Diversity at Corus – Understanding Our People
In November 2021, Corus renewed our Self-ID form to include more information including sexual orientation and gender identity, and expanded data in categories such as race.
We now have our first statistical breakdown of our company, which can be accessed here.
Action Plan – New Format
Starting in FY2023 (September 2022 to August 2023), we have updated our DEI Action Plan to an annual format, aligned to the three pillars of our DEI Philosophy.
- Supporting a diverse workforce
- Representing diversity in content
- Building a diverse industry
The Action Plan will be reviewed and revised annually. We will continue to update our progress against the Action Plan quarterly.
Highlights and Takeaways as at FY23 Q3 (May 31, 2023)
New DEI Manager
In Q3, we welcomed our new DEI Manager, reporting to our Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She has a master’s degree in education and particular expertise in the disability space.
Anti-Racism Training
Following the company-wide DEI modules completed at the beginning of 2022, we are moving into the next phase of our DEI training. The first training to be rolled out is an instructor-led Anti-Racism training. It was developed in Q3 and piloted by the DEI Council.
Our Employee Events Continue to Drive a Culture of Inclusion
There were an impressive selection of events in Q3 hosted by our ERGs, including:
- Women Inclusion Network (WIN): International Women’s Day – Celebrating Women at Corus on March 8
A panel discussion event with our women’s ERG, WIN, profiling a diverse range of women at Corus. - Out at Corus and HOLA!: Trans Day of Visibility on March 23
In the lead up to Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31st), our ERGs OUT at Corus (2SLGBTQ+ communities) and HOLA! (Latin American communities) collaborated by hosting a presentation with a social worker, foodie, fashionista and activist who spoke about allyship, inclusion, and intersectionality. - All Access: The Evolution of Disability on May 10
Our ERG All Access hosted a presentation by the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN), about the way disability has come to be understood in society and the workplace. - CREATE
CREATE (*Corus Recognizes Excellence in Asian Talent & Energy), which was originally formed for East-Asians and South-East Asians, has expanded its scope to include all employees of Asian descent.
Content Diversity Project
The DEI team continues to work closely with the Data Analytics and Original Productions teams to create a dashboard showing the full representation of our content. The Dashboard will track:
- % of main characters with Self-ID attributes (e.g. # per gender, race, disabilities etc.)
- % screen time of main characters per Self-ID attribute (e.g. screen time per gender, race, disabilities, etc.)
The Original Productions Dashboard will be complete in Q4. We are now also working on tracking data with other content groups, including ET Canada, Corus Tempo and Network Acquisitions.
Building a Diverse Industry
Our industry partnerships have momentum. We continue to support and engage students and young professionals from underrepresented communities.
- In March 2023, we added a new educational support opportunity to our Corus.Futures program kickoff and launch – the so.da Social Marketing Scholarship and Internship, which is focused on supporting final year post-secondary students studying Marketing, Advertising, Graphic Design, Communications and Multimedia Design. This exciting new addition complements two other support opportunities: The Corus Television Scholarship and Internship and the Susannah Therrien Radio Scholarship and Internship. All three programs provide tuition assistance of up to $5,000, a three-month paid internship at one of our offices, and mentorship from a Corus leader.
- Our Year 1 Futures Corus Television Broadcast Scholarship and Internship recipient began her three-month paid internship with ET Canada in May. We also secured our second Year 1 Corus.Futures Susannah Therrien Radio Scholarship and Internship recipient with an internship at Corus Radio Hamilton starting in October 2023.
- In March 2023, we hosted the OYA Emerging Filmmakers participants at Corus Quay with a building tour followed by a panel discussion with Corus’ Manager of Original Programming, Unscripted, and Shoots ‘n Leaves Media’s Vice President of Production (producers of HGTV Canada’s Gut Job).
We have also recently received feedback from a third-party consultant we engaged who has given us additional perspective and guidance on best practices and how we can continue to strengthen our DEI Strategy. Many of the recommendations provided are well underway, including:
- Training
- Diversity reporting, including a breakdown of employee hiring, promotions, turnover and engagement
- Review of recruiting processes
- Content diversity and representation
Additionally, we are thoughtfully reviewing their feedback in areas where our work may still be in development or not yet started, including:
- Policy alignment
- Succession planning
- Targeted mentoring
We will be completing a DEI Year in Review for Fiscal 2023. Stay tuned for that report coming in October.
DEI Action Plan: as of FY23 Q3 (May 31, 2023)
Click here to view the FY2023 Q3 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Update
Previous updates
For previous Corus DEI updates, please see:
