After the G20 party's over

Feeling a bit exhausted by all this, as many are, I'm sure.  The G's have gone, and the streets are slowly returning to normal, and the citizens of Toronto are shaken up and wondering what the hell happened. 

We have seen leadership of a sort over the last few days, and it's a good time, maybe the best time, to ask ourselves and each other, what does this great city need in a leader?  Who can speak for us, who can protect and defend us, who can bring out the best in us? 

I like and admire David Miller, I like and admire Bill Blair.  I think both men are good, decent people.  Maybe that's why its so hard to see them fail their city, forget their responsibilities to all citizens of Toronto. 

This nonsense of forcing people to stand for hours in a deluge of rain, shivering, sick, frightened, while the Mayor and the police chief hid from the media, instead of declaring it an outrage. This public scapegoating of a few hundred mostly uninvolved individuals out of some residual need to punish someone for the deeds of a pathetic few, to try and shame and hurt and humiliate these folks, these citizens, your neighbors and friends, is indefensible, and the more both men try, the more they lose my respect.

I want a mayor I can count on, in good times and bad, to do the best he can for the city.  I want a mayor who can represent all the people, who is equally comfortable with the well-off and the poor, with the banker and the addict, with the homeowner from the Bridle Path and the tenant in a Parkdale rooming house.

I want a politician who doesn't put his entitlement first, who doesn't feel he should be coddled and courted to do the right thing, I want a mayor who takes the subway and walks the streets.. 

I want a leader who is consistent and who is capable of empathy and deep thought, a leader who is action oriented, who cares and is committed, and who can listen and who can learn.  I want a Mayor I can be proud of, who I can call by his first name, whose hand I can shake cause he's not surrounded by staff whose sole job is to keep real people at bay.

I want a leader who can talk about his own struggles, and what it took to overcome them.  I want someone capable of inspiring those who need inspiration, who respects people whatever their walk of life and who will be there when these same people need them.

I want a mayor who puts the people of his city first, even before what's good for him, what's politically safe or smart.  I want a mayor who stands for his people, all his people, all the time. 

The election cannot come too soon.

About Pat Capponi

Time to show some love for Sheppard Ave.

There’s a certain Toronto blog that I love to read every day with all the newspapers. One of the entries on this particular blog focused on the release of new maps of certain Toronto neighbourhoods. 

I made the comment and suggestion of having more maps of different neighbourhoods that aren’t in a square bordered by the lake, Spadina to the West, Bloor to the North, and Jarvis to the East should be included in their selection. 

Many people voiced their opinions about the pros and cons (mostly cons) of this idea but it got me thinking that, in general, there are some neighbourhoods in this city that don’t get any love from Torontonians. Willowdale, and Sheppard Avenue from Yonge to Don Mills, specifically, is one of these unloved neighbourhoods.

At first I was going to write about the negative opinion about the subway line, however short, but packed with people during the rush-hour commute. But there’s enough of a general dislike, or misunderstanding, of this neighbourhood to warrant more writing.

Is it because it’s still considered suburban even though it’s not? Are people frustrated because there’s a short subway line in the neighbourhood? Are people angry because there’s six lanes of road and cars still dominate? All of the above, perhaps?

If you haven’t had a chance to come up here, I would recommend you do because there’s a lot happening. 

The first thing you’ll notice is that you don’t need a car to get around. I don’t drive. I gave up driving, on purpose, when I moved to the neighbourhood. Everything is transit accessible and within a reasonable walking distance. 

The second thing you’ll notice are all the condo developments sprouting up near Bayview and further across Sheppard at Don Mills. The subway line has had a positive effect on this street contrary to what most people thought would have happened. It is encouraging development like any subway line should. This development goes largely ignored. 

It’s too bad the subway couldn’t be expanded West to Downsview and East to the Scarborough Town Centre or the Zoo. I think the potential development in this area will eventually overload the planned LRT. 

Don’t get me wrong, LRTs are a good thing. Had the subway never happened, I would have encouraged this technology in lieu of a subway line. But since there's a subway already here, I’d rather see money spent on expanding it bit-by-bit over time.

The third thing you’ll notice are the entertainment choices. There are plenty of bars, restaurants, theatres and cafes. My favourite place is a cafe called L’Opera. The Toronto Centre for the Arts is also nearby. 

