Employers recognized for exceptional workplace diversity

List includes Canada Post, CIBC, Home Depot, Loblaw, Shell and Xerox

Several big names — such as Boeing Canada, Canada Post, CIBC, Deloitte & Touche, Home Depot, Loblaw, Procter & Gamble, Shell Canada and Xerox — have been recognized as Canada’s Best Diversity Employers by Mediacorp in its annual competition.

The list recognizes employers that have exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness programs covering five major employee groups: women, visible minorities, people with disabilities, aboriginal peoples and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered/transsexual (LGBT) people.

Loblaw, for example, has a corporate social responsibility principle called “Reflect the Nation’s Diversity” that is central to its inclusive workplace culture. The company has an inclusion council made up of senior leaders that works to ensure the Loblaw stores reflect the ethnicities of their communities, increase the percentage of women store managers and hire more people with disabilities in store support offices. An inclusion toolkit launched in 2009 also supports managers in recruiting and hiring more diverse candidates.

"Being recognized as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers is a testament to the value the company places on reflecting the diverse make-up of the communities we serve in all parts of our business," said Judy McCrie, executive vice-president of human resources and labour relations at Loblaw. "We recognize there is still more work to be done and we remain committed to placing importance on diversity initiatives."

To determine the winners, Mediacorp reviewed the applications of employers that applied for the 2011 Canada's Top 100 Employers project. More than 2,750 employers across Canada started the application process for this year's competition, said Mediacorp, which was reduced to a short-listed group of employers with help from diversity consulting firm TWI and BMO Financial Group.

Canada’s Best Diversity Employers 2011

Agrium
BC Hydro
Bell Aliant Regional Communications
Blake, Cassels & Graydon
Boeing Canada Operations
Bombardier Aerospace
Business Development Bank of Canada
Cameco
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Canada Post
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
Canadian Wheat Board
Capital District Health Authority
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Corus Entertainment
Deloitte & Touche
Ernst & Young
Fraser Milner Casgrain
Health Canada-Santé Canada
Home Depot Canada
Human Resources & Skills Development Canada
Information Services Corporation of Saskatchewan
KPMG
Loblaw Companies
Manitoba Lotteries
Mount Sinai Hospital
National Bank Financial Group
Newalta
Nexen
Northwestel
Ontario Public Service
Port Metro Vancouver
Procter & Gamble
Royal Bank of Canada
Saskatchewan Government Insurance
SaskPower
SaskTel
Seneca College
Shell Canada
Statistics Canada
Telus
University of British Columbia
University of Toronto
Vancouver, City of
Xerox Canada

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