DIVERSITY REPORT 2020 - About Rogers
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DIVERSITY REPORT 2020
CONTENTS
13 / Sportsnet
24 / Building Inclusion Across
Rogers Communications
03 / Introduction
08 / OMNI Television
14 / News & Entertainment
30 / Employee Resource Groups
05 / All IN
09 / Citytv
18 / OMNI Television
38 / Accessibility
06 / All IN Pillar 1 - Business
11 / Radio
19 / All IN Pillar 4 - Mentorship
& Sponsorship
40 / Recognized & Awarded
07 / All IN Pillar 2 - Community
12 / All IN Pillar 3 - Content
22 / All IN Pillar 5 - Hiring
& Career Advancement
43 / Looking Forward to 2021
INTRODUCTION
Rogers Sports & Media
is deeply committed to
inclusion and diversity.
Rogers Sports & Media is proud to submit our 2020 Diversity Report
in compliance with the reporting requirements established by the
Commission in Broadcasting Public Notices CRTC 2005-24,
Commission’s response to the report of the Task Force for Cultural
Diversity on Television, and 2007-122, Canadian Association of
Broadcasters’ Best Practices for Diversity in Private Radio; Reporting
requirements on cultural diversity for commercial radio operators.
Rogers Sports & Media is deeply committed to inclusion and diversity,
and we have a long track record of leading in this important space.
The events of 2020, which exposed the true extent of systemic racism
in Canadian society, and society more generally, were a catalyst for us
to take the unprecedented and necessary steps to go even further.
As a national Canadian media company, we understand our unique
role and responsibility to amplify these difficult conversations while
taking action in any and every space we can to drive positive change.
We are proud to use our multi-platform megaphone to ensure
diverse voices are heard.
We coined this all-encompassing and action-focused new strategy
All IN, a wide-ranging inclusion and diversity initiative built on five
pillars: Business, Community, Content, Mentorship & Sponsorship,
and Hiring and Career Advancement Practices. All IN spans all
aspects of our business, and we are excited to detail our ongoing
strategy in this report.
03 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report
WHO WE ARE
Five multicultural television stations which
form OMNI Television (CHNM-DT Vancouver,
CJCO-DT Calgary, CJEO-DT Edmonton,
CFMT-DT Toronto, and CJMT- DT Toronto).
OMNI Regional — a national, multilingual,
multi-ethnic discretionary service with four
regional feeds (OMNI East, OMNI Pacific,
OMNI Prairies and ICI Quebec).
Citytv stations across Canada, including
six conventional and one educational
(CKVU-DT Vancouver, CKAL-DT Calgary,
CKEM-DT Edmonton, CHMI-DT Winnipeg,
CITY-DT Toronto, CJNT-DT Montreal,
and SCSN-DT Saskatchewan).
Seven discretionary services
(OLN, FX, FXX, Sportsnet, Sportsnet One,
Sportsnet 360, and Sportsnet World).
Today’s Shopping Choice — Canada’s
only nationally televised shopping service.
54 radio stations across Canada.
The Toronto Blue Jays franchise and stadium
(Rogers Centre) and a 37.5% investment
share in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
04 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report
THE All IN PLAN HAS FIVE KEY PILLARS:
Business: Give $5 million over the next 5 years
in free advertising and creative services to support
local businesses owned by BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+,
PWD, or women
Community: Give $5 million over the next 5 years
in free advertising and creative services to charities
that support equity-seeking communities
Content: Launch an internal Content Advisory
Council, comprised of diverse employees, to
increase diversity of thought and focus in our
content and programming
Mentorship & Sponsorship: Create a program
to give young people from equity-seeking
communities (both from inside and outside
of Rogers) the tools, support, and resources
to successfully enter and advance in the
sports and media industry
Hiring and Career Advancement Practices:
Develop a set of specific programs and
recruitment strategies to improve diversity
at all levels of the organization, including
leadership positions
All IN In 2020, Rogers Sports & Media launched
All IN, an Inclusion & Diversity strategy
that encompasses all areas of the media Rogers Sports & Media intently listened and learned from its employees
and partners about the role its powerful media megaphone can play
business and complements the wider
in helping drive positive change in society. These learnings shaped All
diversity strategies implemented by IN’s five pillars, each designed to support and empower equity-seeking
Rogers Communications Inc. communities long after the headlines fade.
05 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report
We are thrilled Rogers Sports & Media chose
us to pilot this program. It is a game changer
to organizations like Reelworld. Our
non-profit could never have afforded the cre-
ative and ad services that we received from
Rogers Sports & Media. These promotions
ensured the success of our initiatives.”
— Tonya Williams, Executive Director
and Founder of Reelworld
Our partnership with the Reelworld Film Festival included creating two
television and two radio commercials, part of an advertising campaign
for Reelworld that was promoted across our media assets. The partnership
resulted in a 374% audience growth and 470% increase in member sign
up for the business.
Rogers Sports and Media was proud to be the exclusive media
sponsor of the 2nd Startup & Slay digital series produced by
O1.