There is one public square for people to enjoy in Mel Lastman Square, with another one potentially in the works in the Yonge-Sheppard Square.

If you want to come up for some serious shopping there are three malls in the area. Two are subway accessible in Fairview and Bayview Village and one is accessible by bus, or a short walk, in Centrepoint. More importantly, if you don’t like malls, you can still find smaller local stores all over the neighbourhood to frequent. 

Another bonus to the neighbourhood is its central location. I’m a half-hour (at most) from downtown and at any time I can hop on the TTC, Go Transit, VIVA and Brampton Transit to get anywhere in the GTA in under an hour. 

If this sounds like an advertisement for the neighbourhood, it isn’t meant to be. I just highlight all of this because there is more to Toronto than the downtown core.

Just as we are all taught, rightfully so, not to pre-judge people, Torontonians shouldn’t be so quick to pre-judge a neighbourhood because of what it once was. Unfortunately, this happens with great regularity in this city. 

If Toronto is a city of neighbourhoods, it’s only fair to expand the group and allow for up-and-coming neighbourhoods to join the group.

Maybe one day when my favorite Toronto blog publishes a map of the neighbourhood people will start to wake up, see how great it really is, and finally show it some love.

About Robert Kirsic

The perfect G20 summit location

As the dust settles from the G20 summit in Toronto, a number of people have complained that Toronto was the wrong place to hold the summit meetings.

I disagree.

I can’t think of a better place to have held the G20 summit this year than in Toronto. Toronto is the economic heartland of Canada, and home to the Canadian banking sector: one of the largest employers in the country, and one of the principal reasons why our Canada did not fall into the same economic crisis that other G8 and G20 countries fell into during the recession . What better place to show Canada’s strength amongst its peers than to have the meetings in the financial capital of Canada.

It’s also important to note that the City of Toronto is partially responsible for the federal government’s decision to hold the summit in Toronto. For years, the Toronto government has been justifiably boasting its prowess to the federal and provincial government, constantly complaining that they are not treated like the mature city that they have become.

Take a look at any media release from the city and you will read in its tag line: “Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.6 million people. It is the economic engine of Canada and one of the greenest and most creative cities in North America.” If that is not a compelling missive for having the G20 here, I don’t know what is...

Other critics have complained that holding the meetings in the downtown core was just asking for the kind of violence and damage that we experienced.

I disagree.

The damage that occurred downtown was the result of a minority of misguided criminals who took advantage of legitimate peaceful protesters who were there for a cause that they believed in. Those peaceful protesters were able to get their message across without resorting to the violence and damage that some criminals decided to engage in.

As Canada Day fast approaches, this summit is one of the many reasons why I am proud to be Canadian: to live in a country that provides one of the strongest and stable economies in the world for individuals to pursue and achieve wealth. It is also a place where legitimate, peaceful protest is permitted and actually encouraged by our government.

About Dan Bordonali

Now we all know how it feels

Its a good class barometer, all those fences and pictures of cops in riot gear. If these measures give you an enhanced feeling of security, it's likely that you're middle or upper class, and if it makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck, the likelihood is, you're poor, maybe homeless, maybe marginally housed.  It has little to do with a person's intent to demonstrate, but with the blunt and uncompromising show of power.

Still, as GO customers are warned to bring food and water in the face of what may be significant delays, as the US puts out travel advisories, as the downtown closes up shop, as windows are boarded and taped, and hospital patients sent home, as the billion dollar price tag for the privilege of being stopped and questioned by over-excited security guards and cops with dreams of arresting the next bin Laden, as all this goes on, it's an opportunity of sorts to put yourself in the shoes of those who endure the heavy-handedness of security even when there are no world leaders around to impress.

You too can feel like a "small person", an unimportant cog in the machine, someone who has to make way, step aside, stand in place, show identification, be refused entry or shown to the door. 

The G-20 will be a great equalizer, for those left in the city, no matter if you drive a BMW or a ZIP rental, stalled on the highway till the motorcade makes its way through from the airport or hotels.

You can use the time to stretch your imagination to empathize with those countries who won't be dismantling fences or laying off cops any time soon, you can view the guns and tasers and noise cannons and think about tanks running down protesters in China, or the hell that is North Korea.  We are very lucky, most of us, to live in Canada, to live in Toronto. Not so lucky on June 26th or 27th, it's true, but still.

