In 2019, ULI Toronto launched its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Committee to advance its mission to “shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide”. From the start, the DEI committee challenged us to open our minds to topics around inequity, displacement, injustice and how they have influenced the city building industry. Much of the work of this committee led to the output of programming content to our members with an educational emphasis.

One of the achievements from the DEI Committee was the creation of the Demographic and Professional Experience Survey, launched in January, 2021. This anonymous survey was completed by 450 people (members and colleagues), and collected feedback and insight on the challenges and opportunities in respect to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the real estate and land development industry. In 2022, the DEI Committee worked hard to produce a highly level report, that summarized and fairly represented the feedback provided in an effort to increase the accessibility of the major findings from the survey. The report highlights six recommendations on how ULI can help to make the industry a more inclusive and welcoming place as the #HomeoftheIndustry, and better serve the communities we live, work, and play in.

We proudly invite everyone to read this crucial document to find ways to support your colleagues, friends and coworkers. View the report.

As a result of the survey findings and a recent multi-year strategic review, ULI Toronto has set forward an evolution of the committee, now called the DEIR Council. Adding “R” to DEI to reflect a priority on Reconciliation, to help build a renewed relationship with Indigenous peoples. This council focuses on working across the entire ULI Toronto organization to elevate DEIR through all of its committees (and their outputs) and initiatives.

While the Council will move forward with discussing ways to use the report and its recommendations where possible,some of the Councils preliminary objectives are to:

• Define ULI’s diversity objectives and create an action plan
• Focus on recruitment, onboarding, inclusion and retention of new and diverse members
• Complete member demographic data
• Raise the level of DEIR representation on committees and panels

We sincerely thank all the members of the DEIR Committee who has helped us create the survey, analyzed the details, synthesize the survey data and designed the survey summary. Without their support, the report would not be where it is today.

Please welcome the newly formed DEIR Council and join us in building a brighter and welcoming future for our industry.