Racism, poverty and troubles in school system among top concerns in Ontario, says report


Rani Dhaliwal says Humber is raising awareness of racism

Friday, November 21, 2008

By: Justin Robertson

Growing youth violence stemming from racism, poverty and troubles in the school system have been highlighted as serious, a new report says.  

In an initiative ordered by Premier Dalton McGuinty, the authors of the report made 30 recommendations, among them $200 million in improved mental health care for youths to keep them on the right track, according to a Toronto Star article.

With so many neighborhoods lacking recreation and other facilities to keep teens out of trouble, the Roots of Youth and Violence report called for building community hubs where kids can gather.

“I don’t think I would pinpoint [the cause] to any particular area. I think what we are seeing as a society is a shift in different diversities taking place,” said Rani Dhaliwal, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services at Humber College.

“Understanding  our awarenesses and the need for certain support that needs to be in place would address some of these types of issues that were raised in the report, “ she said.

One of the recommendations made by authors Alvin Curling and Roy McMurtry, was to identify at-risk neighborhoods and assist in areas where the most support was needed. 

Throughout the report,  racism was found to be one of the major causes of violence within local communities in Ontario.  Cases of racism at Humber are low, according to Gary Jeynes, Director of Public Safety, Humber College. 

But Dhaliwal suggests, “While due to the complexity, sensitivity for the issue, I would say that  racism exists in society,” further adding “the issue is what are we doing to overcome , or to create awareness and acceptance.”

If a racism situation were to develop at Humber, Dhaliwal said that the case would come under Human Rights legislation.

“From a staff perspective we do a fair  bit of training – that’s a fundamental criteria for Humber to create that awareness,” said Dhaliwal.  “These are sensitive issues and it surrounds human rights, which is a very important initiative."