DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
Our Mission
At Daniels, it’s our conviction that diversity and inclusion make us stronger. By putting people first, we build strong and diverse communities in which we can all reach our full potential together.
Our goal is to embody diversity, respect and inclusion throughout our organization. We aim to approach all our work through a lens of equity, working to combat systemic discrimination and challenge the status quo. We recognize that more work needs to be done to strengthen these values and to build on and nurture a corporate culture where inclusiveness and diversity are part of our day-to-day practice and not just a corporate initiative.
Our DEI mission is to continue building a more inclusive organization – comprised of culturally diverse backgrounds, abilities, skills and experiences that will drive innovation and unite us to create a stronger and more resilient team.
Daniels is committed to treating all people with respect, dignity and fairness regardless of age, ancestry, race, citizenship, place of origin, creed, disability, family or marital status, gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation.
We are actively fostering a workplace where everyone is encouraged to embrace their authentic selves and ultimately feel welcomed and valued.
Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion mission is an important journey we are setting out on. For meaningful improvements to be made and, most importantly, lasting change, it will take time to make sure we do it right. We know there is a tremendous opportunity to do better and to do more. And we will.
Each year, we refresh our DEI logo to reflect the equity-deserving group we are
focusing on for our annual Daniels Digs Deep educational series. This series provides opportunities for employees to further their understanding of equity-deserving groups through forums, workshops, and guest speaker-led discussions. In 2022, our focus was Indigenous Voices and the logo featured artwork from The Eighth Fire by muralist Philip Cote, a Young Spiritual Elder, activist, historian and Traditional Wisdom Keeper.
Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Efforts
Follow our ongoing efforts as we work toward improving our workplace, community and industry.
INTERNAL
COMPLETED
- Established Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee in 2020.
- Implemented regular DEI training at all levels of the organization, including web-based, self-guided training for all employees on the topics of Diversity 101, Unconscious Bias, and Anti-Racism.
- Established Anti-Discrimination and Zero Tolerance policies for employees, consultants and trades.
- All employees participated in an anti-racism and unconscious bias workshop
- Members of the Daniels team participated in a University of Toronto (U of T) fellowship on social justice
- Employee Inclusion and Belonging Survey sent to all employees in 2020 and 2022 and used as a guideline to build our DEI framework
- Signage focusing on DEI mission and support of Black Lives Matter movement installed in public-facing areas of all construction sites
- In 2022, all employees participated in Indigenous Cultural Competency training
- Established a 5-year DEI Strategy with active employee input
- Established an Indigenous Inclusion Committee
ONGOING
- Working closely with the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) to improve DEI practices
- Working closely with Indigenous Works and Adam Wright Strategies to formulate a 5-year Indigenous Focused Strategic DEI Plan
- Quarterly internal events focused on DEI under the “Daniels Digs Deep” umbrella; each year a different equity-deserving group is the focus
- Regular DEI Employee Forums to ensure open and two-way communication
- Multicultural Calendar available to all employees and celebrated through company-wide communication and events
- Connecting with recruiters and other resources to attract talent from equity-deserving groups
- Ongoing work based on learnings from U of T fellowship
- Implementing an equity-based approach to hiring and wages
- Ongoing DEI focused communication for employees, including a quarterly DEI Newsletter
- Improving our DEI metrics to measure the impact of DEI initiatives
INDUSTRY
COMPLETED
- Signed the BlackNorth Initiative Pledge Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism
- Daniels employee representation in DEI webinars and panels including the Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN) Black Experience in Construction Webinar
- Worked closely with the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) to report back to the Regent Park community following 2020 hate crime on our construction site
ONGOING
- Employee participation in industry DEI committees and initiatives
- Ongoing engagement with trade unions and consultants to combat discrimination and establish policies
- Lobbying for affordable housing
- Working closely with RESCON to respond to hate crimes and social justice issues within the industry
COMMUNITIES WE SERVE
COMPLETED
