Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility
Collège Boréal is committed to combating systemic racism and discrimination by promoting an inclusive, equitable, and respectful culture of diversity. Its Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility implements policies and training programs to raise awareness within the community and support underrepresented groups.
Collège Boréal acknowledges the challenges of discrimination and systemic racism that persist in our society. It also recognizes the barriers faced by underrepresented groups based on skin colour, language, citizenship, race, ethnic origin, belief, gender, sexual orientation, physical or intellectual ability, age, family or marital status, or financial status.
As we move forward, we are resolved to listen actively, hold difficult conversations, examine our own prejudices and strive toward concrete change in our community.
Collège Boréal’s Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) is working to build an inclusive culture by implementing equity-based policies and practices. It offers training to raise the College community’s awareness of inclusion, provides relevant support and advice, and works with its partners to foster an environment where diversity is celebrated and respected.
Please email any questions to idea@collegeboreal.ca.
Initiatives and Programs
Explore our initiatives, partnerships and programs that we have set up to promote diversity and inclusion in our community.
Respect the Difference
Collège Boréal is part of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM)’s Respect the Difference movement, which focuses on making achievable changes to organizational policies and advocates for a culture of kindness, respect, inclusivity and diversity. Its concept is based on the study of human genetics, which shows that humanity has more than 99% of its DNA in common. With this movement, the NOSM is urging people to think about the fact that less than 1% of our DNA is what makes each person unique.
“At Collège Boréal, equity, diversity, and inclusion are fundamental values. Diversity is our strength. We have campuses in several regions of the province, as well as students and staff from all corners of the world.”
– Daniel Giroux, President of Collège Boréal
The College’s new policies and procedures, and recent updates to existing ones, actively support Respect the Difference by focusing on human rights and the fight against harassment and discrimination. The IDEA team will also continue disseminating materials on a variety of topics, including accountability and individual rights, to the entire College community.
Special Projects
Inclusivity Works helps Collège Boréal and its partners raise awareness among employers about inclusion and support people with disabilities in finding employment and advancing their careers.
The project is funded by the Government of Canada through Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) under the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities.
The project aims to reach more than 500 businesses and organizations. It includes three complementary streams:
Stream 1 — Access to employment
This stream supports people with disabilities or people from diverse backgrounds in their job search. It provides personalized support, employability services, and job-matching services with partner employers.
👉 Register
Stream 2 — Building employer awareness
This stream helps employers diversify their teams and create inclusive, accessible workplaces. They have access to:
- Training sessions and awareness workshops for all employees
- A resource toolkit on workplace accessibility and inclusion
- Support services for human resources professionals, including information about legislation protecting the rights of people with disabilities
- Guidance on retaining employees and supporting their professional development
Stream 3 — Career advancement
This stream supports people with disabilities or people from diverse backgrounds who are already employed. It helps them navigate their careers and pursue advancement opportunities.
👉 Register
In addition to its positive impact beyond the College, Inclusivity Works enables Boréal to strengthen collaboration among the departments working throughout its service area to support and promote inclusivity.
A human library is presented to highlight Black voices, celebrate their heritage, and foster dialogue within our community.
*Available in French only
Support and Advice
Contact the IDEA Team
You can contact our IDEA team with any questions or requests for support you may have. We’re here to advise you, address your concerns and help you find the resources you need. Your well‑being and experience in our community are important to us, and we are committed to giving you personalized, confidential support.
Report Discrimination
If you see or are a victim of harassment or discrimination, it’s important to report it so appropriate measures can be taken. Collège Boréal has clear procedures in place to report such incidents, and support measures are available to make sure you get the help you need.
If you have any questions about the reporting process or if you need immediate support, please contact us.
Submitting an anonymous complaint
Collège Boréal community members can submit anonymous complaints and incident reports. This form is for reporting concerns about discrimination, racism, harassment, hate speech and/or sexual violence.
Complaints and incident reports will be handled in accordance with our equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism policy, our anti-racism and hate incident directive and the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Your complaint/report will be reviewed by our team and assigned an advisor. Appropriate measures will be taken based on the information provided, in keeping with the principles of equity, harm reduction, trauma-informed approaches and procedural fairness.
Important:
- Do not file an anonymous complaint form in an emergency situation.
- If you or someone you know is in imminent danger, dial 911 or go directly to the security team on your site or campus, or contact Collège Boréal’s counseling services and student wellness (Student Services).
Please note that filing a complaint or incident report anonymously may limit our ability to follow up with you, ensure you receive the support you need, gather all the information about the situation, and update you on the status and outcome of your report.
Resources
Land Acknowledgement
Collège Boréal has many campuses and access centres located on several Indigenous territories across Ontario. It respects and wishes to acknowledge and honour the history and culture of the Indigenous peoples who share these territories across the province. We are grateful to these Indigenous communities for having us on their land and sharing their rich heritage and teachings with us.
We acknowledge the ancestral territories subject to treaties, alliances and agreements and the unceded ancestral territories of all the Inuit, Métis and First Nations people who call this land their home. We reaffirm our responsibility and commitment to fostering closer relationships between nations and our willingness to further our own understanding of Indigenous peoples and their culture. Collège Boréal acknowledges the harms and mistakes of the past and aims to contribute to decolonization and seek out ways we can, each in our own way, move forward in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.
Documents and Resources
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