Rogers Sports & Media will be providing $5 million How She Hustles, a diverse women’s network founded by Emily Mills.
over the next 5 years in free advertising and creative How She Hustles launched Startup & Slay during the COVID-19
services to support local businesses owned by Black,
BUSINESS
pandemic and October’s Small Business Month to amplify the voices
Indigenous, people of colour, LGBTQ2S+, PWD, or of Canada’s diverse women and non-binary entrepreneurs.
women. In our inaugural year we partnered with two
All IN Pillar 1 - Business
businesses to pilot the program – How She Hustles and Rogers Sports & Media extensively promoted the Business and
the Reelworld Film Festival. Community pillars of All IN across all our platforms in 2020, and we
have received more than 500 applications for support in the 2021 year.
Reelworld is the largest national platform dedicated
to changing the face of the media landscape by
empowering and showcasing Canadians identifying as
Black, Indigenous, Asian, South Asian, Middle Easters
and Latinx in screen-based industries.
06 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report
Rogers Sports & Media will also be providing
$5 million over the next 5 years in free advertising
and creative services to charities that support all
equity-seeking communities. For the pilot and
inaugural year of this national initiative, we partnered
with Indspire, an organization that partners with
Indigenous, private and public stakeholders to
educate, connect and invest in First Nations, Inuit
and Métis people in order to achieve their highest
potential. Rogers Sports & Media launched a
national radio campaign, television PSAs and digital
support for Indspire’s donor awareness and sign-up
initiative. The campaign resulted in a 500% increase
in visits to Indspire’s website, 315 new donors and
over $50,000 in revenue.
Another partnership was launched with Big Brothers
Big Sisters, a national organization that provides
life-changing mentoring relationships for young
people struggling with societal barriers and
adversities. Our support began in 2020 with a
O2. national PSA campaign, and our support of this
important organization will continue in 2021.
COMMUNITY In addition to these national charitable partnerships,
we support community organizations locally and
All IN Pillar 2 - Community regionally through all our services.
The campaign resulted in a 500%
increase in visits to Indspire’s
website, 315 new donors and
over $50,000 in revenue.
07 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report
OMNI TELEVISIION
OMNI Television is proudly mandated to support
Canada’s growing diversity and invests a great
deal of time and resources in building and
nurturing relationships with grassroots ethnic
organizations. All of our OMNI TV stations actively
pursue sponsorships and event opportunities that
reflect OMNI TV’s diversity mandate (such as the
Top Immigrant Awards 2020, the International
Film Festival of South Asians and the Museum of
Anthropology’s Shame and Prejudice exhibit), and
Community Liaison Officers (CLOs), representing
each of the regions OMNI TV serves, play a key
role in monitoring and fostering these diversity
initiatives. Our CLOs are responsible for keeping
track of all community events and community
sponsorships, and support includes PSAs,
on-air and online promotions, event coverage
and providing emcees for community events. OMNI TV and Rogers tv partnered to create a series of educational
twelve one-minute interstitials/PSAs voiced in 10 languages: English,
We are particularly proud of the series produced French, Cantonese, Mandarin, Punjabi, Italian, Arabic, Tagalog,
by OMNI TV and Rogers tv of interstitials designed Portuguese, and Hindi. To ensure accuracy in our depiction and that
to increase understanding of and foster respect for we are telling the right stories, OMNI TV engaged with various
Indigenous history and traditions among Canadians Indigenous groups and individuals to help determine, review and
from different ethno-cultural backgrounds. approve all scripts and content.
Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report 08
CITYTV STATIONS
Citytv actively pursues sponsorships and event
opportunities that reflect our diverse audiences
across Canada. Community Calendars support
hundreds of events per year and diverse and
multicultural events are often showcased. Host
appearances play a large part in our diversity
sponsorships, and integrating Breakfast Television
and Cityline hosts into diverse events is a very
important part of developing our relationships
with pillars in the community. For example, Cityline
Host Tracy Moore took part in a mentorship
conversation with the Code Black Communicator
Network, joining black media colleagues from
across Canada to speak at a networking event
for black communication professionals.
OMNI Advisory Council
OMNI REGIONAL
The OMNI Regional Advisory Councils play a large role in assisting
local ethnic communities that wish to become involved with OMNI
TV, identify important community partners and ensure that Rogers
Sports & Media provides an appropriate level of programming
commensurate with the demographics of each market where
OMNI TV operates. The members of the OMNI Advisory Councils
were carefully selected to provide strong representation of the
various ethnocultural communities within OMNI TV’s broad
service mandate, and because they possess a diversity of skill
sets and experience.
09 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report
ROGERS TV
Alongside our mainstream channels, Rogers Sports
& Media also broadcasts locally produced, locally
reflective community programming called Rogers tv.
Made up of 30 stations owned and
operated by Rogers Sports & Media
in Ontario, New Brunswick and
Newfoundland, the programming
engages with many volunteers and
multicultural groups who have long
worked with Rogers tv to produce
and share magazine-style programs
about their local activities.
An example of this type of collaboration is the two-season access
series produced by Rogers tv St. Johns called, Sharing Our Cultures.
