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One thing is clear: the pressure is on to get this blueprint for social cohesion right.

“Many people are watching us,” Councillor Linda McPhail said.

Photo by Mark Yuen/Postmedia

Sixty per cent of Richmond’s 227,000 residents were born outside of Canada. China remains the top country of origin among recent immigrants, followed by the Philippines. Close to three-quarters of the city’s newcomers speak a language other than English or French at home, with Mandarin and Cantonese being the most common.

The changing demographics have resulted in a city that champions diversity but whose residents often live parallel lives that “slide by each other” without intersecting — maybe except at the Costco parking lot, said Andy Yan, director of the Simon Fraser University City Program. John Rose, a human geography instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, calls it “proximity without community.”

According to a summary of feedback heard during public consultations earlier this year, tensions have been exacerbated by a number of issues, including unregulated ride sharing services that cater to Chinese speakers; an underground “birth tourism” industry that caters to foreign women who come to Canada to give birth so their kids can have Canadian citizenship; neighbourhoods with vacant homes; and businesses that advertise in languages other than English or French.

In an effort to improve social cohesion, the city document highlights the importance of embracing “interculturalism” — the notion that it’s not enough to recognize diversity; there also needs to be an effort to build relationships across cultures.

To that end, the document proposes a number of strategies to get there. In the near-term, ideas include promoting greater understanding of cultures through storytelling and sharing of food, music and art; developing stronger community responses to racism; adopting diversity and inclusion training for city staff; exploring the use of translation services and interpretive tools for frontline staff; and working with immigrant services agencies to reduce barriers for newcomers to access volunteer and employment opportunities.

In the longer term, the plan proposes developing an awareness campaign that touts the contributions of both long-time residents and recent immigrants; creating a community engagement policy with input from “under-represented and hard-to-reach communities”; and recruiting staff and volunteers who reflect the city’s diversity.

At a meeting Monday of the city’s general purposes committee, some councillors, while generally praising the document, felt there were gaps.