5000 Employment (Fair, Equitable, and Inclusive Hiring)

Legal References
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)

Ontario Human Rights Code

Ontarians with Disabilities Act

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation 191/112

Education Act Regulation 298 Operation of Schools – General (OREG 435-00)

Related References
Board Policy 5001: Appointment of Principals and Vice-Principals; Elementary and Secondary
Board Policy 5010: Conflicts Of Interest: Hiring And Placement Of Relatives
Administrative Procedure 3340: The Selection of Personnel for Positions of Added Responsibility; Principal and Vice-Principal
Administrative Procedure 3350: The Selection of Teaching Personnel for Positions of Added Responsibility; Coordinator, Consultant
Administrative Procedure 3360: The Selection of Teaching Personnel for Positions of Added Responsibility; Department Head, Assistant Department Head
Administrative Procedure 3370: Employee Candidate Screening, Interviewing and Selection
Administrative Procedure 3600: Selection Procedure for ESS/OSSTF and ESS/OSSTF Related Positions.
Administrative Procedure 4360 – Principles of Business Conduct for Board Employees
Effective Date
February 23, 1998
Revisions
March 7, 2016, March 22, 2021, February 9, 2026
Reviewed
February 13, 2017, April 23, 2018

1. Purpose

The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB)  recognizes that, consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, employment practices and procedures at all levels should reflect, demonstrate understanding of, express a value in, and respond to a diverse population.

The WRDSB will ensure that all staff are employed through a fair, equitable, accountable and transparent process, and/or promoted based on qualifications, merit, and professional ability, lived and work experience. WRDSB staff should reflect the diversity of the students it serves.  It is the aim of the Board to attract, develop and retain qualified staff in all job classifications and provide a workplace environment that is inclusive, welcoming and equitable to all.

2. Application

2.1 The WRDSB will:

2.1.1 Apply equitable recruitment, hiring, employment and promotion practices to all applicants and employees of the Board and shall consider individuals who self identify as Indigenous persons, members of racialized communities, gender identity/women, members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, and members of other historically marginalized communities, protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

2.1.2 Commit to hiring, promoting and retaining the most qualified staff.

2.1.3 Emphasize development and communication of these principles throughout the Board via administrative procedures.

2.2  The promotion and support for human rights in the context of employment, as protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code, is vital to achieving a representative workforce to meet the needs of the diverse student body of the WRDSB.

The WRDSB does this by:

  • valuing, promoting and encouraging the hiring of staff from under-represented communities;
  • ensuring all employment policies and practices are non-discriminatory;
  • working to intentionally identify and remove barriers for marginalized communities when identifying and setting job requirements and employment conditions at each stage of the hiring process.

2.3 The WRDSB’s hiring policies adhere to the qualification requirements set out in applicable Regulation (e.g. Regulation 298, “Operation of Schools – General”) and recognizes the importance of the following when developing its selection and evaluation criteria:

  • valuing applicants’ additional experiences, lived experience, skills, backgrounds and perspectives;
  • granting first consideration, where the skills, ability, and qualifications of the applicants are relatively equal, to applicants who self-identify as members of historically under-represented communities. 

Where a collective agreement governs the hiring or promotional process, this will be done in a manner that is consistent with the WRDSB’s collective agreement obligations.

2.4 The WRDSB will implement and sustain the following mechanisms to help ensure that candidates are evaluated through a fair and transparent process:

  • a conflict of interest disclosure process;
  • relevant job requirements and qualifications, while following the requirements as outlined in the applicable Regulation 298, Operation of Schools – General;
  • where possible, diverse hiring panels to draw on different experiences, skill sets, and educational and professional backgrounds in the WRDSB;
  • objective evaluation criteria and structured interview questions that prevent selection bias.

2.5 In further demonstration of its obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code, the WRDSB will monitor, evaluate and review the effectiveness of its hiring practices on a regular basis. This evaluation process will include:

  • assessing the skills and competencies of its workforce and identifying any gaps;
  • developing and implementing a response plan to close the identified gaps
  • collecting workforce demographic data, determining the diversity of the workforce and identifying any gaps in representation;
  • developing and implementing a strategy to support the enhancement of diverse representation across all levels of the workforce;
  • ensuring all employment systems, policies, procedures, and practices are non-discriminatory and free from systemic barriers.

2.6 The Ontario Human Rights Code enables organizations to develop and implement programs to help members from historically under-represented groups, which have experienced hardship, economic disadvantage, inequality, or discrimination. 

Where the WRDSB determines that specific marginalized communities are demonstrably under-represented within the Board’s workforce, the WRDSB will consider implementing special programs to aid in creating employment opportunities for under-represented groups within our community. Such programs are expressly protected under the Code.

5000 – Employment (Fair, Equitable and Inclusive Hiring)