Hosted by Dr. Lloydetta Quaicoe, Founder and CEO of Sharing Our
Cultures Inc., the series features remarkable people from around
the world who now call Newfoundland home, as they share their
cultures, contributions and experiences. Dr. Quaicoe is also a member
and Chairperson of the OMNI East Advisory Council. Due to this
partnership, Sharing Our Cultures is also broadcast on OMNI TV
Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report 10RADIO
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation
of most local events historically supported by our radio
stations. However, Rogers Sports & Media was able to
provide direct support to Canadian artists from diverse
backgrounds with three Emerging Music Artist Patron
Grants. Grants were made using Canadian Content
Development funding from our radio division.
Each artist received a one-time grant of $25,000 to support
their career during the interruption of live performances
due to COVID-19, providing funding for musical initiatives
such as audio or video recordings:
• Mustafa Ahmed, aka Mustafa the Poet, is a Black Muslim
poet, singer, songwriter and filmmaker from Regent Park
in Toronto. His recent single, “Stay Alive”, is a tribute to
friends lost to gun violence in Toronto, and he was named
Best New Artist of the Month in March by Complex.com.
• Beverly Glenn-Copeland is a Black transgender artist
who has been recording music since 1970. Recently
featured in the Toronto Star for the release of his
album “Transmissions”, Glenn-Copeland spoke about his
career and the experience of transitioning.
Rogers Sports & Media was able to provide • Jeremy Dutcher is a member of Tobique First Nation
direct support to Canadian artists from in New Brunswick, and his music blends classical
and traditional Indigenous influences. His debut LP,
diverse backgrounds with three Emerging
“Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa”, is inspired by Wolastoq
Music Artist Patron Grants. songs he discovered in the Canadian Museum of
History Archives, and is an effort to preserve the
Wolastoqey language, of whom there are only about a
hundred speakers left.
11 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportRecognizing its role and responsibility SPORTSNET
in advancing the conversation of racial After the murder of George Floyd, the sports world played a pivotal
injustice and social unrest, we are role in demanding justice and bringing awareness to the issue.
Our sports personalities and platforms stood in solidarity with
using our compelling sports and
these efforts, producing live and pre-recorded programming
media assets to amplify voices that covering the events and providing a platform for diverse voices
have not always been heard with to share their stories, including:
equal measure.
As such, a Content Advisory Steering Committee was
assembled to work with editorial content business
owners to develop a new business-wide mandate for
advising on programming content.
O3.
CONTENT
All IN Pillar 3 - Content Multiple properties including Cityline, Breakfast Television,
OMNI TV, Sportsnet and Rogers TV broadcast a special
one-hour primetime show about ending racism. The show Sportsnet Central produced a three-hour special called #TheConversation
took a look at systemic racism and injustices faced by Black, on the night that both the NHL and NBA Playoffs shut down in the
Indigenous and equity-seeking communities in Canada. wake of the Jacob Blake shooting. Guests included hockey players
Evander Kane and Akim Aliu, among others.
12 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportSPORTSNET THE FAN (RADIO)
Hockey Diversity Alliance: Evander Kane, San Jose
Sharks Forward and member of the Hockey Diversity
Alliance, joined Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair and Stephen
Brunt on Sportsnet The Fan to discuss whether the
NHL would agree to his request that the league should
postpone games to stand up against systemic racism.
SPORTSNET.CA
To complement our programmatic content, Sportsnet
also used its digital properties to provide extensive
additional coverage of important stories related to
Black Lives Matter, Indigenous Peoples Day and
Pride Month on Sportsnet.ca.
Below are the links to each collection:
Black Lives Matter Collection Page On Sportsnet.Ca.
Our sports services continue to work with
Click here for more information. OMNI Television to bring our highly popular
in-language major league baseball and hockey
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Collection Page On
Sportsnet.Ca. Click here for more information. games to Punjabi and Pinoy-speaking
Canadians, airing on OMNI Television.
Pride Month Collection Page On Sportsnet.Ca.
Click here for more information.
Hockey Night In Canada: Punjabi Edition: Every Saturday night,
OMNI Television broadcasts Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi Edition
a collaborative effort between Sportsnet and OMNI TV aimed at
reaching the growing Punjabi/ South Asian community in Canada.
Blue Jays: Pinoy Edition: OMNI Television broadcasts regular season
Blue Jays games in Filipino across Canada, a collaborative effort
between Sportsnet, OMNI TV, and Programming, Promotions,
Brand and Creative teams.
Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report 13While bringing these important stories to light, our
news teams continue to ensure diversity is reflected
in the stories we cover, the people we interview, the
experts we consult and our on-air hosts. A stated
objective of our news programming is to seek input
from individuals from broadly diverse cultural and
professional backgrounds on a wide variety of
different issues.
There were countless stories and segments across
all our Citytv and news radio stations following
the Black Lives Matter protests, their Canadian
counterparts, Indigenous issues in Canada and
the wide-reaching conversations about racism and
discrimination that followed.