I do worry though about those who are most vulnerable, those suffering from addictions and mental illness, those who can't find a place to sleep or a place to hide from all these heavily armed forces, I worry that not every one will make it through these few days intact, alive and breathing.  

It was not our decision to turn our city into an armed camp. It's been done to us.  There is no upside. And not only are we shut out of our city, we're paying for their privilege, and paying and paying even as we hear again about fiscal restraint from Harper, who surely has lost all credibility on the subject.  

It's a good time to think about our city, what we love about it, the tolerance, the openness, the freedom.  And how we could lose that by throwing away our vote, giving it to someone whose mantra is cut taxes, slash budgets. 

(And George, a word.  I heard your spokesperson say, in response to Ford surging ahead, that the voters need to wake up.  That's precisely the problem, the attitude that says the voters need to change.  George, it's your campaign that needs changing.  Don't hand the mayoralty over to Ford, start listening to people, start practising some humility before we're all done. You can do it, you need to do it. )

About Pat Capponi

Whatever happened to teaching real-life skills in school?

Another school year is quickly winding down, and if you are like me you’re probably wondering where the time has gone. 

I think this is an appropriate time to ask if our school system is really providing a service for our young people or equipping students with information that is more suited to answer a question on Jeopardy.

There’s been a push everywhere to get kids into universities, but strangely never college, which is unfortunate, and in Toronto to push Afro-centric schools and teach other cultural histories but, ultimately, they both fail to teach and equip kids with the day-to-day skills they need to succeed. 

Most students won’t have a practical need for algebra, calculus, physics, religion, and a whole host of other classes that are taught in most high schools across the city. 

The goal should be to make good, successful citizens and not marginal students.

Students should be learning how to stay healthy and in shape, balance their finances, how credit works, how to start up a business, why voting is important, and basic Canadian history and they should be learning these things in ways that are fun but educational.

As we get older health care is going to be a very important issue. Older generations will require much more care and this will strain budgets and resources not only in Toronto but across the country. 

The issues facing future generations will stem from unhealthy eating habits and obesity. It’s important to start teaching students at an early age how to take care of their bodies and stay healthy and in shape to avoid these issues.

Schools do this in part by helping to provide breakfasts but physical activity should be more prominent.

History and politics are important to teach. How can you know where your city, province and country is going without knowing where it has come from? 

Understanding what is happening with the upcoming municipal election is important. It affects us all. I wouldn’t be surprised if most kids couldn’t name a few of the mayoral candidates. 

If students are going to lead this city into the future, they need to know how it works and why it works the way it does. 

This may even help engage students to become more active politically which could help address local calls for more inclusion in civic politics in Toronto.

The recent recession, if anything, should have taught us that balancing our finances is very important. 

Teaching students about credit is also valuable. They should learn that credit isn’t free and indefinite, why credit scores are important, and how banks work and why they target them. 

They should also learn there are severe consequences that occur when you are not able to pay back your loans, mortgages and other things. Living within your means is not easy but it’s important. 

Teaching students about creating and starting up their own businesses gets them to start thinking about their futures and what they want to do while teaching them a very valuable lesson. 

Many people work for, or own, small businesses. It is an important component to the foundation of our economy. 

The city is home to many small businesses and Business Improvement Areas (BIA) are littered with small businesses making a difference in their respective communities by providing jobs and opportunities for Torontonians that may not be found elsewhere. 

This may seem like it’s out of the jurisdiction of Toronto, but this isn’t the case. The examples I provided affect us in the city every single day. They also help shape the city in ways we may not see right away.  

Toronto and GTA schools should be looking for ways to go back and teach these life lessons. The future of Toronto is in the hands of students currently in school. 

If they’ve been studying for a class they have no interest in, other than to help them get into university, and they haven’t been able to learn the lessons I mentioned, what chance does this city have to succeed and prosper 20, 30 and 40 years down the road?

About Robert Kirsic

If I had a billion dollars...

I’d buy your loooovvvveee….

Couldn’t help myself.

But seriously, as the G20 descends upon us, I think we are all emerging from our collective slumber, shaking our heads and thinking: how the hell did that happen?!

What would you do with a billion dollars? Could you think of a few better ways to spend the billion dollars that our great federal government (which I remind you does not have the support of the majority of the voters in our fine country) than on security and food, fake lakes and Muskoka chairs for reporters, and other odds and ends for a meeting that lasts a mere two days?

