Inclusion & Equity
We are committed to fostering an inclusive community that advances equity and accessibility, celebrates diversity and prioritizes relationships.
Our Strategy
Our north star is to empower the business community to advance a prosperous Calgary. We know our Calgary community – and our business community – can only thrive if we make space for everyone and actively invest in the success of all communities.
We recognize that as the central node for business and commerce since 1891, with a long history that parallels much of Calgary’s history, we have access to power through our networks, voice and influence.
As the hub for business, we seek to bring members along on our journey, using our convening power to build bridges and share resources to advance equity and inclusion across our business community.
In tandem with our economic reconciliation work, we will also use our platform, as the leading voice of business, to amplify and celebrate diversity within Calgary business and advocate for systemic change that improves our society for generations.
Overview
Calgary Chamber commits to being a welcoming, inclusive and safe community for our staff, volunteers, partners and businesses.
Priority I
Develop an internal culture and organizational processes that reflect our commitment to IDEA.
Our 'why'
We know our people are at their best when they feel included, respected and have equitable access to opportunities.
Priority II
Connect members with resources as they advance their own IDEA-related work.
Our 'why'
Our mandate is to support businesses—including in their work to advance IDEA in their own organizations.
Priority III
Use our voice and platform to amplify others and advocate for an inclusive economy.
Our 'why'
We know our voice carries weight and our platform is far-reaching. Sharing the stage can be transformational.
IDEA resources
EDI in the Workforce
GEDI Hub
Diversity and Inclusion Online Training
Canadian Diversity Institute
Improving Workplace Inclusion and Diversity
Canada Media Fund
Inclusivity at Work: The Heart of Hard Conversations (Podcast)
Aiko Bethea and Brene Brown
Anti-Racism and Discrimination Toolkits
Canadian Race Relations Foundation
The Role of Senior Leaders in Building a Race Equity Culture
Bridgespan Group
What is a Microaggression?
Center for Race and Culture
An LGBT Best Practice Guide for Employers
Beyond Diversity
Women Entrepreneurship
Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub
Accessible Design Standards
City of Calgary
Barrier-Free Design Guide
Government of Alberta
IDEA events
Discover upcoming Calgary Chamber experiences that bring people together to learn, share, and champion inclusive business practices
Events
IDEA members
Calgary Chamber has several members that work in this space and can help your company learn and progress.
Axis Connects
Axis Connects brings together organizations and companies advancing gender diversity in business to foster collaboration and collective impact.
Al Atassi Consulting
Al Atassi Leadership Consulting empowers immigrant, refugee, and first-generation women through coaching, leadership training, and workshops.
Calgary Food Bank
The Calgary Food Bank’s vision is for a hunger-free community, fighting hunger and its root causes because no one should go hungry.
Calgary Newcomers Guide
Calgary Newcomers Guide offers collaborative support to address challenges & celebrate milestones in the settlement journey.
Canada's 2SLGBTQI+ Chamber of Commerce
CGLCC empowers and connects 100,000+ businesses, fostering diversity & growth in the 2SLGBTQI+ community.
Canadian Equity Consulting
Canadian Equity Consulting helps organizations build the capacity to reflect on, understand, and respond to the rich diversity within our society.
Centre for Newcomers
Centre for Newcomers is a non-profit immigrant settlement agency offering services & language training for newcomers in Calgary.
Centre for Sexuality
Centre for Sexuality is a community-based organization delivering programs & services to support healthy sexuality across the lifespan.
Deaf and Hear Alberta
Deaf and Hear Alberta works to ensure society can hear, understand, accept, and warmly include Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
Gateway Association
Gateway supports people with disabilities and their families and fosters more inclusive communities.
Inclusive Concepts
Inclusive Concepts delivers two unique IDEA courses that are meant to educate and inspire participants.
Neil Squire Society
Neil Squire Society uses technology, knowledge and passion to empower Canadians with disabilities.
Prospect Human Services
Prospect hires talented, creative people. Joining our team means you get to make a difference in people’s lives.
SafeLink Alberta
SafeLink Alberta works to reduce the harms associated with sexual activity and substance use through education, non-judgemental services and programming.
Sinneave Family Foundation
sinneave works with individuals, communities, and organizations across Canada to reduce barriers and enhance opportunities in education, employment, and housing for Autistic youth and adults.
The Calgary Foundation
The Calgary Foundation facilitates collaborative philanthropy by making powerful connections between donors and community organizations for the benefit of Calgary and area.
The Canadian Institute of Natural & Integrative Medicine
Cinim is an integrative health and research institute, creating evidence-based mental health programs that help people live happier, more fulfilling lives.
