Women's Advisory Committee

The mandate of the Women’s Advisory Committee is to advise Council and staff on enhancing access and inclusion for women and girls to fully participate in City services and civic life.

Meetings update

Meetings may be convened by electronic means as authorized by Section 14.14 of the Procedure By-law. Advisory Bodies may elect to conduct their meetings in person, by electronic means, or as a hybrid of the two. 

If attending in person, please continue to respect the personal space of others.

Virtual meetings use Cisco WebEx Events. No software download is required. In the event of a virtual meeting, use the link below to view the meeting live through your web browser.

A link to join the live meeting broadcast is posted 24 hours in advance of the meeting.

Next meeting: January 30, 2024

Event password: WADV (9238 from phones)

Join the meeting (Webinar) Link will be added 1 week before the meeting.

Join by phone (audio only)

1-855-699-3239 (Canada - toll free)

Access code: TBA

Consent - Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy

To view or participate in meetings virtually, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information outside Canada as described below. The City of Vancouver collects your personal information in accordance with section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for purposes of organizing and administering advisory body meetings. For virtual advisory body meetings, your contact information will be shared with the City’s web conferencing provider, Cisco WebEx. Information submitted to WebEx will be stored on servers in the United States and may be accessed in the United States or internationally for technical support purposes. If you have questions about the collection of this information, please contact the director of access to information and privacy by emailing privacy@vancouver.ca or mailing a letter to 453 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Y 1V4.

Following the meeting, minutes will be posted online and can be found in the ‘Meetings’ tab below.

Mandate and scope

  • Advises Council and staff on enhancing access and inclusion for women and girls to fully participate in City services and civic life
  • Advise Council and staff on the Women's Equity Strategy as it is developed, implemented, and updated
  • Works collaboratively with counterparts from other civic agencies to identify opportunities for joint action on issues of mutual interest
  • Works co-operatively with external agencies and groups whose activities affect constituent communities
  • Engages in outreach to disseminate information and encourage participation from constituent communities

Meeting and administrative procedures

  • The Women's Advisory Committee holds six regular meetings per year, in addition to working sessions generally scheduled during intervening months throughout the year.
  • Type A Advisory Committees may, at their discretion, establish sub-committees focused on relevant topics of interest, non-members may participate in sub-committees and attend regular meetings if invited.
  • A member who is absent from more than two consecutive regular meetings without a leave of absence is deemed to have resigned.

Remuneration

  • Type A Advisory Committee members and alternate members are eligible to receive reimbursement for certain meeting-related expenses.
  • Non-member subcommittee participants are not eligible to receive reimbursement.
  • A light meal will be provided to Type A Advisory Committee members attending in-person regular meetings held over lunch or dinner hours.

Eligibility

Persons appointed to a Type A Advisory Committee shall meet the following essential criteria:

  • Not be employed by the City of Vancouver
  • Live or work in Vancouver, or have a significant body of experience with issues related to the mandate of the advisory body in Vancouver
  • Have connections to relevant communities, groups, and/or organizations in Vancouver
  • Be able to demonstrate relevant experience or knowledge, abilities, and skills related to the mandate of the advisory body
  • Be able to work in a team environment with intercultural sensitivity

Term limit

Beginning in 2019, no member of the public shall serve for more than eight consecutive years on the same Type A Advisory Committee. A former member is eligible for reappointment after one year of non-membership.

Full guidelines 

Membership

Appointments end December 31, 2024

  • Morrell Andrews
  • Tara  Dachek
  • Tamana Karimi
  • Nazma Lee
  • Serena Mohammed
  • Molly Needham
  • Alida Oegema Thomas
  • Avani Patel
  • Felicia Phan
  • Amy Robichaud
  • Lina Thompson
  • Alexandra Gunn

Liaisons

  • Council Liaison: Councillor Bligh
  • City Staff: Shabna Ali, Social Planner III, Arts, Culture and Community Services

Terms and Membership Composition

Persons appointed to a Type A Advisory Committee shall meet the following essential criteria:

  • Not be employed by the City of Vancouver;
  • Live or work in Vancouver, or have a significant body of experience with issues related to the mandate of the advisory body in Vancouver;
  • Have connections to relevant communities, groups, and/or organizations in Vancouver;
  • Be able to demonstrate relevant experience or knowledge, abilities and skills related to the mandate of the advisory body;
  • Be able to work in a team environment with intercultural sensitivity.

Composition

  • Up to 12 members of the public (quorum is a majority of appointed members) who identify as women;
  • Up to 2 non-voting Council liaisons (appointed by Mayor);
  • Up to 2 non-voting staff liaisons (appointed by City Manager);
  • 1 non-voting Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioner liaison and/or staff liaison (optional);
  • 1 non-voting Vancouver School Board Trustee liaison (optional);
  • 1 non-voting Vancouver Public Library staff liaison (optional);
  • 1 non-voting Vancouver Police Department staff liaison (optional).