In the middle of a devastating
NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT
global pandemic, an unprecedented
The essential role of news in informing the Canadian movement for racial equality sparked
public during times of crisis and upheaval has never massive protests around the United
been more urgent and evident than in 2020. In
the middle of a devastating global pandemic, an States and the world. CityNews and
unprecedented movement for racial equality sparked our news radio stations brought these
massive protests around the United States and the and other urgent stories to air, such as
world. Our CityNews and our news radio stations
brought these and other urgent stories to air, such as the racial injustices Indigenous peoples
the racial injustices Indigenous peoples endure in endure in Canada.
Canada.
14 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportORANGE SHIRT DAY SPECIAL
Breakfast Television dedicated a full show to
educating viewers about the injustices faced by
Canada’s Indigenous children in the horrific residential
school system. Beginning the show with a land
acknowledgment, the show recognized the realities
of our nation’s past, including the important steps
needed to achieve reconciliation.
Residential Schools, Orange t-shirt day
Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report 15Black Lives Matter: In the wake of George Floyd’s death, Rogers launched the #SpeakUp
campaign, which Toronto station 98.1 CHFI supported with on-air conversation, digital
support on chfi.com, and on social media channels. Hosts Darren B. Lamb & Maureen
Holloway also spoke to Cityline host Tracy Moore on-air about the Citytv special, Ending
Racism: What Will It Take, as well as her #CityLineRealOnRace 5-part Youtube series,
tackling activism and what it will take to create change in the country.Black Lives Matter Mural: News 95.7 spoke with community activist, Aaliyah Paris, who is a black queer woman who wanted to paint a Black Lives Matter mural on a Halifax Street. Paris joined the Sheldon MacLeod Show to voice her concerns about the municipality stepping in and painting their own.
OMNI TELEVISION
As a multicultural/multilingual broadcaster,
OMNI TV has a focused mandate to reflect
OMNI Television is Canada’s only multilingual and multicultural television
broadcaster, dedicated to meeting the needs of the communities it
diversity to its audiences.
serves. OMNI TV is defined by a strong commitment to multiculturalism
and diversity and offers a wide range of ethnocultural and third language
programming to the country’s diverse communities. OMNI TV also funds the production of Canadian documentaries and
dramas through its commitment to Programs of National Interest (PNI).
As a multicultural/multilingual broadcaster, OMNI TV has a focused mandate These funding mechanisms have fostered the grassroots development
to reflect diversity to its audiences. OMNI TV offers a wide range of locally of Canadian television producers of ethnocultural content by providing
produced and acquired programming, including daily national news in them with a unique opportunity to further develop their skill sets through
Cantonese, Italian, Mandarin and Punjabi, current affairs programming, involvement in large-scale production projects. In our view, this is precisely
scripted dramatic programming, and special partnerships with Rogers the kind of production opportunity that fosters broader and more diverse
Sportsnet to present Blue Jays baseball games in Pinoy and Hockey Night in production activity. OMNI TV’s PNI consist of documentaries such as: Shelter
Canada games in Punjabi. OMNI TV has also partnered with ICI Television to and Writing Bethune, and drama series such as: Second Jen, Mangoes,
better serve Québec’s diverse communities. Blood and Water and Son of Smiley.
18 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportPillar 4 of the All IN plan is
designed to give young people
from equity-seeking communities
(both from inside and outside of
Rogers) the tools, support, and
resources to successfully enter
and advance in the sports and
media industry.
In 2020 this support took the form of
a significant mentorship project with
Reelworld Film Festival.
O4.
MENTORSHIP &
SPONSORSHIP
All IN Pillar 4 - Mentorship & Sponsorship
19 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportREELWORLD EMERGING 20 Rogers Sports & Media also
Three media and content professionals from Rogers Sports & Media launched three new scholarship
participated in the Reelworld Emerging 20 (E20) Incubator program programs in 2020 all aimed
in which mentors from the media industry are paired with emerging
at increasing the availability of
racially diverse content creators. Selected participants receive a week of
workshops featuring direction on perfecting their project pitches. At the diverse graduating students for
program’s conclusion, participants can apply for up to $150,000 from careers in sports and media.
Telefilm Canada’s Talent to Watch program to produce their first feature film.
SPORTSNET DIVERSITY & GENDER EQUITY INITIATIVE
Sportsnet partnered with Ryerson University to launch the Sportsnet
Diversity and Gender Equity Initiative, designed to empower students
from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in sports media. Sportsnet
committed $100,000 to Ryerson’s Sports Media program to provide
scholarships to four students, plus year-round diversity workshops at
the university’s Global Experience Sports Lap (GXS). Four scholarships
were awarded in 2020.
20 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report 20 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportAs a multicultural/multilingual
broadcaster, OMNI TV has a
focused mandate to reflect
diversity to its audiences.
OMNI SCHOLARSHIPS
OMNI Regional launched the OMNI
Regional Scholarship program in 2020.
$60,000 in scholarship funding will be
distributed over three years to support
post-secondary journalism students
interested in pursuing a career in ethnic
and third-language journalism. Details
about how to apply can be found here.
COLLEGE OF SPORTS MEDIA
Scholarships distributed to students studying radio broadcasting using Canadian
Content Development funding from our radio division, four scholarships of $2,500
were distributed in 2020. Criteria for recipients are based on overall scholastic
achievement and representation from diverse backgrounds.
