Mayor Brown's statement on racism

Mayor Sandy Brown made a statement on racism at the beginning of the June 8 meeting of Orangeville Council:

"It was is with great sadness, and with anger, that I have reflected on the events of the past two weeks. The death of George Floyd was wrong. The events that have followed have shone a light on the fact that we collectively, as a society, have work to do. Protestors have marched in the United States and in Canada to raise attention to an issue for which there is no place in today’s world. Protesting against Anti-Black racism and against hate. It has been an issue for far too long.

"Systemic, entrenched, institutionalized racism is not a one-off event or encounter, and addressing it requires focus and intent. We need to identify issues of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination and to take the time to address them, to move the bar on building a diverse and inclusive community.

"As a municipal government we have a responsibility to lead and to use our voices to support and drive change. As a community we need to be accountable to, and for, one another – and to hold each other up.

"The Town of Orangeville is committed to standing together against racism and to creating a welcoming and supportive community. We recognize that we must all be allies in identifying and eliminating racism by working to change those conditions that are at the heart of racism and anti-Black racism. We need to move forward together."

Awareness Walk

A Black Lives Matter Awareness Walk will be held in Orangeville on Sunday, June 14 from 10 a.m. to noon. The walk will start and end in Alexandra Park. Second Street will be closed from Broadway to First Avenue from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Broadway will be closed from Centre Street to Second Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to ensure participants are able to practice physical distancing safely.