Quinte Immigration has signed on to the Belleville Workplace Inclusion Charter that encourages businesses to adopt a plan for for hiring staff of diverse backgrounds.
Quinte Immigration Services has embedded equity, diversity and inclusion in their mission statement and policies.
They have always practised inclusive hiring with a staff complement of women and persons with diverse backgrounds including immigrants, people of colour and non-immigrants.
Staff have access to free professional development that addresses many aspects of equity, diversity and inclusion principles such as ‘Positive Spaces’ training to work with the LGBTQ2S+ communities, anti-oppression training, anti-racism training, anti-indigenous racism training, as well as seminars and workshops on aspects of equity, diversity and inclusion.
Mayor Neil Ellis says, “Quinte Immigration Services continues to do great work to support inclusion in our community.”
“This commitment is a natural next step for them and we are eager to see what difference they will make as they implement their new initiatives.”
“The main objectives of our organization are to encourage public respect for the diversity of immigrants, the promotion and recognition of the value of racial and cultural differences, and the facilitation of integration and participation of newcomers into the social, economic and cultural aspects of the community,” said Orlando Ferro, Executive Director of Quinte Immigration Services. “Our agency also recognizes that factors intersecting with ethnocultural background such as gender identification, abilities, age and racialization can affect the inclusion and equity of not only our clients, but our staff.
“To promote our values, we need to amplify our message of equity, inclusivity and diversity principles within our workplace and the community with the understanding that a further commitment to these principles will encourage our already diverse work culture and promote a higher level of collaboration and communication from within. In turn, we expect that our initiatives may be recognized by our clientele as values they hold, allowing them to achieve a higher comfort level when seeking support from our organization. We also hope that by example, as a smaller agency, we may influence the broader community to engage in equity, diversity and inclusion strategies with their clients and staff.”
When it comes to next steps for inclusion in the workplace, Quinte Immigration Services, with support from Quinte Local Immigration Partnership, will be launching an Employer Toolkit for Hiring Newcomers that will be produced for local employers. The toolkit will assist employers with the processes of hiring newcomers, addressing newcomer barriers, and promoting equitable and inclusive integration into the workplace for immigrants and refugees. Quinte Immigration Services also continues its current strategy to work with displaced Ukrainian persons to ensure their inclusivity in the regional workforce.
Mayor Neil Ellis says he was pleased to join Orlando Ferro and Cat Fisher from Quinte Quinte Immigration Services as well as Director of Economic Development Heather Candler today to congratulate and thank them for their commitment to inclusion in the workplace.
“I really want to acknowledge the pivotal role Cat Fisher played in inspiring city staff to develop and champion the charter,” said Heather Candler. “It’s an important labour force development and business recognition tool for the city, and the bottom line is that it will make everyone’s experience in Belleville workplaces better.”
“Quinte Immigration Services continues to do great work to support inclusion in our community,” said Mayor Neil Ellis. “This commitment is a natural next step for them and we are eager to see what difference they will make as they implement their new initiatives. All organizations and businesses looking to progress their inclusion efforts are encouraged to use their Employer Toolkit, learn more about the Charter, take the pledge and develop their own work plan for a more inclusive workplace.”
