The positive impact individuals have in shaping Canada’s bio-economy is evident. BioTalent Canada is sharing their stories to help others realize the benefits of adopting IDEA into their workplace.
“I think bringing on a BioTalent student in any capacity for a company that’s, especially like ours, that may be growing, I think it’s an excellent way to get that sort of resource, and at the same time, we know that it’s an excellent experience for them, for their futures”. Says Roger McPherson, Vice-President, Engineering of Bowhead.
“It definitely puts you in a different pool of employees when you’re entering the workforce. BioTalent Canada is especially important for undergraduate students because you’re able to get work experience that you wouldn’t be able to during your undergrad”. Says Somin Park, Co-op student at Cytophage.
“Canada’s bio-economy is an important growth area. It impacts everything, I think. It impacts the clean tech sector, it impacts the bio-economy, bio-resources, like pulp and paper. So we need to invest in Canada ’cause we have the renewable resources to do this,” says Robert Menegotto, President & CEO at Mantech. “And we can benefit from the new carbon economy as well. And the BioTalent Canada SWPP programme allows us to bring in students and for them to get training. And for us, ManTech, to actually benefit from their skills and their learning as well”.
“Working with BioTalent has been such a great relationship. They really do all of the leg work for us and help us focus on what we do best and giving those students an amazing work term”. Says Manda Cuthbertson, HR Director at CleanSlate UV.
"The SWPP has helped me identify what I want to do in my career. It introduced me as a Business Development Assistant, and, through my work at Precision Biomonitoring, I realized that I wanted to focus more on Marketing. Being able to be part of this program, it's helped me to realize that". Says Stephanie Lim, Marketing Manager at Precision Biomonitoring.
Doing good means applying principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) both internally within Raft Brew Labs and when working with a diverse roster of clients that includes breweries big and small across Canada. “For us, IDEA principles mean having respect for people of all backgrounds and sexuality,” says Mr. Thomson. “Businesses have a great platform to speak to other businesses, the public and governments. We recognize the opportunity at hand, and we want to have resonance here in the Calgary community.”
Based in Dryden, Ontario, AgriTech North is a social enterprise that is focused on developing technologies to grow food and other agricultural products in Canada’s Arctic region. The company has also established an IDEA strategy through which programs are offered to improve workplace diversity and inclusion, specifically targeting underrepresented groups such as women, persons with a disability, visible minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, Indigenous peoples, and new Canadians.
Flash Forest’s diverse team remains hard at work, perfecting its technology and the species of trees they plant. To date, the company has tested at least 22 different species of trees and planted nine species within the natural environment. Aditya Rathod, who is Flash Forest’s financial director, says that building a team of enthusiastic go-getters that believe in the company’s climate mission has been key to their success.
STEMCELL Technologies has been an IDEA champion since its founding in 1993 and has never been afraid of having difficult conversations about equity and diversity. Through its work, it aims to improve health outcomes in the communities it serves — and because those communities include people of all backgrounds from all over the world, IDEA principles can never be an afterthought.
Origin Materials has been on a mission to change the world since its founding in 2008. That mission involves not only reducing the world’s dependence on petroleum-based plastics, but also upholding environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles — including those related to inclusivity, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA).
