Diversity and Inclusion
Census Assessment:
Organization
We respect the privacy of our clients and request they
do the same. This document is private and confidential
and not to be shared with anyone external to your firm.
November 30, 2015
Report
Current State Inclusivity
Assessment
Prepared for: Peel Regional Police
Services Board
We respect the privacy of our clients and request they
do the same. This document is private and confidential
and not to be shared with anyone external to your
organization.
Date: February 25, 2019
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 1
Table of contents
About the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion. ............................................................. 2
CCDI’s experience: assessing organizations. ............................................................................ 2
The objective and scope of this report. ....................................................................................... 3
Executive summary. ................................................................................................................... 5
Methodology .............................................................................................................................16
Key Findings. ............................................................................................................................24
I. Leadership. ....................................................................................................................25
II. Organizational culture. ....................................................................................................51
III. Disconnect between employees’ and leaders’ perceptions .............................................77
IV. Organizational maturity. ..................................................................................................91
V. Organizational reputation ............................................................................................. 113
Conclusions and recommendations. ....................................................................................... 129
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 2
About the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion.
The Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (“CCDI”) has a mission to help the
organizations we work with be inclusive, free of prejudice and discrimination – and to generate
the awareness, dialogue and action for people to recognize diversity as an asset and not an
obstacle. Through Learning, Consulting and Measurement and Analytics, we’re helping
Canadian employers understand their diversity, plan for it, and create inclusion.
CCDI’s leadership has a proven model that has cultivated trust as an impartial third party. Our
expertise is focused on the topics of inclusion that are relevant in Canada now and the regional
differences that shape diversity.
A charitable organization that thinks like a business, we have created a niche with our
innovative research technology and data analysis that brings a deeper understanding of
Canadian diversity demographics and mindsets at any given moment.
CCDI is grateful for the support of our 200+ Employer Partners across Canada. For inquiries,
contact Nyla Camille Guerrera, nyla.camille@ccdi.ca
or (416) 968-6520 x112.
CCDI’s experience: assessing organizations.
CCDI has become Canada’s trusted advisor and the leading organization in Canada in
analyzing workplaces through a diversity and inclusion perspective.
In 2013, CCDI conducted Canada’s first benchmarking study on effective practices for diversity
measurement in Canadian organizations.
Since then, CCDI has conducted Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Surveys with dozens of
organizations across a range of sectors, providing extensive reporting on their demographics
and inclusion issues.
Additionally, CCDI has conducted full Current State Inclusivity Assessments and developed
Diversity and Inclusion Strategies for more than a dozen organizations in the private sector, the
public sector (municipalities), as well as for non-profit organizations. Further, through the
Employment Equity module of our Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey, CCDI provides
coaching to employers who are subject to Employment Equity legislation to submit reporting
under the Legislated Employment Equity Program (LEEP) and the Federal Contractors Program
(FCP).
At the same time, CCDI has developed and delivered hundreds of Learning Solutions products
including e-learning, instructor-led training, and coaching on a wide range of topics for
organizations across Canada.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 3
The objective and scope of this report.
The intent of this report is to provide meaningful information to the Peel Regional Police
Services Board about the current state of diversity and inclusion at Peel Regional Police.
In May 2017, the Regional Municipality of Peel Police Services Board
1
chose CCDI to conduct a
review of:
» hiring practices
» race relations
» promotional practices
» anti-discrimination policies
» equity employment
» diversity
» gender issues
» officer misconduct procedure and policies.
CCDI was also contracted to provide an:
» environmental scan
» public consultations
In addition, as a community oversight body, the Peel Regional Police Services Board is
committed to continuing being a leader in policing. As such, the Board has identified what needs
to be done to ensure the service properly reflects the changing population. This is an issue
identified by individuals and advocacy groups in the Peel Region, and one that the Police
Services Board believes needs to be addressed right away.
At CCDI, we begin our Current State Inclusivity Assessment engagements by asking a research
question. This question, along with our experience and leading research on the theories of
inclusive leadership and organizational culture, guide the way in which we structure our
methodology. This is the foundation from which we then interpret the data and information that
we gather from our different services included in this engagement.
This main question is as follows:
What are the current equity, diversity and inclusion factors (demographics and
internal/external perceptions and sentiment) with respect to Peel Regional Police; and
how do these factors impact the dynamic of leadership, the organizational culture,
organizational maturity, and the reputation of the organization?
Following our methodology over the past year, through our different data collection techniques
and interpretations, we have identified one key finding that runs throughout all our data.
1
The Regional Municipality of Peel Police Services Board is the civilian body governing the Peel Regional Police. It
is responsible for the provision of adequate and effective police services, law enforcement and crime prevention
within the Region, a duty it discharges through the enactment of policies.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 4
This report highlights Peel Regional Police’s accomplishments, as well as key issues and
identified barriers to inclusion within the organization identified during the data collection phase.
The aim is to provide information that will help the Peel Regional Police Services Board develop
a data-driven Diversity and Inclusion Strategy that informs future decisions on issues of diversity
and inclusion in your workplace.
The recommendations we provide in this report are based on years of experience in the areas
of learning, assessment and coaching, and measurement and analytics, as well as globally
recognized benchmarks in diversity and inclusion management.
In no way is this information intended to criticize or denigrate the Peel Regional Police Services
Board or the Peel Regional Police. In our experience, similar issues occur within almost every
organization, to varying degrees. We invite you to see this feedback as an informative
foundation for the development of your Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
Should you have any questions related to the use or release of any information contained in this
document, please contact:
Cathy Gallagher-Louisy
Senior Director, Consulting and Partnerships
or
Deanna Matzanke,
Chief Client Officer
Important Note to Reader: CCDI began this engagement in May 2017. The majority of
data collection took place over the balance of that year and into 2018. Since then,
multiple leaders of the Peel Regional Police and Peel Regional Police Services Board
have (for various reasons) left their roles, including Chief Evans. We have chosen to
not repeat the data collection with the new leadership at this time as we believe their
tenure with the organization is too short to provide relevant input.
We provide this note to the reader to point out that findings related to Leadership in this
report reflect the data collected (leader interviews and Intercultural Development
Inventory assessments) from the previous leadership.
That said, the reader should not discount the findings. All other findings remain valid.
Executive summary.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 6
Executive summary.
Overarching Key Finding:
Peel Regional Police (“PRP” or “Peel Regional Police”) has put in place a substantial number of
policies, programs, and initiatives across different aspects of policing in the community, and for
employees. These policies, programs, initiatives can be considered effective practices under the
Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks and when compared with other similar size police
services.
For any policy, program or initiative to be successful however, it must be interpreted and
implemented by people. To that end, the success of these initiatives will be determined by the
knowledge, understanding and cross-cultural mindset of those Board members, leaders and
officers who develop, interpret and implement them on a daily basis.
In this regard, our research over the course of this engagement suggests that there is a gap
between the goals of the many PRP policies, practices and initiatives and the cultural
competence of the leaders of the Peel Regional Police and the Peel Regional Police Services
Board (“PPSB” or the “Board”). As a result, this potential gap is likely having an impact on the
organizational culture and reputation of the PRP in the community.
This gap presents through the perceptions of leaders and employees, and between the
projected reputation of the organization and the perceived reputation by community
stakeholders. This key finding also resonates with the current research on police culture and the
potential success of change-agendas in policing found in the literature review.
To effectively address issues of diversity and inclusion in and outside the workplace, Peel
Regional Police may consider focusing on developing the cultural competence of their leaders,
Board members and police service members to help them fully comprehend that some staff and
members of the wider community may have very different lived experiences, in comparison to
most Peel Regional Police leaders.
Addressing this gap in cultural competence can help bridge the gap between the goals of the
many PRP policies, programs and initiatives meant to support diversity and inclusion, and the
lived experiences of employees and members of the community that do not appear to align with
the anticipated goals of the policies, programs and initiatives.
Summary of Key Findings
2
Any findings presented in this report represent themes that were analyzed from the aggregated
responses of leaders, employees, and members of the public, in the interviews, focus groups,
and public consultations. Findings do not represent the feelings of single individuals, but are
2
Key findings listed in the Executive Summary are presented as high-level findings. For more detail on each finding,
please refer to the appropriate section of this report.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 7
representative of sentiments expressed by several respondents, often across multiple data
collection techniques.
1. Leadership
Leadership representation
FINDING 1.1: The Peel Regional Police leadership does not appear to be representative of the
community served by Peel Regional Police.
» Baby Boomers are more represented in Senior Leadership than they are overall.
» There are more Men than Women, and more Caucasian than Racialized persons.
» Baby Boomers, Generation X, Married persons, Persons with Dependents,
Newcomers, Christians, and Men are more represented in Senior Leadership.
Peel Regional Police Leaders’ commitment and understanding
Our assessment of leaders’ commitment, understanding and mindset revealed some potential
variability and inconsistency across the leadership team.
FINDING 1.2: Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members demonstrate a fairly strong
understanding that diversity includes factors beyond race and gender.
FINDING 1.3: Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members demonstrate a fairly even
distribution of understanding of inclusion as either a “state”, or an “action”.
FINDING 1.4: Some Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members demonstrate a gap in
terms of understanding that inclusive leadership includes an internal, self-reflective behaviour
that is dynamic over time.
FINDING 1.5. Majority of Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members strongly believe
that the organization is committed to diversity and inclusion.
FINDING 1.6: Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members indicate that they believe
brave, helpful and hard-working people fit best at Peel Regional Police.
FINDING 1.7: Peel Regional Police leaders and Board members broadly perceive fairness,
consistency and flexibility to exist in the organization.
FINDING 1.8: Almost three quarters of Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members don’t
believe that barriers exist or rarely exist for certain groups at Peel Regional Police.
FINDING 1.9: Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members do not appear to have a
common understanding of systemic oppressions that may exist in the organization.
» PRP Leaders and PPSB Board Members do not appear to have a common
understanding of systemic oppressions such as racism, sexism, homophobia in the
organization, and almost three quarters of Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 8
Members do not seem to recognize that barriers exist or rarely exist for certain groups at
Peel Regional Police.
» In this report, we focus on racism as a matter of systemic oppression. On the one hand,
racism can be understood as a set of prejudicial, individual-level beliefs and attitudes.
However, in current research and terminology, racism is not only approached as an
individual problem of overt hostility that could be diminished through learning and
exposure to different types of people. Rather, systemic or institutional racism focuses on
ideologies and discriminatory practices have become embedded in taken-for-granted
laws, policies, and norms that systematically (dis)advantage certain groups. The rules,
processes, and opportunity structures that enable such disparate impacts are what
constitute institutional or systemic racism.
Findings 1.10 through 1.12 relate to cultural competence assessments of leaders and board
members as assessed by the Intercultural Development Inventory. For more information on the
IDI and the meaning and impact of development levels, please see the appropriate section of
this report.
FINDING 1.10 – A number of Peel Regional Police Leaders are operating from a Polarization
mindset which may create issues in the work environment for minoritized individuals.
FINDING 1.11 – The majority of Peel Regional Police Leaders are operating from a
Minimization mindset which overemphasizes similarities instead of acknowledging and valuing
differences and may be undermining diversity and inclusion efforts.
FINDING 1.12 – Twenty-six percent of PRP Leaders are assessed in Acceptance or Adaptation.
However, leaders who are operating from an Acceptance or Adaptation mindset may be
experiencing frustration, disengagement and possibly reprisals for challenging the status quo.
2. Organizational Culture
Formal Organizational Culture
Examining the formal organizational culture involved a review of directives (policies and
procedures). In general, we found a robust and sophisticated set of directives with processes for
regular revision. Our review of PRP’s directives yielded a few opportunities.
FINDING 2.1: Documentary review identified opportunities to increase effectiveness in the
policy infrastructure (compliance and accessibility) of Peel Regional Police.
FINDING 2.2: Documentary review identified specific opportunities to address inclusion with
respect to diverse individuals and groups both internally and externally.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 9
Representation
The Diversity Census and Inclusion survey provided detailed information about the
representation of different groups in the PRP workforce.
FINDING 2.3: Peel Regional Police demographics demonstrate a lower representation of
Racialized persons, Newcomers and Women compared to Peel Region overall.
Employees’ Perceptions of Organizational Culture
Information about the perceptions of the organizational culture is derived from several data
sources: Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey, Leadership Growth leader interviews
and Culture Meter Focus Groups. It is important to note that there are significant differences in
the perceptions of the work environment between different groups of employees.
FINDING 2.4: Employees use the terms hierarchical, change-averse and traditional to describe
the Peel Regional Police work culture.
FINDING 2.5: Overall, low positive response rate on one half of inclusion questions which
suggests low feelings of inclusion by a portion of the workforce.
FINDING 2.6: Racialized persons indicate higher negative response rates to inclusion questions
compared to their Caucasian counterparts.
FINDING 2.7: Discrimination or bias against Racialized persons was one of the most common
themes in the open-response comments on the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey.
FINDING 2.8: Employees indicated that they perceive favoritism in the processes at Peel
Regional Police.
FINDING 2.9: Some employees perceive what they believe to be reverse discrimination based
on their identity.
FINDING 2.10: Some comments indicate a potential misunderstanding or lack of knowledge
concerning objectives of diversity, equity and inclusion.
FINDING 2.11: Some employees indicated that they have a positive perspective on Peel
Regional Police’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, accessibility and accommodation.
FINDING 2.12: Half of employees in the focus groups perceive barriers to advancement at Peel
Regional Police.
FINDING 2.13: Most employees in the focus groups have experienced or witnessed harassment
or discrimination in the workplace.
FINDING 2.14: Employees report reprisals, retaliation, or negative consequences for reporting
harassment or discrimination at Peel Regional Police.
FINDING 2.15: Employees in the focus groups hear and witness homophobic, sexist, and anti-
immigrant language
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 10
FINDING 2.16: Employees report that some Peel Regional Police officers refer to the
communities in which they police in derogatory terms.
One of the most important findings of this report is that different groups of employees are having
different experiences within the police service. There is a tendency, common in most
organizations, for majority group members to dismiss or minimize the experiences of minority
group members. This leads to cynicism and erosion of trust amongst minority group members.
CCDI would strongly encourage PRP to take note of the different experiences reported,
acknowledge that they are real and valid, and make a commitment to addressing the issues
raised.
3. Disconnect between employees’ and leaders’ perceptions
Through our data collection we found several divides between leaders’ and Board members’
perceptions, and the perceptions of employees.
FINDING 3.1: Employees have a lower positive response rate than leaders about PRP’s
commitment to diversity and inclusion.
FINDING 3.2: Some groups of employees (based on demographics) may not positively perceive
PRP’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
FINDING 3.3: Some employees do not share the positive perceptions of leaders with respect to
fairness, consistency, and equal opportunity.
FINDING 3.4: Employees indicate less agreement than leaders with respect to workplace
flexibility
FINDING 3.5: There is a divide between leaders and employees about the existence of racism,
sexism, and homophobia in the Peel Regional Police workplace.
FINDING 3.6: Employees may perceive barriers to a higher degree than leaders for certain
groups in the organization.
FINDING 3.7: Most leaders indicated that they had experience dealing with harassment or
discrimination claims.
It is common for organizations to experience a difference between what leadership is
perceiving, and what employees are experiencing regarding diversity and inclusion and a host
of other issues. Although this is the case across numerous organizations, we point out
examples of the differing mindsets to demonstrate the potential gap and how it can possibly be
addressed. PRP Leaders and PPSB Board members have a more positive view of the
organization, as compared to employees, and as a result they may not be as aware of some of
the issues occurring within the organization. This suggests an opportunity for PRP Leaders and
PPSB Board members to better understand the perceptions of different employees in the
organization, and to accept the problems and challenges that exist.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 11
4. Organizational Maturity
The Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks (“GDIB”) provides a globally recognized set of
standards by which to evaluate the maturity of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within an
organization. Peel Regional Police completed a self-assessment on the GDIB.
FINDING 4.1: The maturity of Peel Regional Police’s diversity and inclusion initiatives is rated at
the “Proactive” level for most of the GDIB benchmarks.
A snapshot is provided on the next page.
Comparison to other Police Services
FINDING 4.2: Peel Regional Police allocates comparable Diversity and Inclusion resources to
internal staff and external outreach initiatives.
In our comparison of Peel Regional Police against four other comparable-sized police services
3
,
we found that Peel Regional Police allocates a comparable amount of resources to diversity,
equity and inclusion initiatives and programs as other police services.
However, we would suggest that as the Peel Police Services Board has expressed their
ambition for the Peel Regional Police to be a best in class police service in Canada, that the
Peel Regional Police may consider the allocation of additional resources. While the resources
and programs dedicated are comparable to other police services of similar size, no other police
3
Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary and York Regional Police Services.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 12
service examined has the unique demographic characteristics of the Region of Peel, which
warrants additional emphasis be placed on the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Furthermore, as indicated in the GDIB, a best practice in any organization is for diversity, equity
and inclusion to be so embedded in the organization as to become everyone’s job, not the role
of a select few individuals in the “diversity department”.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 13
5. Organizational Reputation
We examined both the Peel Regional Police’s projected reputation, that is, the messages they
are sending out to the public, and PRP’s perceived reputation, the perceptions of those in the
media and the public.
Projected Reputation
Peel Regional Police has many initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion and has put
forth great effort in informing the public about its commitment through multiple community
outreach initiatives.
FINDING 5.1: Peel Regional Police publicly demonstrates support for diversity and inclusion
through outward facing programming and initiatives.
FINDING 5.2: Peel Regional Police communicates its diversity and inclusion initiatives on its
website and on social media.
Perceived Reputation - Media
Our media analysis examined more than 200 media stories mentioning the Peel Regional Police
in the past 10 years. Two major themes emerged in the media reporting about the PRP.
FINDING 5.3: The majority of media stories (71%) represent Peel Regional Police as serving
the community.
FINDING 5.4: Peel Regional Police perceived as “controversial” was the second largest theme
in media.
Perceived Reputation – Townhall Consultations and Public Survey
CCDI received 69 responses to the online public survey, and a total of 38 people participated in
two public townhall consultation sessions. Most of the participants in both the survey and
sessions were self-identified as residents of Peel Region.
FINDING 5.5: Perceptions of fairness, effectiveness, integrity, respect, honesty and trust vary
among respondents to the public consultations.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Accomplishments
Peel Regional Police has put in place many of the right kinds of messages, initiatives, and
processes across aspects of policing as an employer and in the community and that these
efforts are recognized in several different ways by employees and members of the community.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 14
Opportunities
As police services stem from a paramilitary history, CCDI recognizes that police organizations
are highly militaristic and bureaucratic in structure and culture
4
. This context must be considered
when examining the opportunity for change as related to diversity and inclusion. However, in
this case, we suggest that the mindset of the leaders and the culture of the police service would
benefit from modification in order to make real progress on diversity and inclusion.
KEY FINDING: Dissonance may exist between the objectives of the initiatives that are already
underway, and the mindset, awareness, and competence of those developing and implementing
them.
This is in part due to the issue that without acknowledging that barriers and ‘isms’ exist in the
workplace, one cannot action solutions that are authentic, genuine, and long-lasting.
As a whole, the overall success of these initiatives is determined by the mindset, awareness,
and competence of those implementing them, and there may be a gap between the goals of the
initiatives and the cultural competence and awareness of the leaders, as demonstrated by the
IDI
®
exercise and the leaders’ interviews.
Note that more than half the leadership team is in a minimization mindset (as assessed by the
IDI
®
), and some are in a polarization mindset. Additionally, one third of the leadership indicated
they do not believe there is racism, sexism, or homophobia in the organization, and nearly three
quarters of the leadership team indicated they do not believe barriers exist or that they rarely
exist for different groups within the police service.
Furthermore, commentary from many service members in the survey indicates there may be a
misunderstanding of the goals of diversity, equity and inclusion work, and there is a perception
among some members of the service that creating fairness for those experiencing barriers is
reverse discrimination.
Our analysis suggests that the biggest obstacle to the Peel Regional Police addressing issues
of diversity, equity and inclusion in the police service may be the mindset of leaders and service
members, demonstrated by a lack of acknowledgement that there are real systemic problems to
address
5
.
Recommendations
At a high level, here are the main categories of recommendations we provide based on our
research completed as part of this engagement:
4
Chappell, A., & Lanza-Kaduce, L. (2010). Police academy socialization: Understanding the lessons learned in a
paramilitary-bureaucratic organization. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 39(2), 187-214.
doi:10.1177/0891241609342230
5
Systemic problems refer to the institutionalization of discrimination through policies and practices which may
appear neutral on the surface, but which have an exclusionary impact on particular groups, such that various
minority groups are discriminated against intentionally or unintentionally. The body of the report will address these
problems.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 15
1. Acknowledge and commitment to building trust.
2. Improve and enhance accountability mechanisms.
3. Increase and expand measurement, benchmarking, and ongoing internal feedback
mechanisms.
4. Improve awareness and understanding of leaders and service members.
5. Enhance community engagement.
6. Improve representation of under-represented groups, particularly women and racialized
service members.
7. Enhance accessibility, and commit to inclusion of service members with disabilities.
8. Commit to organizational culture change.
The Conclusions and Recommendations section of this report provides more detail and specific
recommended actions for each of these high-level recommendations, as well as suggested
updates to directives, policies, and procedures.
Methodology
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 17
CCDI’s approach to data collection.
All research is informed by a set of procedures and rules, which amounts to a methodology for
conducting data collection and knowledge development. CCDI’s methodology is informed by
expertise in qualitative and quantitative research methods and extensive experience working
with a broad range of clients. CCDI’s research team is highly skilled in research design, data
sampling, analysis, and evaluation, which collectively ensures that we obtain maximum value
and insight from collected data. Our methodology is identified below. Those methods in blue
belong with Assessment & Coaching; those in red with Measurement & Analytics; and those in
grey, with Analysis and Strategic Planning:
Figure 1: CCDI's assessment and strategy project methodology
Stages of this project:
1. Leadership Growth – Leader Interviews. Peel Regional Police Services Board
(“PPSB”) and Peel Regional Police (“PRP”) leaders were interviewed by CCDI
representatives. Leaders and some Board members also underwent a Bootcamp to
highlight the importance of their roles in championing D&I throughout the organization.
Interviews with identified PRP senior leaders were conducted in Summer 2017. In total,
6 of the 7 members of the Board and all 23 identified leaders of the Peel Regional Police
Leadership Team were interviewed
6
.
2. Workforce Growth – Documentary Review. CCDI reviewed Peel Regional Police’s
human resource (“HR”) directives (policies and procedures) to ensure they are up to
date and do not create unintentional barriers to inclusion.
» Peel Regional Police’s operational and HR policies.
6
A detailed summary report of the Leadership Growth leader interviews is provided in Appendix 1 of this document.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 18
The scope of this work also included an analysis of results and development of a
report outlining Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to show how
the policies support or detract from an inclusive culture that welcomes a diversity
of people. This separate report includes recommendations to improve the policy
system.
3. Community Growth – Public Townhall Consultations and Public Survey. CCDI
conducted 2 public townhall consultations with Peel Region residents in March 2018.
There were 38 participants in total. CCDI also ran a public survey in April 2018 to gain
further insight into residents’ perspectives of Peel Regional Police from a diversity and
inclusion lens. There were 69 respondents in total.
4. Diversity Meter – Census and Inclusion Survey. Between October 11, 2017 and
November 8, 2017, CCDI conducted an employee census and inclusion survey with Peel
Regional Police’s workforce.
Completion rate:
Peel Regional Police invited 3048 employees to participate, and 1808 respondents
completed the survey, including both the demographics module and inclusion questions,
for a completion rate of 59.32%. while this is not a randomly selected sample (which is
necessary for using a margin of error), the below-noted margin of error provides an
important guide to accurately interpret findings.
The estimated margin of error is ±1.47% 19 times out of 20.
The Diversity Meter Insights Report was generated from three main sets of data –
demographic representation, feelings of inclusion, and text comments
7
.
5. Culture Meter – IDI Assessments and Focus Groups. Each member of the PRP
Leadership Team and PPSB Board Members were asked to complete a cultural
competence assessment questionnaire using the Intercultural Development Inventory
®
IDI.
IDI assessments
The IDI is a 50-item questionnaire (similar to Myers-Briggs or other psychometric self-
assessment tools) that can be completed in approximately 10-20 minutes. The IDI
®
measures an individual and/or group’s level of intercultural sensitivity along the
Intercultural Development Continuum
®
, which is based on the Developmental Model of
Intercultural Sensitivity, a widely respected developmental model originally created by
Dr. Milton Bennett.
7
A detailed Insights report from the Diversity Meter Census and inclusion survey is provided as an addendum to this
document.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 19
Upon the completion and submission of the IDI
®
assessment questionnaires, we
conducted a half-day introductory cross-cultural learning program and presented the
group aggregate IDI
®
results of the Peel Regional Police Services Board and the Peel
Regional Police Leadership Team. Subsequent to the group session, each member of
the Leadership Team received a one-hour IDI
®
Individual Debrief and Coaching session
in which they were presented with their individual results and provided with a
developmental plan that aligns with their level of development.
Completion rate:
In total five (5) of the seven (7) Peel Regional Police Services Board Members
completed the IDI assessment and all 23 identified leaders of the Peel Regional Police
Leadership Team completed the IDI assessment.
Focus group details:
CCDI has developed a focus group methodology that allows employees safety and
confidentiality to share stories and experiences without fear of reprisals. CCDI focus
groups are conducted virtually via web meeting platform and over the phone.
Participants log into the web meeting and join via telephone. The employees from the
target organization cannot see who else is logged on from their organization. CCDI
facilitators ask the participants both structured and unstructured questions. No one else
from their organization can see what a person writes. Only CCDI facilitators can see
these responses.
This approach to focus groups has multiple benefits. It mitigates the issue of group
norming which is common in focus groups and provides complete confidentiality and
safety to the employees of the organization CCDI is analyzing, allowing them to share
details of stories and experiences they have had in the workplace without fear of
reprisal.
CCDI also facilitated seven (7) focus groups with Peel Regional Police employees and
received thirteen (13) completed focus group questionnaires from individuals who were
unable to participate in virtual focus group. In total, 32 employee responses are included
in this information. This represents a cross section of employees from different
demographic groups including racialized & Indigenous people, women, people with
disabilities, newcomers to Canada, religious minorities, LGBTQ2+ individuals, and
straight, white, able-bodied men (“SWAMs”)
8
.
Peel Regional Police promoted the opportunity to participate in the focus groups
internally, and individuals who wished to participate contacted CCDI directly to sign up.
8
A detailed summary report of the Culture Meter Focus Groups is provided in the addenda to this report.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 20
Completion rate:
Demographic Group
Focus Group
Participants
Questionnaires
Total
Respondents
LGBTQ2+ 1 1 2
Newcomers 3 0 3
People with Disabilities 2 0 2
Racialized People 5 4 9
Religious Minorities 1 1 2
Straight White Able-bodied Men 3 3 6
Women 4 4 8
Totals 19 13 32
Table 2: Focus group completion rate
6. Industry Meter – Media Scan, Literature review and Benchmarking Study. In this
part of the project, we completed:
a. A literature review which examined information related to diversity, equity and
inclusion in police services. More specifically, we focused on literature that
addressed barriers to diversity and gender equity hiring and promotions in police
services which detailed the major issues hindering positive progress.
b. A scan of media mentions related to the Peel Regional Police and diversity, equity
and inclusion issues in the last 10 years.
c. In-depth interviews with the people responsible for diversity, equity and inclusion at
five police services.
In addition to this section, a complementary but important part of the data collection,
CCDI added a media scan as it rounded out the reputation analysis.
CCDI’s data analysis
The goal behind using different data collection techniques is to paint a comprehensive picture of
an organization. Otherwise known as triangulation, this practice is valuable in that it provides
validation of data through cross-verification of themes across numerous sources of information.
It allows us to find out if there is consistency across sources of information, and allows us to
delve deeper into findings from quantitative data collection methods, by looking at qualitative
data as well. Taken together, our methodology provides evidence of larger issues, themes,
trends and gaps.
CCDI pooled the data collected to paint a picture of the current state of diversity, equity and
inclusion at Peel Regional Police. Data analysis is a process which allows us to describe,
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 21
illustrate, condense and evaluate the data. From what we learn, we make inferences about the
state and practice of diversity and inclusion in an organization.
The information in this report includes a wealth of qualitative and quantitative data detailing the
perceptions of Peel Regional Police’s leaders and employees, as well as members of the public,
drawn from several different sources of data. This information is comprised of self-reported
experiences, perceptions, and observations of individuals. The perspectives gathered reflect a
range of diverse demographic identity groups, employee groups, functional divisions, locations,
ranks, and lengths of service. As such, the information provides a strong basis upon which to
develop a set of recommendations for Peel Regional Police and Peel Regional Police Services
Board.
Findings presented in this report are those that are deemed noteworthy from the analysis. This
report does not include all the data collected during the project. We are presenting findings that
reveal significant differences in representation, significant differences between group
perceptions, and commentary from different groups.
We structure our findings in a way that accounts for the key influences on diversity and inclusion
in the workplace, which is followed by recommendations. The four main areas are:
» Leadership;
» Organizational Culture;
» Organizational Maturity; and
» Organizational Reputation.
By dividing our findings in this way, we can effectively structure the conclusions and
recommendations by highlighting the promising practices as well as gaps. This helps to provide
a compelling argument of how and where a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion can be
beneficial across your organization, to support and sustain both individual and organizational
growth.
Presentation of quantitative survey results.
Most of the questions asked in the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey and the Culture
Meter Focus Groups, as well as several questions in the Leadership Growth leader interviews
are in the form of a statement with a Likert scale of possible answers:
» Strongly Agree;
» Agree;
» Somewhat Agree;
» Somewhat Disagree;
» Disagree; and
» Strongly Disagree.
Respondents are also provided with an option to choose “I don’t know/not applicable” or “Prefer
Not to Answer (“PNTA”)”.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 22
Answers of the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey are generally presented as the
percentage of positive responses, except where deeper analysis of negative responses has
been presented because there are significant differences in negative responses between
groups. A positive response on a Likert Scale question includes agree or strongly agree
answers. Neutral responses include those who responded somewhat agree or somewhat
disagree. Negative responses include those who responded disagree or strongly disagree.
How to view qualitative results
Focus groups, interviews, and public consultation sessions are qualitative research methods
that are used in conjunction with quantitative research methods to help provide deeper insight
into some of the findings derived from quantitative data collection methods. Qualitative research
is a valid and effective way to gain more insight on how things are happening, and learn about
the experiences and stories of individuals which may elucidate the reasons behind some of the
quantitative research findings.
The Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey is both a quantitative and qualitative data
collection method. The quantitative components provide a statistically representative sample of
your entire population. The results can reveal that disparities exist in representation or
perception between groups in your workforce. The qualitative components (verbatim comments
from employees) provide some qualitative information, however, the Diversity Meter Census
and Inclusion Survey cannot reveal why there are disparities in perception. That is the purpose
of further qualitative data collection methods like Culture Meter Focus Groups and Leadership
Growth leader interviews, the public town hall consultations, as well as the open text comments
from the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey and the public survey.
Focus groups and interviews can:
» Give information on how groups of people think or feel about a particular topic; and
» Give greater insight into why certain opinions are held.
9
Different types of data collection will yield varied findings. The Diversity Meter Census and
Inclusion Survey is an overarching collection method that focuses on the larger trends in
general feelings of the whole population through aggregate reporting, rather than individual
experiences. Therefore, specific experiences of employees can be masked.
People who want to be in focus groups self-select because they have things they want to talk
about; therefore, they are more likely than the general population to feel less included or have a
desire to raise or discuss issues. For this reason, the issues they bring to the discussion may
not be representative of the majority in quantitative data collection techniques.
Focus groups are not meant to be a statistically validated representative sample. They are
meant to provide more details to understand the underlying factors behind some of the trends
we are seeing from the data in statistically validated samples. Thus, focus groups and public
9
Marczak, M., & Sewell, M (1998).
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 23
consultation sessions may represent a small percentage of your employee population or of the
public, but they are valid perspectives.
The issues and themes raised by Peel Regional Police employees in the focus groups and by
members of the public in the public consultations are the self-reported experiences and
perceptions of Peel Regional Police employees and constituents.
In our experience, our method of conducting focus groups provides individuals the opportunity
to be completely honest and share their perceptions and experiences in ways that they may
have been reluctant to do in the past, because of real or perceived risks of speaking the truth
about these experiences. A 2017 study indicated that 75% of people who report workplace
harassment experience reprisals
10
.
The results here have been summarized by key themes. That is, the comments included in this
report are not “one-offs.” These are the perceptions of multiple employees across multiple
demographic groups, or multiple members of the public.
10
Golshan, T. (2017).
Key Findings.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 25
I. Leadership.
What did we find?
This section examines Peel Regional Police’s leadership, and provides information grouped into
the following sections:
» Leadership representation.
» Leadership’s commitment and understanding regarding diversity and inclusion at Peel
Regional Police.
Leadership representation
FINDING 1.1: The Peel Regional Police leadership does not appear to be
representative of the community served by Peel Regional Police.
The leadership team is over-represented one group, particularly when compared to the rest of
the police service overall and compared to the community served by Peel Regional Police.
