IDEA Resource Library for Alberta Bio-Economy Employers

Welcome to BioTalent Canada’s IDEA Resource Library for Alberta’s Bio-economy Employers. This library was designed to help employers strengthen their workplaces by embedding Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) practices into everyday operations.

Here you’ll find:

Practical tools: training programs, guides and templates to support inclusive hiring and retention.
Workplace strategies: resources to build resilient teams, foster belonging and improve employee engagement.
Industry insights: Alberta-specific labour market data and research on equity-deserving groups in the bio-economy.

By using these resources, employers can attract and retain top talent, address labour shortages and create inclusive workplaces where everyone can thrive.

Inclusive practices help Alberta employers fill skills gaps, retain diverse talent and drive innovation.

BioTalent Canada worked closely with our Alberta industry partners to assess the representation of equity-deserving groups in Alberta’s bio-economy. We conducted a Labour Market Impact (LMI) survey and an in-depth environmental scan to curate resources tailored to the specific needs of employers.

Alongside the resource library, BioTalent Canada is hosting free webinars designed for Alberta bio-economy professionals. Each session offers practical insights to strengthen your workforce and refine your talent strategy. Learn more and register here.

Explore Resources

Hiring and Recruitment

This category includes organizations that provide resources, toolkits, and direct services to help employers attract, recruit and hire diverse talent.

Artemis Canada: A boutique executive search firm for startups that offers a recruitment IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) toolkit.
BioTalent Canada: Provides strategies, tools, and research to help employers in Alberta’s bio-economy attract diverse talent and increase participation from equity-deserving groups.
Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN): Works to bridge the network gap between Black tech professionals and career opportunities in North America.
Boys and Girls Clubs Big Brothers Big Sisters of Edmonton & Area (BGCBigs): Offers youth development programs that employers can partner with to foster workforce readiness and future talent development.
Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council (CRIEC): Develops initiatives like mentoring programs and employment counseling to help immigrants find employment.
Canadian Association for Supported Employment: A national organization that supports individuals with disabilities in accessing and maintaining meaningful work through collaboration with employers.
ECO Canada: Offers an Indigenous Recruitment guide to help organizations hire qualified Indigenous professionals.
Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC): Helps skilled immigrants integrate into the Edmonton labor market through mentorship and networking.
EmployAbilities: Connects Albertans with disabilities and employment barriers to employers and job resources.
Gateway Association: Implements employment initiatives and provides support to build inclusive employment opportunities in the community.
Goodwill Industries of Alberta: Provides opportunities for individuals with disabilities or barriers to find meaningful employment.
Hire For Talent: A Canada-wide campaign that provides resources to help employers tap into the talent pool of people with disabilities.
Hire Immigrants: A global hub featuring best practices for employers regarding immigrant employment.
IECBC: Provides British Columbia employers with tools and resources to attract, hire, and retain immigrant talent.
Inclusive Employers: Helps employers hire persons with disabilities through web-based training and resources.
Indigenous Works: An Indigenous-led organization focused on advancing Indigenous employment and inclusion.
INNoVa: Assists employers in fostering inclusive workplaces and attracting diverse talent.
Manpower Services Alberta: Helps immigrants access jobs through career counseling, training, and partnerships with employers.
Prospect Human Services: Works with employers to hire individuals and helps Albertans overcome employment barriers.
Talent Beyond Boundaries – Canada (TBB Can): Connects skilled refugees with employers in Alberta.
VRAIE IDEA (Inclusive Design for Employment Access): Develops guidance and tools to help employers recruit, hire and onboard persons with disabilities.
Women for Hire: A company specializing in recruitment services for female professionals, including online career fairs and seminars.

Retention and Workplace Culture

This category includes organizations that offer consulting, resources, and frameworks to help businesses build and maintain an inclusive, equitable and supportive workplace culture.

50/30 Challenge What Works Toolkit: An online toolkit with resources for Canadian organizations to adopt equity initiatives, including policy development, mentorship and promotion strategies.
Accessibility Partners Canada: Provides consulting services to help organizations meet accessibility standards, ensuring services and products are accessible to everyone.
Accessible Employers: Guides and supports businesses in British Columbia in becoming inclusive, diverse and equitable employers.
Alberta Human Rights Commission: Enforces human rights legislation and provides guidance to employers on preventing discrimination and fostering inclusive workplaces.
Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI): Helps employers create inclusive workplaces by providing research, training and other resources.
Canadian Equality Consulting (CEC): A consulting firm that helps organizations build the capacity to understand and respond to diversity.
Catalyst Canada: An expert on gender equity that helps organizations drive systemic change for all women in the workplace.
CultureAlly: Partners with organizations to build inclusive work cultures through customized DEI consulting and training.
Diversity & Inclusion Playbook: Provides actionable resources for organizations to build more inclusive workplaces.
Out and Equal: Partners with global businesses to build cultures of belonging.
Pride at Work Canada: Empowers Canadian employers to build workplaces that celebrate all employees regardless of gender identity, expression, or sexual orientation.
Race Equality Matters: A UK-based non-profit that works to accelerate meaningful, action-oriented change in the workplace for ethnically diverse employees.
Rick Hansen Foundation: Works to break down physical barriers for people with disabilities in places of work, learning and play.
The Bridgespan Group: Provides strategy consulting and leadership development focused on building race equity.
University of Toronto – Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Office: Promotes an inclusive working and learning environment for everyone.
Worktopia: Shares knowledge and resources to help advance neuro-inclusive practices in the workplace.