Length of term

  • Term ends immediately before the first Monday after November 1 in the year of a general local election. However, no regular meeting shall be held between the last day of the nomination period and general voting day.
  • Members are appointed until December 31, 2024, at which point appointments are automatically renewable to the end of the term, and recruitment shall be conducted to fill any vacancies arising.
  • Beginning in 2019, no member of the public shall serve in more than eight consecutive years on the same Type A Advisory Committee. A former member is eligible for reappointment after one year of non-membership.

In addition to the regular meetings listed here, the Committee also meets several times per year for informal working sessions. Please contact the Meeting Coordinator for more information.

2024 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting Date Agenda Minutes
January 30, 2024    
March 26, 2024    
May 21, 2024    
July 30, 2024    
September 17, 2024    
November 19, 2024    

2023 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting Date Agenda Minutes
July 18, 2023 Agenda Minutes
September 19, 2023 Agenda Minutes
November 21, 2023 Agenda Minutes

2022 meetings, agendas, and minutes

The meetings listed below are open to the public.

Meeting Date Agenda Minutes
January 11, 2022 Agenda Minutes
March 29, 2022 Agenda Minutes
May 24, 2022 Agenda Minutes
July 12, 2022 Agenda Minutes
September 13, 2022 Agenda Minutes

2021 meetings, agendas, and minutes

The meetings listed below are open to the public.

Meeting Date Agenda Minutes
July 27, 2021 Agenda Minutes
September 7, 2021 Agenda Minutes
November 9, 2021 Agenda Minutes

2020 meetings, agendas, and minutes

The meetings listed below are open to the public.

Meeting Date Agenda Minutes
January 14, 2020 Agenda Minutes
March 17, 2020 Cancelled  
June 16, 2020 Agenda Minutes
July 7, 2020 (Special Meeting) Agenda Minutes

2019 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting Date Agenda Minutes
June 18, 2019 Agenda Minutes
October 29, 2019 Agenda Minutes
November 19, 2019 Agenda Minutes

2018 meetings, agendas, and minutes

The meetings listed below are open to the public.

Meeting Date Agenda Minutes
February 27, 2018 Agenda Minutes
March 27, 2018 Cancelled  
May 22, 2018 Agenda Minutes
July 31, 2018 Agenda Minutes
September 25, 2018 Agenda Minutes
October 23, 2018 Agenda Minutes

2017 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting Date Agenda Minutes
January 17, 2017 Agenda Minutes
March 21, 2017 Agenda Minutes
May 11, 2017 Agenda Minutes
July 18, 2017 Agenda Minutes
September 26, 2017 Agenda Minutes
November 21, 2017 Agenda Minutes

2016 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting Date Agenda Minutes
January 12, 2016 Agenda Minutes
March 15, 2016 Agenda Minutes
May 10, 2016 Agenda Minutes
July 5, 2016 Agenda Minutes
October 25, 2016 Agenda Minutes
December 6, 2016 Agenda Minutes

2015 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting date Agenda Minutes
April 7, 2015 Agenda Minutes

 July 14, 2015

Agenda

Minutes

 September 1, 2015 Agenda Minutes
 November 10, 2015 Agenda Minutes

2014 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting date Agenda Minutes
March 4, 2014 Agenda Minutes
April 8, 2014 Agenda Minutes
June 17, 2014 Agenda Minutes
November 4, 2014 Agenda Minutes

2013 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting date Agenda Minutes
February 5, 2013 Agenda Minutes
April 16, 2013 Agenda Minutes
September 10, 2013 Agenda Minutes
November 12, 2013 Agenda Minutes

2012 meetings, agendas, and minutes

Meeting date Agenda Minutes
April 3, 2012 Agenda Minutes
May 8, 2012 Agenda Minutes
September 11, 2012 Agenda Minutes
December 11, 2012 Agenda Minutes

Report of Activities, 2021–2022

An overview of the committee's 2022 accomplishments.

View the Committee's report (pdf)

2017 in review

An overview of the committee's 2017 accomplishments and future goals as presented at the Council of Council's on October 12, 2017.

2017 - 2018 Work Plan

The 2017-2018 Work Plan summarizes the high priority objectives for the committee term and establishes an action plan to achieve those objectives.

2016 in review

An overview of the committee's 2016 accomplishments and future goals as presented at the Council of Council's on November 9, 2016.

2012 - 2014 term in review

An overview of the committee's closing term accomplishments and recommendations for continuation of the work was presented at the Council of Council's December 2014.

Resources for advisory committee members

Follow the Women's Advisory Committee

Contact the Women's Advisory Committee

Staff contacts

Carla Suarez, Social Planner III, Community and Gender Safety Unit, Arts, Culture and Community Services

carla.suarez@vancouver.ca


Kirsty Colquhoun, Committee Clerk

Kirsty.colquhoun@vancouver.ca