Councillor Alvin Tedjo has concerns with residents who were critical of the One Mississauga anti-racism ads that blanketed the city this summer. In fact, he wants the city to obtain data from social media so he can see exactly which “demographic…most believes this isn’t a problem, even though it is.”
Tedjo said his office received “plenty” of negative feedback from people “who did not understand why the campaign was needed, who believe we’re in some sort of post-racial utopia.” He then said, “we know for a fact that that’s not true and it’s actually getting worse in some cases.” He then alluded to the United States as being partly to blame.
Phase 1 of the One Mississauga program launched in early April and wrapped up in September. It featured 6 brightly coloured ads with a call and response design including statements such as, “I’m not racist, but” followed by, “…Enough said,” which the city refers to as “witty retorts.”
While Councillor Dipika Damerla thought the campaign was “fantastic,” she told the committee she wanted to see them “move away from the idea that there’s one group that’s racist and one group that’s a victim.”
MPulse Mississauga reported in May that a survey of 905 Hub’s April 16 Instagram post about the campaign generated a diverse range of views, from a diverse group of people, but that the majority could be classified as “negative.”
These negative comments mostly had to do with people feeling the campaign was a waste of taxpayer dollars or that the city should have other priorities, such as the cost of living. Others felt it was divisive, “cringe,” “performative politics,” or “woke.”
Both Mississauga Communications Director Rob Trewartha and Councillor Tedjo suggested that this negative feedback was proof the campaign was needed and most importantly, was an opportunity to have a conversation with these people in order to educate or “convince” them.
Now that the first phase of the campaign is complete, staff are turning their attention to phase 2, but warning that controversy is likely only going to increase.
Uzma Shakir, a city staffer in the DEI department warned of what she described as the coming “oppression olympics” as the “One Mississauga” campaign ramps up into phase 2 early next year and begins highlighting specific communities and, presumably, their grievances.
Councillor Damerla, who is also Chair of the Countering Racism, Discrimination and Hatred Advisory Committee, called the plan to come up with “community specific” ads “bold” and “provocative.” She went on to say, “because there’s always going to be the “me too” or “what about my community?”
The original ads appeared on all of the city’s digital platforms, including social media and Google ads, as well as highway overpasses, transit shelters and community centre and library digital screens.
According to the city, there were 83,000 impressions on social media alone. As the campaign used existing city resources and channels, costs were kept down, with phase one costing taxpayers approximately $5,000.
At the Sept. 17 meeting of the Countering Racism, Discrimination and Hatred Advisory Committee, it was clear that while public reaction to the ads was mixed, city staff and councillors loved them.
For Rob Trewartha it was “really fun” and a “career highlight.” He said his team was “enthused by this campaign” and there was an “appetite there to do this work going forward.”
Uzma Shakir called “One Mississauga” “very effective” and said she sees it as an “ongoing campaign” and that “once we start doing it, it will become part of the DNA.”
