The Municipality of Clarington’s 2024-2027 Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Strategy reflects Clarington’s vision to create a connected, dynamic and welcoming community focused on the future while respecting the past.

The Strategy recognizes and celebrates the efforts of Clarington’s internal and external diversity and inclusion committees and is a continuation of their foundational work.

Inclusion is about building environments and cultures where people with diverse identities feel like they belong, can work and live to their full potential with respect, dignity and freedom from discrimination, and participate freely in the life of the community while retaining authenticity, uniqueness and autonomy.

An Equity and Inclusion Lens is like a pair of glasses that help you see things with a new or different perspective. It’s an easy-to-use tool made up of three questions that prompt us to think about inclusion in our work. Using the lens helps us consider potential impacts of programs, services and initiatives on the diversity of our employees and customers.

Inclusive language includes words and phrases that can be used to help make everyone feel welcomed and accepted. The words we use and the way we speak to one another can have a big impact on the people we are interacting with, influencing how they feel about themselves and how others perceive them.

The Inclusive Language Manual is created using the concepts of diversity and inclusion. Applying the learning in the manual will help increase awareness about relevant terminology and help us to avoid using language that is insensitive or demeaning.

Find suggestions on what words to avoid, alternate wording options and opportunities to expand understanding through self-led activities.

We encourage you to use the manual to help you become more aware of the communities around you and bring diverse perspectives into your daily activities.