That’s -- let me get out my calculator -- $500-million a day. Wow. A nice chunk of change.

If I were to dream a little dream of a City – let’s say Toronto— and how it could be made more livable, where would I spend $1 billion?

This makes for a fun party game. I have tried it out on some friends over the last few days and here are some of the ideas they came up with (thank you friends):

- Put farmers market stands near subway and Go stops
- Spend it on bike lanes with actual barriers to cars.
- Put it into the construction of more affordable housing
- Continue the ecoEnergy home retrofit program
- Create more non-profit, public childcare spaces
- Send some kids who can’t afford to summer in Muskoka to Muskoka to swim in some real lakes

Or maybe George Smitherman could pay back the billion-something dollars lost in the e-health fiasco, and give a boost to Transit City. But don’t even think about letting him run it.

Okay, I’m feeling a little cheeky today. But what the hell.

The best I’ve heard yet is the Pantalone campaign’s response: The City could lend the money to the province so they could live up to their obligations on Transit City.

Clean and easy as a dip in an Ontario lake. A real one. I hear we have a few.

About Marit Stiles

A way Hydro can help revitalize communities

 

The excitement inside City Hall’s Committee Room 4 was palpable while I was waiting to speak at the press conference where the Green Jobs for All at Hydro campaign was launched. On June 7, community and union activists came together under the banner of the Good Jobs for All Coalition to announce an innovative green community economic development strategy. If implemented by Toronto Hydro, this strategy is sure to revolutionize the way the City works directly with the people to address pressing economic concerns that incorporate environmental and social justice needs.

 

When I walked in the room, I was impressed with the huge solar panel resting against the wall and the number of banners from participating agencies. The five Green Change Agents from Jane and Finch who came with me added their own displays and signs. The campaign launch was attended by a diversity of community groups, unions, elected officials, and environmental organizations. Groups in attendance included the Toronto & York Region Labour Council, the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians, the Chinese Canadian National Council - Toronto, the Jane/Finch Green Jobs Coalition, the Green Change Collaborative, the Society of Energy Professionals, and the Canadian Tamil Congress, Environmental Defence, Toronto Environmental Alliance, and more.

 

Through this campaign, the Good Jobs for All Coalition is calling on Toronto Hydro to take advantage of the subsidies available in the Green Energy Act and plan for an aggressive expansion of Toronto Hydro’s role in renewable energy generation in partnership with other public institutions. The strategy calls for Toronto Hydro to install solar panels on schools, hospitals and other public buildings across the City. Under the Ontario Green Energy and Green Economy Act 2009, renewable energy companies, utilities and homeowners can receive provincial subsidies – through the feed-in tariff program – provided they meet domestic content rules, which require 40 to 60% of the goods and services used originate from Ontario.

 

As I explained in my speech, not only will this strategy generate profits for the public utility company, but by engaging community organizations and unions as partners at the table, it will also generate dividends for the local communities by engaging residents and youth in the revitalization and economic development of their own community. This strategy has the potential to see thousands of youth trained and new job opportunities for residents and other equity seeking groups created.

 

The Good Jobs for All Coalition is also asking Toronto Hydro to make local procurement of green products a priority in all activities. With its strong buying power, Toronto Hydro would then be able to attract green manufacturers to Toronto. Furthermore, existing manufacturers would be encouraged to retool and work with local training organizations and Toronto’s Social Development Office to ensure equitable access and inclusion of workers of colour and youth from marginalized communities in new job opportunities in the sector.

 

“Creating good green jobs is the lynchpin that will turn our community around,” says Nigel Barriffe. Currently a teacher with the Toronto District School Board in Rexdale, Nigel is Co-Chair of the Green Economy Committee of the Good Jobs for All Coalition. This strategy could be a game changer for priority neighbourhoods like Rexdale and Jane and Finch that continue to struggle with issues of poverty and underemployment. On the other side of the coin is the emerging trend and related opportunities in the green economy.

 

One young man, Chris Williamson, a pre-apprentice electrician, who recently graduated from the Hammer Heads program also shared his story. Chris - who is 18 - spoke about how his placement as a pre-apprentice electrician gave him the opportunity to start saving up money so he can hopefully sponsor his mother – who currently lives in Jamaica – to Canada.  Chris said he supports the campaign because he can see how it will create stable careers for his community and friends, who, unlike him, still work part time and casual minimum wage jobs at restaurants, movie theatres and the like.

