The LiveWorkPlay Inclusive Employer Award presented to LCBO at Make A Buzz Ottawa 17 April 2026
Award presented live at Make A Buzz Ottawa 2026, LiveWorkPlay’s 31st Anniversary Celebration, April 17, at Bayview Yards
Inclusive Employer Award – LCBO (Accepted by Adam Robinson)
Presented by Anna Nelson, Director of Employment Supports
Good evening,
I’m Anna Nelson, Director of Employment Supports at LiveWorkPlay, and I’m honoured to be presenting this year’s Inclusive Private Sector Employer Awards.
This award has a proud history, recognizing outstanding employers such as Trio Bistro & Lounge, Calypso Waterpark, DHL Express, Déménagement Outaouais Moving, Coconut Lagoon, Costco Wholesale Canada, Levy at TD Place, and many more.
This year are celebrating multiple employers, each representing strong partnerships built over the past three years.
To help present our first award, I’d like to welcome Ishita Gangali and Brett Woods from DHL Express, one of last year’s Inclusive Employer Award recipients.
Our first honouree launched the “We Belong Here” initiative in 2023. Thanks to our connections with Ready, Willing and Able and the Ontario Disability Employment Network, we recognized the opportunities ahead and we all got to work on making more inclusive employment hires a reality.
So far, they have hired seven employees supported by LiveWorkPlay. Many have returned for multiple seasonal roles, and two are now permanent team members.
What stands out most to us is not just their commitment to hiring, but the care, intention, and consistency they bring to doing it well, every single day.
They invest in their employees’ growth, take the time to promote skill development, and create workplace success.
One manager recently shared this feedback about one of their successful hires facilitated by LiveWorkPlay:
The staff love her, and I’ve received several compliments from customers. She follows our protocols to the letter, which is fantastic.
In the new year, we’ll explore more advanced tasks like inventory and cycle counts, but we’ll take our time and make sure she’s fully supported.
She’s been a delight. If she wants it, she could have a great career here. And if she chooses a different path in the future, we’ll support that too.
That mindset, focused on talent, growth, respect, and long-term success, is what inclusive employment looks like in action.
And it’s a powerful reminder of what’s possible when employers recognize talent and invest in it.
We’re especially pleased that the manager who wrote those words is here with us tonight.
To the managers, supervisors, and teams behind this work, please know that we see the thought and the leadership it takes to create these opportunities, and we truly appreciate it.
Accepting this 2026 Inclusive Private Sector Employer Award on behalf of the LCBO, please join us in welcoming Adam Robinson!