TORONTO -- A new study from Ryerson University's Diversity Institute says Black and racialized people are under-represented and sometimes non-existent on boards in eight major cities across Canada.
The institute found few members of those groups on the boards of large companies, agencies, hospitals, educational institutions and in the voluntary sector in cities including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Halifax, Hamilton, London and Ottawa.
The study of almost 9,500 people found Black Canadians occupy just 2 per cent of board positions, despite making up 5.6 per cent of the population of those cities.
Racialized people, defined in the study as all non-Caucasians were found to have only one in 10 board positions, though they represent 28.4 per cent of the population.
The institute's methodology included analyzing photographs of boards and interviewing members of underrepresented communities.
The study also found women are under-represented boards, but fare much better because they hold 40.8 per cent of board positions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 6, 2020.