Specifically:
» Baby Boomers are more represented in Senior Leadership than they are overall.
» There are more Men than Women in Senior Leadership, and more non-Racialized
persons in Senior Leadership.
» Baby Boomers, Generation X, Married persons, Persons with Dependents, Newcomers,
and Christians are more represented in Senior Leadership than their representation in
the police service overall.
This finding is contextualized by the fact that, as Mark Pugash of the Toronto Police has stated,
one of “the key impediments to achieving better representation is that the rate of officer turnover
has been outpaced by the rapidly changing community”. This is as much the case for Peel
Region as it is for Toronto. Peel Region does not have the same demographic composition as it
did 30-40 years ago, when it was predominantly Caucasian. Compounding this dynamic, as
policing stems from a paramilitary history with a hierarchical organizational culture, turnover in
police services is also low as policing is often a lifelong career, with people working up the ranks
for 30 years or longer. Thus, the legacy demographics of the police service will pose difficulty in
keep pace with demographic changes to reflect the community. This background should be kept
in mind when considering these findings.
Proof Point #1: Baby Boomers are more represented in Senior Leadership than they are
overall.
The statistics see on the next page were calculated from the self-selected, self-identified
interviews completed by PPSB board members and PRP leaders. More than half of the senior
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 26
leaders of the Peel Regional Police (52%) have been with Peel Regional Police for over 25
years, and 74% of the leadership respondents are over 51 years old.
While it is not uncommon that people with many years of experience achieve senior leadership
levels in any organization, the PRP leadership team and Board needs to be aware of the
potential bias of a decision-making body that is predominantly of the same age.
Since it is not possible to dramatically change the age demographics of the leadership team, it
will be important for the PRP leadership team to be aware of their makeup and ensure that the
perspectives of younger members of the police service and community are sought and
incorporated into decision making in a transparent and structured manner.
Proof Point #2: There are more Men than Women, and more Caucasian than Racialized
persons in leadership.
As is demonstrated in figure 5, men outnumber women nearly 2 to 1 in the PRP leadership
team. Furthermore, only 30% of the leadership team identify as non-Caucasians, and other non-
0%
4%
22%
61%
13%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
18 to 30
31 to 40
41 to 50
51 to 60
60+
Age of PRP Leaders. (n=23)
Figure 2: Age distribution of PRP Leaders
Figure 3: Age distribution of the Region of
70%
0%
30%
0% 0%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Straight,
Caucasian,
No
Disability
Indigenous Racialized Person with
a Disability
LGB2SQ+
Dominant and non-dominant group
identities in PRP Leadership. (n=23)
Figure 4: Non-dominant group identities in PRP Leadership
65%
35%
0%
Gender Identity of PRP Leaders
(n = 23)
Man
Woman
Trans, Non-binary or other
Figure 5: Gender distribution of PRP Leaders
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 27
dominant group identities (such as Indigenous persons, Persons with a Disability, and
individuals who identify as LGBT2SQ+) are not represented at all in the PRP senior leadership
team (Figure 4, previous page).
While keeping in mind that demographic composition of the community has outpaced the ability
of the Peel Regional Police to incorporate newer demographics in higher roles in the workplace,
the relative homogeneity in the senior leadership team may be contributing to issues around
awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion issues which will be discussed in sections 1.8 and
1.9, below, and subsequently in section 3 where we compare Leaders’ perceptions with
employees’ perceptions.
Proof Point #3: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Married persons, Persons with
Dependants, Newcomers, and Christians are more represented in Senior Leadership.
Through the employee-wide Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey, we looked at the
representation of demographic groups in Senior Leadership to see if there are any groups that
are overrepresented, when compared to their representation overall. These results corroborate
the findings from the interviews. If a group does not appear in the table below, it means that it is
proportionally represented in Senior Leadership compared to its representation overall.
We found that Baby Boomers, Generation X, married people, people with dependants,
newcomers, and Christians are more represented in Senior Leadership (in addition to men and
Caucasian people) than they are overall.
Again, due to historical demographic factors and the nature of policing, it is not surprising that
Baby Boomers, Generation X, married people and people with dependants are more
concentrated in Senior Leadership.
In the Leadership Growth leader
interviews, comments made by board
and service leaders recognized that the
leadership is not representative of the
population, demographically. A sample
of exemplifying comments include:
» “We have 2 civilian senior officers
that represent the community.
Getting better on the uniform
side, but nowhere near.”
» “We need leadership to retire.
Attrition will help with this. Our
entry-level recruit classes are
more reflective of the
community.”
Demographic
Group
Percentage
of PRP
overall
Percentage of
PRP Senior
Leadership
Baby Boomer
10.23%
26.96%
Generation X
35.73%
48.70%
Married
58.96%
64.35%
Dependents
46.35%
52.17%
Newcomers
21.02%
28.70%
Christian
53.87%
63.48%
Table 3: Groups overrepresented in Senior Leadership.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 28
» “The population has changed so fast and significantly that we haven’t had the time for
those individuals to move through.”
» “The Region of Peel is very diverse, and we do not physically represent the
communities. The management is aware of that and we try to involve ourselves and it
takes time. The people retiring are all Caucasian. Contracts also demand that we look
internally first so we do not hire from outside the organization other than the entry-level
roles.”
These points raise two important considerations.
1. Since it is not possible to quickly fill senior ranks with more diversity, it is therefore
important to focus on raising the current cultural competence and awareness of PRP
senior leaders.
2. Since the organization has a requirement to look internally for promotions, this provides
a potential barrier to introducing new, diverse perspectives to the senior ranks.
From the Diversity Meter Inclusion Survey, of 187 comments, 13 (6.95%) discussed that
leadership at Peel Regional Police is not representative, and that the organization should do
more to encourage diversity within senior ranks.
This relates to the theme of favoritism, because some comments mention promotion processes
that disadvantage diverse candidates.
“I feel that Peel Regional Police is diverse in its
lower ranks and not in the senior and
management rankings. Representing a diverse
city of Brampton and Mississauga, I know there
are qualified people that can be brought up to
better represent our community. I find that the
old way of promoting people is still happening
and it is very evident.”
“Diversity is not sought or encouraged
at higher ranks within the organization.
Qualified, diverse officers are not given
the same opportunities that other
officers are given, or are not developed
for promotion, or given the opportunity
to succeed within the organization.”
“Employees are smart enough to know when they are being used as window dressing but
kept from positions of influence. The organization belongs to the citizens of the Region. It is
important that all of our members remember who we serve and not just those who we are
comfortable spending time with. As global events can impact us in Peel, we need to do the
hard work before problems arrive at our door and force unplanned, hurried, and unwise
change.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 29
Peel Regional Police Leaders’ commitment and understanding
FINDING 1.2: Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members demonstrate a
fairly strong understanding that diversity includes factors beyond race and
gender.
When looking at the interview responses in the aggregate, PPSB Board members and PRP
Leaders presented a fairly strong understanding that diversity goes beyond factors such as race
and gender. These examples seemed organic and not rehearsed or scripted as key messages.
This finding possibly shows internalization of the broader definition because individual leaders
describe diversity in their own words. Examples include:
» Different pieces coming together.
» Differences and similarities within group.
» Different ways that people do the things that are common to all of us.
» A mix.
» Diversity of perspective or thought.
» Variations that make people unique.
» Differences in experiences…just about anything.
» Blend of cultures, individuals and beliefs.
» A mixture of different elements.
» Traits of a group, class or city.
FINDING 1.3: Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members demonstrate a
fairly even distribution of understanding of inclusion as either a “state”, or an
“action.”
From the Leadership Growth leader interviews, there was a fairly even distribution of
understanding of inclusion as either a “state”, or an “action.” This finding possibly demonstrates
that leaders have not quite internalized the concept of inclusion as requiring a mindful effort by
both individuals and the organization. In our experience, CCDI often hears different descriptions
that indicate confusion about the definition of inclusion, while with Peel Regional Police, we note
that these answers are quite similar to each other, unlike the more internalized ways of
describing diversity, noted above. Examples include:
Inclusion as a state:
» When all those diverse groups can work cohesively together.
» Equal opportunity to participate in the organization (from) both business and social
standpoint.
» Everyone being at the table and an equal player in whatever you are talking about.
» You are open to everyone’s opinions and values and deserve to be treated equally and
respectfully.
» Everyone working towards a common goal and enjoying a common goal.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 30
Inclusion as action:
» Making sure no one within a particular group feels excluded from group because of race,
identity, sexual identity, culture, status.
» Creating an environment where everyone is included.
» Inclusion is the ability to include everyone in the decision-making process, take input and
understand the cultures we work with or deal with.
» Bringing all those differences together and being part of a larger group.
» Inclusion is how people mix together and making people feel valued as employees and
welcome in sharing their difference and cultural ideas.
» Making sure everyone is invited and everyone has opportunity to participate.
FINDING 1.4: Some Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members
demonstrate a gap in terms of understanding that inclusive leadership includes
an internal, self-reflective behaviour that is dynamic over time.
CCDI often references research conducted by Deloitte, entitled the Six Signature Traits of
Inclusive Leaders as it presents tangible behaviours that can guide leaders toward being
inclusive. The motivation behind Deloitte’s research underscores the importance of recognizing
how traditional notions of leadership are changing to include evolving attitudes and values. The
Deloitte traits also reflect the traits found in a systemic literature review conducted on police
leadership, where it was found that five activities inform the definition of effective police
leadership:
» Setting, developing, and sharing a vision for the organization that creates a sense of
purpose for followers;
» Engendering organizational commitment;
» Caring for subordinates, which requires them to seek out and provide development
opportunities for staff, to take responsibility for staff well being, as well as engage in
coaching and mentoring;
» Driving and managing change, which moves the role of the leader from one of managing
the status quo to enacting and achieving change or reform;
» Problem solving with particular reference to proactive and collaborative styles of problem
solving to address complex, interdependent, and unforeseen problems.
During the Leadership Growth leader interviews, we asked the PRP leaders and PPSB board
member interviewees to identify the traits of an inclusive leader. This provides a comparison to
the six (6) traits listed below. We summarized and analyzed these traits against those
expressed by Peel Regional Police leaders and Peel Regional Police Services Board members.
We found that there are some similarities between the traits, however some variances were
identified as well
11
.
11
We have not separated out the responses for Board members and Police leaders due to the small number of Board
members which could compromise confidentiality.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 31
Trait
Deloitte definition
Examples of PRP leaders’ and PPSB board
members’ definitions of inclusive leaders
Commitment
Highly inclusive leaders are
committed to diversity and
inclusion because these
objectives align with their
personal values and because
they believe in the business case.
» You recognize the differences and adjust
your style to work with those people.
» Someone who values every employee and
welcomes them and includes them in all
aspects of their work.
Courage
Highly inclusive leaders speak up
and challenge the status quo, and
they are humble about their
strengths and weaknesses.
» Courageous to confront and remove barriers
that impede inclusivity.
» Somebody who isn’t afraid to go out into
public and not afraid to hear criticism, open to
looking at issues in a different way.
Cognizance
Highly inclusive leaders are
mindful of personal and
organizational blind spots and
self-regulate to help ensure “fair
play.”
(no direct comments made)
Curiosity
Highly inclusive leaders have an
open mindset, a desire to
understand how others view and
experience the world, and a
tolerance for ambiguity.
» Open to looking at issues in a different way.
» Want different perspective and background –
not closing the doors to new ideas.
» Allowing for different voices to be heard. You
make room for those voices, that may be
different then the ones you want or the ones
you hear on a frequent basis.
» Open to other people’s perspectives, ability
to have a diverse understanding for various
cultures, religious beliefs.
Cultural
intelligence
Highly inclusive leaders are
confident and effective in cross-
cultural interactions.
» Showing empathy and looking at possibilities
from their point of view, using language that
reflects that. It is easy to talk, hard to do it.
Have to work at it – be aware of it.
» Their voice heard and is appreciated and
contributes to the team. I need to understand
different contexts.
Collaboration
Highly inclusive leaders empower
individuals as well as create and
leverage the thinking of diverse
groups.
» Fairness and respect for the team. We have
to trust the team and understand everyone.
Table 4: Inclusive Leadership Understanding Gap Analysis
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 32
Overall
Overall, comments on the traits of an inclusive leader focus on an external view of the operation
of leadership. i.e., demonstrating empathy, seeking different opinions, listening to different
voices which indicates a fairly common understanding of the need to be open to different ideas
and active perspective taking was demonstrated. These types of behaviours fall almost
exclusively into the curiosity trait for inclusive leadership, but only address two of the three
aspects of this trait. The other element of curiosity, namely, coping with uncertainty, was
missing. Certain comments are also more reflective of the cultural intelligence trait such as the
need to understand different contexts and use the right language for the context.
In short, the style of leadership that seems to be expected, is more of an external,
demonstrative leadership that focuses on a more passive stance of “being open”.
However, although “being open” is certainly part of the six traits of inclusive leadership, it should
be balanced with other characteristics such as self-awareness and cognizance of one’s own
biases. This imbalance may result in a blind-spot for leaders who may not understand that
inclusive leadership requires an internal, self-reflective behaviour that is dynamic over time. This
requires a focus on the internal aspects of behaviour that comes from self-learning, self-
reflection, adaptation, and humility. These behaviours translate into authentic demonstrations of
inclusive leadership that bridges the gap between “being open” and demonstrating that one truly
values diversity. Inclusive leadership is an active, self-informed leadership that is cognizant of
bias, challenges the status quo, and actively adapts behaviour to the needs at hand.
Focus on commitment, courage, curiosity, and cognizance of bias.
Commitment
Few comments relating to commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion were based on
alignment with personal values, or collaboration in terms of empowering others through trust
and courage.
Courage
There was only one comment pertaining to “lead by example”, and there was very little
discussion on humility or challenging the status quo. Only two comments directly addressed the
idea of courageousness.
In the context of a rigid police culture, having leaders who do not personally believe that
courage to challenge the status quo is part of inclusive leadership – will have tremendous
effects on the police service’s ability to actually address the issues identified. In addition, in the
definitions provided, there does not appear to be any recognition that courage is about humility
and the ability to be honest about your own strengths, weaknesses and acknowledge mistakes.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 33
Cognizance of Bias
The most substantial gap we identified is with respect to cognizance of bias. Although many
commented about the need to be open to different perspectives, in all the interviews no one
commented about the need to be aware of individual bias or blind spots, nor organizational blind
spots.
The comments indicate that there is likely an underlying belief that one can be bias-free. The
comments also demonstrated a tendency to focus on similarities instead of acknowledging
difference, which can indicate that the individuals are currently operating within a minimization
mindset where differences are minimized. For example: “I don’t see colour. I treat everyone
equally.” Or “just use common-sense.”
Under the guise of equality, these beliefs diminish the experience of people who experience the
workplace in a different manner, and expose a presumption that there are common and
understood behaviours and values for everyone that transcend differences. This mindset
demonstrated in the interviews was further corroborated when we conducted cultural
competence assessments of the board and leadership, as will be discussed further in section
1.10 below.
Examples include:
» “A person that has no biases, open and fair, that does not look at people or communities
under a different colour lens; sees people as human beings and treats them in a fair and
equitable manner.”
» “Treating everyone fairly, regardless of race, culture, sexual identity, encouraging groups
that bring together different cultures and races, different types of thinking, focusing on
commonalities between everything.”
» “They would be consistent in decision making irrespective of where input is coming
from.”
» “My job is to make team feel like a part of the team regardless of why they were hired
and background they come from.”
Comments indicating that one can have “no biases” and comments such as “regardless” of race
or differences indicate a lack of awareness that everyone has biases. Assumptions that people
can be bias free may indicate that individuals might not be cognizant of, or be working toward
mitigating their own biases.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 34
FINDING 1.5: Majority of Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members
strongly believe that the organization is committed to diversity and inclusion.
In our interviews, 93% of leaders and board members interviewed expressed that they agree or
strongly agree that Peel Regional Police is committed to and supportive of diversity and
inclusion
12
. This sentiment is supported in the commentary by phrases such as:
» “I see it in my role ... We believe in diversity.”
» “… I hear the reports that come to our board. I know how hard people are working to
reflect the community. I think we are trying hard and are committed.”
» “In 36 years, the way we deal with the community has changed. We didn’t attend events
and go out in the community. We take this input and utilize it. Part of our Advisory
Committees is we let them see our recruiting. We take their input as a foundation moving
forward. We have liaison officers who attend events. We go to graduation, sporting
events, dinners. We give presentations and sometimes there is a lack of knowledge.”
» “I am privy to big initiatives, huge focus on recruiting within community that officer reflect
community. Chief does numerous forums to racialized groups. All the things I see that
are in the forefront and the time and effort put into it that makes me think that we are in
pursuit of that.”
» “I think we have worked hard in that there are no barriers, to show that we are inclusive.
We have created policies for all employees, and we send out reminders to ensure they
are aware. Our processes are for making a complaint about someone saying or doing
something inappropriate. Emails or conversation reminders – send the message 11
different ways – posters, emails, corporate communications, policies. Also, a reminder to
say that if they are feeling
disrespected can complaint.
Notify supervisor, above their
supervisor, send a direct email
to Chief’s email – launch a
professional standards
complaint – or go to association
rep who can make a complaint.
Third party reporting.”
These comments indicate a belief that
the policies, programs and initiatives
are the whole solution. This does not
take into account two critical
ingredients: the mindset and capability
of the leaders to create a diverse,
12
We will revisit this perception later in our analysis, when we compare with employees’ perceptions in section 3 of
this report.
72%
21%
3% 3%
0% 0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
“Peel Regional Police is committed to and
supportive of diversity and inclusion."
Leaders' and Board members' responses
(n=29)
Figure 6: Leaders perception of support and commitment to
diversity and inclusion
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 35
equitable and inclusive organization, and the organizational culture of unwritten rules – i.e., what
actually happens to someone when they come forward with an issue or complaint.
FINDING 1.6: Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members indicate that they
believe brave, helpful and hard-working people fit best at Peel Regional Police.
In the Leadership Growth leader interviews, Board and Service respondents shared the most
important qualities that one must possess as an employee at Peel Regional Police.
Bravery/courage, helpful, hard-working, common-sense, and the ability to follow process
in a hierarchical, command-and-control oriented organization, were the most cited qualities of
people who best fit at Peel Regional Police.
However, leaders interviewed expressed a wide range of attributes, including:
Control-focused
» Acquiescent - don’t rock the boat.
» Command and control oriented -
challenges are considered
subordination; whiners bring people
down.
Competence
» Common sense - inner voice that tells
you that something is not right.
» Competent.
» Intelligent.
Dedicated and ambitious
» Believe in and committed to purpose of
the organization.
» Driven; eager to learn.
» Fitness-conscious.
» Hard-working.1
» Impactful.
Self-assured, able to lead
» Brave.
» Confident.
» Courageous.
» Leader - ability to take command.
Principled
» Professional.
» Respectful.
» Ethical.
» Honest, fair, kind, sincere - Moral
compass – you need to have good
judgement and be non-judgmental.
» Integrity.
Interpersonal skills
» Adaptable and flexible.
» Attention to detail.
» Balanced – think holistically about
enforcement with community complexity.
» Caring and compassionate; empathetic -
be a person before being a police
officer.
» Communicative
» Community-focused and engaged;
people-person
» Compromising.
» Diplomatic.
» Helper
Interpersonal skills (continued)
» Inclusive.
» Leave work at the door (don’t take this
home to your family).
» Listener
» Open
» Personable
» Sense of humour.
» Team-oriented.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 36
Furthermore, although the qualities of bravery and courage came up as an attribute of someone
who best fits at Peel Regional Police, it did not come up in a substantial manner in the question
regarding inclusive leadership.
When we look further into the elements of courage in the inclusive leadership model, it is made
up of humility (the awareness of personal strengths and weaknesses) and courage (in terms of
being an agent for change). So, in this sense,
courage is about standing up to or challenge the
status quo. We question whether this definition
of courage corresponds with the one cited by
respondents as to who best fits.
FINDING 1.7: Peel Regional Police
leaders and Board members broadly
perceive fairness, consistency and
flexibility to exist in the organization.
Three quarters (76%) of PRP leaders and PPSB
Board members agree or strongly agree that
policies are applied consistently and fairly. In
response to the statement, “Peel Regional
Police Managers, Inspectors, Directors,
Superintendents, Supervisors, Sergeants,
Assistant Managers and Staff Sergeants, apply
policies consistently and fairly,” none of the
leaders or board members disagreed with the
statement, and only 17% had a neutral
response (“somewhat agree” or “somewhat
disagree”). Figure 7 shows the distribution of
PRP leader and Board member responses.
There was a more varied response from PRP
leaders and PPSB board members in response
to the statement,
“In my experience, everyone is
treated fairly and consistently when applying for
a job or promotion at Peel Regional Police.”
Although more than half (62%) had a positive
response, there were some neutral and
negatives responses to this statement, with 20%
in the neutral range and 13% disagreeing. The
distribution of answers for this question are
shown in figure 8, previous page.
24%
52%
10%
7%
0% 0%
7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
“Peel Regional Police Managers,
Inspectors, Directors,
Superintendents, Supervisors,
Sergeants, Assistant Managers and
Staff Sergeants, apply policies
consistently and fairly.” Leaders' and
Board members' responses. (n=29)
Figure 7: Leaders’ and board members’ perception of
fairness an
d consistency
41%
21%
17%
3% 3%
10%
3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
“In my experience, everyone is
treated fairly and consistently
when applying for a job or
promotion at Peel Regional
Police.” Leaders' and Board
members' responses. (n=29)
Figure 8: Leaders and Board perceptions of fairness in
hiring and promotion
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 37
Additionally, an overwhelming majority of PRP
Leaders and PPSB Board members (82%)
believe that the PRP work environment is
flexible and accommodating for people with
different needs or abilities. None of the Leader
or Board interview respondents in the
interviews disagreed with the statement: "Peel
Regional Police’s work environment is flexible
and accommodating to people with different
needs or abilities." (Figure 9).
Although the Board and Leaders of the Peel
Regional Police have a very positive view of
the fairness, consistency and flexibility, later in
this report, we shall examine the contrast with
employee perceptions.
FINDING 1.8: Almost three
quarters of Peel Regional
Police Leaders and Board
Members don’t believe that barriers exist or rarely exist for certain
groups at Peel Regional Police.
The majority perspective among the PRP leaders is that there are no barriers, or only rarely.
Some leader and board interviewees responded that there are barriers some of the time.
Nearly half (48%) of the leaders and board
members indicated there are never barriers in
the organization. 24% of leaders and board
members interviewed said there are rarely
barriers. Only 28% of interviewees
acknowledged that there are barriers some of
the time.
Respondents were subsequently asked why
they chose the answer they did. Generally,
most people understood barriers in the
workplace in terms of the visible ways (i.e.
civilian vs. sworn) in which someone’s career
path could be limited, rather than implicit, yet
systemic barriers such as racism, sexism,
homophobia, etc.
48%
34%
14%
0% 0% 0%
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
"Peel Regional Police’s work
environment is flexible and
accommodating to people with different
needs or abilities."
Leaders' and Board members'
responses. (n=29)
Figure 9: Leaders and Board perception of flexibility
of the work environment
0% 0%
28%
24%
48%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
"Are there any barriers for certain
groups at different levels in the
organization? "
Leaders' and Board members'
responses.
(n = 29)
Figure 10: Leaders’ and Board members’
perceptions of barriers
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 38
Most leaders expressed that advancement is generally based on merit.
This may represent a potential blind spot for leaders, as it demonstrates a gap in understanding
of the systemic nature of barriers and how an organization can effectively devalue and discount
diversity and differing experiences, by not recognizing that people may face barriers due to their
identities. Comparisons of leaders’ responses on this question to the perceptions of employees
in the organization will be elucidated in Section 3 of this report.
Proof Points. Examples from Leaders’ and Board members’ Interviews
Never or Rarely: Examples of leaders’ and board members’ reasons of their answer.
» “Never - Don’t believe there are any barriers.”
» “Never - Comes down to working to do all the steps to get promoted; get promoted
based on your work. Must become competitive and make your area better.”
» “Never - some areas have not been as diverse as others. For example, Guns and
Gangs. Diverse candidates are not applying. We did some lunch and learns and asked
for diversity in some of the units. We need to educate people and provide them with
more information. The pool sometimes needs some work, so we can change it.”
» “Never - Civilian are more women and police officers are more men, but I don’t see any
barriers.”
» “Barriers are in the person’s own mind.”
» “I think we just want the best person. The person that didn’t get the position could say
they didn’t get the job because they are Chinese, but they may have had ties to
something else.”
» “Rarely - If you have qualifications to get a job, fair chance of being evaluated to do the
job.”
Sometimes - Examples of leaders’ and board members’ reasons for their answer.
» “Sometimes - most of barriers are systemic. Been in org for [over 20] years, and when
started there was some overt card-carrying racists. We don’t hire those people anymore.
We haven’t for a good 10-15 years. Can’t vouch for before that. Overt bias, racism,
bigotry, is not the problem that it used to be. Systemic bias, based on gender, race,
orientation. Everyone is willing to say bias exists, but acknowledging the bias exists is
only part of the issue. The other part of the issue is not everyone has power. ….
Systemic bias not going to acknowledge it exists, overt bias we have reduced.
Leadership is not trying to be biased. Trying to be open, transparent for the most part.
Organization built on systemic bias over 40 years. We have to face that and take steps
to address it. We are struggling to admit there is bias.”
» “Sometimes - Barrier being uniform to civilian, uniform side Senior management held in
higher regard, mindset that you don’t have uniform background, can’t contribute to
whatever project/process; sometimes feel it should be flipped.”
» “Sometimes - if a candidate has not been a volunteer they would be disqualified; if a
candidate was other than female or male, they would could not make it in; someone who
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 39
is differently gendered or whose first language is not English would likely not become a
member.”
» “Sometimes - on the uniform side. Most cases it is operationally – mandated
requirement, i.e. Peel is very good at its internal hiring process. But not so good at
getting everyone the same training to get qualifications; for officers who do a lot of
arrests and have to do a lot of court time, not enough time for courses. There should be
specific courses at each level that everyone is required to do. Everything should be
consistent for everyone at the same level.”
Analysis:
These findings and comments from the leadership suggest a belief amongst some of the
leadership that the police service is a meritocracy and that processes are fair and equitable.
This also corresponds with the findings from the Leadership Growth leader interviews where
one of the gaps in outlining the traits of an inclusive leader included cognizance of bias.
Comments that indicate an awareness of bias and barriers often indicate: “not like it used to be,”
with a lack of acknowledgement that the issues still persist and continue to be serious issues.
The belief that either the barriers do not exist, or they are not like they used to be may lead to
complacency and a lack of action or inertia in terms of culture change.
We will revisit these responses in section 3 of this report when we compare responses from
employees of the police service.
FINDING 1.9: Peel Regional Police Leaders and Board Members do not
appear to have a common understanding of systemic oppressions that
may exist in the organization.
Leaders and board members were asked if they believe sexism, racism, homophobia, or ageism
exist in the organization. Peel Regional Police leaders and PPSB Board members demonstrated
a mixed awareness of the existence of various oppressions or ‘isms’ within the police service.
There are several members of the leadership and board who indicated they do not believe that
racism, sexism, homophobia or ageism currently exist in the organization. Approximately one
third of the PRP leaders indicated their belief that these systemic oppressions do not exist within
PRP.
There are several leaders and board members who indicated their belief that these oppressions
manifest only as individual acts of meanness. A number of respondents indicate that these
‘isms’ exist in individuals, but not in the organization, nor are they making the connection that
these oppressions are systemic in our society and therefore are also in our organizations. In
other words, we don’t leave the oppressions that we experience in society at the door when we
come to work.
This continued belief by some leaders and board members that there is no racism is
disconcerting when we consider the Interim Decision in 2017 by the Ontario Human Rights
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 40
Tribunal, in the case of Peel Police vs Sandhu which found that the Peel Regional Police
discriminated on the basis of race. While we acknowledge this was an interim decision and the
case is still before the tribunal, the OHRC has found evidence of racial discrimination to warrant
issuing an Interim Decision. The sections below demonstrate the responses from the PRP
leaders and PPSB board members’ interviews with respect to racism, sexism, homophobia and
ageism.
Area of Focus: Racism
Racism is a belief system that espouses the notion that race is a determinant of human traits
and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race,
and inferiority in others.
Finding re: Awareness of Racism
» Lack of common understanding on the definition of systemic racism, as the focus is on
how racism is expressed, not on what it is.
» Comments made by leaders exemplify the understanding that racism is a characteristic
that some individuals exhibit, rather than a belief system that is expressed in the practice
of institutions.
Proof points from interviews
Do not agree that racism exists in the organization:
» “Haven’t seen it; in the early days going back 1990s, there was; nowadays past 10-15
years, personally no.”
» “Have I seen it? No. Have I read about it? Yes. Has anyone ever told me? No. Do I think
there is? I have never personally felt it. I have read about it in HR complaints. More
publicized than hearing first hand.”
» “Racism is hidden. Never experienced it myself. The kind of nonsense tolerated 30 years
ago, is not tolerated. Doesn’t exist - if it does, it is enclosed.”
» “In the context of the Board, have never see the racism and in fact have seen the
opposite. In the context of individuals, have heard some comments that were
inappropriate.”
Unsure or see racism as isolated individual acts:
» “I think there is. There is nothing I have seen firsthand in the last 10-15 years. People
know what our policies and procedures are. They will likely be reported. It could be
interactions with our own staff and the public. We have Fair and Impartial Police training
to try and mitigate this.”
» “I think there is. I don’t think it is rampant. I think sometimes it’s ignorance and lack of
experience that manifests itself in ways, do people realize their perceptions are skewed
because of experiences? I’d be naïve to say no, I think there is in terms of some
people’s experience.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 41
» “Not systemic racism but there are individuals who are racist.”
» “Organization– no. Individuals – Yes.”
» “Yes, there is a small number of people who hold racial [sic] views.”
» “There probably is in individuals but it is not widespread.”
» “There wouldn’t be racism in this organization. It could be personal racism.”
Believe that racism exists, have witnessed/experienced it:
» “Yes, of course. Not open racism, but human nature.”
» “Yes- officers that have committed impaired driving, substance abuse, domestic abuse,
of course we have bigotry. Not overt like it used to be. It is not in your face. Absolutely
we have those whose behaviours and those perspectives are not what we want them to
be.”
» “I feel that people look at me and it is not a common factor to see someone like me – but
it is my suspicion that underneath, a couple of the members’ thoughts are like that.”
» “I am sure there is. Worst case is the ones that aren’t in the face.”
Area of Focus: Homophobia and Transphobia
Homophobia and transphobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward
homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-
identified or Queer (“LGBTQ2+”). It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred
or antipathy, may be based on irrational fear.
Finding re: Awareness of Homophobia and Transphobia
» Inconsistent understanding of homophobia in the organization. Significant number of
leaders have the perception that it does not exist or have never witnessed it.
» There are admissions that it exists, but it’s an ‘individual’ attribute.
» There is a conflict in terms of most people say there isn’t homophobia, while at the same
time do not know if there are gay men or women who are ‘out’ in the organization.
Proof points from Interviews
Do not believe homophobia exists in the organization:
» “No, have never seen that.”
» “Never seen it or felt it. I have read about it. I think in military it may be prevalent. Never
seen it.”
» “No, I don’t. Pretty sure about that. Nobody cares. Completely gone. As long as you do
your job. I am positive that is the case.”
» “The way people who work here accept people in a professional capacity.”
» “There are LGBTQ2+ women currently in division; don’t think men would be treated any
differently.”
» “Have had men come out at other divisions but he hasn’t dealt with that.”
» “I haven’t seen this.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 42
» “I would say no – it’s a sign of the times.”
» “Policing as a culture is not homophobic; don’t think that a gay person would receive
different or poor treatment, either as a civilian or in uniform.”
Unsure if homophobia exists or see it as isolated individual acts:
» “Don’t know.”
» “Know that the are people who have different opinions and values and may not agree
with certain lifestyles and choices.”
» “May be still something there.”
» “Some people are homophobic yes, but the organization is not.”
» “…I don’t think people care anymore.”
» “Trying to hire a diverse work force; trying to hire ethnicities from certain faiths that are
not conducive to LGBTQ2+ community.”
Believe homophobia exists:
» “Yes, same reasons mentioned above; not enough officers and members willing to take
the steps to understand that lifestyle.”
» “There has been. Particularly among young officers, when I think of young tough guys,
there is that comments. I know that has happened before. That is out there. We are
hiring young, males often that consciously realize names or comments.”
» “Of course, although on the female side have much higher percentage of LGBTQ2+;
can’t think of any out gay male.”
» “Doesn’t seem to be an issue with females, but it does with males. One officer is gay,
just came out now after 30 years; previously he was excluded a lot; now he is very
knowledgeable and experienced and more included than he would have been many
years ago.”
» “Absolutely, we have more women that are openly gay that are part of organization. Gay
men are like hen’s teeth here. There are a few and those that tend to not be openly gay.
I believe, I could be wrong, gay men have not been well represented in organization.
