Women's liaison among new council's first tasks

Ottawa's newly elected city council is expected tomark its first meeting by creating a women's liaison to push for greater gender equity at city hall.

Coun. Diane Deans first promoted the idea in Februaryand had a hand in crafting the recommendations that will go before councilDec. 5 as part of a city-wide governance review.

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"We needed to be doing more than we were doing, and there are other municipalities that are certainly much farther ahead than we are, so it's time for us to catch up," Deans said Thursday, adding she's been pleased by the support of her colleagues.

A working group of councillors will also consider a widergender equity strategy to govern future policy-making, and will seek public input.

Mayor Jim Watson was originally skepticalof the idea, saying he didn't see the need for more bureaucracy.

Buthe quickly came around, and even promisedduring the election campaign to create a women's liaison and to strive for a 50/50 gender split on the city's advisory boards and other appointed agencies.

7 women on council

Seven women were elected to Ottawa's 24-member council on Oct. 22, three of them for the first time. Deans seesthe liaison role as a perfect fit for one of the newcomers.

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Whoever it is, the women's liaison will begiven a small training budgetand will be expected to file an annual reporton how well the city is doing when it comes to serving women with its policies and services.

"Chances are there are a lot of things in the corporation that if women were thinking about them,and how they impact them, would just be a little bit different," Deans said.