The Ontario Trillium Foundation and City of Toronto among organizations commended for inclusive boards
Five organizations have been honoured with the first Maytree Foundation Diversity in Governance Awards. The awards celebrate public institutions and voluntary organizations that have demonstrated commitment and innovation in creating inclusive boards.
The 2007 recipients are The Ontario Trillium Foundation, The City of Toronto,
Seneca College, Dixon Hall and an honourable mention to The York Region Police Services Board.
The awards were supported by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration as part of the Ontario Government’s Volunteering-Citizenship in Action strategy.
Award recipients were selected based on best practices for recruiting, appointing and engaging board members from diverse communities. Successful strategies include well-established diversity policies, outreach to diverse communities, measurement and reporting on diversity goals and professional development of board members.
ONTARIO TRILLIUM FOUNDATION
Category: Provincial Agency, Board or Commission
The Ontario Trillium Foundation has achieved a more culturally reflective Board of Directors and Grant Review Teams (GRT) by outreach to newcomer communities, including advertising and PSAs. The Foundation proactively supports the application process by tracking the progress of applications from diverse candidates and makes diversity part of the orientation for all new Board and GRT members.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation supports the voluntary sector through investments in the arts and culture, environment, human and social services, and sports and recreation sectors.
CITY OF TORONTO
Category: Municipal Agency, Board or Commission
The City of Toronto recognizes that the City is best served by boards that reflect the geographic distribution and diversity of the communities they serve. To achieve this objective, the City implemented pro-active strategies including new public appointments policies and benchmarks and extensive outreach to under-represented groups. The City of Toronto defines “citizens” to include all residents, including permanent residents, refugees, refugee claimants and residents without homes. Applicants are asked to identify their diversity status to track the City’s progress in achieving its goal.
Toronto is Canada’s largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. The city appoints 282 community members to 29 City boards during each term of Council.
SENECA COLLEGE BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Category: Other Public Institutions
Seneca’s best practices include diversity and equity as specific criteria for appointments, an appointment committee that is mandated to build a diverse roster from alumni and college committees and an annual voluntary survey in which, most recently, 45% of the board self-identified as visible minority.
With more than eight campuses across the GTA, Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology provides internationally and nationally recognized career education and training to more students than any other college in Canada.
DIXON HALL
Category: Nonprofit organization
At Dixon Hall, one-third of the board members come from the community and social services sector. Dixon Hall is deliberate about its board composition and engages its multicultural constituents to fill vacancies and strengthen community partnerships.
Dixon Hall is a United Way agency located in Regent Park, Canada’s largest public housing complex. The agency assists local residents with housing, employment, education, personal growth, cultural enrichment and recreation.
THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF YORK POLICE SERVICES BOARD
Honourable Mention, Municipal category
The Regional Municipality of York Police Services Board has made specific commitments to diversity in its business planning, including: increasing the appeal of policing as a profession amongst diverse young people through its Recruiting with Vision Strategy; increasing the sensitivity of new officers to multicultural communities through its Recruit Community Insight Program; and establishing a Civic Leadership Award to honour stellar community leaders who promote understanding and tolerance in the community. As one of the most diverse Police Services Boards in Ontario, the Regional Municipality of York Police Services Board considers the implications on the diverse community when formulating its governance policies that provide direction to the York Regional Police.
The Regional Municipality of York Police Services Board is the seven member civilian board that oversees the York Regional Police. The Board oversees police services including crime prevention in the York Region.