The City of Terrace has officially apologized to former city councillor Jessica McCallum-Miller for what it calls 鈥渟ystemic racism鈥� within 鈥渃olonial institutions鈥� in causing her to resign from her position in February 2021.
Municipal processes and policies 鈥渃aused harm to her sense of dignity and equality as an Indigenous woman which forced her to resign from city council,鈥� the city said in a statement on Sept 11.
The city said it will now hold mandatory annual anti-discrimination training for its employees and council members based on its own policies and hold annual cultural training regarding the Kitselas and Kitsumkalum peoples.
鈥淎mong the many issues facing our common communities, the city intends to raise, discuss and consult with its Indigenous partners how to create time, space and opportunities in city council meetings, bylaws, policies and processes to better respect, hear and reflect information and concerns from Indigenous peoples, and in particular the Kitselas and Kitsumkalum First Nations,鈥� the city added in saying it wished to hold regular sessions with the two First Nations.
Within the city statement, McCallum-Miller said she was 鈥渉appy that the city is committed to ending systemic racism in municipal processes.鈥�
The city did not provide specific details about events or practices leading to McCallum-Miller鈥檚 resignation and its apology.
Leading up to McCallum-Miller鈥檚 resignation, she and council disagreed over who should provide Indigenous cultural awareness training and when that training should take place.
In a Facebook post announcing her resignation, McCallum-Miller said it was her 鈥減ersonal belief that systemic and internalized racism, as well as sexism, had played a role in the inability of my colleagues to respect and understand my personal and diverse perspectives.鈥�
A year after her resignation, in 2022, McCallum-Miller filed a complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, citing the city, then-mayor Carol Leclerc and city councillor James Cordeiro.
Leclerc, said McCallum-Miller, failed to admonish Cordeiro for statements she described as 鈥渞acial joking鈥� and 鈥渉armful words.鈥�
Today鈥檚 statement by the city did not indicate if the apology served to end the complaint.
But in making the complaint, McCallum-Miller said she hoped for a resolution through mediation.
