Policy Areas & Initiatives

Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility Task Force

OSPE is committed to working with our members and partners across industry, academia, and government to advance equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in engineering. We denounce all forms of discrimination, and believe the engineering profession must become more equitable, diverse and inclusive in order to thrive.

Diversity and Inclusion in Engineering and STEM

Engineering and STEM continues to be dominated by white, cisgender, male voices. This simply isn’t (and has never been) reflective of the world we live in. We have a social responsibility to ensure our engineering practices benefit everyone equally. We also have a responsibility to recognize the crucial insight that underrepresented groups can offer in engineering projects.

Fostering Equity and Respect in Engineering

This task force is committed to transforming engineering into a profession that considers all individuals and allows them to feel valued, respected, and provides them with equal opportunities to contribute and succeed.

Advancing EDIA Initiatives in Engineering

The task force is currently leading a number of initiatives, including creating a respectful communications guideline, exploring the lifecycle of engineers and how EDIA issues may lead to early departure from the profession, and fostering partnerships with organizations who represent underrepresented groups.

Objectives

Internal Facing

1. Collaborative Advocacy and Policy Development

Work collaboratively with other task forces to identify intersectional EDIA challenges and develop unified strategies that address the varied needs within the engineering community.

2. Promote Inclusive Leadership and Governance

Support OSPE in enhancing diversity and inclusion in its leadership and governance bodies such that they reflect the engineering community and the public it serves.
Encourage leadership development programs and succession planning that attend to equity and inclusion

3. Data-Driven Approach for Continuous Improvement

Support OSPE in creating a robust system for (1) collecting and analyzing data on EDIA metrics within the engineering profession and (2) all data collection processes attend to equity and inclusion principles.
Support OSPE in using data to inform decision-making and measure the effectiveness of EDIA initiatives.
Support OSPE in revising data collection methodologies to include intersectional data points that would help identify specific barriers faced by individuals with multiple equity-seeking identities (e.g. collecting both race and gender data allows for their impacts to be jointly studied).

External Facing

4. Enhance EDIA Integration Across Engineering Career Stages

Support OSPE in developing comprehensive strategies to integrate EDIA principles at every stage of an engineer’s career, from education to retirement. This may include increasing diversity in engineering education, fostering inclusive workplaces, and ensuring equitable career advancement opportunities.

5. Targeted Inclusion Initiatives

Support OSPE in launching initiatives specifically designed to reduce barriers and support equity-seeking and underrepresented groups in engineering. This may include mentorship programs, targeted recruitment strategies, and partnerships with organizations focusing on these groups.

6. Enhanced Visibility and Awareness Campaigns

Support OSPE in creating awareness campaigns to highlight the importance of EDIA in engineering, sharing success stories, and promoting the value of a diverse engineering workforce.

7. Strengthen Community and Industry Partnerships

Support OSPE in developing partnerships with industry leaders, educational institutions, and community organizations (for example, immigration settlement agencies) to advocate for policies that promote EDIA within the engineering profession. This may include engaging with government and educational institutions to influence policy and practice.

8. Foster a Culture of Inclusion and Respect

Support OSPE in creating engineering workplace cultures that value diversity, encourage inclusion, and promote respect for equity-seeking and underrepresented groups.

EDIA Task Force Chair

Shivani Nathoo, P.Eng.

Shivani Nathoo (she/her) is a Planner with the Independent Electricity Systems Operator (IESO), having previously worked in Smart Grid and Asset Management for Hatch Ltd. She graduated from the University of Toronto in 2019, where she studied Energy Systems Engineering and served as President of the Engineering Society. Shivani has long been passionate about promoting equity broadly and within engineering. She is currently involved with OSPE and Engineers Canada and previously served on the U of T Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering’s Faculty Council and the Decanal Task Force on Mental Health.

LinkedIn