Black Lives Matter Toronto wins praise ahead of meeting with premier, mayor

Ontario's minister responsible for anti-racism praised Black Lives Matter Toronto (BLMTO) for sparking a conversation about race with its series of high-profile protests. 

BLMTO and other community groups are set to discuss issues pertaining to racism – specifically anti-black racism – with Premier Kathleen Wynne and Mayor John Tory later this week at the Daniels Spectrum in Regent Park.

Michael Coteau, Ontario's minister responsible for anti-racism, praised BLMTO's work, saying that while the group may anger some, it is forcing residents to have difficult conversations about race.

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"When you talk about race – period – people get uncomfortable, because people don't know how to react," Coteau told CBC Radio's Metro Morning.

Wynne agreed to the meeting after BLMTO's lengthy protest outside Toronto police headquarters wound up on the front lawn of Queen's Park in early April. More recently, the activist group blocked Toronto's Pride parade until a list of its demands was agreed to, including the banning of police floats from future parades.

The demonstrations have been controversial, but effective, Coteau said.

Coteau noted many policymakers and institutions are now talking about the issues raised by BLMTO, and that those discussions are "necessary."

The province, meanwhile, has launched an anti-racism directorate with the goal of keeping the conversation going.

Thursday's meeting will be the first of 12 consultations for the newly formed entity. The other meetings are expected to take place across the province, and may not solely focus on anti-black racism, Coteau said.

He said the province is trying to get a handle on what racism looks like in Ontario. His belief is that racism is now systemic, rather than as up-front and personal as it was in the past. Coteau compared racism to cars, where every year there's always a new model.

"It's always been here in Canada and North America … but it does change, it constantly changes," he said.

Coteau, who previously worked with the Toronto District School Board, said big institutions in the realms of education, health and employment – all of which are big pieces of life that the province is involved in – will need to change in the future.

Barriers need to be eliminated if Ontario is going to reach its potential, Coteau said.

The minister, who grew up mostly surrounded by West Indian and black people, also said he feels some personal responsibility to help curb racism in the province.