EMPLOYMENT EQUITY & DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE

Background

The District is committed to fairness and equity in its employment practices. The District believes that the demographic make-up of its employees is to reflect the demographic make-up of the communities served by the District. 

Amongst other things, this Administrative Procedure is designed to increase the employment representation of under-represented “designated groups”, which may include, but is not limited to: women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities.

Procedures

1. This Administrative Procedure is intended to foster a culture that continuously aims to achieve greater employment equity as well as the increased representation, of groups in the District's community that are under-represented in their employment with the District.
2. Recruitment, hiring, retention and succession practices are to respond to, and demonstrate an awareness and understanding of, the diverse population served by the District.
3. The District understands and recognizes that:
   1. As a result of equitable hiring practices, a broader array of people have the opportunity to participate in job competitions;
   2. The removal of employment barriers for some employees or potential employees will benefit the entire workforce;
   3. An active search for employment barriers can be effective in exposing the difficulties and challenges confronted by employees;
   4. Greater employment equity results in increased employee retention;
   5. Employment equity and diversity contribute to creativity, productivity, and innovation; and
   6. Employment equity and diversity enhance the opportunities to learn about differences and fosters a stronger sense of community.
4. The District will endeavour to promote employment equity by:
   1. Identifying and, where possible, eliminating employment barriers for people in designated groups; and
   2. Instituting procedures and practices to ensure people in designated groups are properly represented in the workplace.
5. While the District is committed to improving employment equity in the workplace, this commitment does not extend to the following:
   1. The implementation of any measure that would cause the District undue hardship;
   2. The hiring or promotion of any person who fails to meet the qualifications of a position; or
   3. The creation of new positions without an organizational rationale.
6. The District's hiring, succession and promotion practices will remain compliant with its labour relations and human rights obligations. Employment equity and diversity will be achieved through measures such as outreach, training and reasonable accommodation, rather than through affirmative action or quota-based advertising and hiring.
7. In seeking to redress the under-representation of designated groups in the workplace, the District will endeavour to collect information about its current and prospective employees. Some individuals may regard this information as highly personal. Consequently, the District will undertake the collection of this information in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and with the utmost sensitivity and confidentiality.
8. The District will:
   1. Communicate to all employees the District 's commitment to achieving employment equity and diversity as well as the measures that will be undertaken to achieve this goal;
   2. Develop a mechanism for consulting and collaborating with employees on an ongoing basis with respect to any barriers that exist in the workplace or as part of the hiring process;
   3. Collect and maintain data with respect to the workforce, with an emphasis on the number of employees that self-identify as a member of a designated group (the "Employment Data"); and
   4. Undertake a review of the District's procedures and practices to ensure that they do not constitute a barrier to the full participation of designated group members (the "Review").
9. The Superintendent will be responsible for overseeing and assisting in the implementation of its employment equity and diversity initiatives.
10. The Employment Data and the Review are to be utilized to develop and implement an employment equity plan to address any barriers or shortcomings identified through the Review.
11. In particular, the employment equity plan will:
    1. Specify the procedures and/or practices, including reasonable accommodation practices, that will be instituted to contribute to the hiring and promotion of persons in designated groups who are under-represented in the District's workforce;
    2. Specify the measures that are to be instituted to eliminate the employment barriers identified in the Review.