Don’t feel comfortable in organization. One gay officer was poorly treated. He left the
organization. I had to tell people this behaviour is unacceptable, if continues.”
Area of Focus: Sexism
Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on a person's sex or gender. Sexism can affect
anyone, but it is particularly documented as affecting women and girls. It has been linked to
stereotypes and gender roles and may include the belief that one sex or gender is intrinsically
superior to another.
Finding re: Awareness of Sexism
» Inconsistent understanding on the existence and definition of systemic sexism.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 43
» Comments made by several leaders exemplify the understanding that sexism is a
characteristic that some individuals exhibit, rather than a belief system that is expressed
in the practice of institutions.
Proof Points from Interviews
Do not agree that sexism exists in the Peel Regional Police.
» “No. Try so hard to bring women in, at 18-19% of force being female. Can’t get them to
apply; have partnerships with Ontario Universities Association, Ontario Soccer League,
sports teams. Try to target groups and people that are fit and work in teams. Do
challenges, invite groups to come see and tour facilities. Attending colleges to talk to
potential candidates. Recently held a competition where 6 colleges brought top 2
females and males to compete against Peel Fitness team in various trials.
» “I haven’t seen any. Things have changed since 1991. There is less noise than what I
used to hear. Especially at senior management – it is very respectful. “
» “Not that I have seen.”
» “Last 20 years, no.”
» “I haven’t seen this.”
» “Have I seen it, no. My boss is a woman. All my bosses have been a woman. I think
women in civilian side have same opportunity and consideration with regards to
advancement. Have not seen it.”
Not sure or see sexism as individual acts:
» “Not that I have seen. But there must be because it exists in society.”
» “There are people who are sexist, but the organization is not. The org is male-dominated
but not sexist; haven’t had any sexist experiences.”
» “Yes, there is a small number of people who hold sexist views.”
» “Probably yes. I think attitudes about race and sex have changed for the better and it is
not overt.”
» “There must be, haven’t experienced it or seen it amongst people around. Everybody is
treated upfront regardless of who they are.”
» “Generally speaking no but with individuals, yes. Not knowingly in policy or in
management.”
Do believe that sexism exists:
» “Yes, to some degree; this is getting better.”
» “Absolutely. We have a society that is patriarchal and just because we have a female
chief... the two are not connected. The fact that we have a female chief and female
leaders and supervisors, those are not necessarily connected. There is still misogyny in
our organization. Same as racism issue. We have to take steps proactively to deal with
them.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 44
» “Yes, in some cases. I think it is also nature of organization, majority male. For many
years, it has been that way. Changes are coming, increasing # of females. Still get
comments about Senior Officers- referring admin staff as “girls”. You can’t help but
notice it. Often in meetings when it is all men, not to say I am experiencing sexism, but
very noticeable.”
» “Yes – Because of comments being made.”
» “Yes . . . not enough representation of women in senior positions. Organization has huge
disproportion of male to female employees.”
» “Of course. People have lost focus with the fact that we have a female chief who has
probably been the only female in the rooms she’s been in.”
» “Yes, most of women in certain groups try to overcompensate to succeed.”
Area of Focus: Ageism
Ageism is stereotyping of and discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of their
age.
Finding re: Ageism
» Mixed answers with majority of interviewees indicating they do not believe there is
ageism.
Proof points from Interviews
» “Not sure.”
» “No - but the promotional process is very thorough, and it takes time. Younger
employees need to wait for openings and retirements.”
» “No not that I have seen.”
» “No – you have to work here a certain amount of time for experience.”
» “No, in the older days, officers had to be young and fresh out of school. Now we’re hiring
people with life experience, immigrants that come from war torn countries and hardships,
they bring so much because they have life experience.”
» “No, we have someone here who is 69 years old, has been there for 40 years.”
» “If you want to consider yourself a victim, this is how it can happen; competence and
experience are highly valued. If you have these, you will be valued until you retire. But if
you are getting old and heading to retirement and you don’t care and work less and
become less competent; people will respond negatively.”
» “I think somewhat. Not as much as the other areas (sexism/homophobia). It can go both
ways. We have such a gap- young recruits and senior people. It is really lack of
understanding on either side. It is bridging the gap between millennials and gen x/y. Go
back to family accommodations - frustration from Senior officers. Getting more perplexed
senior officers, or a junior officer will come forward with workplace complaint. Senior
officer - that is the way it is. Lack of understanding about ‘the old days’ that it is not
acceptable now.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 45
» “Less so than the others. Primarily because of leadership of organization in late middle
ages. Maybe because I haven’t focused on it may say something about it.”
» “Lot less tolerance for someone who not pulling weight because they are close to
retirement.”
» “Yes, looking for promotions at a younger age has been a big challenge; you are looked
at as still young kid, told you have lots of time to be promoted.”
» “Peel is one of the last police organizations holding age as a benchmark for promotion.”
» “Yes, for sure. Officers who join later may have training officers who are much younger
and have less life experience.”
Note: Findings 1.10, 1.11 and 1.12 relate to the cultural competence of the Peel Regional Police
Leaders and Board Members as assessed by the Intercultural Development Inventory
®
.
Background and methodology
About the IDI
®
Questionnaire.
The IDI is a 50-item questionnaire (similar to Myers-Briggs or other psychometric self-
assessment tools) that can be completed in approximately 10–20 minutes. A wide range of
organizations and educational institutions use the IDI
®
. Thousands of Qualified Administrators in
more than 30 countries have extensively applied the IDI in corporate, non-profit, and
educational contexts. In addition, more than 60 published articles and book chapters as well as
over 80 Ph.D. dissertations have been dedicated to the IDI
®
.
What the IDI
®
Measures.
The IDI
®
measures an individual or group’s level of intercultural sensitivity along the Intercultural
Development Continuum
®
, which is based on the Developmental Model of Intercultural
Sensitivity, a widely respected developmental model originally created by Dr. Milton Bennett.
The Intercultural Development Continuum
®
(shown in figure 11) theorizes that individuals
progress through specific phases of development in their understanding of the complexity of
cultural similarity and difference. Each position along the continuum represents an increasingly
complex understanding of cultural difference, which in turn allows increasingly sophisticated and
engaging experiences with people of other
cultures.
One of the interesting features of the IDI
®
assessment is that it measures where the
individual thinks they are on the continuum
(known as their Perceived Orientation), and
where they actually are developmentally
(known as their Developmental Orientation).
Figure 11: Intercultural Development Continuum
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 46
Outputs of the IDI
®
Assessment Process.
The IDI
®
tool generates profiles of an individual’s and a group’s capability for shifting cultural
perspective and adapting behavior toward cultural differences and commonalities – that is, it
measures their level of intercultural competence. The IDI
®
tool also produces developmental
plans for individuals who complete the assessment, which is aligned with their Developmental
Orientation, or where they actually are, developmentally.
Completion rate
Peel Regional Police Leaders
In total 23 out of 23 Peel Regional Police Leaders invited to participate did complete the IDI
®
assessment questionnaire and subsequently completed their individual Debrief and Coaching
session. Most of the PRP Leaders attend the half-day developmental session on September 14,
2017.
Peel Regional Police Services Board
Five of the seven PPSB members completed their IDI
®
assessment questionnaire. Three of the
seven PPSB members completed their individual Debrief and Coaching sessions. Two PPSB
Board members participated in the half-day developmental session on September 14, 2017, and
two staff members of the PPSB were also in attendance.
Aggregate findings from IDI assessments of PRP leaders and PPSB members.
Peel Regional Police Leaders
The majority of the Peel Regional Police leadership team is operating from a minimization
mindset as assessed by the IDI
®
. The chart below provides the group aggregate results of the
23 PRP leaders who were assessed using the IDI
®
.
The predominant mindset in the group is Minimization, with 56% of the group in Minimization.
8.7% of the PRP Leadership were assessed to be on the cusp of Acceptance, which means
they are in high Minimization transitioning into Acceptance. 13% of the PRP Leadership were
Assessed in Acceptance. Figure 13 shows the range of developmental levels within the PRP
Leadership team.
Figure 12: Aggregate combined IDI-assessed developmental level of PRP Leadership team
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 47
It is important to note that
17.3% of the leadership
team are in polarization or
high polarization, on the
cusp of minimization.
The implications of each of
these mindsets are
discussed in the next
section.
Peel Regional Police Services Board Members
The PPSB members who completed the IDI assessment were, as a group, assessed to be in
high Minimization, on the cusp of Acceptance.
Of the Board members who
completed the assessment,
there were a range of
developmental levels from
Minimization to Adaptation.
The chart below shows the
range of developmental
levels of the Board
members as assessed by
the IDI.
FINDING 1.10 – A number of Peel Regional Police Leaders are
operating from a Polarization mindset which may create issues in the
work environment for minoritized individuals.
Polarization
Polarization is an evaluative mindset that views cultural differences from an ‘us versus them’
perspective. Polarization can take the form of Defense (i.e., “My culture is superior to other
Figure 15: Range of IDI-assessed developmental levels of PPSB members (n=5)
Figure 14: Aggregate combined IDI-assessed developmental level of PPSB members
Figure 13: Range of IDI-assessed developmental levels of PRP Leadership Team
(n=23)
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 48
cultures”) or Reversal (i.e., “Other cultures are better than mine”). Within Defense, cultural
differences are often seen as divisive and threatening to one’s own way of doing things.
Reversal is a mindset that values and may idealize other cultural practices while denigrating
one’s own culture group. Reversal may also support the cause of an oppressed group, but this
is done with little knowledge of what the cause means to people from the oppressed community.
Effect: When Polarization is present in an organization, diverse groups or individuals can feel
uncomfortable.
Individuals in Polarization are typically judgmental of those who are different. Given their
developmental level, their behaviour and comments related to race and culture may be
polarizing and denigrating to racial and culture groups other than their own. This behaviour will
have a serious detrimental effect on the people who report to them and the direction they give to
their subordinates about how to deal with the public and how to deal with issues of diversity,
equity and inclusion.
Their approach and behaviour may create an unsafe work environment for minoritized
individuals because the leader may make comments and engage in behaviours that are
inappropriate, or even outright violations of human rights codes and organizational codes of
conduct. Further, leaders in this mindset may be more likely to dismiss complaints of
inappropriate behaviour in their ranks, and/or condone the actions of others who make
inappropriate comments. At the very least, there is unlikely to be consequences for
inappropriate behaviour when the leader is in a Polarization mindset.
FINDING 1.11 – The majority of Peel Regional Police Leaders are
operating from a Minimization mindset which overemphasizes
similarities instead of acknowledging and valuing differences and
may be undermining diversity and inclusion efforts.
Minimization
Minimization is a transitional mindset between the more Monocultural orientations of Denial and
Polarization and the more Intercultural/Global worldviews of Acceptance and Adaptation.
Minimization highlights commonalities in both human Similarity (basic needs) and Universalism
(universal values and principles) that can mask a deeper understanding of cultural differences.
Minimization can take one of two forms: (a) the highlighting of commonalities due to limited
cultural self-understanding, which is more commonly experienced by dominant group members
within a cultural community; or (b) the highlighting of commonalities as a strategy for navigating
the values and practices largely determined by the dominant culture group, which is more often
experienced by non-dominant group members within a larger cultural community. This latter
strategy can have survival value for non-dominant culture members and often takes the form of
“go along to get along.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 49
Effect: When Minimization exists in organizations diverse groups or individuals often feel “not
heard.”
This is important because, as discussed in the PRP leaders’ and PPSB board members
understanding of inclusive leadership, cultural intelligence and cognizance of bias are two
essential traits of inclusive leaders.
When the majority of a leadership team is in minimization, they may not place enough value on
difference and may tend to maintain the status quo. They may also dismiss or reject feedback
from minority group members because it is not the view of the majority.
As an example of this, our Leadership Growth leader interviews showed that approximately
about 1/3 of the leadership team do not believe there is racism, sexism or homophobia in the
organization, and a further 1/3 of the leadership team see racism, sexism, or homophobia as
individual acts of meanness, rather than recognizing the systemic nature of such oppressions.
Many of the PRP leaders who are in minimization say they are supportive of diversity, equity
and inclusion, and can cite the policies and programs they have in place that are dedicated to
diversity, equity and inclusion, without recognizing the impact that their minimization mindset
has on the effectiveness of those policies and programs. A common refrain from speaking with
leaders in the police service was “we are doing so much, and people don’t recognize it.”
Yet, the mindset of minimization plays out in day-to-day behaviours and manifests as a lack of
understanding of the experiences of minoritized individuals in the police service. This leads
some members of the police service and some members of the public to suggest that the
leaders do not “walk the talk”, as will be discussed in subsequent sections of this report.
FINDING 1.12 – Twenty-six percent of PRP Leaders are assessed in Acceptance
or Adaptation. However, leaders who are operating from an Acceptance or
Adaptation mindset may be experiencing frustration, disengagement and
possibly reprisals for challenging the status quo.
Acceptance and Adaptation
With an Acceptance orientation, individuals recognize and appreciate patterns of cultural
difference and commonality in their own and other cultures. An Acceptance orientation is
curious to learn how a cultural pattern of behavior makes sense within different cultural
communities. This involves contrastive self-reflection between one’s own culturally learned
perceptions and behaviors and perceptions and practices of different cultural groups. While
curious, individuals with an Acceptance mindset are not fully able to appropriately adapt to
cultural difference. Someone with an Acceptance orientation may be challenged as well to make
ethical or moral decisions across cultural groups. While a person within Acceptance embraces a
deeper understanding of cultural differences, this can lead to the individual struggling with
reconciling behavior in another cultural group that the person considers unethical or immoral
from their own cultural viewpoint.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 50
Effect: When Acceptance is present in organizations, diverse groups or individuals
are likely to feel “understood.”
When leaders are in Acceptance, they are more likely to value difference, to seek
out different perspectives, and to recognize and accept that other people are having
experiences different than their own. Individuals in acceptance are more likely to recognize the
importance and impact that their own cultural identity has on the way they experience the world
and are more likely to be aware of the oppressions and barriers faced by others.
An Adaptation orientation consists of both Cognitive Frame-Shifting (shifting one’s cultural
perspective) and Behavioral Code-Shifting (changing behavior in authentic and culturally
appropriate ways). Adaptation enables deep cultural bridging across diverse communities using
an increased repertoire of cultural frameworks and practices in navigating cultural
commonalities and differences.
An Adaptation mindset sees adaptation in performance (behavior). While people with an
Adaptation mindset typically focus on learning adaptive strategies, problems can arise when
people with Adaptation mindsets express little tolerance toward people who engage diversity
from other developmental orientations. This can result in people with Adaptive capabilities being
marginalized in their workplace.
Effect: When an Adaptation mindset is present in the workplace, diverse groups or individuals
tend to feel “valued and involved.”
Leaders in Adaptation will generally be excellent leaders, adept at listening to and acting on
different perspectives and adapting their leadership and communication style to be most
effective in different contexts. Individuals in Adaptation are likely to be very aware of the
importance of difference between people, and the experiences of others who are not like them.
RISK: It should be noted that given that there are few leaders in the PRP who are in
Acceptance or Adaptation, some of these individuals expressed frustration and/or
may feel stymied or obstructed in discussions about diversity, equity and inclusion
with other members of the leadership team. Research shows that a team where the
majority of are in minimization will tend to maintain the status quo. A common outcome of this
type of situation is that those leaders who are in Acceptance or Adaptation may feel that they
are silenced by the majority, and may possibly experience reprisals because they have
potentially been labelled as ‘troublemakers’ or ‘an obstacle to getting things done’.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 51
II. Organizational culture.
This section provides information regarding workplace demographics, feelings of inclusiveness,
findings around the organizational culture, and issues raised by employees related to
experiences of particular groups at PRP. The information is provided as finding statements with
proof points from multiple data collection techniques, and provides information grouped into the
following sections:
» Documentary Review and SWOT analysis.
» Demographics of the employee base.
» Perceptions of inclusiveness of the workplace.
Formal Organizational Culture
Workforce Growth: Documentary Review
From a diversity, equity and inclusion perspective, CCDI’s Documentary Review is designed to
ensure that the overall framework or infrastructure of PRP does not pose any unintentional
formal barriers or discriminatory practices. Policies serve several important functions:
» Communicate values and expectations of how things are done.
» Keep the organization in compliance with legislation and provide protection against
employment claims.
» Document and implement promising practices appropriate to the organization.
» Support consistent treatment of staff, fairness and transparency.
» Help management to make decisions that are consistent and predictable.
» Protect individuals and the organization from the pressures of expediency.
For Peel Regional Police, a sample of 77 key operational and human resources directives were
reviewed both on an individual level and as a collective, in terms of how they work together as a
systemic framework for the organization. In each section, we summarize the essence of the
policy, and then table examples of areas that can be improved from a diversity, equity and
inclusion lens.
Background
The Peel Regional Police has a comprehensive set of directives in the following categories:
» Administrative and Organizational
» Policing and Enforcement
They are contained in two separate manuals: an office manual and a field manual. One key
document that guides the creation of the directives is the Ontario Policing Standards Manual.
The convention for each policy statement is suggested in the Standards Manual as: “It is the
policy of the Service...”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 52
The content of many of the directives is also guided by the Standards and the Police Services
Act and its regulations, with specific sections being referenced in the directives as appropriate.
Overall, the policy framework and content demonstrate a large and comprehensive volume of
directives covering a broad range of topics.
The directives are available to the Peel Regional Police employees through its intranet site and
the policies are managed in the following way:
» Risk Mitigation manages the overall policy framework and the process of developing and
keeping policies up to date and compliant, including evaluating format, risk and
continuity overall.
» Policy content / review is solicited from subject matter experts in the field and / or
department or functional leaders. There are several rounds of review / approval,
including a posting period for review by all, including the Police Association and the
Senior Officers Association.
» Once policies are approved by the Chief, they are placed on a review cycle based on
risk, where low risk policies are reviewed on a 3-year cycle and high risk on an annual
basis.
» A print out of the full schedule of policies was provided with effective date, re-evaluation
date, re-evaluation frequency, policy owner and the corresponding member of Risk
Mitigation assigned to that policy.
FINDING 2.1: Documentary review identified opportunities to increase
effectiveness in the policy infrastructure (compliance and accessibility) of Peel
Regional Police.
Regular review/updating:
» Scheduling and completing reviews regularly is a good practice, if applied consistently
and Peel Police has a strong system in place.
• Effective Date is indicated on the first page of every policy, as well as a re-
evaluation date.
» A random sampling from the schedule of policies indicated some discrepancies in terms
of the re-evaluation frequency and the actual effective date and re-evaluation date.
• Generally, for example, a policy on a tri-annual review frequency showed a gap of
6 years between effective date and re-evaluation date. Another one with a bi-
annual frequency, showed a 5-year gap.
• As a specific example, I-B-101 (O) Complaints Against Police was slated for re-
evaluation in June 2018. The effective date of the current directive is 2013/10/01.
The frequency for review is Annual.
Ease of navigation:
» Directives have been added over time on an as needed basis, sometimes required in
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 53
response to legislative / regulatory changes, leading to a large volume of documents to
search and navigate.
» There are some inconsistencies in format and presentation of content. This is particularly
the case in older documents that are, in some cases, overdue for re-evaluation
according to the Schedule.
» There is no indication in the documents that they are available in alternate formats.
» Each directive has a consistent cover page with the following boxes:
• Directive Type
• Issue Number
• Distribution
• Subject
• Replaces
• Effective Date
• Next Scheduled Re-evaluation
• Applicable Standards
• Special Instructions
• Originator
• Table of Contents
» Each directive includes the following sections consistently:
• Purpose
• Policy
The above sections are generally followed by definitions. However, there are
exceptions. For example, in I-B-509 (F) The Laying of Charges, there are no
definitions. In I-A-217 (F) Hazardous Exposure Monitoring Program – Isocyanate
Levels, there is no definition of “Isocyanate”.
• The proceeding section is usually entitled “General,” and describes the overall
scope of the directive but the amount of details may vary.
» There are no page numbers. This could be because the documents are in HTML on the
intranet site, but this may hinder access and ease of use, particularly if printed in hard
copy for any purpose.
» There is a search function available to search the Directives that allows for searches
using All Words; Any Word; Exact Phrase; Partial Match. This is not a Boolean based
search which allows for greater accuracy in search results.
» Several searches were conducted using the Search function to view the relevant of the
results, including the following keywords:
• Harassment
• Bullying
• Sexual; “report sexual
harassment”
• Accommodation or disability
• Respect
• Racial or race
• Diversity
• Workplace violence
• Inappropriate
• Comments
• Bullying
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 54
These searches revealed some variance in results that demonstrated that there may be
some high variability on results depending on what keyword is used to search. Search
results are not categorized in any way that would indicate the application of the policy,
i.e. if it is a workplace policy or an operational policy. For example, “harassment” pulled
up 28 different documents ranging from a policy entitled Auxiliary Police to one entitled
Workplace Discrimination and Harassment.
Accountabilities:
» There is a significant variation in how roles and responsibilities are delineated.
• There is not always a section devoted to roles and responsibilities and these can
often be found interspersed throughout the policy.
• This appears to be clearer in more recent directives, particularly in those
originating in Human Resources.
Scope and application
» It is not always clear to whom the directive applies.
• The scope or intended audience for each directive is either not included or is
confusing. It would be helpful if the scope and application were to appear upfront
as is common practice.
• While each directive is distributed to “All Members”, it is not always clear who the
intended audience is.
• In the Purpose section of each directive, the opening sentence sometimes
addresses all members but not always. Other terms are also used, for example, in
I-B0504 (F) Ontario Court of Justice Procedure, the opening sentence states that
the purpose of said directive is, “to familiarize all personnel…” In another instance,
there were separate directives for “Sworn Members” and “Civilian Members”.
• In a more recent document, distribution was indicated to “All Employees”, for
example, I-A241 (F) Psychological Safeguarding Program.
» There appears to be a discrepancy in application for different employee groups. For
example, in I-A-204 (F) Code of Ethics, Conduct and Discipline – Sworn Members and I-
A-218 (F) Code of Ethics, Conduct and Discipline – Civilian Members, there is no section
on Ethics for Civilian Members. Even if Civilian Members do not swear or take an oath, a
code of ethics is important for all employees.
• In the above example, the focus should be on ethics and conduct rather than
discipline as the latter is addressed extensively elsewhere.
• To garner and promote respect, the directive should focus on expectations rather
than discipline or corrective action.
• It may be helpful to establish a directive on discipline specifically with cross-
references to other directives as appropriate. It will make it more easily accessible.
• A code of ethics should be included in the directive addressed to “Civilian
Member”.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 55
» Some key subjects, such as Conflict of Interest and Discipline, merit their own directive,
with cross-references to other directives pertinent to the subject.
» Another key directive, I-B-102 (F) Use of Force, originates in the Training Bureau. Given
the seriousness of the topic, it merits accountability at the highest levels of the
organization.
FINDING 2.2: Documentary review identified specific opportunities to address
inclusion with respect to diverse individuals and groups both internally and
externally.
» Directives that have been revised recently have more up-to date information for persons
with disabilities. This is particularly true of directives related to compliance with the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”) and the Ontario Human Rights
Code (the “Code”).
• In I-B-102 (F) Use of Force, cross-reference to I-A-238 (O) Accommodation of
Pregnant Officers and Special Constable should be made as the former addresses
training and accommodation must be provided to pregnant Officers and Special
Constables. The latter directive references all pertinent legislation in its policy
statement.
• In I-B-159 (F) Interacting with Deaf and Persons who are Hard of Hearing, which
has been effective since 2015/07/09, there are no references to the AODA, the
Code or other directives dealing with accessibility or accommodation.
» In I-A-205 (F) Workplace Discrimination and Harassment, several types of harassment
are defined but there is no definition of discrimination. This is a critical omission in the
directive.
» Several directives having to do with discrimination and bias are not cross-referenced.
These include:
• I-B-136 (F) Diversity Relations and Anti-Discrimination Policy
• I-B-130 (F) Hate/Bias Motivated Crime
• I-B-158 (F) Racial Profiling/Bias Based Policing
• I-B-706 (F) Collection of Identifying Information
» Directives that affect PRP’s relationship with the public are not always inclusive of the
diversity of the populations served.
• For example, there is no direction on interaction with and services for Indigenous
Peoples or LGBTQ2+ populations.
» Given the large racialized and religiously diverse populations in Peel Region, there are
very few instances where procedures are specified for these populations.
• For instance, even with the existence of the AODA, needs of people with
disabilities are not always recognized, especially in directives that may be overdue
for re-evaluation.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 56
Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities (SWOT)
A SWOT analysis is a technique used by organizations to look ahead and plan. It is intended to
specify objectives and identify the internal and external factors that are favorable and/or
unfavorable to achieving those objectives.
» Strengths: characteristics of the organization that give it an advantage over others.
» Weaknesses: characteristics of the organization that puts it at a disadvantage relative to
others.
» Opportunities: avenues in the environment that the organization could utilize to its
advantage.
» Threats: factors in the environment that could cause risks for the organization.
The following is a SWOT analysis based on the policies reviewed:
Strengths
» The Mission of the PRP is:
• To protect the lives, property and rights of all through service excellence and
community engagement.
» Core values include:
• Respect for the rights and dignity of all.
• Transparency at all times.
» The policy “manuals” are completely digitized and accessible through a link on the main
page of the Corporate Directives portal or through the Risk Mitigation section of the
intranet. The search engine for the directives has been placed in Favourites for internet
browsers.
» All police officers have access to this digitized site through their work computer or
through the devices found in patrol cars. Most recently, Peel Police implemented an
access app for mobile devices such as phones that allows police officers who are not at
a computer or in a patrol car to access the Directives using this app.
» Topics related to diversity, human rights, anti-harassment, anti-discrimination,
accessibility, accommodation of needs of a diversity of groups and individuals, and
health and safety in the workplace are covered, with some exceptions.
» Many directives exist to cover a range of topics to inform PRP members about the
policies and procedures governing their work and service to the public.
» Recent directives are more inclusive and clearer in their articulation of the roles and
responsibilities of members of the PRP.
» Peel Police has implemented a fairly sophisticated system through SharePoint that
permits the Risk Mitigation department to push out communications about changes to
policies to all members, or specific members depending on the topic, and requires that
the recipient of the communication actively acknowledge that the policy change has
been received. This allows Risk Mitigation to monitor compliance.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 57
Weaknesses
» There is no explicit statement in the PRP Vision, Mission and Core Values about
diversity, equity and inclusion.
» There are some inconsistencies in format and content of the directives. This could be
because there are varied originators. This is particularly true for the scope and
application statements and delineation of roles and responsibilities. This could also be
impacting the consistency or relevance of keyword searches.
» Even though there is a re-evaluation date established for each directive, there are
inconsistencies which may contribute to risk or omissions that would be more inclusive.
» There is a lack of directives related to specific populations, particularly Indigenous
Peoples and LGBTQ2+ individuals and groups.
» Because of a lack of regular review or re-evaluation, cross-referencing to related
directives is not always possible or evident.
Opportunities
» There is an opportunity to build on PRP’s strengths, improve on its current policies and
procedures, and fill gaps where they exist.
» The PRP is committed to community engagement and there is an opportunity to engage
Peel Region’s diverse populations in the development and revision of its diversity, equity
and inclusion policies and procedures.
» Further improve the process around re-evaluation, particularly addressing those policies
that indicate a gap of more than 3 years between effective date and re-evaluation date.
» Easy-to-fix issues may provide for quick wins and demonstrate to employees and the
public that the PRP is serious about diversity, equity and inclusion.
• An example would be ensuring that documents are available in alternate formats
and adding language to the documents that indicates alternate formats are
available.
• Further improve the consistency in format and layout to improve the ability of
members to be able to find relevant information quickly.
• Further refine the search functionality, possibly by reviewing how the policies are
keyed with meta tags or other keyword indicators to produce more relevant results
when searched.
Threats
» There are multiple demands on the PRP to develop new directives and revise existing
ones as legislation/regulations and external factors change.
» A lack of consistency in format and adherence to a review/re-evaluation schedule could
lead to confusion and prevent access to current and valuable information.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 58
Informal Workplace Culture - Overall Representation and Feelings of
Inclusion
Outside of the formal policy framework, CCDI has identified a sense of the organizational
culture of Peel Regional Police from the comments made by employee and leadership
respondents throughout the process.
From the research on police culture
13
as well as CCDI’s experience conducting assessments
with dozens of organizations, we know that discrepancies can exist between official rhetoric and
practice, where the leadership expectations that are constructed at a certain policy level differs
from how it is actually experienced. These discrepancies can present a potentially barrier for
change initiatives, such as a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
At the same time, research shows that evidence of diversity initiatives does not translate directly
into equity and inclusion, nor that racism, sexism, homophobia and other ‘isms’ have been
overcome. In fact, diversity initiatives can conceal institutional disparities if they are not
implemented with substantial individual and organizational commitment.
This means that diversity, equity and inclusion documents and initiatives can function as
statements of commitment; however, such statements of commitment might work to block rather
than enable action, if the mindsets of the implementors have not actually changed.
The next section will show findings related to demographic representation within the Peel
Regional Police as well as employees’ perceptions of the organizational culture and gaps
between employees’ perceptions and leaders’ perceptions.
13
Haake, U., Rantatalo, O., & Lindberg, O. (2017). Police leaders make poor change agents: Leadership practice in
the face of a major organisational reform. Policing and Society, 27(7), 764-778.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 59
Demographic Representation
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 60
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 61
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 62
FINDING 2.3: Peel Regional Police demographics demonstrate a lower
representation of Racialized persons, Newcomers and Women compared to Peel
Region overall
.
» As we see in Table 5, Racialized persons, Newcomers, and Women all have low
representation at Peel Regional Police when compared to Peel Region’s population.
» Persons with a Disability have slightly lower representation than in the Canadian Labour
Force.
» On the other hand, Aboriginal and LGBTQ2+ persons are strongly represented when
compared to Peel Region’s population and the Ontario population, respectively.
Demographic Group
Peel Regional Police
Peel population
Racialized
24.80%
62.26%
Newcomers
21.02%
51.49%
Women
33.02%
50.81%
Persons with a Disability
10.90%
13.1%
(Canadian labour force)
14
Aboriginal
2.10%
0.66%
LGBTQ2+
15
5.53%
5.1%
(Ontario population)
16
Table 5: Representation by demographic group of PRP employees overall
The findings from overall representation in the Peel Regional Police indicate that the PRP
workforce does not reflect the population of Peel Region with some significant gaps.
14
This figure comes from the 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability (“CSD”). This survey uses a different definition than
used on the Peel Regional Police census; however, this is the best comparator available. The CSD defines
disability as “the relationship between body function and structure, daily activities and social participation, while
recognizing the role of environmental factor. In keeping with this definition, the CSD targeted respondents who not
only have difficulty or impairment due to a long-term condition or health problem, but also experience a limitation in
their daily activities. The CSD definition includes not only people who reported being “sometimes,” “often” or
“always” limited in their daily activities due to a long-term condition or health problem, but also those who reported
being “rarely” limited if they were also unable to do certain tasks or could do them only with a lot of difficulty.”
In comparison, a Person with a Disability on the Peel Regional Police census is defined as those that have a long-
term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment that has been medically diagnosed.
These include disabilities that impact work and disabilities that are managed through medical treatment. Examples
of disabilities include, but are not limited to, Addiction, Chronic Illness, Developmental Disability, Learning
Disability, Mental Illness, Physical Disability, and Sensory Disability.
15
Note that we do not include Transgender in our survey question on Sexual Orientation, but do include Two-Spirit,
Queer, and other identifications. This is because Transgender is a Gender Identity and not a Sexual Orientation.
However, the Forum Research (link given below) includes Transgender in its own categorization.
16
Forum Research, Inc., “News Release: One twentieth of Canadians claim to be LGBT”, last modified June 28,
2012,
https://www.forumresearch.com/forms/News%20Archives/News%20Releases/67741_Canada-wide_-
_Federal_LGBT_(Forum_Research)_(20120628).pdf.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 63
Perceptions of Organizational Culture
FINDING 2.4: Employees use the terms hierarchical, change-averse and
traditional to describe the Peel Regional Police work culture.
Figure 16: Descriptors of Organizational Culture. Voting Results
17
Highest rated descriptors: Hierarchical, Traditional, Change-averse and Elitist
Lowest rated descriptors: Nimble and Adaptable, Open and Honest.
Key Themes Raised in Comments:
Hierarchical:
In the Culture Meter Focus Groups, the largest number of respondents indicated that they view
the organizational culture as hierarchical in nature.
» More than 65% of the respondents believe that the hierarchal model contributes to the
disconnect from top to bottom as leadership may not be aware of challenges found in
front line positions.
» Employees perceived that the organization’s hierarchy is a “boys/girls club” which is
impenetrable and minority groups are not part of it.
17
Note: this question allowed respondents to select more than one option, therefore the results will not total to 100%.
Figures are the percentage of respondents who selected that option.
31%
45%
24%
38%
41%
66%
21%
0%
14%
31%
24%
31%
38%
28%
24%
45%
24%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
"How would you describe the organizational culture at Peel Regional Police?"
Focus Group respondents (n=29)
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 64
» Occurrences of nepotism were also reported by respondents.
