An anti-racism resource centre is needed now: Green

New statistics show Hamilton as Canada's second highest city forhate crimes per capita. That means that more than ever, it's time for an anti-racism resource centre, one city councillor says.

Matthew Green from Ward 3, Hamilton's first black city councillor, says the new Statistics Canada report highlights why it's time to move forward with the project.

City councillors put off making a decision on the centre last September. The city's committee for anti-racism pushed for it. But some councillors worriedthat the $130,000project overlapped with other services, or didn't include the LGBTQ community.

We're going to have to have this conversation sooner rather than later.- Coun. Matthew Green

City staff will report back soon on potential partnerships with local agencies that "includes both financial support and in-kind contributions."

That report needs to happen, Green said.

"We're going to have to have this conversation sooner rather than later," he said.

Green referenced the Statistics Canada report, which showed Hamilton as being second to Thunder Bay for the highest number of hate crimes per capita. Talk is also heating up around police street checks.

"There's a growing conversation about these concerns around the community," Green told councillors at the general issues committee on Wednesday.

And with planning for the centre, he said, he wants a process where "some voices that might not otherwise get heard have a chance to have input."

Would include a hotline

The centre would have been an 18-month pilot project. That would include a hotline connecting those experiencing racism with resources.

• City council delays $130K centre to help victims of racism

At first, councillors approved the centre at the committee level. But at a city council meeting, instead of ratifying it, the all-white council voted 10-6 to defer the issue to 2015.

At the time, Coun. Sam Merulla referenced the homogeneity of council.

"It's very sad that this council, particularly on the last night of this term, can be defined by not supporting this," he said then.

"It's easy for us to say (there's no need for a centre). It's not very easy for those that need it to say. I look around this table and there aren't too many visible minorities here."

Doesn't include LBGTQ concerns

Coun. Terry Whitehead of Ward 8 clarified on Wednesday that he voted to defer the centre because it didn't incorporate homophobia.

"The challenge was that we didn't incorporate that issue," he said. "We're looking at one-stop shopping and an opportunity to address very serious concerns in this community."

As for the Stats Can report, the numbersshowed that the Hamilton census metropolitan area had 17.4 hate crimes or incidents per 100,000 people in 2013, second only to Thunder Bay with 20.9.

But Det. Carmen Pietroniro, who serves as Hamilton Police Service's one-person hate crime unit, doesn't believe that hate crimes arethat much more prevalent in Hamilton. Police are actively reaching out to minority communities and encouraging them to report any hate or bias incidents, he said. So he believes the higher number is likely the result of increased reporting.