Costco Wholesale Canada Receives Inclusive Employer Award at LiveWorkPlay Make a Buzz Ottawa, May 10, 2024
On the occasion of the LiveWorkPlay 29th Anniversary and the annual Make A Buzz Ottawa Celebration of Community, an Inclusive Employer Award for the Private Sector was awarded to Costco Wholesale Canada on May 10, 2024 at the Preston Event Centre. Below is the live captioned video from the event, a selection of photos, and a full unofficial transcript. Congratulations!
Good evening to all, I’m Anna Nelson, the LiveWorkPlay Director of Employment Supports, and I am honoured to be presenting this year’s private sector Inclusive Employer Awards.
This award has a long history that includes employers like The Parliament Cleaning Group, current employer of Cooper Gage; Déménagement Outaouais Moving, current employer of Gillian Gillespie; Dow Honda, current employer of Frances Laube, and Coconut Lagoon, current employer of Shawna Scott and Deloshana Ganeshavidel!
This year we are celebrating more than one private sector employer, and I will start with one of our oldest ongoing employment partnerships.
There are currently 5 employees hired to work here with help from LiveWorkPlay, two of whom are here with us tonight, and both have recently celebrated 10-year work anniversaries!
And 6 years ago, it was our pleasure to nominate one of their inclusive employment champions who was inducted into the Ontario Disability Employment Network Champions League, and he is also here with us tonight.
Enough hints and clues, our first recipient of the private sector Inclusive Employer Award is Costco Wholesale Canada!
Let’s welcome Anthony Taza, Director of Membership, Credit Card and Services as well as Daniel Pinsonneault and Steven MacPhee from Costco Wholesale Canada to receive their 2024 private sector LiveWorkPlay Inclusive Employer Award!
Anthony Taza
Sometimes it feels a little odd to accept an award for just doing the right thing and, hring employees with different abilities is just us hiring for talent.
So, it’s not us trying to reach a quota.
But it did start as that, but we understood a little less.
And, what it’s developed into is just realizing the talent that’s out there.
And all of you, if you just hire for talent and change the perspective, it’s allowing that opportunity to see a whole variety of what’s possible for people that can work in your business, just like anyone else.
And, on a personal level, you know, working with Stephen and first meeting Daniel in 2014, when we first started this quota, I would call it. But meeting Daniel, specifically, we really turned into best friends. And, this relationship. And on a personal level, it really helped me develop as a human, and you just, if you change your perspective, you come to learn that, while it’s called a disability, the attitude, positive attitude and perseverance that these individuals show us what’s possible.
I think they’re actually more able than most, and that’s something that should be celebrated.
Thank you.