• Participants cited that climbing the ranks into leadership roles, without adequate
training and experience, can be achieved through nepotistic ways.
Traditional and Change Averse:
The focus group respondents described the interconnection between perceptions of a
Traditional and Change-Averse culture.
» Respondents have expressed that the organization’s traditional functioning drives their
aversion for change.
» Focus group respondents (45%) felt that there is a need to move away from traditional
ways of thinking and make changes to create a more diverse and inclusive culture.
• Some participants report that hiring policies and protocols could be amended to
enhance the ability for those minority groups to grow within their roles and the
ranks of the PRP, through equal access to education and training.
• Some respondents indicated their perception that the culture of PRP is very
conservative and has been slow to change, citing that many of the most influential
members of the organization are long-term employees who are part of the
dominant culture, and that they do not believe that there is a real problem beyond
the occasional “bad apple.”
» Alternatively, some respondents find that the Peel Regional Police has already made
changes toward becoming a more diverse and inclusive organization, based on direct or
indirect experience.
• These respondents also believe that great strides are being made for change
through Advisory Committees, recruiting forums, and other programs and
initiatives.
Elitist:
Many focus group respondents indicated that they perceive the culture to be elitist.
» Respondents expressed the sentiment that only few individuals are developed into
leadership positions, regardless of knowledge, skills, and abilities.
» At the same time, although 41% of respondents feel that the system is geared toward
“their own people”, there are some respondents who have been offered further training
and education within their respective fields, not necessarily tied to an opportunity for
promotion.
Competitive:
» Some focus group participants noted that if you are not showing results then you might
be perceived as not actively working.
» Some noted that there is competition around transfers and promotional opportunities, as
transfers are based on established criteria, past performance, and competencies.
» Some stated that promotion and advancement require officers who are motivated.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 65
FINDING 2.5: Overall, low positive response rate on one half of
inclusion questions which suggests low feelings of inclusion by a
portion of the workforce.
Of the twelve Diversity Meter Inclusion Survey questions, six received a positive response rate
of less than 60.00%.
» The question that received the highest positive response was “I am aware of my rights
and responsibilities to ensure a respectful and accessible workplace environment”, at
83.40%.
» The questions that received the lowest positive response rates were:
• “At my organization, my unique value is known and appreciated” (48.42%); and
• “I am aware that I can request a flexible work option at Peel Regional Police”
(48.81%).
Table 6, below, shows the positive response rates of Diversity Meter Inclusion Survey
questions. Questions that received a positive response rate of less than 60% are highlighted in
red.
Question
Positive
Response
My organization is committed to and supportive of diversity.
73.16%
At my organization, I am treated fairly and with respect.
67.68%
At my organization, my unique value is known and appreciated.
48.42%
At my organization, I feel included.
59.27%
Senior Leaders of Peel Regional Police support measures to increase
fairness and respect.
50.14%
I feel that my work at Peel Regional Police is valued by my supervisor.
68.46%
I am aware that I can request a flexible work option at Peel Regional Police.
48.81%
I am aware of my rights and responsibilities to ensure a respectful and
accessible workplace environment.
83.40%
Employees at Peel Regional Police are encouraged to take ownership over
their own work.
68.40%
At Peel Regional Police, I have confidence that we are building a more
inclusive workplace.
57.00%
If I had a disability that prevented or hindered my participation in the
workplace, I would know how to seek accommodation.
60.99%
At Peel Regional Police, everyone benefits from equal access to resources
and opportunities.
50.30%
Table 6: Inclusion Survey Question Responses overall
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 66
These findings suggest the workforce at Peel Regional Police may not feel included, based on a
number of different issues. Therefore, these areas would be important for diversity, equity and
inclusion initiatives to focus on.
We invite you to consider several of these response rates in comparison to the positive view of
the PRP leaders and PPSB Board members. This comparison will be further articulated in
section 3 of this report.
FINDING 2.6: Racialized persons indicate higher negative response
rates to inclusion questions compared to their Caucasian counterparts.
When looking at the Diversity Meter Inclusion Survey results by Race, we see that
Racialized persons have a higher negative response rate than Caucasians for Question 1, “My
organization is committed to and supportive of diversity”.
» Of Racialized persons, 13.44% disagree or strongly disagree, which is more than three
times the negative response rate shown for Caucasians (3.75%, as shown in table 7).
Response Type
Racialized
Caucasian
Positive
59.68%
81.16%
Neutral
23.46%
10.44%
Negative
13.44%
3.75%
PNTA
3.42%
4.57%
Looking at more granular racial groups shows us that Asian and Black persons have low
positive response rates to this question compared to other groups.
Of the Black subgroup, 17.65% disagree or strongly disagree. Of the Asian subgroup, 16.13%
disagree or strongly disagree (Table 8).
Black persons also have much lower positive response rates than overall for two other Inclusion
Survey questions.
Table 7: Inclusion Survey positive response rates.
Response Type
Asian
Black
Latin /
Hispanic
Middle
Eastern
Caucasian
Israeli
Mixed
Race
Positive
54.84%
43.53%
81.36%
85.71%
81.16%
60.00%
71.15%
Neutral
25.81%
34.12%
8.47%
4.76%
10.44%
20.00%
21.15%
Negative
16.13%
17.65%
6.78%
9.52%
3.75%
20.00%
3.85%
PNTA
3.23%
4.71%
3.39%
0.00%
4.57%
0.00%
3.85%
Table 8: Inclusion Survey Question 1 by Racial subgroups
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 67
» For Diversity Meter Inclusion Survey Question 10, “At Peel Regional Police, I have
confidence that we are building a more inclusive workplace”, Black persons have the
lowest positive response rate of 42.35%, and a negative response rate of 21.18%.
(Table 9).
» Further, for Diversity Meter Inclusion Survey Question 12, “At Peel Regional Police,
everyone benefits from equal access to resources and opportunities”, Black persons
disagree or strongly disagree at a rate of 30.59% (Table 10).
» On the Diversity Meter Inclusion Survey, rates of disagreement on several inclusion
survey questions were higher for black respondents than the average of all other
respondents.
Response Type
Asian
Black
Latin /
Hispanic
Middle
Eastern
Caucasian
Israeli
Mixed
Race
Positive
50.69%
42.35%
66.10%
76.19%
60.52%
60.00%
59.62%
Neutral
27.65%
34.12%
20.34%
14.29%
27.08%
20.00%
26.92%
Negative
18.43%
21.18%
10.17%
9.52%
9.79%
20.00%
7.69%
PNTA
3.23%
2.35%
3.39%
0.00%
2.53%
0.00%
5.77%
Table 9: Inclusion Survey Question 10 by Racial subgroups
Table 10: Inclusion Survey Question 12 by Racial subgroups
Response Type
Asian
Black
Latin /
Hispanic
Middle
Eastern
Caucasian
Israeli
Mixed
Race
Positive
46.08%
32.94%
62.71%
61.90%
53.10%
60.00%
57.69%
Neutral
28.11%
32.94%
27.12%
23.81%
27.57%
20.00%
28.85%
Negative
23.04%
30.59%
10.17%
14.29%
17.46%
20.00%
11.54%
PNTA
2.76%
3.53%
0.00%
0.00%
1.79%
0.00%
1.92%
Table 11: Inclusion Survey Question disagreement rates
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 68
FINDING 2.7: Discrimination or bias against Racialized persons was one of the
most common themes in the open-response comments on the Diversity Meter
Census and Inclusion Survey.
On the inclusion survey, of the 187 comments, 26 (13.90%) discussed the theme of
discrimination or bias against racialized persons. Specifically, comments focused on lack of
racialized persons in leadership, the need for more awareness about diversity, equity and
inclusion, and a lack of recognition for racialized persons’ experiences. Some sample comments
include:
FINDING 2.8: Employees indicated that they perceive favoritism in the processes
at Peel Regional Police.
This finding was a trend found in several data
collection points. In the Diversity Meter Census
and Inclusion Survey, of 187 comments, 15
(8.02%) discussed perceptions that processes
are subject to individual bias and favouritism,
and that those who have more connections are
advantaged at work, particularly in terms of
promotional processes.
This theme was validated by low positive
response rate for the Diversity Meter Inclusion
Survey question “At Peel Regional Police,
everyone benefits from equal access to
resources and opportunities”, where only 50.3%
of respondents agreed or strongly agreed.
In the Culture Meter Focus Groups, less than a
quarter of respondents (24%) had a positive
response to the question about fairness and
consistency in applying for jobs and promotions. No respondents strongly agreed with the
“Peel Regional Police are openly racist and sexist with
transfers to bureaus, community events and promotions.
Our hiring practice is openly racist, leaving unqualified
people behind based on their race.”
“Peel Regional Police does not support
coloured officers in promotional and
internal transfers. Officers of colour are
required to [put in] three times more the
effort in order to maintain some sort of
competitiveness. Officers of colour also
experience many inappropriate comments
from peers and are given the perceptions
that they only were hired based on their
ethnic backgrounds and not their
abilities.”
“More needs to be done in order to be reflective of the
communities we serve, it is apparent that those such as
myself have to work way harder to be recognized, I have
faced quite a bit of racism and looked at differently because
of what I stand for and look like. Our Senior officers needs
to be more accountable and reflective of what they preach.”
0%
24%
21%
10%
14%
28%
3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
"In my experience, everyone is treated
fairly and consistently when applying for a
job or promotion at Peel Regional Police."
(n=29)
Figure 17: Focus group respondents’ perceptions of
fairness in hiring and promotions
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 69
statement (Figure 17, previous page).
Additionally, only 36% of respondents indicated
that they believe that training and development
opportunities are distributed fairly and
consistently (Figure 18).
Responses were divided along demographic
lines, specifically Women and Straight, White,
Able-bodied Men more likely to agree with the
questions on perceptions of fairness and
consistency. Racialized and Newcomer
respondents were the most likely to disagree
with both statements around fairness and
consistency in talent management processes.
In addition, many focus group respondents
discussed concerns about favouritism in the
allocation of developmental opportunities as well
as promotions.
Some sample comments from the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey, which relate to
this finding, are presented below.
“Job advancements and opportunities have always been
given to family members, spouses of employees,
girlfriend/boyfriend of employees or favoritism, not based on
qualifications. It is difficult to believe that Peel Regional
Police will change the way they conduct business. Peel
Regional Police need to re-evaluate their hiring practices
and see if they really believe a Police Bureau comprised of
50% or more members who are related to another member
in some form is the way to be inclusive and diverse.”
“We have a number of diverse members
in supervisory positions, but few are in
special bureaus which remains
predominately white. Similarly, getting
course to better place yourself into a
position to compete for a supervisor
position is at the control of others and
favoritism is often shown. this happens
with job competitions and promotions.”
“Senior leadership doesn't acknowledge the unique lived experiences of people who are non-white, non-
cis, not male and not straight. Racism, sexism and homophobia are institutionalized and unrecognized and
there is no desire to look at how PRP enforces these negative values and white privilege. I am constantly
in despair about how badly PRP refuses to recognize white privilege and how it permeates our corporate
culture.”
“PRP has always operated as a private club. Officers with certain connections, and background are being
promoted based on their association with those who are privileged and connected. PRP should be hiring
officers in the same ratio as the community make up the promotional process needs to be objective not
subjective as it has been.
3%
33%
17%
7%
3%
33%
3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
"In my experience, everyone is treated
fairly and consistently when requesting
training or developmental opportunities at
Peel Regional Police." (n=30)
Figure 18: Focus group respondents' perceptions of
fairness in developmental opportunities
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 70
FINDING 2.9: Some employees perceive what they believe to be reverse
discrimination based on their identity.
The most common theme in the comments in the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey
was employees’ perception that diversity, equity and inclusion is creating discrimination against
socially advantaged groups like Caucasian men.
They also perceive that employees from minority groups are not qualified for their jobs and are
receiving special advantages. Of 187 comments, 59 or 31.55% discussed this perception.
Perceptions of reverse discrimination mean that employees from socially advantaged groups
may not understand why diversity, equity and inclusion is important, nor that minority groups
may face disadvantages in the workplace. They are also expressing biased sentiments in
suggesting that minority employees are not qualified.
In fact, these comments contrast with the results we have seen above, i.e. over-representation
of socially advantaged groups in leadership and racialized persons and Persons with a Disability
feel less included than Caucasians and Able-Bodied persons, respectively.
This suggests that employees making claims of reverse discrimination may not understand how
minority groups experience the workplace differently than they do or accept that this may be the
situation for some of their colleagues.
Some examples of these comments include:
FINDING 2.10: Some comments indicate a potential misunderstanding or lack of
knowledge concerning objectives of diversity, equity and inclusion.
The following comments from the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey demonstrate a
lack of understanding as to why diversity, equity and inclusion is important in policing. Of 187
comments, 13 (6.95%) brought up this theme. Some sample comments include:
“Promotion and hiring practices are now based
on race and gender, not the best and most
qualified person for the job. Human Rights
commission and the provincial government
have given power and ordered police services
to hire based upon race and gender which in
effect is reverse discrimination.”
“While I believe that diversity and inclusion are
important I feel that the scales are often being
tipped too far in one direction. Under[-]qualified
individuals who happen to be a minority are being
given opportunities over more qualified ones. This is
seen primarily at the hiring of recruit constables.
High quality candidates should be the number 1
priority.”
“As special interest groups have forced their racist viewpoints through the media (BLM) the politicians
have caved into a minority public viewpoint that is promoting race to be more valued than qualifications.
Recently within the organization, if you are considered a minority, then you are being promoted or given
more opportunities simply to appease public pressure. The most qualified person should [be] obtaining
the position. Enough of the race/religion/gender being a major contributing factor.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 71
These statements suggest a lack of cultural competence, a lack of understanding of the
importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in policing, a lack of understanding of the
importance of addressing issues of favouritism and unfairness, and of gaining public trust.
The statement that diversity issues are “a distraction” suggests a lack of understanding about
the job of policing in the twenty-first century. Being culturally competent and understanding
issues of diversity, equity and inclusion are essential skills for any public-facing institution. When
police officers do not think diversity, equity and inclusion is important, or worse, think that it is
racist to discuss issues of equity, their behaviour and commentary may have a negative impact
on the public and on public perception of the Peel Regional Police.
FINDING 2.11: Some employees indicated that they have a positive
perspective on Peel Regional Police’s commitment to diversity,
inclusion, accessibility and accommodation.
In contrast to the issues discussed above, another common theme in the Culture Meter Focus
Groups and the open-response comments from the Diversity Meter Inclusion Survey were
positive sentiments about diversity, equity and inclusion at Peel Regional Police.
For example, in the Culture Meter Focus Groups, some respondents across groups – including
women, SWAMs, Newcomers and religious communities – described a flexible workplace, and
other accommodations:
» “The one thing I will say we do right is that we truly accommodate officers who need
accommodation.”
» “If they do one thing right, they do their best to help people with health issues or family
issues, but again, if they like you, if they don't, you are screwed”.
» “Disabilities are one area that the service does try to accommodate.”
» “I have heard from individuals who have found their needs met – such as for child care,
computer accommodations.”
“I feel that the service is more concerned with
hiring/promoting visible minorities than choosing
the best person for the job. They should be more
focused on keeping their employees happy and
motivated than having a diverse public image.”
“We must caution ourselves to not forget the
core principals of policing. We deviate every year
from focusing on crime prevention and enforcing
the laws to community support events, diversity
training and attending functions. Senior
management has, at times, lost focus of the true
meaning of policing.”
“What ever happened to police officers just
upholding the law. Now we have to be worried
about all the political stuff and it is a distraction
from what are [sic] responsibilities to society
are.”
“There is too much emphasis placed on
diversity of Police Services...the best person for
the job should be the person getting the job and
it should not be based on what a person looks
like; color [sic], sex, religion or sexual
orientation. We as a Police Service should not
be forced to "look" a certain way based on what
the community "looks" like. We should not be
influenced by politics or politicians.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 72
» “There is some flexibility within the workplace to accommodate flex hours for family and
personal needs and flex schedules to help work/life balance.”
» “Chief’s Suggestion Box; internal Audit processes where employees are asked for their
input in to how to make processes more efficient; courses such as the LPO course
(Leading a Police Organization) whose goal is to have all PRP members, including
civilians, take this course”.
» “We actually do a very good job supporting people with physical/intellectual disabilities.
We are extremely poor at supporting those with mental illnesses however”.
The findings of the Culture Meter Focus Groups can be validated through the analysis of the
Diversity Census and Inclusion Survey comments. The sentiments expressed above were often
also raised in the survey. These findings give weight to the results above, as well as elucidate
them further.
In the inclusion survey, specifically, of 187 comments, 15 (8.02%) expressed that Peel Regional
Police is doing a good job in diverse representation and inclusion of its members. Some sample
comments include:
FINDING 2.12: Half of employees in the focus groups perceive barriers
to advancement at Peel Regional Police.
Half of respondents in the Culture Meter Focus Groups (51%) perceive that there
are barriers for certain groups at PRP.
A common theme among respondents is that senior ranks are not representative of the diversity
in the Peel Region and the comments from community members indicated that they can not
relate to PRP.
“I think the question that needs to be asked is what
we are doing not to include people. I can only
speak from an officer perspective, but I think the
Service does a fine job, almost to excess, to
promote diversity and inclusion.”
“Peel Regional Police is one of the only few
Police services always hiring individuals from
all ethnicity and backgrounds. Statistically,
not many services are reaching out. At Peel,
everyone is included and welcomed.”
“PRP is very inclusive! Senior Managers of this organization are doing everything possible to have a
diverse organization which reflects that of our community. There are many variables that make this a
difficult task. More space is required if you want true open dialog on diversity and inclusion in society
and the workplace.”
“I have been employed with PRP for [over 20] years. As a visible minority … officer position I believe
this organization and CMG have made diversity and inclusivity a priority. I believe it may appear we
are not working at the pace or rate that reflects the community. Peel is an [sic] unique diverse and
growing Region. PRP has implemented and committed to initiatives to deal with diversity and inclusion
through opportunities and training.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 73
Some respondents feel that
mentorships and developmental
opportunities are offered to specific
groups and those who have formed
friendships with higher ranks and
minority officers are not included.
Respondents who were more likely to
disagree that there are barriers were
Women and Straight, White Able-
bodied Men. Respondents who were
more likely to agree that there are
barriers for Racialized respondents and
Newcomers. This finding aligns with
previous findings on the differences in
sentiment between Racialized and
Caucasian employees on fairness and
inclusion.
FINDING 2.13: Most employees in the focus groups have experienced
or witnessed harassment or discrimination in the workplace.
More than three quarters of Culture Meter Focus Group respondents (79%) state
that they have experienced harassment or discrimination. A significant majority of respondents
(90%) stated that they have witnessed harassment or discrimination within PRP.
» Most respondents cited that when either discrimination or harassment is experienced by
them or other people, the preference is to work through the problem one-on-one or
ignore it.
» Respondents indicated that the option to report it is generally not considered for fear of
reprisals.
• Individuals indicated that those who report will be “marked” and harassed even
further either by peers or supervisors, managers, etc.
» Respondents cited that racist, sexist, bullying, and homophobic language is used toward
peers.
• Some respondents stated that when this takes place, they don’t feel that they can
report, as in many cases the “culprit” is someone in a more senior position.
» Many respondents have the perception that there are no safe escalation channels.
» A few respondents stated that these accusations are taken very seriously, and it is not
condoned as mandatory training has taken place regarding the Workplace Harassment
and Discrimination Act.
44%
7%
11%
0%
19%
7%
11%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
There are barriers for certain groups at
different levels in the organization at Peel
Regional Police.
Focus Group respondents (n=27)
Figure 19: Focus group respondents’ perceptions of barriers
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 74
FINDING 2.14: Employees report reprisals, retaliation, or negative
consequences for reporting harassment or discrimination at Peel
Regional Police.
41% of Culture Meter Focus Group respondents indicated they had witnessed or experienced
reprisals, retaliation, or negative consequences for reporting harassment or discrimination.
Among Racialized and Newcomer respondents, 82% indicated they had experienced or
witnessed reprisals or negative consequences for reporting. None of the respondents in the
Straight, White Able-bodied Men focus group indicated they were aware of anyone experiencing
negative consequences for reporting harassment or discrimination.
Some pertinent feedback from focus group respondents:
» Respondents indicate that people who have witnessed or reported their own or others’
harassment to a superior officer have been ostracized by their peers, experienced
violence, been demoted, overlooked for promotion, and other negative consequences.
» In some cases, Culture Meter Focus Group respondents report that employees have
been forced to leave the Peel Regional Police after reporting harassment or
discrimination because of the negative consequences or reprisals for doing so.
» Some respondents mentioned that as a consequence of the inability to speak up, it is
causing a poor work environment, high stress and anxiety, and effects on mental health
and wellbeing.
RISK: This may pose significant risk for the Peel Regional Police. Reprisals against a person
who reports harassment or discrimination are illegal under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Further, employees indicate there is an overall fear of reporting these incidents, which can
79%
21%
"Have you ever experienced
harassment or discrimination at Peel
Regional Police?" (n=30)
Yes No
Figure 20: Focus Group participants reports of
experiencing of harassment or discrimination
90%
10%
"Have you ever witnessed another
employee at Peel Regional Police
experiencing harassment or
discrimination?" (n=30)
Yes No
Figure 21: Focus group participants reports of
witnessing h
arassment or discrimination
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 75
cause severe mental health and other health effects to employees who are enduring abusive
behaviour but are unable to speak up for fear that it will get worse.
FINDING 2.15: Employees in the focus groups hear and witness
homophobic, sexist, and anti-immigrant language
A significant majority (87%) of Culture
Meter Focus Group respondents stated that it is
common to hear and witness homophobic, sexist,
and anti-immigrant language at PRP.
Further, several respondents indicated that these
target groups are often overlooked for education,
training, and promotion opportunities.
Of the employees who reported witnessing this
inappropriate commentary, some indicated it was a
daily, weekly, or monthly occurrence, with 23% of
respondents indicating it was happening at least
weekly. A further 39% of respondents said it was
happening monthly or a few times a year.
Respondents stated that they feel that existence and
acceptance of such negative commentary against
these groups, combined with the fear of speaking up
due to negative consequences for doing so, creates
a toxic work environment for employees and impacts
employees’ careers and wellbeing.
FINDING 2.16: Employees report that some Peel Regional Police officers refer to
the communities in which they police in derogatory terms.
Several Culture Meter Focus Group respondents indicated that some leaders and some Peel
Regional Police officers and civilian members speak about the City of Brampton and its citizens
in a negative way.
Some examples of respondents’ commentary are provided below. (Note: some quotes have
been adjusted to protect anonymity of the respondents.)
» “The organization say they support diversity, but they do not…They talk badly about
people who live in Brampton. Many of the newcomers in the service live locally…Many
of the top leaders live out of the region.”
» “I have heard officers say Brampton is a shit hole.”
» “Sad to hear them talk badly about Brampton every day…I note they see Mississauga in
a different light, and I suspect that is because Brampton looks like it is filled with more
newcomers. Same crime can happen in Mississauga, but it is viewed differently”.
» “I have heard many leaders say they would never live in Brampton.”
87%
13%
"Have you ever witnessed a
colleague saying something sexist,
ageist, racist, homophobic,
transphobic, anti-immigrant, or
ableist (negative commentary
about people with disabilities)?"
(n=30)
Yes No
Figure 22: Focus group respondents’ witnessing of
inappropriate language
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 76
RISK: These results are potentially very concerning as they may indicate that some
leaders and officers in Peel Regional Police do not have respect for the community
in which they are policing which could present serious ramifications.
If this is the case, a lack of respect and negative commentary against the
community may play out in interactions with community members and could lead to severe
negative consequences for individuals in the community, as well as a tremendous effect on the
public reputation of the Peel Regional Police in Brampton.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 77
III. Disconnect between employees’ and leaders’ perceptions
In this section, we provide a comparison of key findings across leaders’ and employees’
reported perceptions to further illustrate the opportunity for a level set among organizational
leaders and all employees on the issues present in the organization.
The comparison is important to highlight the difference in how the workplace is perceived by
different people and illustrates the need for education and awareness building for those who are
unaware of how some people are experiencing the organization.
We emphasize that organizational culture is generally determined and driven by the senior
leadership team of an organization. Their preferences and biases determine the organization’s
unwritten rules. Some notable differences were found between leaders and employees on the
following issues:
» Leader representation;
» Leadership commitment;
» Inclusion;
» Flexibility, consistency and fairness; and
» Perceptions toward ‘isms’ and barriers.
FINDING 3.1: Employees have a lower positive response rate than leaders about
PRP’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Both quantitative and qualitative
findings from different data collection
sources indicate that many
employees do not share PRP
leaders’ and PPSB board members’
positive outlook of the Peel Regional
Police’s commitment to diversity,
equity and inclusion.
As shown in Figure 23, respondents
in the Culture Meter Focus Groups
showed a different perception of the
organization’s commitment to
diversity, equity and inclusion than
leaders and board members who
were interviewed.
A total of 93% of PRP leaders and
PPSB board members indicate they
believe that Peel Regional Police is
Figure 23: Comparison of Leaders' vs Employees perceptions on
commitment to diversity
and inclusion
72%
21%
3% 3%
0% 0%
21%
21%
14%
3%
7%
34%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
“Peel Regional Police is committed to and
supportive of diversity and inclusion."
Leaders vs employees
PRP Leaders and PPSB (n=29) Employees (n=29)
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 78
committed to and supportive of diversity, equity and inclusion, with 72% of them strongly
agreeing.
In contrast, only 41% of focus group respondents had a positive response to this question.
Respondents that were most likely to agree were Women and Straight, White, Able-bodied Men.
None of the Racialized or Newcomer respondents responded positively.
Additionally, in the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey, only 57% of all respondents
had a positive response to the statement: “At Peel Regional Police, I have confidence that we
are building a more inclusive workplace.”
Employees’ commentary in both the Culture Meter Focus Groups and the Diversity Meter
Census and Inclusion Survey also put forth perceptions that leadership does not appear to
support diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Peel Regional Police. Many employees
expressed cynicism that anything would change as a result of this project and many of the
comments in the Culture Meter Focus Groups related to this.
Of 187 comments from the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey, 13 comments (6.95%
of comments received) specifically expressed issue of cynicism and pessimism that PRP will not
act on the results of this audit. Some sample comments of this theme include:
These findings point to an opportunity for leadership to close the gap in employee perception
and improve trust by truly acknowledging the issues that exist in the PRP, improving their own
awareness and cultural competence, and making changes to ensure that employees see a
demonstrated commitment in daily behaviours and decisions.
FINDING 3.2: Some groups of employees (based on demographics) may not
positively perceive PRP’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Different demographic groups of employees at Peel Regional Police have different perceptions
of the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. As noted in the previous
section, racialized persons have a higher negative response rate than Caucasians for the
question, “My organization is committed to and supportive of diversity”.
“Peel Regional Police on the outside makes it look like we are an inclusive place and value diversity.
From my experiences, senior management believe quite the opposite. They pose for pictures, say all
the right things but then behind closed doors, actions are very different.”
“Senior management (SM) does not reflect the
community. SM excludes succession planning
opportunities for minorities. SM avoids the systemic
discrimination issues. SM needs to embrace diversity
and create a Cultural Advisory Group, that allows
members to raise internal issues without fear of
reprisal. SM needs to listen and respect its diverse
officers, embrace thinking outside of white privilege
our community deserves better.”
“I appreciate the task that CCDI is involved
in. This organization has been against
change and has been forced to make
changes never of their own desire. Do I have
any confidence in this organization changing,
NO, not with its current leadership. Carding
and this audit were opposed by the
leadership and both associations while
saying they favour it.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 79
Of Racialized persons, 13.44% disagree or strongly disagree (as shown in Table 12). When
looking at the racial sub-groups, the Black subgroup, 17.65% disagree or strongly disagree. In
the Asian subgroup, 16.13% disagree or strongly disagree.
Response Type
Asian
Black
Latin /
Hispanic
Middle
Eastern
Caucasian
Israeli
Mixed
Race
Positive
54.84%
43.53%
81.36%
85.71%
81.16%
60.00%
71.15%
Neutral
25.81%
34.12%
8.47%
4.76%
10.44%
20.00%
21.15%
Negative
16.13%
17.65%
6.78%
9.52%
3.75%
20.00%
3.85%
PNTA
3.23%
4.71%
3.39%
0.00%
4.57%
0.00%
3.85%
54.84% and 43.53% of Asian and Black subgroups respectively, responded in contrast to the
73% of all PRP employees who agree and strongly agree that the organization is committed to
diversity, equity and inclusion.
We also note that this question was a polarizing question during the Culture Meter Focus
Groups. In responding to the statement: “Peel Regional Police is committed to and supportive of
diversity and inclusion,” responses were starkly divided along demographic lines.
Straight-White-Able-bodied Men, Women and Persons with a Disability were more likely to
answer positively. Some respondents who strongly agreed or agreed, stated that measures are
in place to hire and promote diverse cultures, that programs and policies are in place, that the
organization is trying to balance the “old thinking with the new”, and has implemented diversity
through outreach programs.
No Racialized or Newcomer respondents had positive responses to the statement that PRP is
committed to and supportive of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Those respondents who strongly disagreed and disagreed raised some concerns:
» Several respondents stated that they have witnessed and experienced situations where
some Caucasians have applied for supervisory/leadership positions, with little to no
qualifications for the role, been granted promotions faster and easier than those visible
minorities who were declined the promotion, despite being better qualified and having
more years of experience.
» Some respondents indicated that senior leadership has stated their support for
diversity, equity and inclusion during public relations opportunities, but do not
demonstrate a commitment through every day behaviours and decisions.
» Several respondents expressed their belief that Racialized people in leadership are
used as tokens to demonstrate the PRP’s commitment, however none of the non-
Caucasian leaders are in the top decision-making ranks.
» Many respondents indicated that the organization pays lip service to diversity. They
indicate that front-line officers do not embrace the concept of diversity or accept that
implicit bias against racial groups exist.
Table 12: Inclusion Survey Question 1 by Racial subgroups
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 80
• This perception is validated by comments discussed in the previous section in the
Diversity Meter Inclusion Survey.
This is a pattern we saw throughout data collection.
In short, Peel Regional Police employees and leaders who are not experiencing any barriers,
appear to be unaware of the barriers faced by others, and many have stated that they do not
believe any barriers exist.
From an organizational behaviour perspective, there is a tendency – in society and in our
organizations – by majority group members to reject the experiences of minority group
members. This suggests an opportunity for all employees of PRP to better understand the
issues of diversity, equity and inclusion and to acknowledge experiences that are different from
their own.
FINDING 3.3: Some employees do not share the positive perceptions of leaders
with respect to fairness, consistency, and equal opportunity.
As noted earlier in the Leadership section of this document, the majority of PRP leaders and
PPSB Board members agree or strongly agree that policies are applied consistently and fairly,
and that hiring and promotion is fair and consistent at Peel Regional Police.
However, this positive perception was not shared by employees in the Culture Meter Focus
Groups or the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey.
When looking at focus group results, where employees were asked about fairness, a few
questions showed differences between employees’ and leaders’ perceptions.
When responding to the statement: “Peel Regional Police Managers, Inspectors, Directors,
Superintendents, Supervisors,
Sergeants, Assistant Managers and
Staff Sergeants, apply policies
consistently and fairly,” 76% of
leaders and board members
agreed, while only 31% of
employees responded positively
(Figure 24).
All of the Straight, White, Able-
bodied Male respondents in the
Culture Meter Focus Groups agreed
with this statement, while all other
groups had more mixed responses.
When responding to the statement,
“Everyone is treated fairly and
consistently when applying for a job
24%
52%
10%
7%
0% 0%
7%
10%
21%
31%
3% 3%
28%
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
“Peel Regional Police Managers, Inspectors,
Directors, Superintendents, Supervisors,
Sergeants, Assistant Managers and Staff
Sergeants, apply policies consistently and fairly.”
Comparison: PRP Leaders + PPSB vs Employees
PRP Leaders + PPSB (n=29) Employees (n=30)
Figure 24: Comparison of perceptions of fairness and
consistency
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 81
or promotion at Peel Regional
Police,” none of the focus group
respondents strongly agreed and
only 24% agreed (Figure 25).
In contrast, 62% of PRP Leaders
and PPSB Board members agreed
or strongly agreed. In consideration
of levels of disagreement with this
statement, only 13% of leaders and
board members had a negative
response, whereas 42% of
employees disagree or strongly
disagree,
with most of those
leaning toward strongly disagree.
Among focus group respondents,
those more likely to agree were
Women and Straight, White, Able-
bodied Men. Those least likely to
agree with the statement were
Racialized persons and Newcomers.
In response to both questions, employees and leaders who agreed stated that there are clear
policies and processes, and in their perception, people managers at PRP were following them.
Employees who disagreed cited favouritism and inconsistency. Some respondents indicated
that promotion and opportunities for development are given based on favouritism, and that
some officers who are valued more than others receive courses first.
While the Culture Meter Focus Groups were a small sample size, a similar disconnect was seen
when comparing leaders’ responses on questions of fairness and consistency to employee
responses on the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey.
