City of Waterloo releases new guide on reporting incidents of hate

The City of Waterloo has released a new guide to help residents respond and report instances of hate.

The guide was created in collaboration with Waterloo Regional Police Services, the Coalition of Muslim Women KW, Community Justice Initiatives and the city’s municipal enforcement and is available in four languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, and Tigrinya).

Julie Legg, the Supervisor of Neighborhood Services for the City of Waterloo, said the guide is meant to help community members sort through the best way to report instances of hate.

The guide also gives explanations on different kinds of discrimination, community resources and why hate instances should be reported.

“We know when these things happen it can be a very difficult time for individuals targeted and for a community around that,” said Legg.

“We’re simply trying to put together these resources so community members have access to them.”

In 2022, there were 144 reported hate crime instances across Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.

This was higher than the 77 instances reported in 2021.

The city will be hosting their annual Neighborhood Summit on November 9 between 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. where community partners are available to answer questions about the new guide.

The guide is available on the City of Waterloo’s website.