Canada’s bioscience employers recognized for their commitment to diversity

BioTalent Canada—an organization that helps support the people behind life-changing science— recently announced recipients of its inaugural I.D.E.A.L. Bioscience Employer designation.

Recognizing entities within the Canadian bio-economy that embody the principles of ‘inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility leadership’ (IDEAL) throughout their operations and practices, the I.D.E.A.L. Recognition Program has been developed to encourage and facilitate the best practices required in order to promote growth and success in the country’s biotech sector.

Launched at the beginning of 2022, BioTalent Canada accepted applications from organizations of all sizes across Canada, evaluating them each through an impartial process to determine nine recipients to receive the I.D.E.A.L. Bioscience Employer designation. It represents a critical step in ensuring diversity within the sector. And, according to Rob Henderson, President and CEO of BioTalent Canada, it also represents a way forward toward future growth for Canadian Bioscience companies.

“Diversity is critical to attract and retain talent in Canada and is a key strategy cited in our Labour Market Research, particularly in our study of creating resiliency in the bio-economy in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he says. “We developed the I.D.E.A.L. Bioscience Employer Recognition Program as the culmination of a study we conducted in partnership with the Future Skills Centre to showcase some of the great things happening and what’s possible when organizations make equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility a priority.”

Criteria used to evaluate the submissions included an organization’s alignment of IDEA principles to their vision, values, strategies, and outcomes; leadership accountability for IDEA; and the priority the organization places on IDEA learning and awareness, among others.

Recipients of the 2022 I.D.E.A.L. Bioscience Employer Recognition Program include the following organizations (listed alphabetically):

AgriTech North: This organization based in Dryden, Ontario focuses on reducing food costs in northern Indigenous communities, holds daily discussions and learnings on IDEA topics, and is led by a chief executive who is Indigenous and differently abled.

BioCanRx: This cancer researcher headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario has made a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) at its gender balanced board of directors. Additionally, BioCanRx runs an Indigenous Student Internship program and includes patient voices in all its research findings.

Health Cities: The Edmonton-based company is focused on providing health data to decision makers in Alberta. Health Cities promotes equity in healthcare and provides internships and apprenticeships for under-represented groups in the bio-economy. They also focus strongly on employee mental health.

Life Sciences Ontario (LSO): A Toronto not-for-profit that advances Ontario life sciences, LSO runs an internal/external committee focused on inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility leadership, and incorporates those principles into its strategic planning. The committee is comprised of members of the LSO board and external experts in IDEA.

Nicotine Dependence Service (CAMH): The Nicotine Dependence Service at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto includes IDEA principles in its organizational charter. It also puts IDEA principles at the centre of the programs it offers to the public and consults with staff to develop their culture and values.

Origin Materials: This carbon negative materials company based in Sarnia, Ontario is adding IDEA components to its 2023 performance indicators for staff. Additionally, the company tracks gender diversity metrics and hired a consulting firm to conduct a survey to measure IDEA as their team grows.

Raft Brew Labs: Situated in Calgary, Alberta, Raft Brew Labs uses biotechnology to bolster small beverage producers in Canada and has created an inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility handbook through one-on-one conversations with team members and offers incentives to increase those principles among employees.

Shift Health: This organization integrates inclusion and diversity into its vision and mission and works with marginalized communities. The Toronto-based group also works to build awareness of the challenges faced by individuals with visual impairments and creates written content that is more accessible.

STEMCELL Technologies: This Vancouver-based maker of scientific instruments has a three-year strategy built around equity, diversity and inclusion. Its main pillars are to focus on gender equality, increasing the representation of underrepresented groups, and investing in Indigenous communities. They also conduct regular audits on their hiring, promotion and pay equity processes.

For more information about the I.D.E.A.L. Bioscience Employer Recognition Program, visit biotalent.ca