The Anti-Black Racism Strategy was created in alignment with the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent. The Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism continues to make progress towards eliminating disparity for Black Ontarians in the child welfare, education, and justice sectors. Through this strategy, partner ministries have identified baseline data and publicly reported measures and targets, which has informed the development and implementation of policies, programs, and services to combat systemic racism and support outcomes for Ontario’s Black population.

Child welfare sector

Ontario invests $800,000 annually to support the One Vision One Voice (OVOV) Program, which works to address anti-Black racism and improve outcomes and access to culturally appropriate services to Black children, youth and families in the child welfare system. There have been several advancements made over the past year, including:

  • Establishing a Youth Action Committee (YAC) to ensure that youth voices are incorporated into the development of policies, practices and initiatives meant to foster positive outcomes across the child welfare system.
  • Facilitating an expanded PowerUp! Symposium, which brings together Black youth with lived experiences in the child welfare system to help support them in building connections and ensures they are heard and empowered.
  • Developing Kujali: Caring for Black Children — Training for Foster Caregivers. The training is designed to empower foster parents with essential skills and knowledge to increase their capacity to care for the social, emotional, and physical wellbeing of Black children and youth.

Black Youth Action Plan

This year, Ontario is investing $30.5 million in the Black Youth Action Plan (BYAP) which is implemented by the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.

The BYAP strives to achieve better outcomes for Black children, youth and families in Ontario. It involves several prevention-focused initiatives specifically designed to support Black children, youth and families in target communities across the province.

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services has continued to successfully support culturally adapted programs to support at-risk and high-risk Black youth:

  • Stop Now and Plan (SNAP)
  • Youth Mentorship Program (YMP)
  • Youth Outreach Worker Program (YOWP)
  • Youth Opportunities Fund (YOF) (including an Economic Recovery and Resiliency Grant)

The culturally adapted youth programs under BYAP (for example, SNAP, YMP, YOWP and YOF) provide Black children, youth and their families with culturally relevant prevention and early intervention supports to improve well-being, overcome barriers, and increase their chances of success in education, employment and community inclusion.

Education sector (JK–Grade 12)

All school boards in Ontario are engaged in the collection, analysis and use of demographic data and are at different stages of development. School boards are leveraging this data to support the professional learning and development of staff to:

  • target supports and programming for communities
  • inform strategic plans
  • inform community outreach practices

The government is collaborating directly with school boards to help improve education outcomes of Black students. Funding is provided to select school boards, including the TDSB and Peel District School Board, to build senior leader and educators capacity for culturally relevant teaching practices in classrooms by addressing systemic racism and discrimination in classrooms.

Justice sector

Justice divisions in government have initiated several culturally responsive initiatives to support Black justice-involved individuals and correctional staff.

  • The Black Employment Support Program, launched at two Correctional Institutions, and one Youth Justice Facility, aims to assist Black justice-involved individuals with their successful reintegration into the community.
  • The African Canadian Excellence Program provides educational resources to empower and support participants to navigate challenging situations and achieve success against systemic discrimination.
  • The Afrocentric and Indigenous Library project is a collaborative initiative between the Ministry of the Solicitor General and a Black-led community group to circulate literature written by and about Black and Indigenous populations in correctional institutions.
  • The Black Speaker Series provides Black justice-involved individuals with access to Black role models, business, and community leaders, and those with relatable lived experiences.

Looking ahead

It has been an impactful decade as Ontario presses on to make progress in its commitment to an Anti-Black Racism Strategy. Ontario carries on engaging with Black communities and Black-led organizations in multiple sectors. Through policy and program reforms, Ontario will continue to eliminate the disparities and disproportionalities that negatively affect Black individuals and communities. Together, we will help to create a more inclusive Ontario that is a better place to live for everyone.