 

Other speakers at the press conference included: John Camilleri, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 1, which represents Toronto Hydro workers; and Carolyn Egan, president of the Steelworker Toronto Area Council.

 

The Green Jobs for All at Hydro campaign can be formally endorsed at www.goodjobsforall.ca.

About Rosemarie Powell

Protests must be calm and creative to make lasting impact

Toronto is beginning to panic. Even before a group set fire to an Ottawa bank and promised to be among the protesters at the G8 and G20 summits, we were hearing of plans to shut down the CN tower and the University of Toronto during the event.

More recently, officials are removing our newspaper boxes and garbage cans, fearing they could be used as weapons. Are we overreacting? I don't know.

The majority of protests are expected to be peaceful, but it's always a small few who give the rest a bad name and cause all this fear and hysteria.

We all know there's a strong anti-capitalist cause; being responsible and creative in getting the message out is the only way to bring credit to the cause.

A few weeks ago, the Southern Ontario Anarchist Resistance (SOAR) said on their website that their protest activities at the summit will be militant and confrontational. They are planning to take part in the People First march before continuing on to the security fence to "confront the police state".

Before that, the Ontario Federation of Labour cancelled a demonstration at Trinity Bellwoods Park because of opposition from neighbourhood residents. Part of that opposition stemmed from fear of violent protesters. And so this rally will begin and end at Queen's Park, where, yet again, we are concerned about the security of the legislature. 

Some people say it will be different from the Summit of the Americas in Seattle (1999) and in Quebec City (2001), where demonstrations erupted in violence.

Novelty is what the protesters need to get our attention. Instead of us shaking our heads in shame when we see violent protests, let's see something that looks new and interesting. It's up to these people to show the rest of us  what the real issues are and how we can find solutions. 

There are countless creative ventures that get our attention. Oxfam created papier mache heads of the G8 leaders. Unrelated to the summit, Doctors Without Boarders recently created a simulation of a refugee camp at Christie Pits Park.

Everyone needs to calm down a bit so we can understand what's happening around us and use this time for an intelligent debate and discussion.

About Sarah Evans

I heart canvassing

An article on the BBC News website explored the strange and rather sadistic concept of door-to-door canvassing, in the context of the British election. With our own municipal election heating up, the weather (mostly) glorious, and a good few registered candidates out there, I think it’s time to make a plea for the old-fashioned door-to-door canvass in our own city.

First, a confession: I love canvassing.

That’s not to say that I do it very much these days… over the last few provincial, federal and municipal campaigns I’ve faced the reality shared by all those 30- or 40-something politicos that came before me: kids make life more complicated. Despite my pre-pregnancy visions of toddling door to door with my brood in tow, the reality is that most kids just don’t want to hang out on doorsteps while mom talks to strangers about the future of Medicare.

And I suppose that’s true not just of children, but of most adults too. Some of the most-seasoned political activists and campaigners that I know shudder at the mention of it. I’m not alone of course in liking the canvass. There are many of us out there… though certainly not everyone who comes a-knocking at your door this municipal campaign will be keen on the prospect.

Here’s why: as a society we are being drawn inward. Years of being bombarded with television ads, billboards, marketing calls have forced us to erect invisible walls just to maintain our sanity. Add a dose of scepticism about politics and politicians, and it’s no surprise that most people bristle at the appearance of a stranger at the door, leaflets in hand, true-believer gleam in their eyes.

I get it. It’s not always fun to be on the receiving end. My neighbourhood is crawling with canvassers, out to sell me on the need to preserve the moraine, save the caribou, ditch the water bottles. And given the number of dinners I’ve interrupted with my own canvassing, I cannot in good conscience turn them away. Not a great position to be in with kid crying, dog dying for a walk, and pot on to boil.

But here is why I love canvassing, and why you should too: there are few better ways, very few, to engage with fellow residents of this city. There is no substitute for eye to eye, face to face contact with a real person, however annoyed or fed up they may be. And for every one person who is really hostile (I’ve met a few, but surprisingly few that were really rude) there are fifty who will tell you what they think. Briefly, maybe, but you will come away with something.

The traditional reason for campaign canvassing is to “identify the vote”. In other words, know who your supporters are, and make sure they make it to the polls.

