Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Collège Boréal has been designated a Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) 50 – 30 Challenge hub. This initiative is the result of a partnership between the Government of Canada, Canadian businesses, and diversity organizations, and its goal is to challenge participating organizations to increase the representation of diverse groups within their workplaces. The College’s 50 – 30 Challenge team works out of the Toronto, Windsor and Sudbury campuses.

The 50 – 30 Challenge asks organizations to set two goals for the makeup of their board of directors or senior management team: first, 50% representation by women and/or non‑binary people, and second, 30% representation by members from other equity-deserving groups, including Indigenous people, racialized people, people with disabilities and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Nearly 2,000 Canadian business and organizations have taken on the 50 – 30 Challenge. The Collège Boréal team will play a key role as a resource and guide for participating organizations hoping to pursue their goals through training, webinars, mentorship and coaching. The College is also planning to offer free workshops, awareness events and other educational initiatives to give organizations the knowledge and skills they need to diversify their teams. All organizations that are signed up for the 50 – 30 Challenge will be able to access these services and events.

“As an Ontario college of applied arts and technology, our ongoing commitment to excellence for our students begins within our own institution. In matters of equity, diversity, and inclusion, Collège Boréal has a duty to set an example and be a leader in the 50 – 30 Challenge. This will not only ensure a stronger presence of all equity-deserving groups within our administration, but more importantly, it will promote the success of this more equitable approach across institutions and businesses throughout the country.”

– Daniel Giroux, President of Collège Boréal

The Inclusivity Works project helps Collège Boréal and its partners to raise employers’ awareness of inclusivity.

Inclusivity Works hopes to reach nearly 500 businesses and organizations and assist employers in diversifying their workplaces and creating professional environments that are both inclusive and accessible to people with disabilities and other forms of diversity.

Thanks in part to training sessions, workshops and a new resource kit on accessibility and inclusion in the workplace, this project equips employment service providers with tools to provide their services to people with disabilities. Additionally, employers will benefit from awareness sessions available to all their staff, support services for their human resources managers (including information on the legal provisions related to the rights of persons with disabilities) and guidance on the retention and professional development of this population.

In addition to the positive benefits outside the College, Inclusivity Works will help Boréal synergize between its areas of operation as they work toward respect for and promotion of inclusivity (employability and student support services and the 50 – 30 Challenge, which encourages best practices in equity, diversity and inclusion) throughout all the areas it serves.