As Ontario’s communities change and grow, the organizations that serve them must also adapt to meet new needs. In recent years the OHRC has developed a human rights organizational change approach, to help organizations eliminate bias and discrimination, be more inclusive, and fully respect and accommodate the dignity, worth and rights of all people.
In March 2013, the OHRC joined the Windsor Police Service (WPS), the Windsor Police Services Board (WPSB) and the Ontario Police College (OPC) to mark the second anniversary of our work together. In this three-year project, launched in February 2011, the four organizations are aiming to identify, eliminate and prevent any possible discrimination in the Windsor Police Service, as an employer and in the services it provides.
The partners have been looking at existing policies and programs and developing strategies to address any existing or potential human rights concerns. Highlights for Year 2 include:
I think it's important to acknowledge in this work, in human rights work there are no champagne moments ... Here, if you can have a cheer and what I mean by that is a small win, that's fantastic. And the reason I say that is because I know the work we do here, little by little, we crumble the barriers, the stereotypes, the barricades that not only individuals, but society has up. And I always say, and this true for any workplace, we are a microcosm of society and because we were that, societal expectations are part of the organizational expectations.
- Andre Goh, Manager, Diversity Management Unit, Toronto Police Service
No champagne moments