- Established Local Art & Social Procurement Programs
- Established Social Impact Commercial program, providing Live/Work studio space to artist from equity-deserving groups
- Participated in community rally and offered support from senior team members following hate crime incident in Regent Park in 2020
- Worked closely with Regent Park residents and RESCON to support the community and published a Report Back to Regent Park post–hate crime
- Signed ILEO (Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity) Charter
- Built an eight-bedroom fully accessible home for L’Arche Toronto within our Artworks Tower condominium in Regent Park to meet the assisted-living needs of L’Arche, which provides housing for people with intellectual disabilities
- In collaboration with AccessNow, facilitated a “Map Mission” of the Regent Park community to rate the accessibility of various spaces and hosted a follow-up event to share results and foster open conversation around accessibility in the built environment
ONGOING
- Supporting diverse local and emerging artists through local art procurement with a focus on artists belonging to equity deserving groups
- Prioritizing social procurement across entire portfolio
- Increasing community capacity through Daniels’ Social Impact Commercial program, including providing Work-Live studio space to artists from equity-deserving groups
- Ongoing philanthropic support of various organizations
- Embracing an equity and anti-racism approach to local economic development
- Continuing to work closely with the Regent Park community to ensure resident voices are at the forefront of the revitalization process
- Continued commitment to equity-deserving youth economic empowerment and mentorship through local employment programs, such as Creating Real Apprenticeships for Toronto (CRAFT) and Moving Towards Opportunity (MTO) programs
- Taking an Indigenous-focused approach to landscape architecture at our new communities and presentations centres
Daniels’ Commitment To Truth & Reconciliation
At Daniels, we recognize that as a Canadian real estate developer and builder, we play an important role in Truth & Reconciliation in our country.
How is our organization responding to the specific recommendations and calls to action in the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) 2015 Report?
Recommendation #92 asks the corporate sector and their leadership to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. The commission calls for meaningful consultation, long term sustainable opportunities from economic development projects as well as education and training for managers on the history of Indigenous Peoples, intercultural competency, human rights and anti-racism.
- At all levels of the organization, we have implemented training and education opportunities including training for all employees and diversity leadership training for people managers and senior executives. This included cultural competency training for all employees led by Nathan Wright of Adam Wright Strategies focused on Indigenous history and our role in responding to the TRC’s recommendations.
- Furthering our commitment to education, we regularly host firm-wide events under the “Daniels Digs Deep” umbrella. Daniels Digs Deep is an annual comprehensive education series launched by Daniels’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee that provides opportunities for our employees to further their understanding of equity-deserving groups in our communities through forums, workshops and guest speaker-led discussions. Our focus in 2022 was Indigenous Voices. Through Daniels Digs Deep events, our team has provided additional learning opportunities focused on Indigenous Peoples in Canada, their rich culture, values, history and contributions to our country.
- Daniels has engaged Indigenous Works for a baseline assessment to help our company improve our Indigenous inclusion both internally and externally.
- Daniels has established an Indigenous Inclusion Committee that will focus on our long-term and ongoing commitment to Truth & Reconciliation.
- Across the organization, we are actively engaging Indigenous Peoples, communities, organizations, and businesses to incorporate Indigenous voices in all areas of our business including, but not limited to: Indigenous landscape design firms, caterers, consultants and artists – including Philip Cote, Kris Nahrgang and Bekah Brown, and continue to seek new opportunities for collaboration with Indigenous Peoples across all areas of our business.
- Daniels is committed to ensuring Indigenous Peoples have equitable access to jobs through our inclusive hiring practices and partnerships with Indigenous recruitment services.
From Our Team
While we are still early in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion journey, we’re pleased that our efforts are already having an impact.
OUR DEI COLLABORATORS
Indigenous Consulting Firm
Looking to collaborate with us?
If your business or organization would like to partner with us on DEI initiatives, please email dei@danielscorp.com.