share their feedback in the survey. The survey will be open until June 19 and all responses will remain anonymous.

Resources & Tools

Also, as part of this commitment, we are pleased to share a dedicated web page with resources regarding racism against BIPOC and the advancement of inclusion, diversity and equity at all levels. We hope that these resources can support Lakeridge Health team and community members to learn more about the reality of systemic racism and to support open conversations about how to address and eliminate racism and discrimination at work, at home and in the community.

The resources will be updated and expanded regularly to cover racism and all types of discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, abilities, background, language, age, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity as well as strategies to promote equity and inclusion.

Black History Month Recognition

Together We Rise Durham - View our submission in Durham Region's virtual 2021 Black History Month Celebration

Dr. Julie An Francis Shares Her Story

Quick Links to Resources

Digital Resources

• Celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day 2020: Connection
• Ted Talks: How Racism Makes Us Sick David R. Williams

• The Cold Hard Truth of Privilege States of Change

• Black Health Matters: Responding to COVID-19 Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Learning Toolkits/Interactive Resources

• Ontario Human Rights Commission: Call it out: racism, racial discrimination and human rights
  • A 30-minute interactive eCourse that offers a foundation for learning about race, racial discrimination and human rights protections under Ontario's Human Rights Code.

• Navigating Race in Canadian Workplaces
  • A toolkit for diversity and inclusion practitioners
  • Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion

• Human Library: Everyone has a Story to Share
  • A Human Library is a way for people to reach out and connect with individuals in their community that they might not normally engage with. Visitors to a library have an opportunity during a planned event to borrow Human Books and to engage in conversation with the books. Developed by the Ontario Library Association.

• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
  • We acknowledge and support the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action to advance Canada through the process of reconciliation with First Nation, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous Peoples. The Call to Action “Health” section envisions improving health outcomes for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. May the partnerships with First Nation, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous communities help us work together to provide the best health system for all.

•  Ontario Health’s (Cancer Care Ontario) Indigenous Relationship and Cultural Safety Course
  • A series of free online courses to help individuals working with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. The courses support a call to action made in the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada report. These 13 courses provide knowledge about the history and culture of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people and communities.
•  University of Alberta's Indigenous Canada Course
  • A free 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores Indigenous histories and contemporary issues in Canada. This course explores key issues facing Indigenous peoples today from a historical and critical perspective, highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations.

Readings

Racism in Ontario and Canada

• Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change Fact Sheets
• Colour of Change Tools & Resources Collection of fact sheets, tools and resources unpacking the intersections of poverty and race in Canada
• 11 Terms You Should Know to Better Understand Structural Racism Aspen Institute
• Dominant Cultural Narratives, Racism, and Resistance in the Workplace: A Study of the Experiences of Young Black Canadians By Julian Hasford
• Racism in Canada is ever-present, but we have a long history of denial By Maija Kappler
• We Are All Treaty Peoples – A Framework for Understanding and Good Relations Going Forward Colour of Change
• Canada's history with Indigenous people is cruel and unfair, but we need to own up to it Kerry Benjoe
• Interrupted childhoods: Over-representation of Indigenous and Black children in Ontario child welfare Ontario Human Rights Commission
• Five charts that show what systemic racism looks like in Canada

Racism and Health

• COVID-19 Indigenous Resources at Lakeridge Health
• Indigenous Navigator at Lakeridge Health
• Statement from Black Health Leaders on COVID-19’s impact on Black Communities in Ontario Alliance for Healthier Communities

• Black Lives Matter: A Commentary on Racism and Public Health Jennifer Jee-Lyn Garcia and Mienah Zulfacar Sharif
• Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Coronavirus is not the 'great equalizer' – race matters: U of T expert

Resources specifically for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People and People of Colour) 

• 5 Black Mental Health Resources to Fight the Harmful Effects of Racism By Taylyn Washington-Harmon

• This BLM Meditation Can Help People Cope With The Tiring Cycle Of Oppression  By Zahara Hill 

For White Allies

• For our White Friends Desiring to be Allies By Courtney Ariel

• What White Colleagues Need to Understand By Clarice Brazas and Charlie McGeehan

• Confronting racism is not about the needs and feelings of white people By Ijeoma Oluo

·       Ontario Health’s (Cancer Care Ontario) Indigenous Relationship and Cultural Safety Course

o   A series of free online courses to help individuals working with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. The courses support a call to action made in the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada report. These 13 courses provide knowledge about the history and culture of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people and communities.