In what may be a first in Canada, Winnipeg mayor Scott Gillingham has created a Multi Faith and Cultural Liaison Circle to stay abreast of concerns and issues in that city’s faith and cultural communities.
The Circle’s 15 members, who were selected by the mayor, come from the city’s Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, Ba’hai, Indigenous and other communities.
They were chosen based on their expertise in faith, culture and the unique needs of their communities, and on their willingness to work collaboratively to identify issues and opportunities.
So far, the Circle has met twice. They plan to meet with the mayor four times a year.
The creation of the Circle follows a promise by Gillingham — a former Pentecostal minister — made after his election in October 2022 to build bridges with the city’s faith communities to find ways to work together to build a stronger Winnipeg.
He sees the Circle as a way for him to be informed about how Winnipeg’s faith and cultural communities are addressing various social and other issues, and to foster collaboration and connection with the city.
“Winnipeg has strong and established faith and cultural communities who are doing great work to make the city stronger,” he said, noting he is unaware of any other Canadian city with such a group. “But they have no connection to City Hall.”
Through the Circle, which is not an official city committee, Gillingham hopes to have “open lines of communication” and look for ways to “pursue solutions together.”
Noting it is easy for people who work for the city to overlook the many ways faith groups are involved in issues like homelessness, food insecurity or poverty, Gillingham said he hopes the Circle will help to build bridges to city departments “that have the same goals.”
It can also be a way for him to help groups “cut through red tape if needed,” when trying to start or operate programs, he said.
One of the major issues for Gillingham is homelessness. “It’s such a huge challenge. We need everyone working together,” he said, noting faith groups are often on the “front lines” in dealing with Winnipeg’s homeless population.
Antisemitism, Islamophobia
Gillingham will also use the Circle to stay abreast of incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia, and any other discrimination against minorities.
James Christie is the convenor of the Circle. For him, it’s not just a way for the mayor to hear about issues of concern to faith communities, but also for faith communities to hear from the mayor.
“We want to be a listening ear for the mayor, and from the mayor,” he said. The goal “is not to provide advice to the mayor,” Christie said, adding the Circle has no administrative or governance authority.
By creating the Circle, the mayor is showing “he values faith communities, how they contribute to the health of the community and what they contribute to the city in tangible and intangible ways,” he said.
Sandy Shahal, a member of the Sikh community and Circle, believes the Circle can benefit the city by acting “as a bridge between the government and diverse communities” and demonstrating “the city’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity and sharing resources.”
For Norman Meade, an Anglican minister and Indigenous elder, the Circle can promote “faith, hope and love as guiding principles” in a multi-faith and multicultural society.
Jamie Arpin Ricci, pastor of the Little Flowers Church in Winnipeg’s West End, sees the Circle as a way to “foster a sense of interfaith dialogue that is rooted in relationships to grassroots communities here in the city.”
