DEADLINE EXTENDED. City seeking members for new Social Inclusion Committee

The City of Fredericton is seeking interested residents who would like to be part of the City’s new Social Inclusion Committee, or to serve on the selection panel being established to choose members for the committee.

The Social Inclusion Committee will be tasked with helping to create a community where everyone feels a deep sense of belonging and developing Fredericton’s first Social Inclusion Plan. The deadline to apply is Friday, September 30, 2022 at 4:30 pm.

The establishment of such a committee is part of the City’s commitment as a signatory to the UNESCO Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities. It follows a public survey on Engage Fredericton and stakeholder consultation in June and July of this year.

The feedback received indicates that the community wants the committee to be a space where regular citizens can share information with City Council and consider community requests on matters relating to social inclusion.

In terms of who should sit on the Social Inclusion Committee, most survey respondents felt that membership should be open to all citizens, irrespective of whether they were affiliated to a formal entity or not. In addition, those working or volunteering in the not-for-profit sector and education were favored. Although the city will not be prescribing the composition of the Social Inclusion Committee, or the interests it represents, it needs to encompass a broad and diverse cross-section of marginal and under-represented community members.

Other committees of this type have included representation from First Nations, the field of immigration and settlement, language minorities, LGBTQ2+ interests, gender interests, those dealing with disability, racialized community members, youth, veterans and seniors, anti-poverty and homelessness advocates, human rights advocates, local business interests, municipal staff, and governmental representation from all three levels. This list is neither exhaustive or prescriptive – the Social Inclusion Committee will be comprised of, guided, and ultimately led by the community.

The Social Inclusion Plan that the committee will develop is intended to guide City Council and staff on matters of social inclusion and inform the ways in which the city grows in this context. The Plan will be of central importance to the city’s future, and the municipality is looking for dedicated, committed community members who want to make Fredericton more inclusive.

The City of Fredericton encourages applicants of all backgrounds to submit an expression of interest in one or both of the following two categories: one, to become a member on the Social Inclusion Committee; and two, to sit on a selection panel alongside City staff and City Council to make decisions on the applications for membership. The use of a selection committee was a favored option during public consultation.

Anyone interested in serving on the Social Inclusion Committee or the selection committee is asked to submit a letter to the City indicating why they would like to serve and what they can contribute to its purpose, along with a brief résumé demonstrating their suitability to do this work. This information should be sent to the Office of the City Clerk, 397 Queen Street (City Hall), Fredericton, NB E3B 1B5 or cityclerk@fredericton.ca on or before 4:30 p.m. on Friday, September 30, 2022.