PRP Leaders and PPSB members
Employees in Diversity Meter Survey
76% of leaders agree or strongly agree:
“Peel Regional Police Managers, Inspectors, Directors,
Superintendents, Supervisors, Sergeants, Assistant
Managers and Staff Sergeants, apply policies
consistently and fairly.”
50.14% of employees agree or strongly agreed:
“Senior Leaders of Peel Regional Police support
measures to increase fairness and respect.”
62% of leaders agree or strongly agree:
“Everyone is treated fairly and consistently when
applying for a job or promotion at Peel Regional Police,”
50.30 % of employees agree or strongly agree:
“At Peel Regional Police, everyone benefits from equal
access to resources and opportunities.”
Table 12: Comparison between Leaders and Employees perceptions of fairness and equal opportunity
Figure 25: Perceptions of fairness and consistency in hiring and
promotions
41%
21%
17%
3% 3%
10%
3%
0%
24%
21%
10%
14%
28%
3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
“Everyone is treated fairly and consistently when
applying for a job or promotion at Peel Regional
Police.”
Comparison of PRP Leaders + PPSB vs
Employees
PRP Leaders + PPSB (n=29) Employees (n=29)
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 82
These are substantial differences in perception, potentially pointing to a lack of understanding
among leaders of how employees are experiencing the organization. The majority of leader
perceive that there is fairness and equal opportunity, while fully half of the workforce does not.
In CCDI’s experience, when we identify these kinds of disconnects between leaders’ and
employees’ perceptions, it suggests that leaders may not be fully attuned to the feedback from
employees in the organization, or that employee feedback may not making it to the top ranks.
This suggests an opportunity for leaders to truly listen to their employees and better understand
the experiences of employees in the organization.
This finding is also exemplified by this quote from the Diversity Meter Inclusion Survey:
It is noteworthy that in multiple data collection sources – Interviews, Focus Groups
and Diversity Meter - the employees who were more likely to agree with questions
on fairness are Caucasian, and that those most likely to disagree were Racialized.
This points to the potential for racial discrimination in the organization that
Caucasian employees do not see or experience. Additionally, commentary from Caucasian
employees around reverse discrimination suggests a need to further educate those in the PRP
about how different groups are having different experiences in the PRP workplace.
Many employees’ comments indicate their perception that the current leaders have been
beneficiaries of privilege and favouritism to get where they are. Yet some of those same leaders
cite that the processes by which they got their positions are fair, and that there are no barriers.
This may point to a disconnect between the understanding of the impact of processes, policies
and programs, and the mindset or cultural competence of those implementing them.
The processes and policies are only as good as the people implementing them. When those
people have unexamined and unchecked biases, the execution of the best policies and
processes will be impacted by bias.
FINDING 3.4: Employees indicate less agreement than leaders with respect to
workplace flexibility.
In the interviews with PRP Leaders and PPSB members, 82% of Leaders and Board members
agree or strongly agree that the work environment is flexible and accommodating to people with
different needs or abilities.
“While policy is impressive and exhaustive, implementation is lacking due to an autocratic
culture strongly supported by the Management. Observations, suggestions and
complaints against members of the management or supervisory staff are systematically
discouraged. Retaliation is not only tolerated but encouraged when directed against
someone who questions or challenges authority, the Management and/or a "connected"
person.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 83
For this question, there was a
gap between leaders’ responses
and employees’ responses in the
Culture Meter Focus Group,
where 64% of employees agree
or strongly agree with the
statement, and 18% disagree or
strongly disagree. This finding
corresponds with the positive
comment made by employees in
the Culture Meter Focus Groups
and Diversity Meter Census and
Inclusion Survey that Peel
Regional Police has an
accommodating workplace
environment.
However, when comparing this
result to employees’ responses
in the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey, only 48.81% of respondents agreed that “I
am aware that I can request a flexible work option at Peel Regional Police.”
FINDING 3.5: There is a divide between leaders and employees about the
existence of racism, sexism, and homophobia in the Peel Regional Police
workplace.
As noted previously, in general, service leaders and Board members believe that ‘isms’ do not,
or rarely exist at Peel Regional Police. However, in general, the responses from the employees
in the Culture Meter Focus Groups and comments in the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion
Survey suggest a different reality.
We present sample comparisons below of PRP Leaders and PPSB members responses vs
employee’s responses to articulate the differences. This is not an exhaustive list of all
comments received, and those presented are to provide a snapshot of the types of comments
leaders and employees made during the data collection phases.
The comments provided below paint a picture of an environment in which employees report that
they are experiencing racism, sexism, homophobia, along with a lack of awareness on the part
of leadership when incidents occur, and most disturbingly retribution or reprisals for voicing
concerns, especially for reporting incidents of racism.
(Note: comments from employees are not verbatim. They have been anonymized for projection
of confidentiality without distorting the point of the commenter).
48%
34%
14%
0% 0% 0%
3%
43%
21%
11%
0%
4%
14%
7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
"Peel Regional Police’s work environment is flexible
and accommodating to people with different needs
or abilities."
Comparison of PRP Leaders + PPSB vs Employees
PRP Leaders + PPSB (n=29) Employees (n=28)
Figure 26 –Comparison of Perceptions of Flexibility
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 84
Racism
PRP Leaders + PPSB responses re: Racism
Comments from leaders who do not believe that racism exists in the organization:
» “Haven’t seen it; in the early days going back 1990s, there was; nowadays past 10-15 years, personally no.”
» “Have I seen it? No. Have I read about it? Yes. Has anyone ever told me? No. Do I think there is? I have never
personally felt it. I have read about it in HR complaints. More publicized than hearing first hand.”
» “Racism is hidden. Never experienced it myself. The kind of nonsense tolerated 30 years ago, is not tolerated.
Doesn’t exist - if it does, it is enclosed.”
» “No not that I have seen but I think people can be biased.”
Employees Experiences and Perceptions of Racism
Jokes and comments
» I’ve heard officers talk negatively about the Black and South Asian community.
» Lots of bad comments over the years, such as: “I know why you got promoted”.
» Comments are being made now that diverse officers are getting promoted and guaranteed promotions, but that
perception is not accurate.
» There are specific examples of CMG members (past and current) mocking and making fun of minority officers.
» Comments about south Asian officers (calling them cab drivers).
» Senior officer said all south Asian officers are corrupt.
» Comments like coloured people sit at the front of the class.
» Throughout my career have been called the N word by another officer, and I’ve heard them use the N word.
» The institutionalized racism is blatant. Every time a person of colour is promoted, the comments are rampant.
Visible minorities are not seen as being competent but as tokens who are promoted to fill quotas.
» If there’s 30% minority promotions during a process and there’s an outcry that “if you’re male white don’t bother
applying”, despite 70% successful applicants being white male/female.
» When there is a special project or major investigation on cultural group – management’s reluctant to use officers
from same culture, noting that they “don’t know who to trust” (the same “distrust” is not applied to white officers
investigating in white communities).
» I feel like an outsider even with more than 15 years on the job. It’s a white person’s organization; I’m not in the
hockey or beer club.
» The make-up of the service is a clear that racialized persons even when qualified are not provided a fair
opportunity for advancement or entry to the specialized bureaus. The nepotism in this organization is obvious to
everyone, yet no one does anything about it.
» Two years ago, the N word was used during a training course for police by the instructor. No response when it
was brought up.
» There have been racialized officers who have been discriminated against, women mistreated; yet much is hidden
depending on the relationship of the involved officers to the executive.
» They expect us to do translations, to help other officers in their case. But that translation doesn’t mean anything
for your development.
» Many of the supervisors socialize away from work but you are at a disadvantage if you are not going to do that. If
you are a newcomer, it is unlikely that you will be invited.
» I reported it. Management tried to prevent me from pursuing it, saying that the person didn’t mean it. It was a
racist comment made by another supervisor. He refused to apologize, terrible.
Negative perception of Brampton
» I have heard many say they would never live in Brampton. Sad to hear them talk badly about Brampton every
day. I note they see Mississauga in a different light, and I suspect that is because Brampton looks like it is filled
with more newcomers. Same crime can happen in Mississauga, but it is viewed differently.
» There is lots of negative talk about "Brampton." Anything to do with Brampton is considered negative, and the
Largest Sikh population is there.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 85
» Brampton is home to the largest Sikh population. Comments such as “it’s dirty,” “it’s like India,” “it’s a third-class
place,” “the people are low class,” “the people can't drive.”
Fear of Reprisal / perception that nothing will change
» Just the fact that there is hesitation in doing this focus group shows that there is a culture of fear to reporting
discrimination. [referring to focus group participants’ reluctance to speak out loud]
» I know of an officer now facing reprisal because he spoke up.
» Racist/sexist jokes. No, I didn’t report – fearful of repercussions and being treated as an outcast.
» I dealt with a race issue and I was treated terribly.
» I have been called names, when I brought it forward, I got no support, from the organization and the association;
they are in bed together.
» Intimidated, name calling. They bully people, they use tactics for people to be quiet and if you speak up - they
make your life hell. This has led to stress at work at home, has ruined relationships.
» I never raised concern because of fear of reprisal.
» You may win a battle, but not the war. They will punish you in lateral and promotional processes.
» Supervisors that take issue with an individual don’t schedule them for developmental hours or opportunities.
» We all see the unfairness of what happens but if you complain, you risk being treated badly.
» Not ONE member of Chief’s Management Group (CMG) went to the Association of Black Law Enforcers (ABLE)
association dinner this year (2017). PRP looked bad and it sent a huge signal to everyone. Every other
department had their CMG there representing.
Sexism
PRP Leaders + PPSB responses re: Sexism
As discussed in the previous section:
» 1/3 of leadership respondents said there is no sexism.
» 1/3 of leadership respondents see it as isolated individual acts
» 1/3 of leadership respondents were aware of sexism.
Employees Experiences and Perceptions of Sexism
» It more like what Donald Trump would say “locker room talk” so I guess that makes it okay…
» PRP acts as if the service is made up of homogeneous individuals who all think, feel and act like white males. Any
commitment to supporting individuals with their unique needs is superficial at best. There is no internal support for
members of minority cultures or identities. Things like sexism are routine and treated as normal and expected.
» Women who take time off for their children are seen as not committed to the service and unfit to be police officers.
» It was sexism-based harassment. I didn’t report it because no one would care or do anything. I’ve seen enough
people get treated as the problem for reporting things – and with no consequences to the perpetrator at all,
including them being promoted!
» My coworkers do their best to be respectful to me however the comments that are made about women (of the
public) are disturbing and degrading. For example, I’ve overheard individuals suggest a woman was making a
false allegation of sexual assault because as a group they found her unattractive.
» Supervisors are inclined to focus their attention on male coworkers.
» I’ve heard men and women officers suggest officers returning from maternity leave are not equal to those that have
been on the road and they’ll just get pregnant again. I do not know a man that has taken leave for a child so; I’m
unaware if it’s an issue for them as well.
» In my experience being called a pw (police women) by my fellow officers is divisive and degrading as they are, and
maybe unintentionally, reminding me, them and those we are working with there is a difference between us
although we are both constables.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 86
Homophobia
PRP Leaders + PPSB
As discussed in the previous section:
» Half of leader & board respondents do not believe homophobia exists in the PRP.
» Approximately one quarter of leader and board respondents unsure or see it as isolated individual acts.
» Believe homophobia exists as a systemic problem.
Employees’ Perceptions
» Black Lives Matter was demonized merely for wanting the Toronto Pride Parade to be a safe space for LGBTQ
people to celebrate. There was no discussion on how PRP could work with them to be more inclusive or
understanding of their perspective.
» There was a suggestion made to have an internal group for LGBTQ officers, which was denied because ‘we don’t
need it since they’re not treated differently.’ Upper management will often ‘ask for the opinion of the front line’
through surveys and focus groups, but then completely ignore what’s said and make it obvious it was all smoke
and mirrors.
» A colleague would make constant homophobic comments in front of me and our supervisor. He didn’t stop
because ‘it was a joke’ even when I called him up on it. When I told our supervisor, he said that the colleague was
retiring soon, so just deal.
» People drawing penises on someone’s personal items, referring to someone’s sexual preferences.
FINDING 3.6: Employees may perceive barriers to a higher degree than leaders
for certain groups in the organization.
While we saw in the previous section that 72% PRP leaders and Board members do not believe
that barriers exist, or rarely exist, the employee experience is different, with 51% of respondents
agreeing that there are barriers. This disparity is articulated in Figures 27 and 28 below.
0% 0%
28%
24%
48%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
"Are there any barriers for certain groups
at different levels in the organization? "
Leaders (n=29)
Figure 27: Leaders’ & Board’s perceptions of barriers
44%
7%
11%
0%
19%
7%
11%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
There are barriers for certain groups at
different levels in the organization at Peel
Regional Police.
Employees (n=27)
Figure 28: Employees’ perceptions of barriers
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 87
In describing the reasons why, leaders and employees had distinctly different perceptions of the
organization. These are compared and contrasted below. Note some responses below have
been anonymized or edited to remove potentially identifiable details.
Perceptions of Barriers: Proof Points from
Leaders
Perceptions of Barriers: Proof Points from
Employees
» Never or Rarely
» Never - Comes down to working to do all the steps to
get promoted; get promoted based on your work.
Must become competitive and make your area better
» Never - some areas have not been as diverse as
others. For example, Guns and Gangs. Diverse
candidates are not applying. We did some lunch and
learns and asked for diversity in some of the units.
We need to educate people and provide them with
more information. The pool sometimes needs some
work, so we can change it.
» Never - Civilian are more women and police officers
are more men, but I don’t see any barriers
» Never - the promotional process gives you marks for
certain areas, this balances out.
» Never - Reality is that as much as we can try to
identify barriers that exist from our own eyes, need to
try to identity through the perspectives of the people
who experience the barriers, processes don’t create
barriers knowingly
» Rarely - If you have qualifications to get a job, fair
chance of being evaluated to do the job. For new
people, barriers could be chain of command. We are
a part of a military structure. Becoming better. You
have to go through chain of command. It is more of a
learning curve not barrier.
» Rarely - People with some disabilities have
difficulties advancing within police structure due to
occupational requirements.
» Rarely - Hard to get beyond subjective
interpretations of policy. Personal experience is
never. I have to be realistic. They do it sometimes
with best intentions. That comes into play with
promotional process. You have to be able to afford
opportunity to people who are much younger.
» Nature in this area is that uniform position will
oversee (i.e. If civilian employee couldn’t be manager
of recruitment because don’t have uniform
background).
» More promotions of females - into management &
director positions. Racial diversity getting there- don’t
have senior Sergeant or constables- it will take time
to get racial diversity- more in lower ranks will slowly
get there.
Favoritism/Structural Barriers
» Promotion and opportunities are not applied the same
to minorities.
» Huge barriers, if you are of color, you are having to
fight harder to get noticed and there is an “either you
join us, or you are against us” mentality.
» Formal mentorship is given to friends (white or
likeminded) and not to minorities.
» Everything is a barrier; the system is created to make
everything difficult to hide what they are doing: from
being hired, getting into bureaus, promotion, courses.
For example, they play hockey, go on vacation...are
you going to promote your friend or the newcomer?
» There is a huge barrier in how certain groups are
treated. There is, more than ever, a feeling of a lack of
understanding by senior officers on how unfairly
treated some groups within the department feel.
It is
apparent that the Chief doesn’t really get the true
picture because mid managers skew the message on
the way up.
» As a minority, you experience barriers from day one,
and you are treated differently by management.
» Specialized bureaus and leadership positions are most
staffed by white individuals. Racialized individuals lack
relationships and role models to help them get
promotions.
Lack of support / refusal to change
» Barrier is a lack of support among frontline employees
and from the leadership team. The organization will
pay lip service to the concept of diversity but there will
be no change in individual behaviour.
» The major barrier is acceptance. There are still some
senior officers around that don’t want to accept
change. They view it as losing their privileged position
within the department. They use negativity to bring
people of ethnic groups, women, LBGTQ+ members
down - unless you are specifically in their circle of
friends.
» There is a lack of leadership on this is issue, as most
of our leaders don’t believe that there is a problem with
diversity, equity and inclusion in our organization and
as a result will see this as an exercise for a minority of
disgruntled employees to vent.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 88
Perceptions of Barriers: Proof Points from
Leaders
Perceptions of Barriers: Proof Points from
Employees
» Rarely, maybe with language skills. When in
recruiting, had a lot of applicants from south Asian
communities who didn’t have sufficient language
skills.
» Uniform has access to many jobs. Civilians feel more
locked in for opportunities as there aren’t as many
Civilian roles.
» Every data point seen would suggest that there is not
a proportionate representation when it comes to
senior leadership positions; government
appointments sometimes need to be based on
experience; there is disproportionate representation
» Barriers are in the person’s own mind. Ex. a couple
of officers that are not fully engaged and feel that
opportunities are not there for them or that they don’t
have the personality for opportunities and were just
sitting back waiting for opportunities to hit them over
the heads. Important for senior people to recognize
talent and support and encourage it.
» Need to expect more of Board members; so how do
you cast a wide enough search that you make sure
that you get great candidates with the relevant
experience who also represent the community? We
live in the GTA and there are excellent candidates
from every diverse community; just need to get to
them.
» I think we just want the best person. The person that
didn’t get the position could say they didn’t get the
job because they are Chinese, but they may have
had ties to something else.
» Sometimes - Barrier being uniform to civilian, uniform
side Senior management held in higher regard,
mindset that you don’t have uniform background,
can’t contribute to whatever project/process;
sometimes feel it should be flipped.
» Sometimes - if a candidate has not been a volunteer
they would be disqualified; if a candidate was other
than female or male, they could not make it in;
someone who is differently gendered or whose first
language is not English would likely not become a
member.
» Sometimes - on the uniform side. Most cases it is
operationally – mandated requirement, i.e. Peel is
very good at its internal hiring process. But not so
good at getting everyone the same training to get
qualifications; for officers who do a lot of arrests and
have to do a lot of court time, not enough time for
courses; there should be specific courses at each
level that everyone is required to do. Everything
» There is no commitment to even looking at our
institutionalized issues with racism, sexism and
homophobia. Because that would mean that there was
a problem, and PRP has no problems.
» It’s great these surveys and focus groups come out,
but honestly, I have been doing these once a year
since I was hired a while back. Nothing ever changes,
in fact things get worse.
» I want to laugh at this question. I have LOTS of
suggestions, but not a single thing you put in your
report will be acted on. I’m sorry that you’re wasting
your time (and mine too, I guess) but unless this
survey says we’re doing a great job, the results will be
ignored and swept under the rug. Nothing will come of
your work. Sorry about that, but I’ve filled in dozens of
surveys and nothing ever changes. Until our Chief is
willing to actually take her blinders off and LOOK at the
organization, nothing will be fixed. She was a cadet
with our service, which means she practically grew up
in uniform. Asking her to be critical of PRP is like
asking her to accept criticism of her family. It just won’t
happen.
Retribution
» If you dare complain, you are enemy number one.
» The organization will accommodate you if they must
(i.e. human rights) but you risk being left behind if you
are accommodated when it comes to promotion
» Retaliation is the norm; being singled out, comments
made in front of groups.
» If you are sick, peers and even management will
punish you in sneaky ways.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 89
Perceptions of Barriers: Proof Points from
Leaders
Perceptions of Barriers: Proof Points from
Employees
should be consistent courses (curriculum) for
everyone at the same level.
» Sometimes - most of barriers are systemic. Been in
org for [over 20] years, and when started there was
some overt card-carrying racists. We don’t hire those
people anymore. We haven’t for a good 10-15 years.
Can’t vouch for before that. Overt bias, racism,
bigotry, is not the problem that it used to be.
Systemic bias, based on gender, race, orientation.
Everyone is willing to say bias exists, but
acknowledging the bias exists is only part of the
issue. The other part of the issue is not everyone has
power. Shared bias is shared by the group that
makes the decisions over the course of entire
history. The decision makers have shared a similar
bias. Decisions have been made by groups of similar
biases- organization has biases have built in.
Systemic bias not going to acknowledge it exists,
overt bias we have reduced. Leadership is not trying
to be biased. Trying to be open, transparent for the
most part. Organization built on systemic bias over
40 years. We have to face that and take steps to
address it. We are struggling to admit there is bias.
» Yes - There will be barriers: simply because
organization does not have the understanding or
capacity based on its membership to progressively
move forward in developing a more diverse portfolio
Table 14: Comparison of Leaders and Employees perceptions of barriers
FINDING 3.7: Most leaders indicated that they had experience dealing with
harassment or discrimination claims.
Nearly all the PRP leaders interviewed had either dealt with or been aware of complaints of
harassment and discrimination within the service.
A sample of responses from leaders to the question “Have you ever had to deal with a
complaint of harassment or discrimination?” include:
» “Yes - I have put forward a complaint in my career; issue got shoved under the rug.”
» “Yes - happens with relative frequency. Would bring forward to HR to file complaint and
act as an advocate during the process. Some cases not recommended taking that path
and taking it to Human Rights Tribunal instead.”
» “Yes - A member filed HR complaint that supervisor was racist towards them. It was
several years ago and there was a settlement in the end.”
» “Yes - Handle it according to policy in each case.”
» “Yes - Depends on severity or nature to handle formally or informally.”
» “Yes - A couple of complaints against a supervisor.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 90
» “Yes - Had allegation made by a subordinate; all have been formalized and gone
through normal processes.”
» “Yes - Give everyone involved the opportunity to explain the situation; then decide if it
can be handled with parties involved or it if needs to be a divisional issue.”
Considering the above-mentioned findings, where most leaders self-reported that they had
direct experience dealing with complaints of harassment and discrimination, it is concerning that
many leaders reported there is no racism, sexism, or homophobia in the service. This seems
like a contradiction, and potentially suggests that leaders either do not believe the complaints,
do not think they are important, or do not connect such complaints to the systemic issues of
racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 91
IV. Organizational maturity.
In reviewing Peel Regional Police’s previous D&I overview presentation as well as a review of
Peel Regional Police’s self assessed maturity according to the Global Diversity and Inclusion
Benchmarks, we identified several opportunities.
Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks (“GDIB”) Self-Assessment
For this section, Peel Regional Police leadership were asked to self-assess the organization
based on the GDIB.
The Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks: Standards for Organizations Around the World
is a comprehensive educational and measurement tool that provides standards and promising
practices on D&I for organizations across all sectors. The GDIB is a free tool that is sponsored
and produced by the Centre for Global Inclusion, a charitable organization that engages with a
global think tank of diversity and inclusion experts representing different geographies, sectors,
and approaches to the work of diversity and inclusion around the world.
The GDIB helps organizations:
» Realize the depth, breadth, and integrated scope of D&I practices;
» Assess the current state of D&I in their organizations;
» Determine strategy, and;
» Measure progress in managing diversity and fostering inclusion
18
.
We use the GDIB here because it provides a recognized set of standards against which to
measure your development as you implement and integrate D&I initiatives for different parts of
your organization, i.e. your workforce, policies, leadership, etc.
The GDIB presents 268 benchmarks in 4 major groups, comprising 14 categories of operations
within all types of organizations. The GDIB presents these benchmarks at 5 levels within each
of the 14 categories. This provides organizations with the opportunity to assess where they
currently are and set goals to move up to a well-defined next level of achievement.
FINDING 4.1: The maturity of Peel Regional Police’s diversity and inclusion
initiatives is rated at the Proactive level for most of the GDIB benchmarks.
The GDIB achievement levels listed below are self-rated by the Peel Regional Police. These
have not been validated by employees. However, in our gap analysis in each section, we invite
readers of this report to consider these self-ratings in context of feedback received from Board
members, leaders, and employees as outlined in the previous sections. In some cases, the self-
ratings presented seem overly optimistic or aspirational in comparison to the actual findings
from the data already presented in this report.
18
O’Mara, J., & Richter, A. (2016).
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 92
Foundation group of benchmarks
It is important to note that the basis for a successful Diversity and Inclusion Strategy lies in the
Foundation group of the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks, consisting of three
elements. These elements include:
1. Diversity and Inclusion vision, strategy, and business case.
» developing a strong rationale for diversity and inclusion vision and strategy and
aligning it to organizational goals.
2. Leadership and accountability.
» holding leaders accountable for implementing the organization’s diversity and
inclusion vision, setting goals, achieving results, and being role models.
3. Diversity and inclusion structure and implementation.
» providing dedicated support and structure with authority and budget to effectively
implement diversity and inclusion.
Without these foundational elements, addressing any of the other GDIB categories (internal,
external, and bridging elements) will likely be ineffective. While this section references these
other categories because they relate to the key findings in the CSIA, the GDIB foundational
elements are imperative for any successful diversity and inclusion strategy.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 93
Peel Regional Police’s Accomplishments from Foundation Group.
GDIB Category 1 - Vision, strategy and business case
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 1 are as follows.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 1.1 D&I is embedded in organizational culture and is not seen as
an isolated program but rather as a core value, a source of
innovation, and a means to growth and success.
☐ 1.2 All the major components of D&I work, including vision,
strategy, business case or rationale, goals, policies, principles, and
competencies, are regularly reviewed.
☐ 1.3 The D&I strategy contributes to specific accomplishments and
the organization’s overall success in observable, measurable ways.
☐ 1.4 The organization is known as a leader in D&I and is frequently
acknowledged, cited, and benchmarked for its pioneering D&I
accomplishments.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☐ 1.5 The organization’s D&I vision and goals, as well as the
requirement to embed equity, prevent harassment, and reduce
discrimination, are fully supported and rewarded.
☒ 1.6 The majority of stakeholders acknowledge that D&I is
important for contributing to the success of the organization.
☐ 1.7 D&I competencies that help achieve the D&I strategy are
demonstrated by a majority of employees.
☒ 1.8 D&I is well integrated into the organization’s strategy.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☒ 1.9 The organization has examined its systems, practices,
requirements, and organizational culture and created strategies to
reduce barriers to inclusion.
☐ 1.10 A compelling D&I vision, strategy, and business case has
been developed and communicated to all employees. It describes
the multiple ways that individuals, teams, and the organization
benefit from D&I.
☐ 1.11 D&I is defined broadly to include dimensions beyond gender,
age, disability, and other characteristics.
☐ 1.12 D&I qualitative and quantitative goals that include input from
a variety of internal and external stakeholders are being developed.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 1.13 If a D&I strategy exists, it is limited only to human resource
functions.
☐ 1.14 D&I is narrowly defined, referring only to some
underrepresented groups. The focus is primarily on numbers of
people from various groups represented at different organizational
levels.
☐ 1.15 Equal opportunity, disability access, age discrimination, or
other diversity-related policies have been adopted primarily to meet
compliance requirements and prevent damaging legal action or
publicity.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 1.16 There is no D&I vision, strategy, imperative, business case,
goals, policies, principles, or program.
☐ 1.17 There is no linkage of D&I to the vision, mission, and goals
of the organization.
Table 15: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 1
For Category 1, PRP indicate that the majority of stakeholders acknowledge the importance of
D&I, and that D&I is well integrated into the organization’s strategy. Further, the PRP indicated
that it has examined its systems, practices, and culture to reduce barriers to inclusion.
Gap Analysis
When considering feedback received by both leaders and employees all sources,
» There is consensus that many leaders and stakeholders do publicly discuss the
importance of diversity equity and inclusion for the organization, as indicated in
benchmark 1.6.
However, when we analyze results specifically from the leaders and employees:
» Many leaders believe policies and processes are fair and bias free, and many of these
leaders indicate they don’t believe there are any barriers.
» Yet, employee comments indicate that there may be barriers.
This suggests that there may be a gap between what is supposed to happen according to the
polices and processes, and what is actually happening. We would recommend Peel Police
continue to examine the intercultural mindset of the individuals who develop and implement the
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 94
processes and to focus on developing the intercultural competence of leaders, in particular, their
understanding of the barriers faced by minoritized groups in the police service, especially their
understanding of those barriers that they may not experience themselves.
GDIB Category 2 - Leadership and accountability
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 2 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 2.1 A large majority of employees across an array of
diversity dimensions rate their leaders as treating them fairly
and inclusively.
☐ 2.2 Management performance, pay, bonuses, and
promotions are tied to a variety of D&I indicators.
☐ 2.3 Leaders are seen as change agents and role models
and inspire others to take individual responsibility and become
role models themselves.
☒ 2.4 Leaders and board members publicly support internal
and external diversity-related initiatives, even if they are
perceived to be controversial.
☐ 2.5 Leaders and board members understand that D&I is
systemic. They are fully committed to holding people at all
levels accountable for achieving the D&I objectives.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☐ 2.6 Leaders are involved in D&I initiatives, communicate the
D&I strategy, and provide recognition for D&I champions and
advocates.
☐ 2.7 Leaders hold themselves and others responsible for
achieving the D&I goals and objectives.
☐ 2.8 The board of directors is diverse, is engaged in D&I
issues, and holds the leadership team accountable for
achieving the D&I strategy.
☐ 2.9 Managing D&I is an essential leadership competency
and leaders are rated on it.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☒ 2.10 Leaders are knowledgeable about D&I and accept
managing D&I as one of their responsibilities.
☒ 2.11 Leaders willingly write and speak internally and publicly
about the organization’s D&I efforts.
☒ 2.12 Leaders engage in D&I issues important to employees
and are actively involved in diversity networks.
☒ 2.13 To increase their knowledge and competence, leaders
seek coaching in D&I and provide coaching and mentoring to
others.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 2.14 Leaders are generally unfamiliar with D&I and require
instructions or scripts to discuss it.
☐ 2.15 Although leaders accept some responsibility for D&I,
the focus is mainly on compliance.
☐ 2.16 Leaders consistently avoid or are reluctant to address
challenging D&I situations.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 2.17 There is little or no leadership involvement or
accountability for D&I.
☐ 2.18 Leaders consistently see differences primarily as
problematic rather than as opportunities for enrichment,
progress, and success.
Table 16: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 2
For Category 2, PRP indicate that leaders are knowledgeable about D&I and accept managing
D&I as one of their responsibilities, that they speak publicly about it, and engage in issues
important to employees.
Gap analysis:
As noted in the Gap analysis for Category 1, there appears to be a gap between what is said
about how things are supposed to be done and how things actually get done. More specifically,
» Leaders’ own self-reported levels of understanding of ‘isms’ and barriers in the
organization during the Leadership Growth leader interviews, showed that not all leaders
and board members are fully knowledgeable about the actual issues facing the
organization.
» Leaders’ perceptions appear generally more favourable than employees’ perceptions of
the leaders’ knowledge and commitment.
» Further, the Leadership Growth leader interviews and IDI® debrief and coaching
sessions suggest that not all leaders fully accept managing D&I as one of their
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 95
responsibilities, and/or that their understanding was limited in terms of what “managing
D&I” actually means.
Furthermore, PRP has rated itself as having achieved benchmark 2.4: “Leaders and board
members publicly support internal and external diversity-related initiatives, even if they are
perceived to be controversial.” The results from our assessment indicated that:
» A number of leaders and board members indicated they do not believe there is racism,
sexism, or homophobia in the organization.
» Employee commentary and inclusion results suggest that they are experiencing issues
related to these barriers in the workplace.
GDIB Category 3 - Diversity and inclusion structure and implementation
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 3 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 3.1 The most senior D&I professional is an equal and
influential partner on the senior leadership team.
☐ 3.2 Leaders at all levels lead the organization’s D&I
initiatives and are regarded as D&I champions.
☐ 3.3 Diversity networks serve as partners and advise on
recruitment, communications, risk management, product and
service development, community engagement, and other
organizational issues.
☐ 3.4 D&I is well integrated into core organizational systems
and practices.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☐ 3.5 The organization provides adequate resources, staffing,
and support to help ensure implementation of its D&I strategy.
☐ 3.6 The D&I function is headed by an influential leader who
is knowledgeable about D&I.
☐ 3.7 D&I councils/committees are composed of line and staff
leaders representing the diversity of the organization.
☒ 3.8 Diversity networks are recognized as credible, valued
resources to the organization.
☐ 3.9 Departments or divisions have D&I councils/committees
in alignment with the organization’s strategy.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☐ 3.10 There is a D&I champion/leader and staff with
responsibility for D&I
☒
3.11 A few diversity networks with budget and resources
exist.
☒ 3.12 An organization-wide D&I council/committee is given
visible support by leaders, represents internal stakeholders,
and impacts D&I efforts.
☒ 3.13 Some budget has been allocated to cover D&I
implementation.
☐ 3.14 The D&I staff are hired for their competence and their
ability to bring diverse perspectives to the work and not just
because they represent an identity group traditionally labeled
as underrepresented.
☐ 3.15 If the organization has labor unions or similar groups,
they are engaged in D&I efforts.
☐ 3.16 D&I staff are called upon for advice, counsel, and
content expertise.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 3.17 D&I is simply an additional duty of the human
resources, legal, or other department.
☐ 3.18 Diversity networks and D&I committees may exist, but
they have no real power, influence, or resources.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 3.19 There is no organizational structure or budget for D&I.
☐ 3.20 No one in the organization has formal responsibility for
addressing D&I issues.
Table 17: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 3
For Category 3, PRP has identified that resources have been allocated and that networks exist
for diversity and inclusion.
