Engaging Women, Transforming Cities

Actual date to be announced.

Women and girls make up half the population of Canadian cities. In Canada, however, only 21 per cent of elected municipal officials are women. Girls are not typically engaged in decisionmaking that affects their lives in cities. Engaging women and girls in municipal decision-making, policy making, urban planning and budgeting can transform cities to be more equitable, inclusive and democratic for all residents. In some cities, women set up organizations and council advisory committees to change these statistics by addressing equality, equity and diversity. We want to build on that work with a national conference titled, Engaging Women, Transforming Cities, Designing an Ideal City for Women and Girls.

The Engaging Women, Transforming Cities conference will bring together elected municipal officials with women and girls active in women’s groups, unions, universities, schools, aboriginal, queer, immigrant and refugee, housing and health organizations, and violence against women, anti-racist, anti-poverty and child care activists as well as planners, architects and engineers. This is an opportunity for dialogue and action between women and girls and local governments. We want to transform our cities into places where women are more involved in the elective process and municipal governments are responsive to the priorities of women and girls in Canada’s urban centres.

For Canadian cities to be accountable to women, we need women to be involved in decisionmaking at all levels. A national conference bringing together elected officials with women from equality-seeking community organizations will move this agenda forward. We’re organizing this conference to take place in Vancouver before the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ annual
conference in June, 2013. Organizing is taking place by email, Skype, phone calls, Facebook, and in meetings across Canada.

Please join us in engaging women and girls to transform our cities. For information, to get involved, to let us know what you are doing or to send letters of support
to Engaging Women Transforming Cities:

Phone 604.873.7240
Email: womensadvisorycommittee@vancouver.ca
Write: Engaging Women, Transforming Cities
Co Councillor Ellen Woodsworth
City of Vancouver
453 West 12 Ave, Vancouver, B.C.
V5Y 1V4