A local campaign aimed at supporting the 2SLGBTQ+ community through local businesses has received provincial recognition.
The “Supporting 2SLGBTQ+ People in the Workplace” marketing campaign has been announced as a finalist for an Award of Excellence from the Economic Developers Council of Ontario (EDCO).
Eric Labadie, the marketing and communications officer with Economic Development in Chatham-Kent, said the nomination speaks to the “open-mindedness and the accepting nature that Chatham-Kent has become synonymous with.”
“Chatham-Kent is a growing community. We have the need to understand that representation across all boards is extremely important,” said Labadie.
The campaign was launched in August 2022 during Pride Week to spread awareness of ways that local businesses can support the 2SLGBTQ+ community. The campaign also spread awareness about the community’s local associations, advocates, groups, resources, and allies.
“A lot of our small businesses don’t have access to HR departments or things that larger institutions have access to, so what we wanted to do is find ways to inform the small businesses of ways that they can be more inclusive and more accepting to members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community in Chatham-Kent,” said Labadie.
The municipality’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice team collaborated with the CK Gay Pride Association, CK Queers, and other community partners such as the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, to create the campaign.
The Award of Excellence will be presented during the final day of the EDCO Conference and Showcase, which will be held in Toronto from February 7-9.