Gap analysis:
With respect to self-assessed benchmark 3.8, feedback from many employees and some
leaders suggest that
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 96
» The diversity initiatives are viewed by some as unnecessary, or worse as “reverse
discrimination”.
This suggests an opportunity to better understand the degree to which diversity, equity and
inclusion initiatives at the police service are truly accepted and valued, and an opportunity to
further educated service members and leaders on the value of diversity, equity and inclusion to
the police service.
Internal group of benchmarks
The four categories in the Internal Group focus primarily on strengthening the organization and
the effectiveness of leaders and employees. Traditionally, many D&I programs emphasize
categories in the Internal Group. One reason is that this group of benchmarks is most often part
of the Human Resources function, which traditionally is where D&I has been placed on the
organizational chart. However, consideration should be made to positioning D&I as a separate
function where it can effectively work with other functions and departments
19
. The four
categories of the Internal Group of benchmarks are:
4. Recruitment, retention, development, and advancement.
» ensuring that D&I is integrated into recruitment, talent development, advancement,
and retention.
5. Benefits, work-life integration, and flexibility.
» achieving work-life integration and flexibility.
6. Job design, classification, and compensation.
» ensuring that job design and classification are unbiased, and compensation is
equitable.
7. Diversity and inclusion learning and education.
» educating leaders and employees so they have a high level of diversity and inclusion
competence.
Peel Regional Police’s Accomplishments from Internal Group.
GDIB category 4 - Recruitment, retention, development, and advancement
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 4 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 4.1 The organization’s talent development processes have
resulted in equitable and accessible recruitment, retention, and
advancement and a pervasive feeling of inclusion.
☐ 4.2 The workforce across all levels and functions is generally
representative of the organization’s labor markets.
☐ 4.3 The organization’s reputation for quality D&I efforts
enhances its ability to attract and retain employees who contribute
to outstanding organizational results.
☐ 4.4 Turnover of members of underrepresented groups is in
parity with that of the majority group.
19
The section on the Internal Group starts on page 30 of “Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks”,
http://www.diversitycollegium.org/usertools/GDIB-V-03072016-3-2MB.pdf.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 97
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☒ 4.5 Recruitment includes advertising on diversity-focused
career websites, using social media, and networking with internal
and external diversity groups.
☒ 4.6 Recruitment and selection panels understand how bias
enters into recruiting and therefore include members
knowledgeable about the diverse population the organization
wants to attract and advance.
☐ 4.7 Special efforts are made to place members of
underrepresented groups in positions that serve as succession
pools for future promotion.
☒ 4.8 Employees are encouraged to consider development
opportunities and positions outside their current functional,
technical, or professional area.
☐ 4.9 Development through self-assessment, coaching,
mentoring, and participating in projects where accomplishments
can become known is open and encouraged.
☐ 4.10 Employees are exposed to a variety of cultures, markets,
values, and practices as part of development and retention.
☐ 4.11 High potential talent is provided with internal coaches,
mentors, and external coaching opportunities to maximize
performance and develop advanced careers.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☐ 4.12 The workforce is beginning to reflect the diversity found in
the organization’s qualified labor market, but there is still
underutilization of certain groups in mid-level and senior-level
positions and some functions.
☒ 4.13 Managers are educated in understanding differences and
the impact their biases may have on selection, development, and
advancement decisions.
☐ 4.14 External search firms are selected based in part on their
expertise in diversity recruiting.
☐ 4.15 The organization offers a variety of development programs
and encourages employees to take advantage of them.
☒ 4.16 The organization attempts to remove biases based on
personality type; for example, showing or restraining emotions
won’t be seen as a barrier.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 4.17 The hiring focus is based primarily on representation to
meet diversity or equity goals or targets.
☐ 4.18 Recruitment practices do not include diverse candidates
as a matter of procedure for all positions.
☐ 4.19 Development and advancement systems do not focus on
including diverse candidates.
☐ 4.20 Recruitment and development systems do not take into
account how people from different cultures and backgrounds may
respond to interview questions.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 4.21 There is no effort to recruit, select, advance, or retain
employees from diverse underrepresented groups at any level.
☐ 4.22 Other than a short statement that the organization has an
equal opportunity or similar policy, there is no mention of D&I in
the organization’s public messaging.
Table 18: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 4
For Category 4, PRP indicated that they have attempted to remove biases (benchmarks 4.16
and 4.13) through providing limited bias awareness training, that employees are encouraged to
seek opportunities to advance their careers in different departments (benchmark 4.8), and that
recruitment includes outreach to diverse groups.
Gap analysis:
With respect to benchmark 4.6 “Recruitment and selection panels understand how bias enters
into recruiting and therefore include members knowledgeable about the diverse population…”,
feedback from employees in the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey and the Culture
Meter Focus groups, as well as feedback from some leaders in Leadership Growth leader
interviews an IDI
®
debriefs, suggests that:
» There is not a strong belief that hiring and promotion decision makers are aware of
their own biases, and are therefore able to mitigate their biases in these decisions.
GDIB category 5 - Benefits, work-life integration, and flexibility
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 5 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 5.1 Most leaders model work-life integration.
☒ 5.2 Part-time, job sharing, and other flexible work
arrangements are available for all appropriate positions. Their
use, which leaders encourage, does not negatively impact
employee performance or advancement.
☒ 5.3 The organization accepts and recognizes diversity in
language and accents, dress, religion, physical appearance, and
non-traditional schedules as fully legitimate.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 98
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE (continued)
☒ 5.4 A comprehensive range of flexible benefits and services,
including education, health, and counseling, is provided.
☐ 5.5 Based on research and assessment, benefits and
services are regularly adapted to changing conditions,
technology, and innovative ideas.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☒ 5.6 Paid leave beyond what is legally required is provided
and used. This may include care giving for spouses, domestic
partners, children, and adult dependents.
☒ 5.7 Work-at-home, job-sharing, and part-time work is
provided for select positions.
☒ 5.8 The organizational culture is accepting of those who work
flexible schedules.
☒ 5.9 Health and wellness benefits include education, clinics,
fitness centers, employee assistance programs, and preventive
healthcare, including mental health issues.
☐ 5.10 Family-friendly services include subsidized childcare and
eldercare (on-site or outsourced), lactation rooms, and
emergency care.
☒ 5.11 Accessibility and accommodation for religious practices,
persons with disabilities, and other special needs are accepted
and do not negatively impact the perception of performance.
☒ 5.12 Policies and practices guard against favoritism and are
applied equitably across the organization in a culturally sensitive
way.
☒ 5.13 An inclusive concept of family guides determination of
benefits and participation in organizational events.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☒ 5.14 Paid leave is provided for healthcare, civic
responsibilities, bereavement, and so forth.
☒ 5.15 Religious practices and cultural holidays are mostly
accommodated even if they are not the holidays of the majority.
☐ 5.16 Flexibility in personal appearance and one’s workspace
is allowed for most employees, provided it is done in a culturally
sensitive way.
☐ 5.17 Technology support for mobility, disabilities, and flexible
work arrangements are available for select employees.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 5.18 Benefit programs generally are “one-size-fits-all” and
their value or relevance to employees is not monitored.
☐ 5.19 Work schedules are generally traditional, inflexible, and
compliance-driven.
☐ 5.20 Flexibility may be misunderstood, applied unfairly, or
perceived as favoritism.
☐ 5.21 Language and physical access are accommodated only
when legally required.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 5.22 Only legally required employee benefits and services are
provided.
☐ 5.23 There is little or no provision for childcare and family
needs, schedule flexibility, or work leave
Table 19: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 5
For Category 5, PRP have self-rated a high level of achievement on the benefits and flexibility
category. Our review of PRP’s policies and procedures suggests that these self-ratings are
accurate.
Gap analysis:
Overall, less than half of employees (48.81%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I
am aware that I can request a flexible work option at Peel Regional Police.” This suggests an
opportunity to better communicate to service members the options that are available to them.
GDIB category 6 - Job design, classification, and compensation
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 6 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☒ 6.1 The organization maintains equitable internal and
external compensation and job classification practices.
☐ 6.2 Innovative job design results in employees being paid
for performance rather than “putting in time,” and enables
flexible work options.
☐ 6.3 Inequitable previous compensation systems have been
addressed and individuals compensated.
☐ 6.4 Classification and compensation systems have been
modified to address conscious and unconscious biases and
assumptions.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☒ 6.5 The organization adds additional compensation for
parental leave beyond what the law requires.
☒ 6.6 Job requirements and descriptions are clear and not
confused by non-job-related factors such as gender, school
graduated from, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability,
appearance preferences, or culturally specific behaviors.
☒ 6.7 There is increased acceptance of flexibility and variety in
job design to accommodate employee needs for part-time
work, working non-standard hours, working remotely, and
taking leave for personal or other reasons.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 99
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE (continued)
☐ 6.8 The organization ensures that annual compensation gap
analyses are conducted to confirm that biases based on age,
disability, gender, organizational function, race, and other
potential equity issues are dealt with appropriately.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☐ 6.9 Jobs are designed to align individual needs with
organizational needs as much as possible.
☐ 6.10 The organization systematically reviews its job
requirements, classifications, and compensation practices for
bias and takes action to mitigate adverse impact.
☒ 6.11 Classification/grading and compensation/ remuneration
systems are widely communicated to and understood by
employees.
☐ 6.12 An analysis and design of jobs has resulted in some
flexibility for groups requiring it.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 6.13 Some written procedures exist for classifying jobs and
determining compensation, but these are frequently
determined by supervisors’ personal preferences.
☐ 6.14 There is a policy on pay equity, but the organization
does not conduct an analysis to ascertain if the policy is
followed.
☐ 6.15 Pay equity is measured and audited only if required by
law.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 6.16 The organization lacks systematic methods for
classifying jobs or determining employee compensation.
☐ 6.17 Based on stereotypes involving language, gender, age,
culture, or disability, some jobs are thought to be “a better fit”
for certain groups.
Table 20: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 6
For Category 6, PRP has self-rated that the organization has equitable compensation and that
compensation is well understood and widely communicated. It is acknowledged that parental
leave top-up is provided.
Gap analysis:
With respect to benchmark 6.7: “There is increased acceptance of flexibility and variety in job
design to accommodate employee needs for part-time work, working non-standard hours,
working remotely, and taking leave for personal or other reasons”, we see that
» Less than half of employees (48.81%) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I
am aware that I can request a flexible work option at Peel Regional Police.”
» Some comments made by employees during the focus groups suggest that there is
opportunity for greater acceptance by all members of the police service for non-
standard work arrangements and leaves such as parental leaves.
This suggests an opportunity to better communicate to police service members the options that
are available to them and that these options are supported and encouraged.
GDIB category 7: Diversity and inclusion learning and education
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 7 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 7.1 D&I is integrated into all learning and advances the
organization’s strategy.
☐ 7.2 A variety of innovative D&I tools, including both extensive self-
directed and instructor-led learning resources, are accessible to all
regardless of location.
☐ 7.3 Learning from D&I promising practices leads the way in
creating new organizational culture, structures, services, and
products that impact performance and sustainability.
☒ 7.4 Challenging and sometimes controversial issues such as
racism, sexism, ageism, classism, heterosexism, religious bias,
stereotype threat, and unconscious bias are effectively addressed
with sensitivity, fairness, conviction, and compassion.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☐ 7.5 D&I professionals, experts in learning methods and cross-
cultural education, and organizational leaders are involved in the
development, delivery, and reinforcement of D&I learning and
education.
☐ 7.6 A variety of innovative learning methods are used, including
classroom, self-study, experiential, eLearning, assessment, social
learning, social media, videos, games, and case studies to meet D&I
learning needs.
☐ 7.7 Programs focused on specific dimensions of diversity, such as
disability, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, social
class, generations, culture, religion, race, and ethnicity are offered
based on identified needs.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 100
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE (continued)
☐ 7.8 Employees and, if needed, their families receive cultural
competency training and other support when relocating
internationally, visiting different locales, returning from international
assignments, or when working with international teams.
☐ 7.9 D&I learning and education is an on-going, multi-year,
developmental curriculum that takes individuals through graduated
stages of learning.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☒ 7.10 D&I is integrated into the organization’s overall learning and
education programs, including employee orientation, customer
service, and management programs.
☐ 7.11 D&I learning opportunities are developed in multiple
languages if needed, and offered in a variety of accessible formats.
☒ 7.12 Programs address sometimes-sensitive issues of privilege,
stereotypes, bias, and ‘isms’ and include development of skills to
address those issues.
☐ 7.13 D&I experts or learning professionals build D&I into every
stage of the learning design and/or conduct the D&I learning
programs.
☒ 7.14 The organization encourages cultural celebrations and
organization-wide activities that combine social interaction with D&I
learning.
☐ 7.15 In addition to general D&I education, employees also receive
training to implement the D&I strategy. It includes content specific to
their level and areas of responsibility.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 7.16 D&I learning is brief and focused only on educating
employees about policies, meeting legal requirements, or assisting
with language use.
☐ 7.17 Persons designing and delivering learning do not have
specific expertise in D&I.
☐ 7.18 D&I programs are primarily “off-the-shelf” and not tailored for
local needs and issues.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 7.19 There are no formal D&I learning or education activities.
☐ 7.20 There is little D&I awareness, knowledge, or understanding.
Table 21: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 7
For GDIB Category 7, Peel Regional Police has self-rated 3 benchmarks at the Proactive level
and one at the Best Practice level. Peel Regional Police indicate they have incorporated
diversity and inclusion learning into the organization’s learning programs (benchmark 7.10) and
that challenging and controversial topics are addressed in training (7.4 and 7.12). Through our
benchmarking interview, this has been validated.
Peel Regional Police has demonstrated the following accomplishments in diversity and inclusion
learning:
» Every officer has had in-person training on fair and impartial policing.
» Every officer has completed 1-day collecting of identifying information training re: street
checks.
» Every officer did online training on workplace harassment.
» Peel Regional police has adopted a 3-week Leadership in Policing Organizations
course, which has been completed by over 300 employees.
Gap analysis:
Diversity learning is necessary for the employees of any organization, especially an organization
that serves the public. We acknowledge the effort to undertake such training by PRP. With
respect to benchmark 7.4, we invite readers of this report to consider the effectiveness of the
training, especially with regard to tackling challenging and controversial issues.
» Approximately 1/3 of the leadership team indicated in the Leadership Growth leader
interviews that they do not believe there is racism, sexism or homophobia in the
organization.
» One of the most common themes in the comments from PRP employees on the
Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey related to feelings that diversity initiatives
were unnecessary, a distraction from “real police work,” or “reverse discrimination.”
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 101
This suggests an opportunity for more robust learning for the organization, and for both
employees and leaders to gain a greater understanding of the issues facing the organization
and the reasons why diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to police work.
Bridging group of benchmarks
The three categories in this group provide critical linkages that bridge foundational work with the
internal and external focus of diversity and inclusion in the organization. It would be difficult for
any of the benchmarks in the other groups to be achieved without effective work in the Bridging
group. The three categories of the Bridging group of benchmarks are:
8. Assessment, measurement, and research.
» ensure that assessment, measurement, and research guide D&I decisions.
9. Diversity and Inclusion Communications.
» make communication a crucial force in achieving the organization’s diversity and
inclusion goals.
10. Connecting Diversity and Inclusion and Sustainability.
» connect Diversity and Inclusion and Sustainability initiatives to increase the effectiveness
of both.
Peel Regional Police’s accomplishments from Bridging group.
GDIB category 8 - Assessment, measurement, and research
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 8 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 8.1 In-depth D&I assessments covering behavior, attitude,
and perception are regularly conducted for the overall
organization and within organizational units and feed into
strategy and implementation.
☐ 8.2 D&I measurements are included as part of the
organization’s overall performance, linked to the organizational
strategy, and tied to compensation, and publicly shared.
☐ 8.3 The organization has demonstrated significant annual
improvements in meeting D&I goals consistently over several
years.
☐ 8.4 The organization is known for its investment in D&I
research and in sharing the findings publicly.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☐ 8.5 Integrated, multiple approaches to monitoring and
evaluating D&I goals are conducted to track their impact and
effectiveness and make improvements when necessary.
☐ 8.6 Organizational culture is monitored through cultural
audits and employee opinion surveys using varied diversity
dimensions.
☐ 8.7 The organization invests in research to study D&I for
both internal and external purposes.
☐ 8.8 All employees are measured on their performance
based on D&I goals set by the organization.
☒ 8.9 The organization can clearly demonstrate organizational
improvements from meeting D&I goals.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☒ 8.10 Assessment tools and quantitative monitoring
techniques are used to measure progress on recruitment,
retention, compensation, and other D&I elements.
☐ 8.11 Information from tools such as 360-degree feedback,
focus groups, interviews, and opinion/engagement surveys
from employees, former employees, and customers helps to
shape future D&I initiatives.
☐ 8.12 Leaders are individually measured on the execution
and accomplishment of D&I goals specific to their areas of
responsibility.
☐ 8.13 Internal and external promising practices are studied
and benchmarking or other credible metrics, both qualitative
and quantitative, are used to improve the organization’s D&I
efforts.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 8.14 Some feedback on D&I is solicited in employee and
customer surveys, market research, internal reviews, or
climate studies, but there is no follow-up, no rewards, and no
consequences for poor performance.
☐ 8.15 Representation of members of groups of some
diversity dimensions are monitored, but only if required by law.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 102
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE (continued)
☐ 8.16 Measurements are primarily based on past negative
indicators, such as turnover, lawsuits, and complaints.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 8.17 There are no assessments to gather information about
diverse employee or customer needs and concerns, or about
organizational culture or employee engagement.
☐ 8.18 There is no attempt or effort to evaluate or monitor
diversity-related issues or D&I progress.
Table 22: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 8
Peel Regional Police self-assessed their level of achievement on GDIB category 8 with one
benchmark in the Proactive level and one in the Progressive level, indicating that the
organization does demonstrate organizational improvements from meeting D&I goals.
Gap analysis:
The reporting suggests that PRP is currently conducting is based on lagging indicators around
diversity, equity and inclusion. We invite PRP to consider more extensive measures of progress
on diversity, equity and inclusion by continuing many of the measures begun through this audit.
» Now that PRP has extensive demographic reporting, we suggest it would be useful to
consider tracking all talent management processes for diversity and equity-related
metrics.
» Further, we would suggest implementing a 360° feedback mechanism and regular
feedback from employees and the public specifically on diversity, equity and inclusion
progress.
» Ongoing benchmarking with other police services will also be helpful in keeping current
on best practices in the sector.
GDIB category 9 - Diversity and inclusion communications
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 9 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 9.1 The organization has branded its D&I initiative internally
and externally enhancing the organization’s reputation.
☐ 9.2 D&I topics are easily and quickly located on the
organization’s internal and external websites. Information is
thorough, fully accessible, and regularly updated.
☐ 9.3 D&I communication is frequent, ongoing, innovative, and
contributes to an enhanced reputation for the organization.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☐ 9.4 Communications professionals and speechwriters are
educated about D&I and include D&I messages in general
organizational communications.
☒ 9.5 The organization’s communication functions –
community affairs, employee communications, public relations,
and marketing communications – consistently promote D&I.
☐ 9.6 Although employees are expected to access information
on D&I on the organization’s website, information is also sent
frequently and systematically to employees.
☒ 9.7 Leaders share D&I information with stakeholders,
including survey results, and successes and failures.
☐ 9.8 All internal and external communication is fully
accessible and available in multiple formats and languages if
needed by stakeholders.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☐ 9.9 The organization encourages employees to discuss D&I
and provide input to the organization.
☒ 9.10 Through a variety of methods−a website, newsletter,
email, social media, and events−employees learn about the
D&I vision, strategy, and goals.
☒ 9.11 The organization integrates D&I into many aspects of
communication by aligning D&I with organizational goals and
issues.
☒ 9.12 Translations and other accessible formats are provided
when needed. Communication is location-sensitive across
countries and languages.
☒ 9.13 Communication reflects awareness and knowledge of
diversity, including recognition of cultural influences, to
enhance inclusion.
☐ 9.14 The organization’s external website features
information about its D&I vision, strategy, goals, and results.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 103
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 9.15 D&I communication is done solely to remind or educate
employees about adhering to policy and compliance
requirements.
☐ 9.16 The majority of D&I communication is disseminated by
councils/committees or diversity networks rather than through
regular organizational channels and thereby seen as not
officially endorsed by the organization.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 9.17 There is no explicit communication about D&I.
☐ 9.18 Discussions on D&I are perceived to be risky and are
avoided.
☐ 9.19 Organizational communication is not analyzed or
adjusted for appropriateness regarding D&I
Table 23: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 9
For GDIB Category 9 Peel Regional Police rated itself with 4 benchmarks at the Proactive level
as well as two benchmarks at the Progressive level. Based on our review, Peel Regional Police
has extensive communications about diversity and inclusion both internally and externally with
the public and stakeholders.
Gap analysis:
While some limited information is provided on the Peel Regional Police’s external public-facing
website regarding the Diversity Relations Bureau, we invite PRP to consider:
» expanding public reporting about the PRP’s commitment to diversity, equity and
inclusion by sharing high-level results of this report as well as the PRP’s plans to
address issues identified in this audit.
» Introducing formal training on inclusive communications for all members of the PRP
who are drafting and disseminating communications on behalf of the PRP
» conducting an accessibility audit of all communications vehicles (online, print, etc.) to
ensure communications are accessible to all constituents served by the Peel Regional
Police.
» Requiring further development for leaders and those communicating on diversity and
inclusion on understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion issues, and ongoing cross-
cultural competence and inclusive leadership development.
• Although leaders do share D&I information as indicated in benchmark 9.7, the
quality and authenticity of their communications will be impacted by their mindset
and understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion issues.
GDIB category 10 - Connecting Diversity and Inclusion and Sustainability
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 10 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 10.1 D&I is integral to the overall and long-term success and
sustainability of the organization and all its stakeholders.
Sustainability is fully integrated into the D&I strategy and vice
versa.
☐ 10.2 The organization takes a leadership role in influencing
and supporting the connection of D&I and sustainability
initiatives locally and globally.
☐ 10.3 D&I and sustainability progress are regularly measured,
externally verified, and publicly reported.
☐ 10.4 The organization has evidence that its sustainability and
D&I initiatives benefit from their alignment with each other and
show more meaningful impact than if they were separate and
unconnected initiatives.
☐ 10.5 D&I results reflect actions in at least three of the
following aspects of sustainability as defined by the United
Nations−People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, or Partnership.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☐ 10.6 D&I leaders participate actively in the organization’s
sustainability initiative. Likewise, sustainability leaders
participate actively in the D&I initiative.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 104
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE (continued)
☒ 10.7 The organization adapts its sustainability strategy,
policies, and practices with input, consultation, and
collaboration of diverse stakeholder groups.
☐ 10.8 D&I results reflect actions in at least two of the following
aspects of sustainability−People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, or
Partnership.
☐ 10.9 The organization reports to all stakeholders on its
progress regarding D&I aspects of sustainability.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☐ 10.10 The organization has a sustainability strategy, which
recognizes the linkage between D&I and sustainability.
☒ 10.11 The organization is involved publicly, supports
financially, and advocates for one or more D&I and
sustainability initiatives, whether global, regional, or issue-
specific.
☐ 10.12 The organization makes a concerted effort to integrate
diverse voices and perspectives early and often in all
sustainability efforts.
☐ 10.13 D&I results reflect actions in at least one of the
following aspects of sustainability: People, Planet, Prosperity,
Peace, or Partnership.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 10.14 There is some effort to connect D&I with
organizational goals relating to sustainability, such as
community development partnerships, volunteerism, or peace-
building activities.
☐ 10.15 There is some involvement in incorporating D&I in
organizational and societal goals, such as including a diverse
array of external stakeholders in assessing how the
organization’s practices affect its wider community.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 10.16 There is no organizational connection between D&I
and sustainability.
Table 24: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 10
For GDIB category 10 PRP has identified achievement on two Progressive benchmarks: 10.7
and 10.11, as indicated above. As a public-facing organization, sustainability is important for
Peel Regional Police.
Gap analysis:
Although environmental sustainability initiatives were not technically within the scope of this
assessment, connecting sustainability with diversity, equity and inclusion is a key category on
the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks, as it connects two areas of organizational
endeavour that are often in disconnected silos. We would suggest that any sustainability
initiatives by the PRP should be viewed through a diversity, equity and inclusion lens, and
external community support initiatives may increase their effectiveness and impact when
considered through a diversity, equity and inclusion lens, as well as a sustainability lens.
External Group of Benchmarks.
The four categories in the External Group of benchmarks relate to how the organization offers
its products and services and interacts with its customers and other stakeholders. The External
Group is critically important because it is through an emphasis on these categories that the
most direct results of the organization's D&I rationale/business case will be shown. These
categories include:
11. Community, government relations, and social responsibility.
» advocate for diversity and inclusion progress within local communities and society at
large.
12. Products and services development.
» embed diversity and inclusion in products and services development to serve diverse
customers and clients.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 105
13. Marketing and customer service.
» integrate D&I into marketing and customer service.
14. Supplier diversity.
» promote and nurture a diverse supplier base and encourage suppliers to advocate
for diversity and inclusion.
Peel Regional Police’s Accomplishments from External Group.
GDIB category 11 - Community, government relations, and social responsibility
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 11 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☒ 11.1 Employee time and labor are provided for a wide
variety of community projects; employees may receive
additional compensation or rewards recognizing their
community involvement.
☐ 11.2 Organizational facilities serve and promote economic
growth of the whole community, particularly communities
that have been historically denied access to resources, or
are presently in the greatest need.
☐ 11.3 The organization leads in supporting and advocating
for diversity-related interests in government and societal
affairs.
☒ 11.4 The organization is generous in supporting and
assisting other organizations in their D&I initiatives and in
promoting the advancement of D&I and social responsibility
in the community.
☐ 11.5 The organization’s D&I initiatives in the community
are treated as more than philanthropy. They are perceived
as a core function mainstreamed into organizational
strategy.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☐ 11.6 The organization expresses support for the principles
enshrined in the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and the Global Compact and reflects this in both
intent and in action.
☒ 11.7 Community involvement reflects long-range planning
and supports most segments of the population.
☒ 11.8 The organization supports scholarship and internship
programs for underrepresented populations that have a
positive impact on both the community and the
organization’s future labor force.
☒
11.9 Employees are encouraged to volunteer in their
community. In some cases, the organization “loans” them to
work for nonprofit organizations.
☐ 11.10 The organization connects D&I goals with ethics
and integrity initiatives, and supports social justice, social
cohesion, and economic development.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☒ 11.11 The organization partners with other organizations
that work to advance the rights of vulnerable groups in the
community.
☐ 11.12 The organization publicizes its social responsibility
policy.
☒ 11.13 Long-range community development plans are
formulated with diverse groups, including local governments
and community leaders.
☐ 11.14 Community heroes from underrepresented groups
and/or champions for D&I issues are celebrated by the
organization.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 11.15 There is some minor involvement in or support for
societal D&I issues but only if considered non-controversial.
☐ 11.16 There is some minor involvement with the
community, schools, and/or local government projects,
primarily for public relations purposes.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 11.17 There is no involvement or support provided to
community or government initiatives related to D&I.
☐ 11.18 The organization is not willing to take a stand or
adopt a firm position about D&I.
Table 25: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 11
For GDIB Category 11 PRP has rated itself a number of achievements at the Proactive and
Progressive level, as well as 2 achievements at the Best Practice level. These are
commendable efforts of the PRP to support local charities and community organizations. We
acknowledge that the PRP does have 6 community advisory committees, and PRP indicated
that their input helps shape PRP’s long range goals and response to current issues:
» Black Advisory Group
» Chinese Advisory Group
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 106
» Sikh Advisory Group
» Muslim Advisory Group
» Youth Advisory Group
» LGBTQ2+ Advisory Group
Gap analysis
To improve upon existing community relations, we would suggest the PRP consider expanding
community advisory groups to include more demographic groups and ensure more frequent
communications back to the groups, as well as the public at large, about how their feedback is
being incorporated into Peel Regional Police’s community engagements.
GDIB category 12 - Products and services development
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 12 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 12.1 The product, service, and policy development cycle
recognizes diversity and accessibility from the outset. It doesn’t
merely adapt products first developed for the dominant group
or culture.
☐ 12.2 Almost all teams involved in the ongoing development
of products and services are diverse and likely include
customers, stakeholders, and community representatives.
☐ 12.3 The organization shows the link between diversity and
innovation, consistently leveraging D&I to increase product and
service innovation.
☐ 12.4 Culturally-sensitive services, such as engaging a
traditional healer in a hospital or serving foods only enjoyed by
one culture, are provided even though that practice may not be
accepted or enjoyed by others.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☒ 12.5 Changes in demographics, values, and consumer
behaviors are researched, anticipated, and served.
☒ 12.6 Product, service, and policy adaptations for people from
various groups are made. These include, for example, sharia-
compliant financial products, products for left-handed users,
and adaptations for persons with disabilities.
☒ 12.7 The organization is sensitive to the religious views,
values, and cultural norms of various countries and
communities and develops products, services, and policies that
are considered appropriate for those customers or
stakeholders.
☒ 12.8 The organization successfully leverages diverse teams,
believing it will improve the quality and innovation of products,
services, and policies.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☐ 12.9 Products, services, and policies are analyzed for their
value to current and potential customers and are tailored
appropriately.
☐ 12.10 Staff and/or consultants with expertise in D&I are
involved in product and services development.
☐ 12.11 Diverse and culturally competent product-development
and service analysis teams are encouraged to develop
innovative ideas that enhance products and services.
☐ 12.12 Research and product testing help analyze how
different customer/stakeholder groups and cultures may use
the organization’s products and services.
☒ 12.13 Accessibility for persons with disabilities is often
considered in the development and delivery of products,
services, and policies.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 12.14 There is limited interest in developing or altering
products and services based on customer preferences or
demographics.
☐ 12.15 There is no adaptation of products, services or policies
for accessibility for persons with disabilities, unless required by
law.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 12.16 No effort is made to adapt products, services or
policies for diverse customers or stakeholders.
☐ 12.17 Development teams and focus groups do not include a
diverse population of employees, potential customers, or other
stakeholders.
Table 26: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 12
For GDIB Category 12 the PRP has self-assessed mostly at the Progressive level, indicating
that the Peel Regional Police are responding to changing demographics in the delivery of
services, and that accessibility for persons with disabilities is considered in the development of
policies and services.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 107
Gap analysis:
Given feedback from the leader interviews, some service members in the Diversity Meter
Census and Inclusion survey, and some commentary from the Culture Meter Focus Groups, we
invite readers of this report to consider these benchmarks as aspirational.
» While some members of the PRP certainly do take these diversity issues into
consideration, feedback from our data collection suggests that not all service members
embrace these ideals, nor the need to adapt what they are doing to the community.
» Some service members referred to diversity considerations as a distraction from “real”
police work.
» Some members report that some service members and leaders speak disparagingly
about different communities in Peel Region and different demographic groups within
those communities.
GDIB category 13 - Marketing and customer service
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 13 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 13.1 The organization uses sophisticated analysis
techniques on an ongoing basis to understand and respond to
its diverse customer base.
☒ 13.2 The organization is keenly aware of the needs,
motivations, and perspectives of diverse customer and
stakeholder groups and successfully adapts marketing, sales,
and distribution strategies to meet these needs.
☐ 13.3 If the organization uses a systemic marketing and
customer service approach it ensures that it can be customized
or adapted within and across countries, regions, cultures,
languages, and other diversity dimensions.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☒ 13.4 Diverse groups of customers and potential customers
are surveyed on needs and satisfaction. The results shape
marketing, sales, distribution, and customer service strategies.
☐ 13.5 While outside D&I expertise may also be sought, the
organization leverages the marketing, distribution, and
customer service expertise of its diverse staff.
☐ 13.6 Marketing, advertising, public relations, and all
customer contact methods do not perpetuate stereotypes, but
rather promote positive role models and challenge
assumptions.
☐ 13.7 The marketing and sales force has intercultural
competence and can adapt and work effectively with
customers of many backgrounds.
☐ 13.8 All marketing and customer service processes are fully
accessible, and accessibility is built into the process of design
and development of marketing materials and customer service.
☐ 13.9 Agencies and consulting services with expertise in
diversity regularly provide advice.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☒ 13.10 Some attempt is made to reach a diverse range of
customers by using market-specific media.
☐ 13.11 Test groups are diverse and encouraged to evaluate
marketing and service strategies and techniques for various
groups and cultures.
☒ 13.12 Marketing, advertising, and public relations groups in
the organization reflect diversity and are positioned to reach
diverse markets.
☒ 13.13 Accessibility for persons with disabilities is routinely a
consideration in marketing and customer service.
☒ 13.14 When needed, customer service is provided in
languages other than those required by law.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 13.15 The organization only recognizes broad differences
among its customers, such as young and old, without exploring
generational differences.
☐ 13.16 Even if products and services are marketed somewhat
differently to different groups, the advertising is not adapted to
be culturally sensitive.
☐ 13.17 Customer service and marketing are accessible for
persons with disabilities only where required by law.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☐ 13.18 Advertising and publicity may perpetuate stereotypes
and traditional roles and do nothing to counter them.
☐ 13.19 Customer service, distribution, and communications
consistently ignore differences in customer needs.
Table 27: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 13
For GDIB Category 13 the PRP has rated itself primarily at the Proactive level, with one
benchmark at the Progressive level (13.4) and one at the Best Practice level (13.2). We
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 108
acknowledge PRP is doing an effective job at creating accessible communications, providing
more communications in multiple languages where required, and reflecting the diversity of the
population in imagery and marketing collateral.
Gap analysis:
We invite readers to consider the responses on 13.2 and 13.4 in the context of the feedback
received during the data collection for this audit. In the next section of this report, Organizational
Reputation, we agree that the PRP is “keenly aware of their needs, motivations, and
perspectives.” As discussed previously, feedback from some employees in the Culture Meter
Focus Groups also suggests that some members of the PRP leadership and some service
members espouse negative views of some members of the community they are serving. These
views are likely to have an impact on their formal and informal communications with the
community.
GDIB category 14 - Supplier diversity
Peel Regional Police’s self-rated achievements on GDIB Category 14 are provided below.
LEVEL 5: BEST PRACTICE
☐ 14.1 The organization’s suppliers are required to have a
significant percentage of their business with diverse suppliers
and to provide evidence that they are committed to achieving
their own D&I goals.
☐ 14.2 The organization’s suppliers reflect the community’s
composition across a broad array of diversity dimensions.
☐ 14.3 The organization collaborates with its
underrepresented suppliers to improve all aspects of supply
management.
☐ 14.4 The supplier diversity function is fully aligned with the
broad goals of D&I for the organization.
☐ 14.5 The organization procures both essential and non-
essential goods and services from underrepresented suppliers.
LEVEL 4: PROGRESSIVE
☐ 14.6 The organization is proactive in seeking and attracting
underrepresented suppliers and in informing new and
established suppliers of additional opportunities with the
organization.
☒ 14.7 The organization treats its suppliers with respect and
dignity, including simplifying the process of working together
and making timely payments.
☐ 14.8 Persons involved in the supplier selection process are
knowledgeable about D&I and aware of the potential impact of
unconscious bias.
☐ 14.9 Educational assistance and coaching is provided to
underrepresented suppliers and potential suppliers to help
them be competitive.
☐ 14.10 The organization publishes information about annual
expenditures with diverse suppliers.
☐ 14.11 D&I criteria is included in the procurement process
and given reference or weight in the decision making process.
LEVEL 3: PROACTIVE
☐ 14.12 A supplier database includes information about the
ownership of organizations that supply goods or services and
the diversity of its employees.
☐ 14.13 The organization has a supplier diversity strategy with
dedicated resources for implementation.
☐ 14.14 Input from underrepresented suppliers is included in
the organization’s supplier diversity program.
☐ 14.15 D&I education specific to supplier relations is
provided to all staff who interact with suppliers.
☐ 14.16 The organization regularly participates in trade fairs
and advertising and seeks opportunities to inform
underrepresented suppliers that the organization welcomes
their business.
☐ 14.17 Engaging in D&I is a proposal criterion, but it is not
weighted heavily or given preference.
LEVEL 2: REACTIVE
☐ 14.18 There is some attempt to include a few non-traditional
suppliers from diverse groups, but only because it is required
and without a strategy to support organizational goals.
☐ 14.19 The organization uses underrepresented suppliers,
but only for small, one-time, or low-fee contracts.
☐ 14.20 There is no or very little collaboration between the
procurement function, where relationships with suppliers are
usually managed, and the D&I function.
LEVEL 1: INACTIVE
☒ 14.21 No consideration is given to diversity when
determining suppliers and no supplier diversity program exists.
☐ 14.22 There is no recognition of the value that diverse
suppliers bring to the organization.
Table 28: Peel Regional Police Self-rated level of achievement on GDIB Category 14
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 109
Peel Regional Police has assessed itself at the inactive level on supplier diversity, indicating
that: “No consideration is given to diversity when determining suppliers and no supplier diversity
program exists.”
Gap analysis:
As a public-serving organization, the Peel Regional Police may wish to consider the creation of
a supplier diversity program to support local businesses in the Peel community.
FINDING 4.2: Peel Regional Police allocates comparable Diversity and Inclusion
resources to internal staff and external outreach initiatives.
We conducted interviews with diversity and inclusion professionals from five similarly-sized
police organizations across the country. We found that Peel Regional Police allocates similar
resources as other police organizations, for diversity and inclusion. They offer an equivalent
scope of programming and services, both internally and externally as other police organizations.
Other police services have been anonymized as a condition of their sharing internal, private and
confidential information with our interviewers.
We note that the Peel Regional Police works with other police services and external
organizations to get feedback on how they deal with diversity, equity and inclusion issues. The
information collected in this benchmarking study indicated that the Peel Regional Police’s
policies, programs and initiatives are comparable or in advance of some of the police services
examined.
Police Service
Sworn
Officers
Civilian
Members
Total
Police Service 1
1327
388.5
1717.5
Police Service 2
1579
623
2202
Police Service 3
2049
726.5
2275.5
Police Service 4
1947
892
2839
Peel Regional Police
2036
877
2913
Table 29: Size of police services examined
Level of resources dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion and race relations.
As shown in Table 30, the Peel Regional Police has allocated a comparable level of staff
resources to diversity, equity, inclusion and race relations. We note that the Peel Regional
Police has their top official responsible for diversity reporting directly to the Chief.
Police Service
Staff
dedicated
to
Diversity
Area
Highest ranking
member full-time
dedicated to
diversity
Levels
from the
Chief of
Police
Police Service 1
10
8 sworn officers and 2 civilian
members in the Diversity and
Indigenous Relations Section
Inspector
1 (direct
report to
Chief)
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 110
Police Service
Staff
dedicated
to
Diversity
Area
Highest ranking
member full-time
dedicated to
diversity
Levels
from the
Chief of
Police
Police Service 2
11
5 Diversity Cultural Resource
Officers, 2 in Hate Crime Unit, 1
staff sergeant, 1 inspector, and 1
Superintendent of Community
Services.
Inspector
2
Police Service 3
10
10 officers in Diversity Unit.
Superintendent
2
Police Service 4
6
1 sergeant, 1 constable and 2
civilians in Community Operations
Support Unit; 2 civilians with
internal focus.
Director (Civilian)
2
Peel Regional Police
10
Across various teams: 7
constables, 1 detective, 1 detective
sergeant, and 1 inspector.
Inspector
1 (direct
report)
Table 30: Staff resources dedicated to diversity in comparable police services
Demographic Measurements
As a result of the CCDI Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey, the Peel Regional Police
is now collecting a more robust set of demographic data than most of the police services
examined.
Sex
Visible Minority Status
Ethnicity /Nat'l Heritage
Disability Status
Type of Disability
Aboriginal Status
Sexual Orientation
Gender Identity/ Expression
Religion, Faith, or Spirituality
Marital Status
Parental Status
First Language or other Langu
age
Immigrant Status
Country of Origin
Age
Other
Police Service 1
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Police Service 2
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Police Service 3
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Police Service 4
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Peel Regional Police
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Table 31: Categories of demographic information collected at comparable police services
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 111
Internal Measures
In terms of internal measures used to track performance of diversity, equity and inclusion goals
within the police service, we note that some comparable police services are tracking one more
robust measures compared to PRP.
We would invite PRP to consider asking demographic questions on future employee
engagement surveys to provide more data on employee perceptions.
Employee Census
Representation by job level
Recruit, promo
tions, &
turnover by demographic
Engagement scores by
demographic
Inclusion ques
tions on
employee surveys
Human Rights/ Harassment
Complaints
Training #'s
ERG participation
Inclusiveness of organization
Police Service 1
*
*
*
*
Police Service 2
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Police Service 3
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Police Service 4
*
*
*
*
*
*
Peel Regional Police
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Table 32: Internal/Employee-Related Measurements at comparable police services
External Measures
Translators &
interpreters
Diversity
-related
recruiting
Participation
community &
cultural events
Hate
Crimes
Crimes by
Demographic
Response times by
demographic
Public interactions
by demographic
Victim satisfaction
by demographic
Public complaints
by demographic
Stop & Search rates
by demographic
Police Service 1
*
Police Service 2
*
*
*
*
Police Service 3
*
*
*
Police Service 4
*
*
*
*
Peel Regional Police
*
*
*
*
Table 33: External/public-facing measures in comparable police services
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 112
When considering methods of measuring external factors and performance related to diversity,
equity, inclusion, we note that some of the comparable police services are conducting more
measures that provide them different types of data by which to evaluate performance. Given
feedback from the public collected during the data collection for this project, we would suggest
that the Peel Regional Police consider collecting the demographic information from those who
lodge complaints against the police service to track specific issues with specific demographic
groups, and to track resolution of issues and/or improved performance over time.
Our comparison of Peel Regional Police to other comparable police services reveals that PRP
has 1) extensive programming and initiatives, 2) extensive measures, and 3) the comparability
to other similarly-sized police organizations in Canada.
Thus, Peel Regional Police’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion is comparable to other
polices services. We would suggest that as the Peel Police Services Board has expressed their
ambition for the Peel Regional Police to be a best in class police service in Canada, that the
Peel Regional Police might want to consider the allocation of additional resources. While the
resources and programs dedicated are comparable to other police services of similar size, no
other police service examined in this study has the unique demographic characteristics of the
Region of Peel, which we suggest it warrants additional emphasis to be placed on the
importance of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 113
V. Organizational reputation
Introduction
Since police officers are recruited from the community and depend on the cooperation and
acceptance of the community for the legitimacy and effectiveness of their work, the relationship
between the community and the police service is at the heart of the policing function. CCDI
utilized two of our services to gauge organizational reputation for leaders who aspire to better
decision-making, called the Industry Meter and Community Growth. From a variety of data
sources used in these services, we can:
» Focus on the issues that matter most to your reputation.
» Identify key drivers that have the most impact on creating reputational value.
» Align strategic objectives with diversity and inclusion activities to tackle reputational
issues.
To analyze and ascertain the key issues, and the key drivers to moving forward, as stated
earlier, we need to understand the projected reputation, the perceived reputation and the gap in
between. In this engagement, we provide Peel Regional Police with a cursory view of the major
issues that should be addressed. A deeper subsequent audit and resulting brand strategy would
more wholly address the following questions:
» How do we want/need to be perceived to optimize our performance as related to
diversity and inclusion?
» How are we actually perceived amongst each of their key stakeholder groups (most
significantly the wider community)?
» How big is the gap and what do we need to do to close it?
To understand how Peel Regional Police projects its reputation, we undertook an interview with
Inspector Sean Gormley from the Office of the Duty Inspector, as well as D&I professionals at 4
other police services. Through the interview with Inspector Gormley, we learned about the
initiatives that service members are offered and are a part of regarding diversity, equity, cultural
competence, and/or bias awareness.
We also asked Chief Jennifer Evans to complete the GDIB checklist which also allowed us to
understand the level at which diversity and inclusion initiatives are being adopted and
implemented.
To understand the public perception of Peel Regional Police’s reputation in regard to diversity
and inclusion, we conducted a media scan, two townhall consultations and a public survey in
spring 2018.
Projected Reputation
An organization can convey a certain brand personality to internal and external stakeholders
through various communication strategies. However, the recipients may interpret the
communicated messages through the prism of their own perceptions and thus may respond
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 114
differently to a brand message than was intended. As such a reputational analysis attempts to
understand both the perceived and projected reputation and the resultant gap.
FINDING 5.1: Peel Regional Police publicly demonstrates support for diversity
and inclusion through outward facing programming and initiatives.
This section provides a review of public outreach initiatives currently underway by the Peel
Regional Police that speak to the organization’s intent to engage with the community and
communicate publicly about PRP’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Community Advisory Groups
The Chief of Police has a number of Advisory Groups representing different segments of the
public served by Peel Regional Police. These include:
» Black Advisory Group
» Chinese Advisory Group
» Sikh Advisory Group
» Muslim Advisory Group
» Youth Advisory Group
» LGBTQ Advisory Group
Public Outreach Initiatives
Peel Regional Police is involved in a number of community and charitable events and initiatives
which they cite as having a positive impact on their public image, including:
» PRP hosts the annual Race Against Racism charitable fundraising event for community
scholarships.
» PRP hosts an annual diversity scholarship awards dinner, which provides scholarships
to racialized students in the community.
» PRP’s basketball team is out in the community at charitable events. They conduct
exhibition games with schools and community groups.
» PRP’s Hockey team is also out in the community at charitable and school events.
» PRP service members participate in the Polar Plunge to support Special Olympics
Ontario, annually.
» PRP service members participate in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund walk,
annually.
» PRP has partnerships with Safe City Mississauga.
» The Diversity Relations Bureau visits places of worship (Sikh, Muslim, Synagogue,
etc.), to gain exposure.
Knowledge mobilization
» PRP Diversity Relations Bureau produces an annual report on hate crime, which
reports on the hate crimes in the region, and what Peel Regional Police is doing to
address, prevention, education, etc.
» Communications on public website about various cultural celebrations.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 115
» PRP produces an email newsletter called This Week In Peel, which goes to all
employees in the PRP as well as several key stakeholders and members of the public
who are on the distribution list. The newsletter covers important cultural events.
Diversifying Recruitment
» PRP hosts recruitment sessions numerous times a year targeting underrepresented
groups, including women, South Asians, Muslim, and African Canadians.
• At these events, the PRP’s brings officers from those communities to speak
directly to the communities.
» The PRP cites the School Resource Office program as a source of recruitment of
young people, creating interest in a career in policing among young people.
» PRP cites several programs for youth and community members, which are also
sources of potential recruits:
• COPS (“Cadet Organization Police School”) programs, which is a military-style
cadet program. It is a mentorship and learning opportunity for young people who
are interested in being police officers.
• PRP hires civilian cadets and provides mentorship and training to help them pass
the provincial Applicant Testing Services requirements.
• PRP Auxiliary program has volunteers that represent a diverse cross section of
the community.
• The PRP Youth in Policing Initiatives (“YIPI Program”) is program where PRP
works with students for 8 weeks in the summer, through a partnership with the
Ministry of Child & Youth services & Ministry of Community and Correctional
Services.
FINDING 5.2: Peel Regional Police communicates its Diversity and Inclusion
initiatives on its website and on social media.
On the Diversity Relations Page on the PRP’s website, under the heading of Community
Support Bureau, the mission and mandate are listed. This mission is as follows, “The Diversity
Relation Bureau is dedicated to addressing various needs within our multicultural community by
supporting community initiatives, promoting inclusivity, implementing outreach programs,
developing relationships by engaging community members, providing educational opportunities,
mediating in times of crisis and conducting reviews of all hate/bias motivated crimes and
incidents.”
The Diversity Relations Bureau works with various groups from the governments and
community-based agencies to members of the community to create trusting relationships. This
is through “the sharing of information, open communication and dialogue that promotes
education of cultures, religions and current events”.
Outreach/ Hiring diverse people:
» Under the Jobs and opportunities page, there is a recruiting video.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 116
» Events in 2016 included: Women’s Only Symposium, Asian, Black, Muslim recruitment
forums, and discovery policing expo.
» Provides Women’s Only Practise PREP Run Through session.
Reports on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
» Strategic Plan 2017-2019: Professional, Diverse and Supportive Workplace.
2017 saw a focus on diversity and inclusion in Peel Regional Police’s strategic planning. Peel
Regional Police’s mission, as stated in the 2017-2019 Strategic Plan is to protect the lives,
property and rights of all through service excellence and community engagement. The values of
the Peel Regional Police include:
» Trust is the foundation of all we do.
» Respect for the dignity and rights of all.
» Understanding our community.
» Safety through service excellence.
» Transparency at all times.
We also note that the 2016 Annual Report includes information about PRP’s dedication to
diversity, equity and inclusion, including sections on:
» Innovative Recruiting Initiatives
» Embracing our diversity
Additionally, the 2016 Equal Opportunity Plan Results report is a public report that provides
goals and measures specifically on PRP’s initiatives around diversity, equity and inclusion,
including:
» Collection of demographic workforce data and the continued monitoring of progress in
hiring, retention, and promotion of individuals.
» Equal Opportunity Principles:
• Merit being the basis of hiring and promoting, and other employment practices of
this police service, thereby allowing individuals to be judged on their knowledge,
skills and abilities.
• Taking the necessary steps to eliminate barriers to equal opportunity, including
systemic barriers.
• Taking the necessary steps to eliminate discrimination and harassment by
effectively preventing it and responding to it in a manner consistent with zero
tolerance.
• Providing employment accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human
Rights Code.
These foundational documents are intended to demonstrate publicly the PRPs efforts at
diversifying the workforce and engaging with the community to support diversity, equity and
inclusion, and to support the PRP’s value of transparency.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 117
Perceived Reputation - Media
The media scan served to understand how Peel Regional Police’s actions are perceived by
sources outside of the organization.
FINDING 5.3: The majority of media stories (71%) represent Peel Regional Police
as serving the community.
This theme was evident in more than two-thirds of the stories (69.92%) in General Media and
three in four (73.13%) in South Asian Media
Figure 29 below shows the main themes that were found in the 200 media stories focused on,
or that include mention of the Peel Regional Police that were analyzed as part of this activity. A
large majority of the representation show Peel Regional Police as Serving the Community
(71.00%).
Figure 30: Main themes by Media Type.
0.00% 25.00% 50.00% 75.00% 100.00%
Controversial Leadership
Controversial Police Service
Controversial Police Service Board
Developments to Service
Involved in community
Police Service improve D&I
Praise of Police Service
Regulation of Police Service
Serving the community
Staff Income
South Asian Media General Media
Figure 29: Main themes in media representations of Peel Regional Police.
3.00%
7.00%
0.50%
6.00%
8.00%
0.50%
2.50%
1.00%
71.00%
0.50%
Controversial Leadership
Controversial Police Service
Controversial Police Service Board
Developments to Service
Involved in community
Police Service improve D&I
Praise of Police Service
Regulation of Police Service
Serving the community
Staff Income
Figure 30: Main themes by Media Type.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 118
To investigate differences in the identified themes by type of media, Figure 30 (previous page)
compares the representation of each theme in South Asian Media sources versus General
Media sources. Both types of media have Serving the Community as their dominant theme, but
this theme is a slightly larger majority in South Asian Media when compared to General Media
(73.13% versus 69.92%, respectively).
Though both types of media discuss Peel Regional Police in terms of Controversial Leadership,
the General Media has a slightly larger proportion of these stories (3.76% in General Media and
1.49% in South Asian Media).
Another point to note is that both types of media published stories that showcased Peel
Regional Police as Involved in the Community. These stories focused on the fundraising that
Peel Regional Police does for different charities or volunteering that they do within the
community. In General Media, 7.52% of stories showed Peel Regional Police Involved in the
Community, while 8.96% of stories in South Asian Media featured this theme.
Because they represent a large portion of the stories gathered on Peel Regional Police, the
remainder of the analysis will focus in more detail on stories under the Serving the Community
and Controversial themes.
Peel Regional Police are positioned as Serving the Community in a large majority (71.00%) of
media stories about the police service. This is an unsurprising finding, as this fits with the
function and overall mandate of police services. The first principle in the Police Services Act
positions the guiding principle for police services as “the need to ensure the safety and security
of all persons and property in Ontario”. Many of the stories that are coded as Serving the
Community either focus on specific crimes or more general concerns for public safety.
When looking at the proportion of these stories over time
(Figure 31), we see that a very large proportion of the
Serving the Community stories were featured between
2007 and 2010. The representation shows a downward
trend, with a smaller proportion of Serving the Community
stories showing with each successive range of years.
In terms of how the articles talk about Peel Regional
Police’s Service to the Community, the stories contained
two main sub-themes, one focused on Peel Regional
Police’s investigation of cases and the other focused on
Peel Regional Police’s promotion and/or maintenance of
safety within the community.
In terms of sentiment, most of the stories related to serving the community were neutral. This is
understandable, given that the stories were focused on Peel Regional Police fulfilling their
expected duties for the public (an example is presented in Figure 32, next page).
Figure 31: Media coverage of PRP:
Serving the Community theme by year
.
65.17%
73.77%
78.00%
40%
60%
80%
2015-20182011-20142007-2010
Serving the community
Serving the community (overall)
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 119
FINDING 5.4: Peel Regional Police perceived as “controversial” was the second
largest theme in media.
» The controversy in the stories are related to either the organization or leadership, and
sometimes both.
» This theme showed similar representation in General Media and South Asian Media
(9.77% versus 10.45%). When focusing on controversial leadership, representation in
South Asian Media was slightly less than General Media (1.49% versus 3.76%)
As seen in the Figure 34, these stories relate to either the police service overall (7.00%
representation), leadership specifically (3.00% representation), and one story focused on Board
controversy (0.05% representation). When adding together these types of stories, approximately
10.05% speak to some form of controversy related to Peel Regional Police. As mentioned,
these types of stories focus on the organization as a whole, as well as on leadership, more
specifically.
At an organizational level, the controversial stories about Peel Regional Police show a
representation of the service that links it to racial discrimination, misconduct, and the need for
regulation. Table 34 (next page) provides a more detailed list of the topics within stories that
position Peel Regional Police as controversial.
5.63%
94.37
%
0.00%
Positive
Neutral
Negative
Figure 33: “Serving the Community”
sentiment in media reports.
Figure 32: Example of a Serving the Community media story.
Rosella, L. (2016 August 15) Police hunt robbers in
Mississauga
gas station heist. Brampton Guardian. Retrieved
from
https://www.bramptonguardian.com
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 120
Controversial Police Service
Peel Regional Police accused of racial discrimination
Peel Regional Police three times more likely to stop Black than White people
SIU investigates Peel Regional Police
Peel Regional Police Board approves audit of diversity-equity practices
Peel Regional Police investigation found contrary to internal audit report
Peel Regional Police officer charged and suspended
Peel Regional Police under internal review for misconduct
Resigned Peel Regional Police officer found guilty of misconduct
Table 34: Examples of topics within Controversial Police Service stories.
Some of the stories that discuss the service in terms of controversy link the controversy directly
to Chief Jennifer Evans. Most stories related to controversy in leadership focus on the topic of
street checks of racialized citizens, while some mention interference in police investigations.
Table 35 provides a more detailed list of the topics within stories that position Peel Regional
Police leadership as controversial.
When looking over time at trends in stories that position Peel Regional Police as controversial,
the sample of news stories shows that a large proportion of these stories were more recent.
Figure 34 shows that 10.50% of all of the sampled stories in the last 10 years depict the service
as controversial, however they are depicted as controversial in 17.98% of the stories from the
year 2015 up to 2018. Stories in this period generally dealt with the topics of street checks and
misconduct, while stories before the year 2015 generally dealt with regulation of the police
service and misconduct.
Controversial Leadership
Lack of concern for the community
Public opposition and investigation interference lawsuit
Criticized for controversial street checks
Table 35: Examples of topics within Controversial Leadership stories.
Figure 34: Controversial theme by year.
0%
10%
20%
2015-20182011-20142007-2010
Controversial
Controversial (overall)
0.00%
14.29%
85.71%
Positive
Neutral
Negative
Figure 35: Controversial sentiment.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 121
When investigating the sentiment connected to the stories that position the Peel Regional Police
as Controversial, unsurprisingly, almost all of the stories had a negative tone (Figure 34,
previous page). To give a sense of the wording used to generate this negative sentiment,
representative quotes from articles that were labelled with this sentiment within the
Controversial code as listed in the boxes below. Each comes from a major publication in the
Peel region, with the circulation of larger media sources having a strong impact on the spread of
these representations.
What the media has published over the past 10 years shows how an organization’s past
behaviour and interactions with the public are understood. It can thus serve as an indicator of
perceived reputation. Not surprisingly, the media coverage in this analysis demonstrates that
the projected reputation of Peel Regional Police by the various forms of service and outreach it
performs largely resonates with the public.
As noted earlier, Peel Regional Police are positioned as Serving the Community in 71% of
media stories, which covered specific crimes or more general concerns for public safety. The
media contained two main sub-themes: 1) Peel Regional Police’s investigation of cases and 2)
Peel Regional Police’s promotion and/or maintenance of safety within the community. The
neutral tone of this finding speaks to the Peel Regional Police fulfilling their expected duties for
the public. At the same time, the theme of controversy may be linked to the disconnect between
what the Peel Regional Police believes it is projecting as an organization as a reputation, and
the contending perceptions and experiences of members of the public. For example, as seen
earlier, the Peel Regional Police have been criticized for the use of street checks, accused of
racial discrimination, officers have been charged, found guilty, and suspended, and the
organization has been under review for misconduct and investigation interference.
“Evans is also
named, along with
the police services
board, in a $21-
million lawsuit
alleging that she
interfered in the
investigation into a
fatal shooting
involving several of
her officers in 2015.”
CBC News
“Peel Regional Police
board moves for
sweeping audit of
diversity-equity
practices.
Move comes after
scathing criticism of
Chief Jennifer Evans
by an anti-
discrimination group.”
Toronto Star
“Peel Regional Police
initially cooperated,
but in late July 2010
sent a letter to Scott
stating the SIU had
no jurisdiction and
members of their
own Professional
Standards Bureau
would be taking over
the case.”
Brampton Guardian
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 122
Perceived Reputation – Townhall Consultations and Public Survey
As part of the review process, CCDI engageed in public consultations to ensure the views and
perceptions of Peel Region residents are considered when analyzing information and data
received durring the project. In order to dig deeper, and triangulate the findings from the media,
we conducted two townhall consultations, and an online public survey, open to residents of Peel
Region. Townhall consultations are an important tool in understanding how the community feels
in regard to the reputation of Peel Regional Police in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion,
and reflecting their concerns in how the Peel Regional Police delivers its services. These results
will help target areas of success and improvement with respect to Peel Regional Police’s role as
a safety organization in a diverse community.
Communications to promote participation in public townhall consultations and the online public
survey included extensive social media outreach, direct email to nearly 200 community groups
in Peel Region, including school boards, colleges and universities, as well as posters displayed
at community centres and libraries throughout Peel Region.
Response Rate:
Held in Brampton and Mississauga, the public townhall consultations were attended by 38
people in total. The public survey was completed by 70 people.
The sample size was small, and is not representative of the population of Peel Region,
however, the two data collection techniques yielded important feedback regarding
demographics and sentiments of fairness, trust, confidence, respect and honesty. These
viewpoints, in conjunction with CCDI’s other data collection techniques, provides a picture of
Peel Regional Police’s reputation.
As the data collected was received on a voluntary basis, the sentiments expressed should not
be considered representative of the Peel Region’s sentiment as a whole. The findings should be
viewed as positions held by some residents of the region, not all.
Public Consultation Demographics:
Majority of public consultation
participants self identified as racialized.
In the two townhall consultations, the majority
of participants were racialized, and there was a
mix of ages and gender identities, as well as
representation from both Mississauga and
Brampton citizens.
Geographic distribution tended to align with the
location of the townhall consultation session.
The majority of participants at the Brampton
session identified as residents of Brampton and
3%
31%
32%
0%
2%
3%
5%
20%
2%
2%
Race
Asian
Black
Caucasian
Israeli
Latin/Hispanic
Middle
Eastern
Mixed Race
South Asian
Figure 36: Racial demographics of public survey
respondents
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 123
the majority of participants in the Mississauga townhall session identified as residents of
Mississauga.
Participants in the public townhall consultation
sessions engaged in robust but respectful
discussions. Many indicated their attendance
at the session was motivated by a sincere
desire to help the PRP improve in diversity and
race relations.
Among respondents to the online public
survey, 68% of those who completed the public
survey self-identified as non-white (Asian,
Black, Latin/Hispanic, Middle-Easter, Mixed
Race and South Asian), and 69% of survey
respondents were women, whereas 29% were
men. This is unsurprising in a community in
which almost 70% of residents are racialized.
FINDING 5.5: Perceptions of fairness, effectiveness, integrity, respect, honesty
and trust vary among respondents to the public consultations.
Survey responses are presented in the
aggregate, rather than breaking down the
responses by demographic group, as the
numbers for some groups are too small to report
on.
The results from CCDI’s online public survey
demonstrate varied responses in relation to the
themes of fairness, effectiveness, integrity,
respect, honesty and trust.
» 46% of public survey respondents
agree or strongly agree that PRP
officers are respectful when dealing with
the community;
» 39% of public survey respondents felt
that PRP officers are honest;
» 45% of public survey respondents felt that the police act with integrity;
» 49% of public survey respondents indicated that they trust the police.
69%
29%
2%
0%
0%
Gender
Woman
Man
Trans
Two-Spirit
Prefer not to
answer
46%
36%
15%
3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Agree,
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree,
Slightly
Disagree
Disagree,
Strongly
Disagree
Prefer
not to
Answer
"Peel Regional Police officers are
respectful when dealing with the Peel
community."
Figure 37: Gender identities of public survey
respondents
Figure 38: Public survey respondents’ perceptions of
PRP respect in dealing with public
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 124
Some other notable responses:
42% of public survey respondents disagree or
strongly disagree that officers act fairly, and
37% of respondents rate the effectiveness of
the police in addressing the public’s concerns
as poor or very poor.
Although this represents a small sample of
people, the qualifying comments in the survey
as well as discussions from the public townhall
consultation sessions present areas of public
concern which Peel Regional Police may want
to address.
The common responses and discussions from
both the public survey and public townhall
consultation sessions are grouped below into
the following themes:
» class divides in neighbourhoods;
» sense of fear or mistrust of the police;
» resistance;
» student resource officers; and
» trust.
Class divides:
Class divides were repeatedly mentioned by
participants in both townhall consultations. We
heard several comments that were similar in
nature regarding the difference in treatment
perceived to be caused by either
socioeconomic differences, or geographic
differences.
» “Mississauga, Ward 1 and Ward 2 are
completely different. If you’re in Ward
1, you’ll only have positive
experiences. The complaints of the
affluent neighborhoods are heard,
whereas the lower-income areas are
not”.
34%
24%
37%
4%
"How effective do you think Peel
Regional Police is at working with the
public to address their concerns?"
Good, Very Good
Acceptable
Poor, Very Poor
Prefer not to
answer
Figure 41: Public survey responses on perceptions of
addressing public concerns
42%
45%
13%
"Do you think that the Peel Regional
Police treats people fairly?"
Yes
No
Prefer not to
Answer
Figure 40: Public survey respondents’ perceptions of
fair treatment by PRP
45%
24% 24%
7%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Agree,
Strongly
Agree
Slightly
Agree,
Slightly
Disagree
Disagree,
Strongly
Disagree
Prefer not to
Answer
"The Peel Regional Police is an
organization with integrity."
Figure 39: Public survey respondents’ perceptions of
PRP integrity
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 125
» “I have been told “it’s lucky you live in this neighborhood because if you lived at
Collegeway, your son would be in jail.”
» “Socioeconomic status speaks volumes; there are different interactions in poor/rich
neighbourhoods”
Sense of fear or mistrust:
This feeling was expressed by multiple townhall
participants, which was informed by their direct or
indirect experiences with Peel Regional Police.
Examples of these comments were common:
» “They don’t get training on culture and
there is very little education on anti-Black
racism …now give them a gun and a
badge….”
» “They exercise their power. At one point I
heard a cop say ‘We are a brotherhood.
There is nothing you can do against us.’”
» “Discretion is rarely used when dealing
with people of colour”
» “Most clients at the [community centre name redacted for anonymity] do not trust the
police. People fear being asked questions, particularly if they are immigrants, about
their status.”
» “My clients have had very negative experiences; those in the sex trade are bullied,
intimidated or coerced into sexual favours so that they do not get into trouble. Men are
also intimidated and have experienced physical and verbal assault from the police.”
Sense of cynicism:
Participants at both townhall consultation sessions shared that over the last few years there
have been five to six public consultations with Peel Regional Police. Participants indicated that:
» the same stories are told repeatedly at public consultation sessions; and
» in their perception, the PRP are collecting feedback but not acting on it.
Some respondents cited this sense of cynicism and oversaturation of feedback, with an
apparent lack of resulting action as a potential explanation for the low participation rates in our
public consultation sessions.
Mixed perception of School Resource Officers:
While a few participants had a positive view of the Student Resource Officers, the majority of
participants who attended the public townhall sessions did not have a positive view of the
program.
Some comments from participants around School Resource Officers are provided below:
39%
24% 24%
12%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Agree,
Strongly
Agree
Slighltly
Agree,
Slightly
Disagree
Disagree,
Strongly
Disagree
Prefer not
to Answer
"Peel Regional Police officers are
honest."
Figure 42: Public survey respondents’ perceptions
of honesty of PRP
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 126
» “Now that they are in schools, there will be higher rates of incidents of students being
charged or getting in trouble. Things that used to be dealt by parents or administrators
(i.e. suspensions) will now go to the police. This will just make the school to jail pipeline
even worse”.
» “White parents are the only ones happy about police in schools – their kids are not the
ones being carded.”
» “They are trying to be in schools, but barriers exist. They bring gifts as a way to break
down barriers, but these barriers need to be broken down in the community, not in
schools”.
