Indigenous Procurement Policy - by Councillor Dianne Saxe, seconded by Councillor James Pasternak

The RAP was unanimously endorsed by City Council in April 2022 and guides the actions that the City of Toronto will take to advance truth, justice and reconciliation. In February 2014, City Council directed staff to explore options for amending City procurement processes and policies to encourage and/or require hiring of people from Indigenous communities for City contracts. In May 2016, Council adopted the Social Procurement Policy and Program , administered by Purchasing and Materials Management Division, as part of Toronto's Poverty Reduction Strategy. The Policy aims to embed supply chain diversity and workforce development initiatives within the City's Procurement Processes to drive inclusive economic growth. While this policy speaks generally to Indigenous procurement, it does not set out specific targets or tactics for Indigenous procurement. Other municipalities are also exploring Indigenous procurement approaches; for example, in February 2023, the City of Regina set a new benchmark for such policies with an Indigenous procurement policy which sets a long term goal of growing Indigenous procurement to 20 percent of city procurement.