Celebrating diversity in our community
Diversity is a key feature of our society today. We celebrate the full diversity of our community and welcome everyone regardless of ability, age, background, ethnocultural identification, gender, identity, immigration status, income, heritage, life experience, housed or unhoused status, sexual orientation and other factors.
The City works to remove barriers and create a welcoming environment to ensure that all our citizens can safely and equitably access City spaces, programs, employment opportunities and services.
Our multicultural and equity policies
- Recognizes that a culturally diverse society is a source of social, cultural and economic enrichment and strength.
- Supports equality and the rights of all citizens to equitably access municipal services.
- Promotes understanding, sensitivity and positive attitudes towards people of all ethnic origins.
- Doesn't tolerate racism or discrimination of any kind.
- Promotes participation of citizens from all backgrounds in the development of municipal bylaws, policies, programs and services.
- Reflects multicultural and intercultural values in bylaws, policies, programs, and promotion and delivery of service.
Anti-Racism Framework
Burnaby is notable for the ethno-cultural diversity of our residents. With celebrating over 120 languages spoken and only one of a handful of Canadian cities without a majority ethnic group, Burnaby is considered a hyper-diverse community.
Burnaby’s Anti-Racism Framework was developed to respond and take actions against racism and discrimination in Burnaby. The framework report provides:
- background on Burnaby’s history as a hyper-diverse community
- information on hate crimes and incidents occurring across Canada, BC and lower mainland
- information on jurisdictional roles in anti-racism work
- a summary of the process and findings to develop the framework
- a proposed framework with key areas and actions as recommendations
The Framework identified 4 key areas of focus with related actions, including:
- Leadership and governance: Setting the tone and legitimizing/prioritizing the need for anti-racism work
- Learning and training: Building capacity across the City of Burnaby to sustain anti-racism work
- Belonging and inclusion: Centering the experiences of racialized Burnaby residents and community members
- Engagement and evaluation: Obtaining input, feedback and learning from the experiences of Indigenous, Black and Persons of Colour (IBPOC) community members; clearly communicating and meaningfully reviewing and measuring ongoing anti-racism work
Further work to develop an implementation plan is underway to better understand the scope of work in relation to existing and ongoing priorities at the City, help prioritize actions and identify appropriate resources and monitoring over the short, medium and long term.
Report racism and discrimination
If you witness or have experienced a racist incident:
Call the Racist Incident Helpline at 1-833-457-5463 to speak with a trained professional who will help you navigate resources available to you in your community. Assistance is available in over 240 languages.
Report a crime to the Burnaby RCMP at 604-646-9999 (Non-emergency) or 9-1-1 (immediate crisis or danger).
Need help navigating? Review the Immediate Response Protocol Document from Burnaby Together Coalition Against Racism and Hate for additional information.
Burnaby Intercultural Planning Table
We're a founding member of the award-winning Burnaby Intercultural Planning Table (BIPT). BIPT works to share resources, identify service gaps and support new immigrants and refugees in Burnaby.
Canadian Safe Harbour Champion Award
The City was awarded the Canadian Safe Harbour Champion Award from the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies (AMSSA) for our work in promoting multiculturalism. AMSSA works towards strengthening diversity in BC. We're also a member of the Canadian Coalition of Municipalities Against Racism and Discrimination.