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We recognize that having a diverse team and an equitable organization helps us to achieve our goals, and we consistently strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and respected.
Lori Mathison, President & CEO, CPABC
Our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Journey
From our Board to our staff, we encourage everyone to get involved in advancing our EDI initiatives. CPABC’s journey is ongoing and started with developing a common understanding of the concepts of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Here are the definitions we use:
Equity is recognizing, understanding, and appreciating that not everyone starts from the same place given different personal circumstances and the existence of different realities, including the impact of discrimination, which require processes for enabling access to opportunities and fair outcomes.
Diversity is essentially the quantitative representation of differences. It is about the representation of different people and communities in our society and in our organization.
Inclusion is the qualitative experience around differences, and the extent to which people can bring their whole true, authentic selves into their interactions, be heard, feel valued and attract opportunities.
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Our Commitment Statement, adopted by the CPABC Board of Directors, guides our way forward and helps us understand what actions can be taken to ensure that our organization continually moves towards greater Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Daniel Berardo, Vice President, People & Culture, CPABC
Our Commitment to EDI
Establishing a shared EDI vocabulary helped us gain clarity and alignment on the next steps to take as an organization, which led to the development of the following Commitment Statement.
As an organization, CPABC commits that we will:
Continue the learning and listening journey, both as individuals and as a collective.
Explore what the commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion means for us.
Take immediate and prudent steps to advance Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
Establish clear measurable goals and act to implement, track, and ensure accountability.
To put our Commitment Statement into action, we created an EDI Strategic Plan. The Plan provides further direction toward achieving our strategic goals that emerged from the commitments listed above.
Here are some of our highlights:
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Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Alliance
In 2023, we established our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Alliance (“EDIA”). The EDIA includes staff from all areas of the organization and serves as a resource to the organization to positively influence the workplace environment and to assist CPABC in achieving its EDI goals. Through planned events and activities, such as our EDI-themed book club, the group plays an important role in building and promoting a culture of belonging.
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Employee and Member Census
We implemented our voluntary, annual EDI census in 2023. Data is collected confidentially, de‑identified, and used in aggregate to identify potential barriers and inequities.
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EDI Reviews
We conducted a series of reviews to assess the current state of EDI within our organization. This information was used to develop our rolling three-year EDI Strategic Plan and enhance our benefits package and recruitment process.
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Awareness Training
We provide EDI learning opportunities to all employees
on a range of topics, including unconscious bias, inclusion, psychological health and safety, and respectful communication.As part of our onboarding process, new employees complete our EDI Foundations online course that introduces them to concepts such as unconscious bias, microaggressions, cultural competence, and more.
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Tools & Resources
Through our Intranet, employees have access to an Intercultural Connections Toolkit that provides them with tips, tools, and resources to support effective intercultural communication based on the EDI training they have received.
We offer a variety of mental health support including expanded mental health practitioner coverage, regular mental health webinars, and an expanded Employee and Family Assistance Program through Homewood Health.
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Manager Training
We organize and provide manager-specific EDI training. Training has addressed key areas including bias awareness, intercultural connections, and inclusive and equitable management practices.
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Lunch & Learns
We continue to offer monthly Lunch & Learn sessions to help staff expand their knowledge on a variety of topics and observances such as Black History Month, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, National Indigenous History Month, Asian Heritage Month, Mental Health Week, and more.
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Community Partnerships
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) – as part of the CCDI Employer Partner Program we have access to education and support, as well as learning opportunities and resources to promote and build a more inclusive and equitable workplace.Indigenous Works – as part of the Indigenous Works Leadership Circle community, we have access to expert advisory support, the Learning Lodge, and thought-leadership webinars that help us advance Indigenous inclusion at CPABC and in the communities we serve.
To build on the work we have begun, we remain committed to assessing our progress, learning from our experiences, and refining our approach as we gain new insights. We do this by gathering feedback, tracking outcomes over time, and identifying opportunities to improve.