March 31, 2015
On October 6, 2014, the university community gathered to celebrate University of Toronto Scarborough’s official establishment by U of T’s Governing Council in 1964. Photo credit: Ken Jones
The University of Toronto has been named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2015. This award recognizes those employers across Canada with exceptional diversity and inclusiveness programs.
This year marks the eighth consecutive year that the University of Toronto has been named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers.
Some of the reasons cited for U of T’s recognition as a top diversity employer include:
- our commitment to address equity and diversity issues though the creation of dedicated offices and roles to support our community;
- our facilitation of “Queer Orientation” in partnership with the Sexual & Gender Diversity Office, a student committee, and over 25 participating campus groups — the orientation provided new and returning students with opportunities to connect and engage in activities and discussion related to LGBTQ communities;
- our maintenance of “Queer U of T Employees,” an employee resource group that encourages employees to share experiences and participate in a variety of social events;
- our organization of ongoing programming, such as the Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office’s “Unfiltered Truth Talks,” a drop-in program that offers students a safe space to discuss race, racism, ethnicity and culture;
- our organization of interactive workshops on “Practicing Diversity,” webinars on mental health issues, and training for UTM’s staff on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and communication standards;
- our maintenance of an annual accessibility plan, which helps the university review past year’s commitments and achievements and outlines current initiatives; and
- U of T’s Vice-President of Human Resources & Equity sponsors the Rose Patten Leadership Program, which includes two mentoring programs each year — program participants are partnered with senior staff and receive individual and group mentoring, coaching, training and opportunities to network.
Canada’s Best Diversity Employers 2015 is an annual competition run by Mediacorp Canada Inc. in partnership with the Globe and Mail. U of T was recently named as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for 2015, one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for 2015, and one of Canada’s Top Family-Friendly Employers for 2015.