City of Vancouver
Who We Are
The City of Vancouver is a municipal government providing essential services to its residents such as Policing through Vancouver Police Board, Parks & Recreation through Board of Parks & Recreation, and Library Services through Vancouver Library Board.
The City looks after planning, building and maintaining public structures, streets and sidewalks, setting long-term transportation plan, water and sewer, waste reduction and recovery. It also helps Vancouver become one of the world’s most livable cities through Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability. City’s Development, Building and Licensing department looks after building bylaws, and permits. The City effectively manages citizen tax dollars, City facilities and properties.
The City government helps build healthy communities, applies the City’s housing strategy, operates Vancouver Civic Theatres, serves as a hub of support for arts and culture, and awards grants to community organizations, among myriad of other functions and initiatives, programs and services.
Why We Are Involved
The City of Vancouver has long been engaged in equity and diversity issues. As the communities we serve and our workforce become more diverse, the City is increasing focus on diversity, equity and social issues and opportunities.
The City is investing in alleviating barriers to our residents’ well-being such as mental health challenges, addictions, social isolation, poverty and racism. We are in the process of implementing the City’s Equity Framework, coordinating, aligning and integrating the City’s various public-facing equity-related strategies, and continue to build relationships with equity-seeking groups across the city.
As an example, we are developing recommendations for redress for historical discrimination toward the Black, South Asian and Italian communities, and finalizing an anti-racism/hate action plan to address ongoing racism and hate faced by racialized communities.
We are actively working on finalizing City’s Accessibility Strategy and beginning the implementation of the first phase of a citywide strategy to integrate accessibility planning into the normal operating practices of the City.
Accessibility Initiatives
City’s forthcoming Accessibility Strategy underscores community aspirations and directions; and will focus on key areas recommended by the community with concomitant actions.
Some examples of the current work underway include reducing the barriers to walking and using mobility devices on sidewalks and pathways for people with mobility challenges through citywide programs and pedestrian upgrades. City is also looking at increasing universal accessibility of Bus Stops, including shelter from the elements and improving information.
In housing, staff are working with BC Housing, non-profit operators, and persons with disabilities who are experiencing or at-risk of homelessness to identify changes that will improve accessibility in temporary shelters.
With respect to employment, the City has initiated an evaluation of the City’s recruitment processes and procedures to make them equitable and inclusive, with a particular focus on ensuring that applicants with a disability can access employment opportunities at the City.
To support and increase community collaboration, the City continues to provide support to organizations serving people with disabilities through space, grants and investments in network building and strategic funding for growth and capacity building.
The City’s Accessibility Strategy, when approved by City Council, will articulate focus areas of work and actions plans in detail to build a more accessible and inclusive city.
