Inclusion Means Everyone

What (a) Wonderful World is an authentic "conversation about systemic racism and discrimination" in Nova Scotia. It's thought-provoking and asks viewers to reflect on the state of inclusion in NS today.

The Office of Equity and Anti-Racism (OEA) works with partners and communities to help support government's anti-racism initiatives. They help us identify where government can improve their policy, legislation, programs and services. Their responsibilities encompass*:

• Making sure government identifies and addresses underlying and systemic differences that people experience with access to opportunities and resources
• Building relationships with underrepresented and underserved communities to help inform government.
• Creating equity impact assessment tools to guide decision-making processes that support anti-racism, accessibility, gender equity, social equity and inclusion in government budgets, policies and programs.
• Working with communities to help improve education, health, social and economic equity for all people within the community.
• Developing policies and programs to help combat racism and inequity and resolve inherent biases and institutional processes that result in systemic racism and inequity.
• Working with partners and communities to develop processes to collect, measure and report data that helps inform and support equity.

To view a copy of the OEA's Equity and Anti-Racism Strategy, please click here.

*taken from the engagement website for OEA (https://www.oeaengagement.ca/). Please visit for more information.

How do we, a municipal government, bridge gaps within our organization and our communities to make sure that all of our staff, residents, visitors, and businesses are being served with dignity and equity?

• We can address inequalities, biases, discrimination, and barriers within our own workplace.
• We can respond to community’s needs through fair policy.
• We can provide programs and services that are all inclusive.
• We can build partnerships and relationships with groups outside of our organization so we can all succeed.

To begin this work, Council appointed members to an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Advisory Committee in January of 2022. This Committee meets once a month and includes representation from the community and Council with support from staff.

The EDI Committee developed an Action Plan, adopted by Council, that is a list of actions we can start working on right away and over the next year or so. We will add, replace, and reprioritize often, and we are asking our communities to forward their questions or suggestions. The Action Plan is in the Resource Library section of this website.

Council adopted a recreation-based anti-racism charter created by Recreation Nova Scotia and endorsed by our Recreation Services. The Charter was formed by professionals in the recreation field, including our own staff, with the intention of creating safe and inclusive spaces, supporting individuals and communities facing racism, and providing unifying guidelines for the recreation sector.

The Charter acknowledges racism - and the harm that stems from it - that exists in our province and offers actions to stand against it.

The commitments that the Municipality made when endorsing the Charter are:

1. To acknowledge and address racism, committing to zero tolerance of all forms of racism.
2. To provide ongoing training and educational opportunities.
3. To build racially representative communities, proactively including first-voice representation.
4. Design equitable and inclusive opportunities for racialized people to take on leadership and decision-making roles.

To read the Anti-Racism Charter, visit our Resource Library.

The Municipality of Chester became a member of the Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities in 2022. The Coalition is a network of municipalities that want to improve their policies against racism, exclusion, and intolerance under the umbrella of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Membership gives the Municipality a broader voice and provides us with supports and resources to help us in our efforts. To learn more about the Coalition and UNESCO, please visit https://en.ccunesco.ca/.