Sudbury 1 of 9 Ontario cities to host Liberals' anti-racism meetings

Over the years, the city of Sudbury has welcomed thousands of newcomers into the community.

But members of cultural groups in the city say they still face discrimination.

That is why they are happy the Ontario government will be holding meetings on anti-racism across the province starting this Thursday.

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Dr. Remi Ogundimu, president of Sudbury's Multicultural and Folk Arts Association, said she's heard stories of discrimination in the city.

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"I've heard people telling those who wear hijabs...throwing very nasty comments to them, telling people who are of a particular religion how they look and how they don't want them in the community," Ogundimu said.

She said Sudbury has become more tolerant over the years, but racismstill occurs in the community.

"I know presently, a lot has been done in our small community," she said."When you look around, there is a lot of diversity. I think it's a good thing to have on hand even if we don't have any major crisis at this time."

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Liberal MPP Michael Couteau, the Minister Responsible for Anti-Racism programs in the province, said the goal of these meetings is to hear from different communities about the topic, so he can better understand the situation.

"Sudbury is a very different place from Toronto," Couteau said."Toronto is very different from Ottawa and Ottawa is very different to Windsor. In different communities, there are different issues when it comes to systemic racism."

Couteau will host nine public community meetings on anti-racism across the province starting this month, with the event in Sudbury scheduled for later in 2016.