Anne Kircos
Director Human Resource, City of Stratford
Gabby Rodriguez
Accessibility, Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator, City of Stratford
Geza Wordorfa
New Council Member, City of Stratford
The City of Stratford supports diversity, equity, and inclusion with a new division, reformed hiring practices, and new council members.
In June 2022, the City of Stratford launched its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) division to improve how it serves the needs of its culturally evolving population.
As a new division, DE&I is laying the foundation for its mission by prioritizing its staff’s cultural education, audits of policies, procedures, and services, improving Indigenous reconciliation efforts, and accessibility. These efforts feed into the division’s strategic plan, which shapes the city’s organizational mission, vision, and values.
Improving the recruitment process at the city
The DE&I division immediately started revamping the city’s employment policies, practices, and programs. With the HR department, it successfully launched a new recruitment platform, which embeds voluntary DE&I questions in the application process. The new platform resulted in a higher number of diverse applicants, and the data collected allows for informed decision-making to continue to improve this process.
Diversifying perspective on city council
Dr. Gezahgn Wordorfa furthers the city’s DE&I initiatives as the newest member of the city council. He’s the founder of the Multicultural Association of Perth-Huron, and through his experience, he advocates for newcomers’ needs and allows the city to plan for new services and improve existing ones.
“Diversity makes us more accepting of others and other points of view. It enriches our culture and makes us more accepting,” says Dr. Wordorfa.
The City of Stratford looks forward to the future and will continuously improve diversity outcomes for the community.
