Diversity & Inclusion | Toronto Global 2024
Toronto Region
The Toronto Region
At Toronto Global, we believe in the power of people to move the world forward. Our mission is to be a leader in building a diverse, inclusive team and culture for our organization, and to champion these values as representatives of the most diverse and multicultural place in the world:
Every organization should reflect the city that you’re in, and we live in a region that benefits from over half of our population being foreign born. It’s important for us to recognize that we all have a role in making sure we have an inclusive workforce to reflect where we live and work. Being conscious of diverse opinions, cultures, and people – it’s what makes the Toronto Region great and it’s what makes every organization strong.
Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion
Our company values and promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of our business and at all levels. Success comes from inviting and incorporating diverse perspectives into everything we do.
We define diversity & inclusion as the unique combination of various dimensions that makes each of us different from and similar to others. Those dimensions can include, but are not limited to, age, sex, gender identity, ethnic heritage, race, physical or mental abilities, sexual orientation, values, religion/spiritual practice, income, family status, education, and geographic location.
Gender identity is markedly different than sex and sexual orientation. Further details found here:
Our Approach
Our equity, diversity and inclusion strategy provides common direction and clear goals across Toronto Global. We focus on three key areas:
- Workforce equity, diversity, and inclusion. We strive for a culture with inclusive policies and programs that attract, develop, engage, empower, and retain the best talent.
- Marketplace. We integrate equity, diversity, and inclusion into the business decisions we make every day, including how to increase our work with diverse businesses, service providers, and our stakeholders from all three levels of government.
- Advocacy. We demonstrate leadership and commitment through our interactions in both the workplace and within the Toronto Region.
What it means for Toronto Global and Our Region
Meeting the increasingly diverse needs of our staff and clients within and outside our region is critical for our company’s long-term growth and success.
We’re committed to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion by helping ensure that all people across our workforce and our region feel valued and respected and have equal access to resources, services, products, and opportunities to succeed.
Our Value Proposition:
Diversity is Our Strength
Whether you’re looking to work, study, play, or create, the Toronto Region allows you to connect to people, places, and ideas from around the world in incredible ways.
It makes this one of the most interesting places to live and it helps our businesses grow and thrive. Our region can hold onto more of our talent because, simply put – they’re able to find themselves here.
- Over half the population in our region identify as a visible minority
- Over 250 ethnicities and 190 languages are represented in the Toronto Region
- The top five non-official languages spoken are Mandarin, Hindi, Punjabi, Cantonese, and Spanish.
Benefits of a diverse workforce to businesses
It is important to hire people from all backgrounds, as everyone has different skills, experiences, creative ideas, and perspectives that they draw upon to spur new innovations.
By having an inclusive and diverse environment, this allows more unique perspectives to be integrated when brainstorming, problem solving, and developing new ideas for businesses of all sizes and across all sectors.
Favourable Immigration Policies
Canada’s views on immigration are aligned with globalization and economic sustainability.
The Toronto Region is home to 34% of all foreign-born people in Canada and welcomes more new immigrants than nearly every other North American destination, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston. Nearly 100,000 people settle in the Toronto Region every year.
With supportive immigration policies to welcome students and skilled workers from around the world, companies in Canada can access talent that is highly educated, multicultural, multilingual, and globally connected. We do not simply attract quantities of people; we attract the highest quality.
With supportive immigration policies to welcome students and skilled workers from around the world, companies in Canada can access talent that is highly educated, multicultural, multilingual, and globally connected.
- Toronto Region is home to 34% of all foreign-born people in Canada.
- We welcome more new immigrants than nearly every other North American destination, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston.
- Ontario is the top destination of choice for Global Skills Strategy applications.
Key Programs
- Intra-Company Transfer– This program provides eligible employees with a one-year work permit, which can be renewed, to work at the same company in Canada. Intra-company transferees are required to have worked with the company at least one year in the last three years at a specialized or senior level.
- Global Talent Stream– This program is part of the federal government’s Global Skills Strategy. The Global Talent Stream aims to help innovative companies quickly access the highly skilled talent (engineers, programmers, designers) they need to scale and grow, and applications are processed in as little as 10 business days. Toronto Global is a designated referral partner for this program with the Government of Canada leveraging our work with global companies to tap into our talent stream and grow their operations in the region.
- Post-Graduation Work Permit– International students can apply to work in Canada for up to three years following graduation.
- Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)– This program creates permanent immigration pathways for workers and entrepreneurs. Under the Corporate Stream, employers can nominate up to five key staff, who can then apply for permanent residence.
- Canadian Experience Class– Employees and international students that have at least one year of full-time work experience in Canada can apply for permanent residency through the Canadian Experience Class.
Non-profits leading the way
With businesses located across the Toronto Region that represent nationalities from around the world, many not-for-profit organizations have come together to support BIPOC-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, and individuals with resources they need to grow and thrive in the Toronto Region:
For companies looking to hire the best and brightest from around the world right here in the Toronto Region, the following job boards provide employment services to various groups and communities: