City of Waterloo set to discuss growing number of hate crimes in the community

The City of Waterloo council will look to push forward the discussion around the growing number of reported hate crimes in the Tri-Cities on Monday afternoon.

A motion will be brought forward by Ward 7 Councillor Julie Wright at the city’s council meeting.

The Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo census area has the highest rate of reported hate crimes amongst all municipalities in Canada.

According to the City of Waterloo, roughly 35 per cent of people in Waterloo are racialized.

The city says work is already underway to combat hate across grassroots organizations and initiatives, like the Coalition of Muslim Women KW who have an online reporting tool, reportinghate.ca, a resource for those experiencing hate incidents.

The proposed motion on the table doesn’t establish any new action plans to combat racism and hate, but reaffirms the city’s condemnation of racism, pledging to commit to and support staff.

City of Waterloo staff are finalizing plans like the Get READI plan, which focuses on fostering reconciliation.

Following Monday’s meeting, a copy of the motion will be forwarded to local MP’s, MPP’s, and the presidents of Conestoga College, the University of Waterloo, and Wilfred Laurier University.