» “Their goal in schools is to collect information to reduce crime...they shouldn’t be in
schools listening to gossip. They are used for surveillance rather than protection”.
» “At my school we do not often see white officers. The relationship with students isn't
always great but police are there. Students are seeing officers who look like them, but it
hasn't helped; police have power and that’s what people my age see, regardless if they
look like them or not. There is a lack of trust in police at the system level and that's the
issue”.
Gap Analysis
To analyze the relationship between what the Peel Regional Police is portraying, and the issues
heard from the media and public, we look at what’s missing or the gap. The essence of Peel
Regional Police’s perception or sentiment as related to diversity, equity and inclusion can be
perceived as one in which they put in a variety of positive efforts, and that efforts have been
made. For instance, in our Leadership Growth leader interviews, we heard this sentiment:
“For example, Peel Regional Police was the host of the 2017 Special Olympics. We
couldn’t be prouder of how we represented ourselves. We have a long history of
supporting charities and community initiatives. Peel Regional Police Services Board is
very supportive of diversity relations and initiatives. We’ve gone to the Chief’s Advisory
Group and said, “you tell us what we can do better or more”. When they hear what we
are doing, they are blown away at the effort. We just need to create better awareness of
everything we are doing. My time [department] has opened eyes to how well we are
doing”.
At the same time, the sentiment exists that their efforts are not recognized by the public, and in
fact external factors, such as the media, quash the hard-earned reputation of the police. From
the Leadership Growth leader interviews, we heard sentiments such as:
“We have a positive relationship with the community. 90% of the population is satisfied
with the work we do. For example, on any given day, we have thousands of interactions
with the public that are positive. We have thousands of interactions with people in crisis
on a yearly basis. 17 times a day, we bring someone to a hospital for treatment of
mental health conditions in the Region of Peel. 99.90% are nonviolent, and the Officer
de-escalates the situation. 1/1000 incident might end badly – that’s the story that ends
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 127
up in the media. The media’s job is to sell newspapers. We hear a lot about the 1 or 2
incidents where police officers have made a mistake. The positive interactions we had
with people with disabilities and special needs are not reported on in the media. There
are always going to be a percentage that doesn’t like the police. It is never ending work
to try and bridge that gap.”
It is clear from the Leadership Growth leader interviews, the maturity assessment, and the
environmental scan that there are a plethora of initiatives, policies and procedures in place to
address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion at Peel Regional Police. Much is being
accomplished in this direction, and the media has recognized this in the tone they use for a
large majority of the news articles. Some comments made in the townhall consultations and
survey also exemplify the positive projected reputation of the Peel Regional Police. Examples of
positive comments made in townhall consultation sessions include:
» “They are very respectful, engage in enjoyable conversation and conduct themselves
professionally.”
» “Specific focus on working to educate students on their rights and the laws of the
country (especially when working with Syrian newcomers). We had one officer come in
to talk about women in policing after hearing that one of the Syrian newcomer students
(female) said she wanted to be a police officer.”
» “Police have personal connection with students.”
» “Peel Regional Police are a support when needed.”
However, these sentiments are countered by the negative experiences of those in the townhalls
and public survey. The encounters include domestic incidents; Student Resource Officers;
car/bike collision; street checks; Boxes of Hope Charity Program; Peel Regional Police Black
Advisory Council; and LGBTQ2+ Pride. Although this sample cannot be generalized to the Peel
Region population, they do present examples of perceptions that exist, and should be
considered, especially when placed along side the sentiments expressed by employees
themselves in the Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey and Culture Meter Focus
Groups.
The experiences that were voiced covered a range of encounters. Participants were particularly
eager to share their experiences regarding street checks. Participants expressed their
perceptions that street checks were often fueled by racial profiling.
Student Resource Officers were also a discussion point that was raised frequently. There were
mixed reviews of Student Resources Officers. While some in the public, and the official view of
the police service, is that the Student Resource Officers are a positive presence in schools,
some felt that the presence of Student Resource Officers would have negative impacts on
children, especially racialized children. This is further explained in terms of a fear that incidents
that would have been disciplinary incidents between the school and parents would now have a
police officer involved and could lead to a school disciplinary incident becoming a legal issue.
Some examples of comments from the public:
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 128
» Members of racialized groups expressed reluctance to work for the Peel Regional
police because of a perception that the police service isn’t a safe place for a racialized
person to work.
» Members of the public expressed the perception that some populations (racialized) are
subjected to more surveillance than others (non-racialized).
» Members of the public who are racialized expressed fear of contacting the police if they
were in trouble and actually needed police assistance.
» Members of the public shared stories of multiple incidents of black boys being asked
‘what are you doing here’, sometimes while walking in their own neighborhood or even
on their own property.
» Members of the public expressed concern that ‘street-check’ information is being
retained longer than it should be by law. The concern was that it is being kept for
surveillance purposes and could later be used against individuals.
» One member of the public shared: “I have two bi-racial sons, one looks Black and one
looks white. The white-looking son has never experienced being carded and the black
one says it’s normal.”
» A community member shared that she was leaving church and was stopped for a
‘random check’ by the police and asked to show her car sticker. Showed him the
sticker and the officer said, ‘Ok good…I was just doing my job.’
» A community member said, “My ex-husband and I used to have two cars. One was a
nicer, more expensive one. He would tell me drive it because he said the police give
women a less hard time (compared to black men).” [Husband had a lot of experience
being pulled over while driving that car].
» A community member shared: “My son was carded while driving with his white friend….
white friend was the driver and my son (who is Black) was the passenger. The driver
wasn’t even carded, just the passenger.”
» A community member shared: “My son has also reported being carded 3 times in the
span of 15 minutes while walking from home to the library in our neighbourhood.”
» A community member shared: “I saw a black student waiting for a bus once and a
police officer was going to approach him...the student was putting his hands in his
pocket to get change because he saw the bus approaching. The police officer yelled
‘Take your hands out of your pocket!’”
Some townhall consultation members had mixed feedback on the Chief’s community advisory
groups. Participants indicated that the Black advisory council is meant to improve relationships
between community, charities, and not-for-profit organizations. Feedback has been positive for
some ethnic groups, but they expressed that the Black community’s feedback is more negative.
Some participants expressed their perception that the PRP is not taking feedback from the
Black community seriously.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 129
Conclusions and recommendations.
At the beginning of this project, the Peel Police Services Board expressed its aspiration that
Peel Regional Police become a leader in diversity and inclusion.
To date, Peel Regional Police has carefully and thoughtfully developed and implemented many
internal and external policies, procedures, programs and initiatives that focus on creating a
structured and fair workplace environment, and approach to community relations.
In particular, Peel Regional Police has a strong framework and tools in place to manage the
large volume of directives that govern their policing efforts in the community. In addition,
community relations outreach programs demonstrate active efforts to engage members of
diverse communities with the Region of Peel.
However, there are some challenges and obstacles to achieving the PPSB’s aspiration of Peel
Regional Police as a leader in diversity and inclusion.
Organizational culture
Police culture research
20
indicates a considerable mismatch or discrepancy between official
rhetoric and actual practice, where the leadership behaviours that are described as expected,
deviate from leadership in practice. This discrepancy may be a potential barrier for change
initiatives. The rigid culture also calls into question the ability of police leaders to effectively
function as agents of change in promoting organizational reform.
Furthermore, feedback from some in the Leadership Growth leader interviews, Culture Meter
Focus Groups, and Diversity Meter Census and Inclusion Survey describe the Peel Regional
Police organizational culture as rigidly hierarchical change averse.
These factors may pose challenges in implementing organizational change initiatives.
Leaders’ and police service members’ mindset
Through the course of this research, CCDI has identified that among many leaders and some
service members in the Peel Regional Police, there tends to be an over-reliance on the policies,
programs and procedures – with an expectation that because such policies, programs and
procedures exist, that equates to equality and fairness for all, and a diverse and inclusive
organization. In other words, there is an overarching belief among many leaders and police
service members that everything is already fair, that the Peel Regional Police is already doing
everything it can to promote diversity and inclusion, and that there are no problems.
The unfortunate impact of this over-reliance and belief in the fairness of policies, programs and
procedures may be the tendency among some leaders and service members to minimize or
dismiss concerns raised by minority members of the service or the public. Some minority
members of the police services and some members of the community have indicated their
20
Haake, U., Rantatalo, O., & Lindberg, O. (2017). Police leaders make poor change agents: Leadership practice in
the face of a major organisational reform. Policing and Society, 27(7), 764-778.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 130
perception that these concerns are actively ignored, dismissed as “over-sensitivity” or “taking it
too personally”, or actively denigrated. This has contributed to a sense of cynicism amongst
some minorities who provided feedback.
Ultimately, the multitude of programs and initiatives around diversity, inclusion and community
relations may have only limited impact without addressing the issues around the rigid culture
and the mindset, awareness, and competence of the leaders and police service members who
implement them.
Accomplishments
Peel Regional Police has dedicated extensive resources to programs and initiatives to improve
diversity, equity and inclusion within the police service as well as community relations. Among
key accomplishments, the following were noted:
» Peel Regional Police has a sophisticated and rigorous set of directives.
» Peel Regional Police has put in place an extensive list of community outreach
initiatives.
» Peel Regional Police’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and race-relations initiatives are
proportional to or in some cases more advanced than other police services of similar
size.
» The maturity of Peel Regional Police’s diversity and inclusion initiatives are generally
rated at the proactive level for most of the GDIB (Global Diversity and Inclusion
Benchmarks) categories.
» In the media scan, the majority of media stories about Peel Regional Police were found
to be positive, and present Peel Regional Police as serving the community.
» Generally, Peel Regional Police’s leaders and Board members demonstrate a strong
understanding that diversity includes factors beyond race and gender.
» Some of Peel Regional Police’s leaders have a good understanding of the issues of
diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (as assessed in leadership interviews).
» A quarter of Peel Regional Police’s leaders were assessed to have a level of cultural
competence above minimization.
» Many employees of Peel Regional Police and community members expressed positive
sentiments about the PRP dedication to diversity, inclusion, equity and accessibility.
Issues/Opportunities
KEY FINDING: Dissonance may exist between the objectives of the initiatives that
are already underway, and the mindset, awareness, and competence of those
developing and implementing them.
The success of all the programs and initiatives underway with PRP are impacted and potentially
limited by the mindset, competence, and level of awareness of some of the PRP leaders and
PPSB board members, as well as some members of the police service.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 131
Many leaders’ perceptions around the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion are based on
their own personal experiences with a lack of awareness or acknowledgement of the
experiences of others in the organization who have different identities.
We observed a tendency by some in the leadership team and members of the police service to
minimize, misunderstand, or disregard the experiences of minorities in the organization, and/or
to disregard the feedback from some populations because it was not reflective of the majority
view, coupled with a resignation that ‘you can’t please everyone’. The fact that the majority are
not experiencing the problem doesn’t negate the existence of the problem.
We acknowledge there has been a lot of effort and resources dedicated to connecting with the
community and promoting diversity and inclusion efforts within the service, and these efforts
have been recognized in a number of different ways by some employees and members of the
community.
However, the overall success of these initiatives is determined by the mindset, awareness, and
competence of those implementing them, and there may be a gap between the goals of the
initiatives and the cultural competence and awareness of the leaders, as demonstrated by the
IDI
®
exercise and the Leadership Growth leaders’ interviews. Furthermore, many members of
the police service expressed their opinions that diversity and inclusion initiatives amount to
reverse discrimination.
Recommendations
A number of recommendations have been identified below which are derived from all stages of
data collection including leader and board interviews and assessments, employee focus groups,
public consultations, the environmental scan, and the review of directives.
Specific Recommendations:
1. Acknowledgment and commitment to build trust.
1.1 Publicly acknowledge issues raised in this audit and other reports, and commit to
addressing them.
1.2 Acknowledge that there are systemic issues in the police service. Acknowledge the
feedback from minority members of the police service and the community.
1.3 Commit to educating all members of the police service about the existence of
systemic issues and the experiences of minority group members.
These actions will be a first step to help address the cynicism expressed by minority
employees of the police service and community members. Ongoing acknowledgement,
commitment and follow-up will also be important to improving relations with police service
members and community members who currently have a cynical view.
Note: We recommend creating task forces or working groups, headed by senior leaders and
including service members from multiple ranks and divisions, to address the specific
recommendations below.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 132
2. Improve and enhance accountability mechanisms.
2.1 Establish a zero-tolerance policy for sexist, racist, anti-immigrant, and homophobic
remarks or jokes by PRP service members.
2.2 Establish cultural competence as a requirement for promotion, especially promotion
into the senior ranks. This should be a primary requirement for leadership in a police
service that serves such a diverse population as the Region of Peel.
2.3 Improve the rigour of diversity, equity, and inclusion competency reviews in PRP
performance appraisals. We recognize that diversity, equity and inclusion
performance competencies currently exist at PRP. This recommendation is to
examine how performance appraisals are carried out and revise this portion of
performance assessment with the goal of improving rigor. We recommend that PRP
should consider getting a few members of the PRP talent management team
certified in 3
rd
party cultural competence assessment tools, such as the IDI
®
, so that
impartial, validated assessments (not self-assessments) may be carried out on a
regular basis
21
.
2.4 Increase repercussions for lack of performance related to diversity, equity and
inclusion including increased repercussions for PRP service members who have
complaints of inappropriate behaviour against them, and those who speak
disparagingly about the populations served by the PRP.
3. Increase and expand measurement, benchmarking, and ongoing internal feedback
mechanisms.
3.1 Enhance and increase diversity and inclusion related measures throughout the
service.
3.2 Repeat diversity census and inclusion survey every 2 years, with a goal to increase
participation rate.
3.3 Enhance and increase opportunities to gather feedback from different groups of
employees, including roundtable discussions with the Chief. After each opportunity
report back to employees what was heard and what actions are being taken to
address the issues raised.
3.4 Encourage more meetings and communications and input mechanisms between
service members of different ranks.
3.5 Conduct an audit of records of street checks and traffic stops to determine if certain
groups are being stopped disproportionately. (This type of measurement and
analysis has been conducted by other police services in Canada.)
3.6 Continue the Chief’s email box so that members of the service can communicate
directly with the Chief. This is a promising practice.
21
This relates to recommendation 2.1; if a manager or performance assessor is not culturally competent, they may
not be as attuned to what constitutes good and poor performance with regard to diversity, equity and inclusion
competencies. Furthermore, research on IDI assessments of cultural competence show that all individuals
overestimate themselves on cultural competence.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 133
3.7 Improve internal employee surveys. When the PRP conducts other types of surveys,
i.e., engagement or morale, it is recommended to include demographic questions so
that responses can be examined by demographic, to identify differences in
perceptions by different populations.
3.8 Improve public surveys. When the PRP conducts community surveys, it is
recommended to include demographic questions, to ensure that community surveys
are capturing responses proportionally from the demographics represented in the
Region of Peel, and to determine if different demographic groups in the Region have
different perceptions of the PRP.
4. Improve competence of leaders and service members.
4.1 Increase requirements for diversity, equity, inclusion and cultural competence
training for all police service members including sworn and civilian members.
4.2 Develop a formalized curriculum of progressive bias-awareness and bias mitigation
training, and cultural competence training that is required at intervals for all service
members, including civilians.
4.3 Increase diversity, equity, inclusion and cultural competence training for members of
the Peel Regional Police Association.
4.4 Include and/or increase content related to diversity, equity and inclusion in all
training provided to PRP members.
4.5 Expand educational opportunities for all officers on different populations and issues.
Guidebooks which are available for officers on certain demographics should become
more formalized training, because those who most need the development are the
least likely to voluntarily read the guidebooks. This may include: provide mandatory
awareness/competency training regarding different groups represented in the
population, for example:
» Racialized people;
» Cultural and Religious groups;
» LGBTQ2+ identified individuals; and
» Indigenous peoples, etc.
4.6 Increase diversity training for new recruits beyond the current half day, out of 9-12
week training program.
4.7 Conduct an audit of those who have not completed currently available training, and
create a plan to ensure every employee of PRP has completed the current training
available related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, respect in the workplace, bias
awareness, fair and impartial policing, and Leadership in Policing Organizations.
Create accountability mechanisms and repercussions for not completing mandatory
training.
4.8 Implement mandatory anti-racism training for all service members, including
civilians.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 134
4.9 Implement mental health first aid training for all service members at regular
intervals.
4.10 Address concerns of “reverse discrimination” amongst service members by
enhancing communications and educational opportunities on the representation of
the service and the experiences of minority members of the service. Establish
programs to educated PRP members on privilege, stereotypes, and bias, particularly
pertaining to gender and racialized persons, to develop employees’ understanding
of how these issues affect women and racialized persons within the service and
within the public.
5. Enhance community engagement
5.1 Allocate increased funding and people resources to community policing in general
and to the Diversity Relations and Community Support team in particular.
5.2 Make a concerted effort to increase the importance and prestige of community
policing and diversity relations within the service. Enhance community policing as a
criterion for promotion.
5.3 Consider expanding Community Advisory Groups to include more demographic
groups. In addition to the groups currently aligned by religion, we would suggest
PRP consider establishing additional groups related to specific ethnicities, women,
and racialized youth. Further is it recommended that the PRP engage Community
Advisory Groups to provide input into decisions before they are made, and ensure
more frequent communications back to the groups, as well as the public at large,
about how their feedback is being incorporated into Peel Regional Police’s decision
making and community engagement initiatives. (see also recommendations for
reputation building below).
6. Improve representation of under-represented groups, particularly women and
racialized service members.
CCDI recognizes the limitations on diversifying the workforce due to a number of factors,
including:
» The police recruitment system in Ontario is managed by a third-party vendor,
Applicant Tracking Services.
» Applications to ATS from under-represented groups are limited.
» Successful recruits who make it through the ATS system from under-represented
groups are limited.
We suggest that implementing a number of the recommendations contained in this report
may help with encouraging applicants from under-represented groups to become more
interested in working with the Peel Regional Police.
Some specific recommendations with regard to improving representation are listed below:
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 135
6.1 Those in charge of advancement should be educated in understanding differences
and the impact their biases may have on selection, development, and advancement
decisions.
6.2 Offer development programs to employees, particularly Women, and encourage
them to consider development opportunities and positions outside their current
functional, technical, or professional area.
6.3 Examine systems, practices, requirements and culture within your organization to
reduce barriers for inclusion of Women in leadership.
6.4 Offer development programs to employees, particularly Racialized persons, and
encourage them to consider development opportunities and positions outside their
current functional, technical, or professional area.
6.5 Continue and expand the promising initiative of hosting recruitment fairs with under-
represented communities. Be authentic in these recruitment fairs about what the
PRP is doing to address diversity and inclusion issues raised in this report.
7. Enhancements to accessibility and inclusion of service members with disabilities.
7.1 Provide increased technology support for mobility and disabilities, and flexible work
arrangements should be available for employees who need them.
7.2 PRP should regularly communicate, through different channels, about its
accommodation policies.
7.3 Policies and practices related to disability should be applied equitably across the
organization.
8. Organizational culture change.
As addressed in the literature review and throughout the data gathering processes of this
project, there are significant challenges related to the rigidly hierarchical paramilitary
organizational culture of policing in general, as well as identified aspects of the Peel
Regional Police in particular, that contribute to a lack of feelings of inclusion overall, and
specific issues for some groups. Some of the fundamental issues cannot be solved by more
programs and initiatives, or changes to policies and directives. This suggests a need for
more extensive culture change. We recommend that PRP create a task force or working
group involving members of the Chief’s management group and others throughout different
ranks and divisions within the organization to identify the culture PRP wants to create in the
future, what aspects of the organizational culture need to change and/or can reasonably be
changed, and use a rigorous change management approach to embark on an organizational
culture change initiative. This is necessarily a long-term project. However, we have seen
similar initiatives in other male-dominated rigidly hierarchical organizations yield success.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 136
Additional recommendations related to documentary review of directives.
Compliance
» Revise existing policies and procedures to include all protected grounds under the
Ontario Human Rights Code.
» Develop new policies and procedures for evolving needs of Peel Region’s diverse
populations. For example, consider developing a policy on competing rights based
on the Ontario Human Rights Commission sample policy on this topic.
» Develop a directive to cover policy and procedures with respect to accommodation in
assessment and testing of new recruits as well as for promotions, development and
re-assignment of existing employees.
Accessibility
» Implement a plain-language review of each new directive and when an existing one
is being re-evaluated.
» Pilot test the directive on a sample of the members from various departments and,
depending on the results, make necessary changes.
» Add page numbers to each directive for ease of access and use.
» Indicate on each directive that it is available in alternate formats and how to access
them.
» Include on the intranet (internal) and internet (external) sites when they were last
reviewed for compliance with the AODA and when the next review is scheduled.
Scope and impact
» Have an identifiable section to indicate the scope and application of the directive that
is explicit about what the directive covers and to whom it applies.
» Consider including an explicit commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as a core
value. A statement could also be included at the beginning of each directive and on
the home page of the internet and intranet sites.
» Add the diversity of populations working in the PRP and residing in the region more
explicitly, particularly Indigenous Peoples and LGBTQ2+.
Consistency and currency
» As stated above, add a section on scope and application to indicate to whom the
directive applies.
» Add a specific section on Roles and Responsibilities and delineate them consistently
in each directive, i.e. in the same format and order in each directive.
» Re-evaluate directives on the dates as indicated.
» Establish a re-evaluation policy and schedule (if none exists) and adhere to them.
» Use current, non-discriminatory terminology. For example, people/persons with
disabilities instead of disabled people/persons.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 137
Intersectionality
» When a new directive is developed ensure that related directives are reviewed and
cross-referenced as needed.
» Whenever there are changes to legislation, regulations and standards, ensure
directives are updated as required.
General
» Consider specific directives on the following topics:
• Conflict of interest.
• Discipline.
» Add the Code of Ethics to the directive for Civilians as it exists for Sworn Members,
even if there is no requirement of swearing of an oath or affirmation.
Recommendations for reputation-building
When it comes to shifting and enhancing reputation there are key drivers depending on the
brand and industry. For a government service such as the police, it ultimately comes down to
leadership, governance, culture, and communications management. As such, how police
services brand themselves is dependent on a well-planned, expertly executed program of
systemic policy and change management initiatives.
Although out of scope of this engagement, in our view, CCDI recommends that in order to
strengthen the brand relationship between Peel Regional Police and the community (and other
stakeholder groups), a fulsome brand audit, followed by the development of a brand strategy
that incorporates a diversity, equity and inclusion lens is required. The strategy must reflect the
unique nature and role of the police and ensure that it does not risk compromising the Peel
Regional Police’s activity in any way. Peel Regional Police may wish to engage in an exercise to
determine a value proposition (mission and vision) with a diversity, equity and inclusion lens.
Some preliminary questions could include:
» Why does our organization exist?
» What are our core values and how are they incorporated into our brand?
» How does we fulfil the declarations set out in our rationale for our existence?
» What makes us different from other police services?
» What is different about the community we serve?
» What mechanisms will we use to help officers and civilian members internalize the
brand?
A subsequent audit and resulting brand strategy would answer the following questions:
» How do we want/need to be perceived in order to optimize our performance as
related to diversity and inclusion?
» How are we actually perceived amongst each of their key stakeholder groups (most
significantly the wider community)?
» How big is the gap and what do we need to do to close it?
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
www.ccdi.ca 138
Works Cited
» Ahmed, S. (2007). 'You end up doing the document rather than doing the doing':
Diversity, race equality and the politics of documentation. Ethnic and Racial Studies.
30(4). 590-609.
» Ahmed, S. (2007). The language of diversity. Ethnic and Racial Studies. 30(2). 235-
256.
» Boekhorst, J.A. (2015). The role of authentic leadership in fostering workplace
inclusion: A social information processing perspective. Human Resource
Management, 54(2), 241-264.
» Bolton, K. (2003). Shared perceptions: Black officers discuss continuing barriers in
policing. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies &
Management, 26(3), 386-399.
» Bourke, J., Dillon, B. (2016). The six signature traits of inclusive leadership: Thriving
in a diverse new world. Deloitte University Press. Retrieved online from
https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/topics/talent/six-signature-traits-of-inclusive-
leadership.html
» Bourke, J., Smith, C., Stockton, H., & Wakefield, N. (2014). From Diversity to
inclusion: Move from compliance to diversity as a business strategy. Retrieved online
from http://dupress.com/articles/hc-trends-2014-diversity-to-inclusion/.
» Brown, M., Stetren, E., & Topa, G. (2013). Do informal referrals lead to better
matches? evidence from a firm’s employee referral system. Federal Reserve Bank of
New York Staff Reports. Retrieved online from
https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/staff_reports/sr568.pdf
» Burke, M. (1992). Cop culture and homosexuality. The Police Journal, 65(1), 30-39.
» Campeau, H. (2015). ‘Police Culture’ at Work: Making Sense of Police
Oversight. British Journal of Criminology, 55(4), 669-687.
» Charbonneau et al. (2009). The Self-Reported Use of Social Equity Indicators in
Urban Police Departments in the United States and Canada. State & Local
Government Review, Vol. 41, No. 2 (2009), pp. 95-107
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion www.ccdi.ca 139
» Davies, A. and Thomas, R. (2003) ‘Talking COP: Discourses of Change and Policing
Identities’, Public Administration, 81, 4, 681-99.
» Deloitte Australia. (2013). Waiter, is that inclusion in my soup? A new recipe to
improve business performance. Retrieved online from
http://www.globaldiversityexchange.ca/waiter-is-that-inclusion-in-my-soup/.
» Dowler, K. (2005). Job Satisfaction, Burnout, and Perception of Unfair Treatment:
The Relationship Between Race and Police Work. Police Quarterly, 8(4), 476-489.
» Ernst, S. (2013). Theorizing and practising organizational culture and diversity: A
case study. CAMBIO: Rivista sulle Trasformazioni Sociali, 3(6), 197-210.
» Frost, S. (2014). The inclusion imperative: How real inclusion creates better business
and builds better societies. Philadelphia: Kogan Page.
» Golshan, T. (2017). Study finds 75 percent of workplace harassment victims
experienced retaliation when they spoke up: What we know about sexual
harassment in America. Vox Media. Retrieved online from
https://www.vox.com/identities/2017/10/15/16438750/weinstein-sexual-harassment-
facts
» Gould, L.A. (2000). A longitudinal approach to the study of the police personality:
Race/gender differences. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 15(2), 41-51.
» Hassell, K., & Brandl, S. (2009). An Examination of the Workplace Experiences of
Police Patrol Officers: The Role of Race, Sex, and Sexual Orientation. Police
Quarterly, 12(4), 408-430.
» Herring, C. (2009). Does diversity pay? Race, gender, and the business case for
diversity. American Sociological Review, 74, 208-224.
» Holdaway, S. (1982). 'An inside job: a case study of covert research on the police', in
M. Bulmer (Ed.) Social Research Ethics. London: Macmillan
» Holdaway, S. (1987). 'Discovering structure: studies of the police occupational
culture', in M. Weatheritt, (Ed.) The Future of Police Research. Aldershot: Gower
» Holdaway, S. (1997). Constructing and sustaining 'race' within the police workforce.
The British Journal of Sociology, 48(1). 19-34
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion www.ccdi.ca 140
» Holdaway, S. & O'Neill, M. (2006). Ethnicity and culture: Thinking about 'police
ethnicity'. The British Journal of Sociology, 57(3). 483-502.
» Hyman, P. (2000). Women in the CIB: Opportunities for and barriers to the
recruitment, progress and retention of women in the Criminal Investigation Branch
(CIB). Report commissioned by National Crime Manager, New Zealand Police
Strategic Advisor. Human Resources, EEO. Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand
Police.
» Jain, H., Singh, P., & Agocs, C. (2000). Recruitment, selection and promotion of
visible‐ minority and aboriginal police officers in selected Canadian police
services. Canadian Public Administration, 43(1), 46-74.
» Jones, M. & Williams, M.L. (2015). Twenty years on: Lesbian, gay and bisexual
police officers' experiences of workplace discrimination in England and
Wales. Policing and Society, 25(2), 188-211.
» Kaykac, A. (2017). Employee referral programs are killing diversity in the tech
industry. Retrieved online from https://medium.com/startup-grind/referral-programs-
are-killing-diversity-in-the-tech-industry-c78d1c0696f9
» Kochan, T., Bezrukova, K., Ely, R., Jackson, S., Joshi, A., Jehn, K., Leonard, J.,
Levine, D., Thomas, D. (2003). The Effects of Diversity on Business Performance:
Report of the Diversity Research Network. Human Resource Management, 42, 3–21.
» Lewis, C. (1992). The report of the Race Relations and Policing Task Force, 1992.
Toronto: Race Relations and Policing Task Force.
» Lowe, G. (2014). The wellness dividend: How employers can improve employee
health and productivity. Retrieved online from
http://workplacewellnessonline.ca/pdfs/wellness-dividend-report.pdf
» Marczak, M., & Sewell, M. (1998). Using focus groups for evaluation. University of
Arizona. Retrieved online from https://cals.arizona.edu/sfcs/cyfernet/cyfar/focus.htm
» May, K. (2015). Presenteeism’ worse than absenteeism? Thousands of public
servants have mental health issues, expert says. The National Post. Retrieved online
from
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/presenteeism-
worse-than-absenteeism-thousands-of-public-servants-have-mental-health-issues-
expert-says.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion www.ccdi.ca 141
» National Research Council. (2004). Fairness and Effectiveness in Policing: The
Evidence. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press
» Normandeau, A. and Leighton, B. (1990). A Vision of the Future of Policing in
Canada: Police Challenge 2000. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services Canada
» O’Mara, J., & Richter, A. (2016). Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks:
Standards for organizations around the world. Diversity and Inclusion Collegium.
Retrieved online from
http://diversitycollegium.org/usertools/GDIB-V-03072016-3-
2MB.pdf
» Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2018). Harassment. Ontario Human Rights
Commission. Retrieved online from
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/tag/discrimination-
type/harassment
» Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2018). Identifying sexual harassment. Ontario
Human Rights Commission. Retrieved online from
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-
preventing-sexual-and-gender-based-harassment/2-identifying-sexual-harassment
» Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2018). OHRC policy position on sexualized and
gender-specific dress codes. Ontario Human Rights Commission. Retrieved online
from http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/book/export/html/17016
» Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2018). What is "discrimination"?. Ontario
Human Rights Commission. Retrieved online from
http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/iii-
principles-and-concepts/2-what-discrimination
» Reiner, R. (1985), The Politics of the Police. St. Martin’s.
» Rojek, J. & Decker, S.H. (2009). Examining racial disparity in the police discipline
process. Police Quarterly. 12(4). 388-407
» Sharma, V. (2016). Do Employee Referral Programs reduce diversity? Retrieved
online from
https://www.greenhouse.io/blog/do-employee-referral-programs-reduce-
diversity
» Skolnick, J. H., & Fyfe, J. J. (1993). Above the law: Police and the excessive use of
force. New York: Free Press.
» Slonaker, W.M., Wendt, A.C., & Kemper, M.J. (2001). Discrimination in the ranks: an
empirical study with recommendations. Police Quarterly. 4(3). 289-317
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion www.ccdi.ca 142
» Stroshine, M.S. & Brandl, S.G. (2011). Race, gender, and tokenism in policing: an
empirical elaboration. Police Quarterly. 14(4). 344-365
» Sullivan, J. (2004). Increasing diversity hires by modifying your employee referral
program. Retrieved online from
https://drjohnsullivan.com/uncategorized/increasing-
diversity-hires-by-modifying-your-employee-referral-program/
» Tsai, Y. (2011). Relationship between organizational culture, leadership behavior
and job satisfaction. BMC Health Services Research, 11, 98.
http://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-11-98
» Whitfield, G. and Landeros, R. (2006) Supplier diversity effectiveness: Does
organizational culture really matter? Journal of Supply Chain Management, 42, 16-
28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-493X.2006.00019.x
» Workman-Stark, A. (2015). From exclusion to inclusion: A proposed approach to
addressing the culture of masculinity within policing. Equality, Diversity, and
Inclusion: An International Journal, 34(8):764-775.
» Workman-Stark, Angela L. (2017). Inclusive Policing from the Inside Out. Springer
International Publishing.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI)
CCDI has a mission to help the organizations we work
with be inclusive, free of prejudice and discrimination –
and to generate the awareness, dialogue and action for
people to recognize diversity as an asset and not an
obstacle. Through the research, reports and toolkits we
develop and our workshops, events and workplace
consultations, we’re helping Canadian employers
understand their diversity, plan for it and create
inclusion.
CCDI’s leadership has a proven model that’s cultivated
trust as an impartial third party. Our expertise is focused
on the topics of inclusion that are relevant in Canada
now and the regional differences that shape diversity.
A charitable organization that thinks like a business, we
have created a niche with our innovative research
technology and data analysis that brings a deeper
understanding of Canadian diversity demographics and
mindsets at any given moment.
Contact us
For any questions regarding the benefits of becoming
a CCDI Employer Partner or other CCDI services,
please contact:
Nyla Camille Guerrera
Senior Director, Partner Relations
1-416-968-6520 x 112
nyla.camille@ccdi.ca
CCDI is grateful for the ongoing support of our Founding Partners.
www.ccdi.ca
