Canada Research Chairs – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

The Government of Canada and the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) are committed to excellence in research and research training for the benefit of Canadians. Achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise is also essential to creating the excellent, innovative and impactful research necessary to seize opportunities and to respond to global challenges.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Rooted in Unama’ki, connected to the world, Cape Breton University envisions a rich research culture that champions equity, diversity and helps create a truly inclusive place to work, study and research. Our pursuit of excellence in research is guided by the knowledge that identity is complex, and the belief that diversity and inclusion support academic excellence by inspiring innovation, increasing collaboration, improving learning, and advancing research. A signatory to the Dimensions Charter, CBU is committed to these principals and associated practices that will further strengthen its research activities. We believe that success in our equity, diversity and inclusion efforts will make us more resilient, innovative, and strengthen the impact of research in our communities – we are better together.

CBU’s commitment to strengthening efforts related to equity, diversity and inclusion involve internal reflection, increasing awareness, building capacity and promoting policy supported by a community of scholarship. CBU’s five-year Strategic Research Plan prioritizes:

• expanding research initiatives that include data collection and analysis relevant to equity, diversity and inclusion;
• identifying and removing internal barriers to recruitment, retention and career advancement in research environment;
• providing opportunities to learn about and reflect on cultural competencies; and
• valuing diversity in scholarship, multiplicity of perspectives/experiences, and methodological approaches to research undertaken at CBU.

Strategy for Raising Awareness of EDI at CBU 

As part of CBU’s strategy to raise awareness within the institution of its commitment to, and the benefits of, equity, diversity and inclusion, both broadly and in respect to the Canada Research Chairs program, CBU has implemented the following initiatives:  

• CBU has committed to strengthening its efforts related to EDI in its 2020-2025 Strategic Research Plan, demonstrating internal reflection, a focus on increasing awareness, building capacity, and promoting policy.  
• CBU has completed its Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Plan, Better Together: Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion in the Workplace. The plan is undergoing final approval and implementation will begin in early 2023.
• Promotes opportunities to participate in EDI professional development in weekly e-bulletins generated by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, with a commitment to include CRC-related and EDI-related news and events.  
• Conducted in-depth interviews with current CRCs at CBU to gather experiences and views on EDI with respect to the CRC program.  
• CBU’s Associate Vice President, Academic and Research meets with all CRC hiring committees at the outset of each search process to inform on recruiting and nomination requirements, to review current EDI targets and gaps, and to outline compliance and monitoring obligations. The Associate Vice President, Academic and Research continuously liaises with committees throughout the process to ensure appropriate supports and guidance. 

Information About CRCP – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 

• CRCP’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Requirements and Practices  
• 2019 Addendum to the 2006 Canadian Human Rights Settlement Agreement  
• CRCP Statistics page  
• Population-Based Institutional Equity Targets 2021 to 2029

CBU’s CRC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Reports

• CBU’s EDI Progress Report
• 2022-2029 Equity Target Plan

Contact Information for Questions or Concerns Related to Equity and Diversity

Any person who believes that they may have been harassed or discriminated against by any members of the University campus community may contact the Human Rights and Diversity Officer. The Office of Human Rights oversees the university’s Respectful Campus Policy and Procedures.

Office of Human Rights
Scott Thomas, Human Rights and Diversity Officer
Phone: 902-563-2350
Email: Scott_Thomas@cbu.ca

Alternatively, current faculty members may submit questions or concerns related to equity, diversity, and inclusion to:

• Cape Breton University Faculty Association
• Jeremy Oliver, Manager of Human Resources jeremy_oliver@cbu.ca

Concerns About Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Related to the Canadian Research Chair Program

The Vice-President, Academic & Provost is responsible for receiving formal complaints concerning equity with respect to the CRC program.

Dr. Rod Nicholls
Vice-President Academic & Provost (interim)
President’s Office
(902) 563-1980
Rod_Nicholls@cbu.ca 

Complaint Process

All complaints and concerns are treated in strict confidence. A person filing a complaint retains the right to withdraw that complaint or redirect it to another process at any time. If a complaint relates to a subject covered by one of our existing policies (e.g. Respectful Campus Policy and Procedures) that policy will be invoked to address the complaint.

It is the responsibility of the Vice-President, Academic (Provost) and the Director of Human Resources to ensure that complaints are tracked to resolution and the HR Director is also responsible for keeping all records and statistics related to complaints received.

CBU’s Equity Targets 

All participating CRC institutions are subject to equity and diversity targets to address the under-representation of members of the four designated groups among their chair-holders. The CRC program uses this data to monitor the institutions’ progress toward meeting their established targets. 

Policies and Procedures  

The following policies help govern staffing at CBU, including CRC positions:   

• Requirements for recruiting and nominating Canada Research Chairs  
• Cape Breton University Faculty Association (CBUFA) Collective Agreement (see Article 5 (pg 7-8) for Equity, Fairness and Non-Discrimination and Article 23.1 (pg 36-37) for Research Chairs under the Bargaining Unit).     
• Respectful Campus Policy and Procedures  
• Sexual Violence Policy and Guidelines   

When Canada Research Chair vacancies occur, CBU’s CRC Selection Committee issues a university-wide call for proposals to identify potential CRC research target areas, or, Strategic Research Themes. Following review of these proposals, the selection committee identifies target areas that will be used as the focus for the recruitment (external call) and/or retention (internal call) to fill CBU’s CRC allocation.  The committee also decides on how to best use the corridor of flexibility (as described in the CRC’s method of allocating chairs) in managing the institution’s chair allocations.   

CBU’s Office of Research and Graduate Studies (ORGS) is in the process of creating policy and procedures for the CRC allocation process. Once that policy had been approved it will be posted to this website. In the meantime, for more information about CBU’s allocation and recruitment process, contact the Research Administration Officer of Major Initiatives at research@cbu.ca. 

For more information about CBU’s Chair allocation, refer to the utilization spreadsheet noted in the following section.    

CRC Chairholders  

Current Research Chairs at CBU 

• Dr. Bettina Callary – Tier 2 Canadian Research Chair in Sport Coaching and Adult Learning 
• Dr. Lachlan MacKinnon – Tier 2 Canadian Research Chair in Post-Industrial Communities  
• Dr. Kevin McKague – Tier 2 Canadian Research Chair in Social Enterprise and Inclusive Markets  
• Dr. Xu (Shine) Zhang – Tier 2 Canadian Research Chair in Healthy Environments and Communities  

Please see the CRC utilization spreadsheet for more information on CBU’s Chair Allocations. This CRC utilization spreadsheet is prepared by the CRCP for each institution. It outlines how many chair allocations CBU has, how many are filled and by which chairholders, term start and end dates, which allocations are available, and the type of flex moves used. 

CRCP Requirements for recruiting and nominating CRCs  

Current and Archived CRC Postings  

Unless otherwise noted, all job advertisements are open to both internal and external applicants.  

Any current openings are posted on CBU’s Career Opportunities webpage.

Past Postings:  

• CRC Post Industrial Communities January 2018 
• CRC-Community Health and Wellbeing January 2018 
• CRC-Post-Industrial Communities-Extension-April 2018 
• CRC-Community Health and Wellbeing – Extension – April 2018