Chamber launching Diversity & Inclusion Committee

The tragic losses and countless victims all over the world have been met with a mixture of sadness and anger but must inspire action and real change. For generations we’ve witnessed the impact of systemic racism that has oppressed black, racialized and indigenous people. Change is long overdue, and the WCC joins the voices and has focused its attention on action. In order to take action, we need to have respectful, open, honest and healthy conversations about racism and discriminatory practices and attitudes within our business community.

We wanted to do more than post a statement. Our intent is to thoughtfully create change.

Collectively, we need to do better.

Amongst several activities which the Chamber team identified in 2019, we’ve decided to take further action by launching a committee dedicated to inclusivity. Their role will be to provide a lens of diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our work, including communications, processes and events. They’ll work to identify opportunities to ensure Chamber programming and practices are fair and provide forward-looking recommendations to ensure the WCC is a leader in championing the business community. Our membership will ensure that with this committee’s help we will do better.

The WCC Board of Directors is also fully engaged and committed to action and creating lasting change. Initial steps identified by the Board include developing a formal Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, which will be made available on the website when completed. This statement, and associated commitments, will be used moving forward as Board policies are revised to ensure the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion are embedded in the policies. The Board will also task the Policy & Governance Committee with identifying any barriers which may exist that prevent any groups from participating in the Board nomination process or committee selection process. The goal will be to remove any barriers and support the broadest participation from all groups within the membership. Some of the above work will be informed by the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and consultation with the membership.

While we still have work to do, we stand with you.

If you have questions or comments, please contact natalie@whitbychamber.org.