21 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportPillar 5 of the All IN initiative aims
to build programs and recruitment
strategies to improve diversity at all
levels of the organization, including
leadership positions. We kicked off
the program in 2020 with:
BLACKNORTH PLEDGE
Rogers Sports & Media President Jordan Banks sits on the
Board of Directors of the BlackNorth Initiative, comprised
of influential Canadian business leaders committed to
the removal of systemic barriers negatively affecting the
lives of Black Canadians. Jordan is a signatory on the
BlackNorth Pledge, which acknowledges the existence
of anti-Black systemic racism in Canada and the need to
create opportunities within companies for Black people.
Rogers Sports & Media’s pledge to the BlackNorth Initiative
is a commitment to increasing diversity within our workforce,
removing internal systemic barriers to hiring and promotion,
expanding unconscious and anti-bias training, and developing
O5.
mechanisms to advance Black people in our business.
HIRING & CAREER
ADVANCEMENT
All IN Pillar 5 - Hiring & Career Advancement
22 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportHIREBIPOC
HireBIPOC - an unprecedented collaboration between over
20 media organizations including Rogers Sports & Media,
is an industry-wide initiative to create meaningful change
around hiring practices and ensure a more inclusive
workforce. The website is the definitive industry-wide
roster of Canadian Black, Indigenous and people of colour
creatives and crew working in screen-based industries.
This past year also saw the development
of the Rogers Sports & Media’s new
Hiring Plan which is launching in 2021
with the goal of securing as many
qualified diverse candidates as possible.
23 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportBUILDING INCLUSION ACROSS ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Rogers Communications believes our team members are at
the heart of our success and we aim to attract the
best-qualified candidates while ensuring diversity at all
levels. Strong diversity management practices help us
ensure a diverse candidate pool and foster diverse teams
that bring different perspectives, experiences and skills
that together make us a stronger team.
Our inclusion and diversity journey is guided by our internal
corporate Diversity Management Policy. The policy speaks
to our commitment to providing a workplace free from
discrimination, harassment and prejudice.
In 2020, Rogers Communications launched the 2025
Inclusion & Diversity Strategy, which is guided by four
pathways to action:
1. Embed inclusion into our employee experience
2. Broaden the talent pipeline and increase
leadership diversity
3. Partner with communities to foster inclusion
and address inequalities
4. Create a customer experience that is reflective of,
and supports, the diverse needs of all Canadians
We strive to build a diverse workplace
that benefits all employees by allowing
them to feel valued for their differences
while creating opportunities for
24 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report
advancement.“Building a truly inclusive culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s deliberate – the collective result of the actions we take every day. From how we recruit, promote, and support our colleagues; market and promote our products; to how we partner with communities and amplify voices across our platforms. Together they drive meaningful impact and change.” - Joe Natale, President & CEO
O1.
EMBED INCLUSION
INTO OUR EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
In order to drive inclusion and promote a culture
of allyship to create the best employee experience,
this pathway includes:
Launching a leadership series on inclusive
workplace practices and building allyship
Sessions on psychological safety
to foster and build trust
Monthly culture building events
to celebrate diversity
Monthly Safe Talk & Listening sessions
for our equity seeking groups and allies
Mandatory completion of annual
unconscious bias and anti-racism training
Monthly culture building events
to celebrate diversityO2.
BROADEN THE TALENT PIPELINE AND
INCREASE LEADERSHIP DIVERSITY
Resetting our recruitment practices to build our talent
pipeline, drive internal mobility and career development
includes:
MyPath program expanded across Rogers with a focus
on equity seeking employees
New mentorship program for equity seeking employees
Increase diverse representation for key
development programs
Mandatory “Inclusive Recruitment” training for all
recruiters and hiring managers
50/50 diverse candidate shortlists for all open roles
including new grad
Mandatory job postings on diverse job boards
Foster on-campus relationships to grow diverse talent pipeline
Mandatory “Inclusive Recruitment” Embed representation goals across business units
training for all recruiters and Leadership scorecards for Director level and above included
hiring managers in annual performance review cycle
Progress against representation goals included in annual
CEO-driven talent reviews
Dedicate roles to diverse hires within each line of business
27 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportO3. Strengthening and expanding our partnerships with
organizations from diverse communities:
PARTNER WITH COMMUNITIES TO FOSTER
INCLUSION AND ADDRESS INEQUALITIES Continue diversity supplier program to support
minority owned businesses
Profile community and business partners to increase
Consciously weaving inclusion and diversity into our their visibility and support
Corporate Social Responsibility strategy and commitment
includes the following: Establish group of external community experts
to help inform community investment strategy
Ensure Ted Rogers Scholarship recipients represent
underserved and marginalized communities
Ensure community grant recipients are from equity-
seeking groups across youth programming
Proactive profile of Ted Rogers Scholarship and
community grant recipients nationally and regionally
to broaden representation of community leadership
across Canada
Giving back to charities and businesses supporting
equity-seeking communities:
$10M over the next 5 years in free advertising and
creative services to charities and small businesses
supporting equity-seeking communities
Identify employee volunteer opportunities at charities
and organizations supporting diverse communities
Promote days and months of significance to drive
awareness and support equity seeking groups and