Trellis Society
Trellis Society provides wraparound housing, mental health, social and community services for people from all backgrounds, including those with complex needs.
WCG Services
WCG is a leader in the development and delivery of employment and rehabilitation services.
WTAL Canada
WTAL seeks to equip women with the tools necessary to excel in career, business, marriage, finance, personal development, socially and otherwise.
CAN WiN/Open Door Group
The CAN WiN program operated by Open Door Group helps employers meet workforce needs by connecting job seekers with disabilities to accessible employers.
Our IDEA impact
We are still progressing on our journey, but we’re proud of the meaningful accomplishments we’ve made so far. Here’s an overview of what we’ve achieved.
How are we advancing IDEA across every level of our work?
Updating internal culture and organizational processes
We are updating our internal culture and organizational processes to reflect our commitment to IDEA:
Events and panels reflect the diversity of our business community: We show up across the city, engage with all sectors and sizes, and amplify a breadth of perspectives, backgrounds, and lived experiences in our work.
Accessibility is a priority: Our events almost always occur at physically accessible spaces, and we provide additional accessibility resources, such as closed captioning, upon request.
Inclusive hiring and ongoing improvement: We have updated our hiring and employment practices to ensure Calgary Chamber is an inclusive and welcoming place to work – right from the application process. We are continually improving our hiring processes to eliminate bias and recruit people from communities we haven’t always shown up in.
Connecting members with IDEA resources
We provide tools, events, and information to help our business community advance their own IDEA journeys:
Sharing resources and educational opportunities: We post resources, information, and community events on our website to support members in advancing their IDEA-related work.
Highlighting important dates: We maintain a calendar of significant dates to help organizations understand key events and religious holidays that may be relevant to staff and stakeholders.
Hosting forums and sharing our journey: We host an annual Mental Health Forum and an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Forum, both increasingly well attended by our membership and community. We also share our own experiences publicly, hoping to help others learn from and navigate their own journeys — acknowledging that while we haven’t always gotten it right, we have learned a lot along the way.
Using our voice to amplify others and advocate for an inclusive economy
We leverage our platform to support communities, celebrate diversity, and promote an inclusive economy:
Visible and behind-the-scenes community engagement: Our team shows up for communities at events like the Pride Parade and Calgary Black Achievement Awards, and through quiet connection, advocacy, and support.
Celebrating exemplary work: We highlight the achievements of diverse business community members through our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Award at the Small Business Week Gala, recognizing three finalists and one winner each year since 2019.
Equity-focused advocacy: We consistently bring an equity lens to our public policy and advocacy work, knowing the economy can only thrive if people thrive. From our work on housing to public transit and affordable utilities to labour market changes, we consult with and consider the impacts of our advocacy on diverse communities.
Latest work
Have a look at some of the recent work the Calgary Chamber of Commerce has been involved in.
Latest work
- News Releases, Policy and Advocacy
Our accessibility offerings
Calgary Chamber is located at 112 4th Avenue SW in the Ampersand. A physically accessible building that includes barrier-free washrooms, ramps or elevators throughout the building, including to the Chamber office, Conference Centre, parkade, coffee shop and food vendors. Calgary Chamber office meeting rooms and office space are accessible.
We do not have accessible washrooms on our floor; however, barrier-free washrooms are located just behind our elevator bank (East Tower) on the main floor.
Our Journey
It started with a conversation. Now it’s a commitment.
Beginning the Journey
Recognizing the need for structure
While our staff team brought a diversity, equity and inclusion lens, in many cases, our work was not formalized or institutionalized. We decided to add a focus on accessibility and bring accountability of our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) work under an Executive Leadership Team member to bring structure, accountability and consistency to our work.
Learning from our community
We have also worked with other organizations to understand best practices, particularly in a Calgary context, a Chamber context, and a business context. We spoke to our members to understand how the Chamber could serve them and what resources we could provide that would help advance their own journeys.
Strengthening internal commitment
We launched our Staff Working Group, with representation from each department to ensure we prioritize inclusion, equity, diversity and accessibility throughout everything we do, acknowledging every part of an organization is key to meaningfully advancing this work.
Commitment to continuous learning and improvement
We tested this and received feedback from the Chamber’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility Sub-Committee of the Board of Directors, composed of subject matter experts. After updating our strategy, the Chamber’s Board of Directors approved the strategy. As we continue to learn, and as the needs of our community evolve, this strategy will evolve to reflect our current context and new understanding. As such, the strategy will be reviewed and updated to reflect the context, learnings and capacity.
If it matters to you, it matters to us
We are your champion at the table with government – let us know what’s impacting you and your business.
