Moving from inclusion policies to practice is more relevant today than ever for a successful economic recovery. Automation, COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter Movement have shaped 2020 and challenged all organizations to act, especially to support newcomers, immigrants, and individuals from BIPOC communities.

Join our 11th Annual Diversity@Work conference to delve into the future of inclusion in the workplace towards a successful economic recovery.

 

Lead Sponsor

 

 

CPA Ontario protects the public interest by ensuring our members meet the highest standards of integrity and expertise. We serve and support 92,000 members and 21,000 students in their qualification and professional development in a wide range of senior positions in public accounting, business, finance, government, not-for-profits and academia.

 

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Join our 11th annual Diversity@Work conference where we will delve into the future of inclusion in the workplace and how specific populations needs must be met for businesses to thrive and succeed in a global economy.

This conference will be offered complimentary and will be accessed via Zoom.

In lieu of ticket prices this year, we kindly ask for your generous support to donate a small amount to our charity. Your donation will go towards programming to support our vulnerable clients.


Inclusion at Work: Building Responsive Workplaces for Existing and New Challenges

Moving from inclusion policies to practice is more relevant today than ever, and leads to the question, what are organizations doing to address the specific and distinct challenges to inclusion faced by vulnerable groups?

Automation, COVID-19, the global Black Lives Matter movement have shaped 2020 and challenged all organizations to act. COVID-19 has exacerbated the labor market vulnerabilities faced by vulnerable groups: newcomers, immigrants, and individuals from BIPOC communities. Black Lives Matter has shone a light on the historical systemic racism that exists within institutions that continues to disenfranchise black people.

As such, this conference will focus on what opportunities exist for organizations and institutions to drive meaningful change? Themes discussed will include:

– Anti-Black Racism in the Workplace

– COVID-19 and it’s impact on precarious work for immigrants and non-status persons

– Understanding intersectionalities in developing effective inclusive practices- How companies are addressing automation and the possible displacement of the older worker

– The lack of access to employment for marginalized youth

– Inclusivity as crucial to the success of a digital workplace

We hope you can join us on November 24, 2020!


Skills for Change is proud to host Diversity@Work Conference, an annual professional conference dedicated to building inclusive and productive workplaces.

Many organizations distribute diversity policies alongside their HR manuals, but inclusion at work is not merely a formality — it’s a nuanced arena facing many intersecting challenges, changes, uncertainties, and grey areas. We need, now more than ever, to build a better culture of inclusion in the workplace to uphold Canada as a globally competitive economic power.

Nearly forty years ago Skills for Change, a nonprofit settlement agency in Toronto, assumed a leadership role in its community to address policy, undertake public education, and research challenges facing immigrants and refugees. At the same time, Skills for Change pioneered innovative service models specific to internationally trained professionals, in part because we have always recognized the invaluable contributions newcomers make to the Canadian economy.

For the past decade Skills for Change has hosted Diversity@Work, the professional development conference dedicated to building an inclusive and productive Canadian workforce. This conference was also created for corporate leaders and HR professionals alike to discuss how to better increase the participation of marginalized groups in the Canadian labour market through the lens of diversity and inclusion.

Conference Speakers and Panelists

 

 

Grace-Edwards Galabuzzi

Ryerson University

 

 

Wade Poziomka

Human Rights and Labour Lawyer,
Ross & MsBride

 

 

Monica H.Kang

InnovatorsBox

 

 

Dean Delpeache

Sr. Manager, Talent Acquisition
Fiix Software

 

 

Lindsay Clayborne

People and Culture Specialist,
Fiix Software

 

 

Gail Strachan

Senior Employee Experience Strategist, Accenture

 

 

Denise O’Neil Green

Ryerson University

 

 

Rahma Siad Togane

YouthRex

 

 

Dr. Wendy Cukier

Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, Diversity Institute

 

 

Chanel Grenaway

Chanel Grenaway & Associates

 

 

Brooke Stewart

DLA Piper

 

 

Kathryn Bird

Hicks Morley

 

 

Jake Allen

LinkedIn

 

 

Sunil Johal

City of Toronto

Sarah Harris

CivicAction

Surranna Sandy

CEO, Skills for Change

Agenda

9:10am – 9:15am:

Land Acknowledgement & Welcome Address

Surranna Sandy

CEO, Skills for Change

Anti-black racism at work: Beyond D&I should companies do respond to systemic workplace discrimination?

Grace-Edwards Galabuzzi
Ryerson University

Chanel Grenaway
Chanel Grenaway & Associates

Discrimination in the Workplace – what are my rights?

Wade Pozimoka
Ross & McBride

Brooke Stewart
DLA Piper

Kathryn Bird
Hicks Morley

Remote Work for Who? How to be an inclusive employer through a crisis

Monica H.Kang
Founder & CEO, InnovatorsBox

Farah Mohamed
Toronto Board of Trade

Vicki Liederman
Director of Student Recruitment, CPA Ontario

Data Driven Diversity and Inclusion

Dean Delpeache
Manager of Talent Acquisition, Fiix Software

Lindsay Clayborne
People and Culture Specialist, Fiix Software

Future of Work: What does the advent of automation mean for newcomers and senior workers?

Dr. Wendy Cukier
Professor of Entrepreneurship & Strategy at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University
Academic Director, The Diversity Institute

Gail Strachan
Senior Employee Experience Strategist, Accenture

Jake Allen
LinkedIn

Surranna Sandy
CEO, Skills for Change

Employment and Equity-Seeking Youth

Rahma Siad Togane
YouthREX

Sarah Harris
CivicAction

2020 has been a year of change and adaptability, that centred D&I. What lessons have we learned? What changes are companies committing to making and how will they pivot to ensure meaningful and impactful D&I at work? Join us for an enriching and thought-provoking discussion on issues that matter to you and us!

Dr. Denise O’Neil Green
Ryerson University

Sunil Johal
Director, Business Growth Services, City of Toronto

Surranna Sandy
CEO, Skills for Change