Training and Education

This category includes organizations and programs offering courses, training, workshops and educational resources on topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR): Offers the world’s largest library of online HR courses, including a certification in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging.
Canada School of Public Service (CSPS): The common learning provider for the Government of Canada, incorporating modern public administration practices into its curriculum.
Canadian Hard of Hearing Association: Offers the “Amplify Access Employer Training Program”.
Egale Canada: Improves and saves lives through education, research, and awareness on 2SLGBTQI issues, including workplace inclusion.
George Brown College – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Program: This program provides strategic guidance on developing and leveraging a DEI plan to strengthen business strategy and workplace culture.
National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation: An organization that works to ensure the history of the residential school experience is honored, which serves as an educational resource.
Race and Disability Canada: Provides education and training to understand the lived realities of Indigenous, Black and Racialized people with disabilities.
RBC – Inclusion Learning Centre: Provides training, activities and videos to help individuals learn how to support diversity and accelerate inclusion in the workplace.
UBC – Autism and Neurodiversity Online Course: A self-paced program with interactive modules to help employers and colleagues learn practical strategies for supporting autistic and neurodiverse employees.
University of Calgary – Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA) Hub: A centralized resource hub that fosters a community of change-makers through resources and education.
University of Cambridge: Created a scientifically validated IDEA toolkit, which includes training resources to help solve complex problems related to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.

Data and Research

This category features organizations that conduct research, produce reports and provide data-driven insights to inform policy and practice on diversity, inclusion and equity.

Centre for Race and Culture: A trusted source that generates, gathers and shares reliable information on anti-racism.
Diversity Institute TMU / Toronto Metropolitan University – Diversity Institute: Conducts groundbreaking, multi-disciplinary research on diversity, inclusion and the needs of diverse Canadians.
ECO Canada: Offers research and an IDEA toolkit to support employers and other stakeholders.
Life Sciences Ontario (in partnership with others): Produced a report based on a national survey and focus groups regarding the status of IDEA in the life sciences sector.
National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health: A center for gathering and sharing knowledge to support the health and well-being of Indigenous peoples.

Equity-Serving Organizations and Supports

This category lists community-based, non-profit and advocacy organizations that directly support the well-being and advancement of specific equity-deserving groups.

ActionDignity: A Calgary-based organization that works to empower ethnocultural communities and address systemic inequities.
Alberta Council of Disability Services: Supports disability services providers in Alberta to benefit Albertans with developmental disabilities.
AnitaB.org: A global non-profit that advances intersectional gender equity and pay parity in the tech industry for women and non-binary technologists.
Black Women In Motion: A Toronto-based organization that supports the advancement of Black women, girls and nonbinary survivors of gender-based violence.
Calgary Black Chambers: A not-for-profit organization that aims to increase Black leadership capacity and provides professional development opportunities for Black professionals.
Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association: A settlement agency that focuses on the unique needs of immigrant and refugee women and girls.
Canadian Mental Health Association – Alberta: An organization where Albertans can find support, care and resources for mental health.
Centre for ADHD Awareness Canada: Provides leadership in awareness, education and advocacy for ADHD across Canada.
Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN): Helps newcomers find work, learn English and settle into the community.
Equality Fund: A Canadian organization that supports feminist movements and gender equality initiatives globally.
For a Network For Change: Works to advance the participation of young women and gender-marginalized leaders in decision-making spaces.
Inclusion Alberta: A non-profit federation that advocates on behalf of children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Native Women’s Association Canada: Fosters the social, economic, cultural and political well-being of Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people.
The Executive Leadership Council: A US-based non-profit that creates opportunities for the development of Black executives.
The Mustard Seed: A Christian non-profit organization that cares for individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty in Western Canada.
The Pride Centre of Edmonton: Provides support that responds to the needs of people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.
Vecova: A charitable organization that serves the needs of persons with disabilities through programs, services and social research.
Women’s Centre of Calgary: Provides support to women to connect with others and build community.

Other resources

This section offers additional organizations and reports that provide broader support and insights to advance inclusion and community engagement in Alberta’s bio-economy.

Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations: A network supporting nonprofit organizations in Edmonton through advocacy and capacity building.
ESDC: A 2024 report offering recommendations to improve disability inclusion in Canadian workplaces.
STEM Connector: Connects STEM employers with diverse talent to build inclusive career pathways.
Women Building Futures: Supports women entering skilled trades with training and mentorship programs.

Need Help Applying These Tools?

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We’re here to support Alberta bioscience employers in creating thriving, inclusive workplaces.

The Province of Alberta is working in partnership with the Government of Canada to provide employment support programs and services.