CC&L Financial Group, as a firm, is committed to upholding strong corporate responsibility and strives to have a positive impact on the communities where we live and work. As such, CC&L Financial Group’s Business Practices Working Group (BPWG) recognizes that our business practices should consider the impact on our workplace, community and society. In addition, through CC&L Foundation, we focus on philanthropic and volunteering initiatives throughout our diverse communities.

Our BPWG is focused on three areas:

• Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB);
• The health and wellness of people who work here; and
• Environmentally sustainable business practices.

To oversee the execution of initiatives aligned with these themes, CC&L Financial Group has organized working groups and committees comprising members from a range of business functions, seniority levels, geographic locations and demographics. We have plans and policies in each of these areas. Below, we provide a summary of some of the initiatives undertaken in these areas over the last twelve months.

We are committed to workforce diversity, promoting equity and creating a culture of inclusion. To ensure our people feel a sense of belonging, we strive to foster a culture that unites people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, in an environment where everyone has the opportunity to achieve personal and professional success.

Over the last 12 months, our DEIB initiatives focused on education, communications and events to promote a culture of inclusion, celebration and learning throughout the year. Some examples include:

• Observed and celebrated Black History Month, Lunar New Year, International Women’s Day, LGBTQ2S+ Pride Month and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
• Launched the 4 Seasons of Reconciliation Course across the company that describes the foundation of the relationship between Canada and Indigenous Peoples and promotes a renewed relationship through education.
• Introduced a demographic data collection process to help us better understand the needs of our people.
• Through CC&L Foundation, established a partnership with the Ivey Business School’s Women in Asset Management program, with our first intern hired at our affiliate Scheer Rowlett.

We believe the health and well-being of the people who work here is critical to maintaining our collective performance. We are committed to undertaking initiatives that support a safe and healthy work environment within a culture where everyone feels secure and supported.

The Health and Wellness committee has focused on the following initiatives over the last 12 months:

• Hosted Health and Wellness Month, which included workshops on topics such as “the power of embracing failure” and “the benefits of meditation.” In addition, we had a company-wide fitness challenge where participants collectively took over 23 million steps to travel 16,895 kilometres. This challenge was a fantastic way to motivate everyone to get active. Prizes were awarded to the top participants, including those who were consistent throughout each week and all month.
• We had an incredible turnout for the Terry Fox Run, with over 100 enthusiastic participants. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, we raised over $31,000 for cancer research, including generous donation matching from CC&L Foundation.
• Celebrated Mental Health Month, including a webinar with a former Olympian on managing stress, building resilience and harnessing the connection between mental and physical fitness.
• Developed a framework for employee-led health and wellness activities, including supporting a team comprising CC&L Financial Group and affiliate participants in the Bay Street Hoops charity basketball tournament.

We believe that through our actions we can contribute to the vitality of our environment, and we are committed to undertaking initiatives that support ongoing environmental stewardship.

Over the last 12 months, the Environmental Stewardship Committee has focused on the following initiatives:

• Continued to measure, monitor and communicate the GHG emissions generated through our business activities in the previous year.
• Researched the sustainability practices of our travel so that individuals can consider this information in making travel choices.
• Provided education on low emission commuting solutions and centralized information on office service amenities to create awareness of environmentally friendly options.
• Delivered events and communication circulars to promote a culture of environmental consciousness and create volunteering opportunities such as Earth Day City Clean-Ups and Bike-to-Work Week.