charities
Promote days and months of significance
to drive awareness and support equity
seeking groups and charitiesO4. Deliver content and ensure representation through our
Media assets that reflects the diversity of our viewers/audiences
CREATE A CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF, AND SUPPORTS, Deliver on year 1 of Rogers Sports & Media’s All IN inclusion
THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF ALL CANADIANS and diversity plan
Leveraging our brands to promote diversity and drive inclusion:
Improving the experience for our customers: Drive positive societal change through Fido brand with a focus
on LGBTQ2S+ and Black, Indigenous and people of colour
Offer support and tools to best meet our
customers’ diverse needs Amplify chatr and Fido to further connect with equity seeking
communities and newcomers to Canada
Conduct consistent accessibility audits and customer
feedback to improve build plans and services Brand our products and services with an inclusion & diversity lens
Develop R4B program to help minority-owned
small businesses achieve their goals
Support efforts to ensure our dealers, partners and
suppliers embody our belief in inclusion and diversity
into their practices
Utilizing our media assets to promote inclusion
and inspire change:
Share stories, reflect our audience and inspire changes
through our Rogers Sports & Media platforms and assets,
including Citytv, OMNI TV, and Sportsnet
Drive positive societal change
through Fido brand with a focus on
LGBTQ2S+ and Black, Indigenous
29 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report
and people of colourINCLUSION & DIVERSITY COUNCIL
Formed in 2015, the Rogers Inclusion & Diversity
Council is comprised of a variety of leaders from
across the business that oversee the development
of our Inclusion & Diversity strategy and lead the
direction of our efforts to foster an inclusive culture
that embraces the benefits of our diversity.
Notable initiatives in 2020 include:
What we bring campaign:
An essential part of building an inclusive culture is
ensuring that we listen and learn from each others’
experiences. To truly be inclusive, we all need to
become allies to help others bring their true selves
to work and feel like they belong. That’s why we’re
so proud to introduce our new Inclusion & Diversity
initiative: “What We Bring”.
Sixteen team members from across Canada joined
us to share an object that represents the qualities
they bring to Rogers every day. What emerged
were powerful stories illuminating how we all
bring different experiences and skills to our jobs
and lives, and how we can learn from each others’
experiences to better support one another.
EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUPS
The work of our internal Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) is an integral part of
The Holiday Harmony Project:
creating and maintaining an inclusive culture at Rogers. Teams of employees
representing Women, Visible Minorities, Persons with Disabilities, Indigenous Peoples, Members of all Rogers ERGs came together
and LGBTQ2S+, and their allies, come together as Employee Resources Groups to with Breakfast Television to spotlight diverse
organize educational events, skill-building opportunities, and community sponsorships Canadian-owned businesses and connect them
to enable the attraction, development, and engagement of these unique groups. With with consumers during the holiday season.
the support of the Inclusion & Diversity Team, the Inclusion & Diversity Council, the
ERGs have access to expertise and financial resources to drive initiatives aligned to
our strategic pillar of “developing our people and a high performing culture.”
30 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportThe Indigenous People’s Network helps engage, inspire and support Indigenous employees and allies while building an inclusive culture by removing barriers that traditionally strained relations between Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous organizations
NOTABLE INITIATIVES UNDERTAKEN IN 2020 INCLUDE:
Kelowna Legacy Space
In partnership with the Downie-Wenjack Foundation, Rogers
opened its second Legacy Space during the grand opening
of our Customer Solution Center in Kelowna in September.
This unique meeting space is designed by local Indigenous
artists from the Okanagan region. We were honoured to
host Chief Christopher Derickson of Westbank First Nation
and a drumming performance by Krystal Withakay – we are
committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace Rogers opened its second Legacy Space during the grand
and we are passionate about growing our relationships with
B.C. Indigenous communities
opening of our Customer Solution Center in Kelowna in
September. This unique meeting space is designed by local
Indigenous artists from the Okanagan region.
32 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportORANGE SHIRT FUNDRAISER
The Indigenous Peoples’ Network had their first
external Orange Shirt Day campaign that saw
thousands across the country wearing their orange
shirts to raise awareness of Canada’s residential
school system, and the impact it has had on
generations of Indigenous Peoples across Canada.
The campaign raised nearly $100K to support the
Orange Shirt Society.
#FORWARDTOGETHER INITIATIVE FOR WOMEN’S SHELTERS
Through a new partnership with the National Aboriginal
Circle Against Family Violence (NACAFV), Rogers is
providing free phones and six-month voice and data
plans to women’s shelters across the country that
support Indigenous women and children. The COVID-19
pandemic has revealed urgent needs among Canada’s
most vulnerable communities, including Indigenous
women and children who may be facing the reality of
being at home with an abusive family member.NOTABLE INITIATIVES UNDERTAKEN IN 2020 INCLUDE:
TSC’s Pride Month Shop
Today’s Shopping Choice launched TSC.ca/pride
for the duration of Pride Month, featuring a specially
curated selection of products by companies owned
or represented by LGBTQ2S+ community members,
including Isaac Mizrahi, Beekman 1802 and Skinn
ROGERS ALSO LAUNCHED SEVERAL IMPORTANT PROGRAMS
FOR THE LGBTQ2S+ COMMUNITIES:
Capturing Customers’ Preferred Names
A process was developed to enable our call
centre, chat and social media teams to identify
preferred names for customers who do not
identify by their legal name in day-to-day
interactions for gender identity and/or
cultural reasons.
