Special Council Meeting

"WHEREAS the Safe and Healthy Advisory Committee is one of the City’s citizen committees of council that comment and give advice on a wide range of topics that affect the health and safety of the Kitchener community; and, WHEREAS for this past term, as part of their workplan the Committee has been pursuing research and the necessary work and engagement to bring forward recommendations for Council’s consideration for the development of an Access Without Fear policy at the City of Kitchener; and, WHEREAS there are an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 non-status migrants that are living across Canada, who enter the country through authorized channels as refugee claimants, with valid student visas, as temporary foreign workers, or with a visitor visa, but find themselves becoming a non-status person in Canada through the loss of these permits; and, WHERAS a person’s situation becomes extremely perilous when they lose their permits as they are subject to detention and deportation; can work in poor conditions; become socially isolated; face poverty, abuse, and exploitation; and may affect an individual’s ability to safely access essential social services; and, WHEREAS an Access Without Fear Policy is a municipal policy that allows persons without status the freedom to access city services and reduces the fear of deportation among people who are in the country without status; and, and social services, and enroll their children in schools, recreation programs etc. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVE

"That an in-camera meeting of City Council be held immediately following the special council meeting this date to consider a matter with an Identifiable Individual(s) and a matter of solicitor client privilege as authorized by Sections 239 (b) and (f) of the Municipal Act, 2001, respectively."

"That the by-laws be given third reading, namely: 5.1.a To confirm all actions and proceedings of the Council. (By Law No. 2022-042)