Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie proclaims March 8 as International Women’s Day in Toronto

On 8th March, Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park) proclaimed March 8 as International Women’s Day (IWD) in Toronto, a global day dedicated to celebrating women’s achievements around the world. IWD raises awareness of the challenges women face and determines ways to achieve gender equality. This year’s campaign encourages everyone to #EmbraceEquity.

The City of Toronto continues its commitment to celebrate women leaders on IWD. With 49 per cent of the City’s leadership roles occupied by women, ranging from Supervisor to Division Heads and above, the City is recognized as a top employer of women in Toronto. Yesterday, the City was named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2023, in recognition of its diverse workplace, as well as its inclusive and equitable culture. This is the seventh time that the City has earned this recognition since 2016. Toronto also ranked first on the Bloomberg women and cities ranking, performing well in categories related to safety, equality and maternity provisions.

The City is proud to celebrate IWD with numerous events and exhibitions across Toronto including in-person and virtual events, panel discussions and exhibits featuring compelling stories and photos. This morning, Deputy Mayor McKelvie will deliver opening remarks at the Toronto Network of Women’s (TOnow) hybrid event at Toronto City Hall. The event will feature inspiring speakers and engaging discussions on the theme of embracing equity. More information is available on the City’s TOnow webpage.

Additional City events and exhibitions celebrating the great contributions of women include:

• Black Artists’ Networks In Dialogue (BAND) Living Library, free in-person event on March 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Toronto Archives, 255 Spadina Rd.
• Toronto Network of Women (TOnow): International Women’s Day 2023 #EmbraceEquity. More information is available on the event page .
• Virtual and in-person event, Ours to Tell: The Power of Your Personal Story, March 9 from noon to 1 p.m. Tickets are available on Eventbrite .
• Newcomer Women Conference, Saturday March 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, 67 Pottery Rd. Register on the Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto webpage .
• Women of Courage Exhibition, open until Sunday, March 12 at Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, 67 Pottery Rd. More information is available on the City’s Toronto Festivals webpage.
• Toronto History Museums, Dis/Mantle: extended through Sunday May 28 at Spadina Museum, 285 Spadina Rd. Exhibit information is available on the Toronto History Museums webpage.
• Herstory Art Exhibition open until Wednesday March 29 at Assembly Hall, 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr., Etobicoke. More information is available on the City’s Toronto Events and Festivals webpage.
• Women in STEM exhibition, open until Thursday, March 30 at Clark Centre for the Arts, 191 Guildwood Pkwy., Scarborough. More information is available on the City’s Toronto Events and Festivals webpage.
• Toronto Archives in partnership with Black Artists’ Networks In Dialogue (BAND) presents Black Women in Leadership, an exhibition featuring portraits of 40 Black women leaders by four Toronto-based visual artists, open until August 2023. More information is available on the Toronto Archives Exhibits & Events webpage.

The City continues to invest to achieve gender equality. Yesterday, the City announced the third cohort of the Women4ClimateTO Mentorship program to support the development of emerging female climate leaders in Toronto.

By providing hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants per year to female entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations, the City continues to support women in business.

The City continues to make significant strides to increase female representation in sport- through partnerships providing access to hockey skills and sport opportunities for girls across Toronto.

The City recognizes there is still work to be done to achieve gender equity. In addition to programs, policies, services and employee-driven communities of inclusion already underway, the City is currently finalizing its Gender Equity Strategy and first Term Action Plan (2023-2026). This corporate-wide strategy, once approved, is designed to eliminate intersectional gender inequalities experienced by Torontonians, allow for the development of new partnerships aimed at reducing gender inequities and track progress on reducing and eliminating gender inequalities in the city, while ensuring transparency and accountability.