Adoption and Surrogacy Benefit Launch
To support team members and their families
Spectrum Employee Resource Group with the expenses associated with growing
is a dedicated space for anyone who their family, including legal fees, court fees,
adoption fees, and more.
identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual,
trans, queer, two-spirit + and Allies
to connect, share and engage while
raising awareness and delivering
education on LGBTQ2S+ activities.
34 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportROGERS MOSAIC INCLUSION & DIVERSITY
(MOSAIC EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP)
The Rogers Mosaic team supports
Black and People of Colour employees
focusing on education, open dialogue
and community to create the best
opportunities and experiences for
our employees and customers.
Notable events from 2020 include:
Selling While Black
Mosaic Chair and VP Ontario Field Sales
spoke at the BFUTR (/BeFuture/) Summit,
hosted by the Black Professionals in
Tech Network, sharing expertise and
insight during the “Winning in tech sales
(selling while Black)” executive discussion.
Safe Talk and Listening sessions
Following the murder of George Floyd,
Mosaic introduced Safe Talk & Listening
sessions for employees, which have
been instrumental in ensuring Rogers
employees have important conversations
on racism and allyship, including anti-Black
racism conversations during employee
Open Mic sessions. There were 80 sessions
with over 2000 participants, and they led
to the creation of Rogers’ Black Leadership
Council, detailed on the next page. Following the murder of George Floyd, Mosaic introduced
Safe Talk & Listening sessions for employees, which have been
instrumental in ensuring Rogers employees have important
conversations on racism and allyship, including anti-Black
racism conversations during employee Open Mic sessions
35 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportROGERS BLACK LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
Formed in 2020 following a series of Safe Talk & Listening
sessions hosted by the Rogers Mosaic group, the Black
Leadership Council (BLC) was formed as a nationally
connected group of Black team members representing
each of Rogers’ business units. The BLC will focus on
standing up against racism of any kind, and fostering the
recruitment, retention and career advancement of Black
employees. The council will partner with the Inclusion &
Diversity council and leadership across the business to
advocate for Black team members.
The BLC kicked off its activities in 2020 with
Unapologetically Black, a panel discussion series bringing
together leaders from across Rogers, local communities
and beyond to discuss a range of topics offering insight
into the Black experience in the workplace and debunking
common misconceptions, while educating attendees on
systemic barriers.
The BLC will focus on standing up
against racism of any kind, and
fostering the recruitment, retention
and career advancement of Black
employees. The council will partner
with the Inclusion & Diversity council
and leadership across the business to
advocate for Black team members.
Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report 36RISE FOR WOMEN
RISE for Women supports women at Rogers with a focus
on networking and personal and professional development
to foster leadership potential, with a mandate to increase
the representation of women across all levels at Rogers.
RISE has been responsible for bringing together:
RISE Speaker Series
A popular Speaker Series featuring Rogers leaders and
guest panellists who share stories and advice to help
enrich employees’ careers. As an example, SVP News
& Entertainment Julie Adam moderated the session
“Unleashed: The Unapologetic Leader’s Guide to
Empowering Everyone Around You.”
Mentorship Programs
RISE’s two mentoring programs have approximately
800 participants across Rogers, which also provide
additional workshops such as “Building Resiliency”
and “Managing the New Work Reality”.
Rogers Women of Colour
Rogers Women of Colour (RWOC) is an ERG within
RISE led by passionate, talented women and supported
by their allies. In their October panel discussion, RWOC
welcomed us all in to understand the experience of
women through an intersectional lens. It was an open
and honest conversation, highlighting the issues
impacting women who identify as Black, Indigenous
and/or Person of Colour on Covid-19, racial uprising
and emotional labour.
RISE’s two mentoring programs
have approximately 800 participants
across Rogers
37 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportROGERS ACCESSABILITY NETWORK (RAAN)
RAAN empowers employees with visible
and invisible disabilities to achieve
professional and personal growth,
advocating for the removal of barriers to
accessibility for employees. In 2020, RAAN
presented “No One Told You About ADHD”,
a talk aimed at building an understanding
of invisible disabilities and mental health.
RAAN partnered with Rick Green, a
comedian, actor, and advocate, as well as
Rogers employees with invisible disabilities,
to spread awareness and break down
stigmas surrounding invisible disabilities
and mental health, including Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
In 2020, RAAN presented
“No One Told You About ADHD”,
a talk aimed at building an
understanding of invisible
disabilities and mental health.
38 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportACCESSIBILITY
Rogers Sports & Media ensures our content is
accessible to people who are blind, partially
sighted, deaf, deafened or hard of hearing via
the provision of closed captioning and described
video. Rogers Sports & Media participates in
various industry and community working groups
whose mandate is to increase both the quantity
and quality of described video and closed
captioning, including the Described Video
Working Group (Bell, Rogers, Corus) and the Live
Sports Captioning BAF Steering Committee.
