A magnet for talent and innovation, Greater Toronto's top employers for 2018 are announced
TORONTO, Dec. 8, 2017 /CNW/ - As the nation's most competitive market for talent, the Greater Toronto Area is used to leading the way when it comes to offering innovative workplaces and HR practices. A magnet for talent and innovation, the region is home to some remarkable employers that harness the GTA's enormously diverse talent pool to create high performance organizations. The best of these were recognized today, as this year's winners of the Greater Toronto's Top Employers competition were announced by the editors of Canada's Top 100 Employers at Mediacorp Canada Inc.
"The GTA has always attracted the best and brightest from across the country," says Richard Yerema, Managing Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which manages the GTA competition. "Metropolitan Toronto has long attracted large numbers of educated and talented young people from the rest of Canada. But today the GTA is a beacon for talented people from around the world – and employers in this region now lead the nation when it comes to offering progressive HR policies and initiatives that reflect such a varied and diverse population."
Attracting many of the world's best and brightest immigrants has helped the GTA become a leader in technology and innovation – nearly half (46.1%) of its residents were born in another country. "Diversity and innovation have always gone hand in hand," says Kristina Leung, Senior Editor at Mediacorp. "Diverse perspectives help organizations drive innovation, develop new products and overcome industry challenges by finding new and creative ways of doing things."
The editors noted that many of this year's winners tap the creative energies of their employees and invest in their development to foster innovation. Notable initiatives include:
- Teranet, which specializes in land registration systems, recently hosted a 'Continuous Improvement Competition' for employees to showcase their innovation talents – and funded a $150,000 budget to implement the best projects.
- Pharmaceutical maker AstraZeneca Canada Inc. built interactive 'thinkSpaces' at its Mississauga head office, complete with state-of-the-art collaboration technology and comfortable seating, to foster employee creativity and innovation.
- Chemicals manufacturer BASF Canada Inc. recently boosted its tuition reimbursement program for employees to $25,000 per year for graduate studies and $15,000 for undergraduate studies.
- Regional transportation agency Metrolinx encourages employee innovation through its 'ideas@work' initiative, which gathers ideas for a better workplace, improved customer satisfaction, operating efficiencies and cost savings for the organization.
Additional stories on all of this year's winners were released this morning by Mediacorp editors in their detailed reasons for selection.
Now in its 12th year, the Greater Toronto's Top Employers competition is an editorial project that recognizes employers with exceptional human resources programs and forward-thinking workplace policies. Editors at Mediacorp grade employers on eight criteria, which have remained consistent since the project's inception: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time-Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. The annual competition is open to any employer with its head office in the Greater Toronto Area; employers of any size may apply, whether private or public sector.
Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 18 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach over 13 million Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, the largest Canadian job search engine, which includes editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. Together with Willis Towers Watson, Mediacorp also hosts Canada's largest conference for senior-level HR professionals, the Top Employer Summit. This year's conference takes place April 4-5, 2018 in Toronto.
Attached is the full list of this year's winners, which was announced in a special magazine published in The Globe and Mail this morning. The editors' detailed reasons for selection were also published today and are accessible via the competition homepage.
Greater Toronto's Top Employers
2018 Winners
Accenture Inc.
Arup Canada Inc.
Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario / AMAPCEO
AstraZeneca Canada Inc.
BASF Canada Inc.
Bayer
Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Boston Consulting Group of Canada Limited
CAA Club Group
Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited
Campbell Company of Canada
Canadian Standards Association / CSA
Canadian Tire Corporation Limited
Capgemini Canada Inc.
Capital One Bank (Canada Branch)
Catholic Children's Aid Society of Toronto
Children's Aid Society of Toronto, The
CIBC
Cisco Systems Canada Co.
Citi Canada
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, The
Corus Entertainment Inc.
CRH Canada Group Inc.
Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.
Drake Hotel Properties
Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology
Dynacare
EllisDon Corporation
Enterprise Holdings Inc.
Equitable Bank
Fidelity Canada
Fleet Complete
Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited
FreshBooks
Fundserv Inc.
General Electric Canada / GE
General Motors of Canada Company
George Brown College
Great Blue Heron Casino
Griffith Foods Ltd.
Halton, Regional Municipality of
Hatch Ltd.
Healthcare Insurance Reciprocal of Canada / HIROC
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Home Depot of Canada Inc.
Hospital for Sick Children, The
IMAX Corporation
Intact Financial Corporation
KPMG LLP
Kruger Products L.P.
Labatt Brewing Company Limited
Law Society of Upper Canada, The
Loblaw Companies Limited
Manulife
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd.
Mars Incorporated
Mazda Canada Inc.
McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Metrolinx
Michael Garron Hospital | Toronto East Hospital Network
Miller Group, The
Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Canada
Olympus Canada Inc.
Ontario Public Service / OPS
Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences
Oracle Canada ULC
PepsiCo Canada
Points
Praxair Canada Inc.
Procter & Gamble Inc.
RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust
Rogers Communications Inc.
Royal Bank of Canada
Ryerson University
Salesforce Canada Corporation
Samsung Electronics Canada Inc.
Schneider Electric Canada Inc.
Seneca College
Siemens Canada Limited
Smucker Foods of Canada Corp.
Spin Master Corp.
State Street Canada
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Tangerine Bank
TD Bank Group
Teranet
Thomson Reuters Canada Limited
Toronto International Film Festival Inc. / TIFF
Toronto Transit Commission / TTC
Toronto, City of
Ubisoft Toronto Inc.
Uken Studios Inc.
United Way Toronto & York Region
University of Toronto
UTC Aerospace Systems Ltd.
William Osler Health System
World Vision Canada
YMCA of Greater Toronto
York Regional Police
YWCA Toronto
SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.
Tony Meehan, Publisher, Mediacorp Canada Inc., 416-964-6069 x9179
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