But, for me, while I dutifully feed my marks back to the campaign mothership, my motivation is to engage. Because I want to know what people are thinking. I’d like to know what irks those residents, what makes them tick. And you should too…

There’s been a lot of talk by my fellow bloggers of the lack of engagement by many Torontonians, and particularly young people, in city politics. While we need to explore new means of engaging those voters through media they are interested in (and make it easier for more people to vote, period) we shouldn’t diminish the importance of actually getting into the place where they live, hang out, reside.

Get out there with whatever candidate you support…go with a friend or ask them to pair you up with a more experienced canvasser. Pick a part of your ward that you really don’t know, and start to talk to folks. What you hear, see and learn about the City will never fail to surprise you.

All the technology, the social media in the world does not replace this. And every single one of the candidates running in your ward should make it to your door between now and election day.

About Marit Stiles

A closer look at diversity

We live in one of the most diverse cities in the world. Almost half of our residents are visible minorities. And if we are to believe the projections of Stats Canada, by 2031 this figure will rise to over 60 per cent.

Visible minorities are everywhere – in schools, on campuses, in the TTC, in the shops and malls of Toronto. But, they are still few and far between in places of privilege and power, in the leadership echelons of our city – on Bay Street, in Queen’s Park, or in board rooms.

As we publish our second DiverseCity Counts report, we once again point to the disconnect between who lives in the city and who has power and influence.

This year’s report by Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute on behalf of DiverseCity: The Greater Toronto Leadership Project tracks 3,348 leaders across the corporate, public, elected, education and nonprofit sectors. Findings show that just 14 per cent of leaders in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) are visible minorities (relative to 49.5 per cent of the population studied), up marginally from last year’s 13.5 per cent.

There are organizational trailblazers and laggards in each sector

This year, we dug deeper into the data to better understand the extent to which some organizations have made diversity a priority. There is some encouraging news. We found that:

• 21.9% of all the organizations examined have more than 20% of their leadership who are visible minorities;
• 80% of university boards of governors and 83.3% of college boards of governors have more than 20% visible minorities; and
• Most municipalities are represented by at least one representative who is a visible minority.

However, in other sectors, a majority of organizations have no visible minority representation at all. For example, 76.9% of corporate boards and 69.2% of corporate sector executive teams have no visible minorities. In the voluntary sector, 61.5% of charities and 80% of foundations have executive teams without any visible minorities.

This gap between high and low performers reinforces the importance of examining the practices of successful organizations in each sector in order to promote learning between organizations.

Media leadership mirrors corporate sector leadership

This year, we also took a special look at the news media that are most consumed by GTA residents. Media organizations are important institutions because they play a role in defining who is a leader in society and can shape the ambitions of those who wish to be leaders.

As in the corporate sector generally, visible minorities are under-represented on boards and among senior executives of large media corporations.

The research also revealed that visible minorities are under-represented among columnists, experts and even stock background photographs in newspapers. Visible minorities are also under-represented as hosts, experts and in the background of stories on the supper time broadcast news.

There are a number of simple and cost effective ways that mainstream media could diversify their news content. These include for example updating stock photography, identifying experts from diverse backgrounds by using databases such as DiverseCity Voices, and recognizing how diversity can strengthen journalism.

Recommendation for all sectors

Organizations which stand out for the progress they have made, even over a year, subscribe to some of these best practices; they:

• Understand the business case for diversity;
• Make diversity a strategic priority;
• Mainstream diversity through their business practices, from recruitment strategies to procurement policies;
• Develop and sustain excellent human resources practices;
• Develop the pipeline through succession planning and building a qualified pool of diverse leadership candidates; and
• Count because what gets measured gets done.

Why should we worry about the lack of visible minority leaders?

When our leadership doesn't look like us, it signals that only some of us can rise to the top and the rest of us should mind our place. It tells us that we don't have the right to be represented. And it means that the vision that guides us will be limited in its scope and potential.

Diversity in leadership has benefits in the workplace, in the boardroom and in the broader society. It can play a key role in a country’s economic prosperity because when there is diversity around the decision-making table, the performance of organizations improves, innovation happens and new solutions are generated.

So, ultimately, we need to bring diversity to leadership not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it will contribute to our shared social and economic prosperity.

For a more detailed analysis, download this year’s DiverseCity Counts report.

About Ratna Omidvar