DEAR EVERYBODY – HOLLAND BLOORVIEW
In 2020, Rogers Sports & Media became Holland
Bloorview’s first broadcast media partner for
their Dear Everybody campaign. Rogers Sports
& Media has committed to featuring people
with disabilities more prominently in all of our
consumer advertising, including television,
out-of-home, digital and social.
Rogers Sports & Media participates in various industry and In order to increase representation in the talent
pipe, RCI has teamed up with Lime Connect
community working groups whose mandate is to increase to build connections with potential candidates
both the quantity and quality of described video and who are also people with disabilities, and with
closed captioning, including the Described Video Working Wellbeing to ensure RCI’s talent acquisition
team is equipped to accommodate people with
Group (Bell, Rogers, Corus) and the Live Sports Captioning disabilities during their candidacy experience.
BAF Steering Committee.
Accessibility information for Rogers customers
can be found here.
39 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportRECOGNIZED AND AWARDED Rogers developed a supplier diversity program and
joined a number of related organizations, including
Women Business Enterprises Canada Council, Canadian
Aboriginal & Minority Supplier Council, Canada’s LGBT+
Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Council for
Aboriginal Business;
Rogers conducted a three-year analysis of women’s
movement within Rogers to help understand patterns
and guide progress towards increased retention and
promotion of women -- the Rogers Women’s Network
also recently expanded with four additional chapters in
Vancouver, Ottawa, Montréal and Moncton, adding to
the existing chapters in Brampton and Toronto.
Rogers was recognized as one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers 2020,
marking the eighth year Rogers received this designation based on our
inclusive programs for women, visible minorities, persons with disabilities,
Indigenous Peoples, and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans,
queer and more (LGBTQ2S+) communities. The editors of the competition
highlighted the following initiatives by Rogers:
40 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportThe awards we have received for
our corporate social responsibility
initiatives are a testament to our
passion for giving back. Above
all, these awards recognize the
individuality, initiative, and enthusiasm
our people bring to the community
and our environment. Here are just a
few of the awards that we received in
2020 demonstrating our commitment
to diversity:
Rogers received recognition by the LGBT Corporate
Canadian Index 2020, which aims to serve wealth
management companies, investors, government, entities,
academic institutions and LGBT associations who are
interested in monitoring, supporting or investing in
Canadian corporations that have demonstrated a strong
commitment towards supporting the LGBT community.
Tracy Moore, host of Cityline, was named one of Canada’s
Top 100 Most Powerful Women by WXN, an organization
which supports and celebrates the advancement of
women at all levels, in all sectors and of all ages.
41 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportOMNI BC’s Yuji Zhang, Kristin Johnson, Guo Ding,
Nathen Sekhon, Richard Tang, and Ricky Tong won
The Jack Webster Award for their multi-part series on
the revitalization of Vancouver’s Chinatown.
CityNews received the Media Excellence Award at
the Canadian Paistan Affiliated Chamber of Trades
Awards gala for their DiverseCity segment.
Cityline was given the designation of Apple Podcasts
Best of the Year in December 2020 for their podcast
and Youtube series #CitylineRealonRace, a 5-part
series focused on the topics of Black Canadian
history, activism, white privilege, microaggressions
and all Black Lives Matter.
Rogers Sports & Media’s Manager of All IN, Sharon
Hinds, was selected as one of the 100 Accomplished
Black Canadian Women for 2020, recognizing
her support of Black women and girls, support of
activities within organizations and groups working
for the advancement of Black women and girls, and
demonstrated leadership through role modelling
and volunteer activities.
Citytv Saskcatchewan was nominated for Best
Documentary at the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards
for their original documentary, Etthén Heldeli:
Cityline was given the designation of Apple Podcasts Caribou Eaters.
Best of the Year in December 2020 for their podcast News1130 was nominated for the RTDNA Award for
and Youtube series #CitylineRealonRace, a 5-part Diversity & Inclusion, for “Still Fighting,” – a look at
why Pride is still relevant. The station won a regional
series focused on the topics of Black Canadian history, Edward R. Murrow Award for that same series.
activism, white privilege, microaggressions and all
Black Lives Matter.
42 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportLOOKING FORWARD TO 2021
Building on the momentum of the newly developed
and all-encompassing All IN strategy, Rogers Sports &
Media is already delivering on and building from the
substantial commitments made in 2020 and extending
over the next five years. As detailed extensively in
our report, both Rogers and Rogers Sports & Media
have made significant strides in 2020, launching a
host of important programs designed for and by
diverse members of the communities we serve. These
programs are heavily employee-focussed and rely on
the insights and expertise of our diverse employees
and their lived experience to drive progress and
create the impetus for real change. We look forward to
reporting on that progress and change in 2021
Rogers Sports & Media is already
delivering on and building from
the substantial commitments
made in 2020 and extending
over the next five years.
43 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity Report2021
Looking forward to 2021.
Working together to build a more inclusive Canada.
43 Rogers Sports & Media — 2020 Diversity ReportYou can also read
