Since the incidents of George Floyd’s death and the activism that has followed, OTIP has taken time to listen, learn and reflect on how we can do better.

We know actions mean more than words and without question, we want to be allies in this movement. With this in mind, we will be donating a total of $250,000 to three organizations that support the black community.

• Black Lives Matter Waterloo Region: Our donation will support ongoing black-led anti-racist community care projects and organizations in Waterloo Region. Funds raised provide support to ongoing under-resourced black-led student, and youth focused anti-racist initiatives in the Waterloo Region including local post-secondary and secondary black student associations.
• CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals: The CEE Centre For Young Black Professionals is a Toronto-based charity that is dedicated to addressing the economic and social barriers that affect black youth ages 14 and over who are not in employment, education, or training. Their mission is to create a society and economy in which black youth achieve financial prosperity and high quality of life for themselves and their families to contribute to the advancement of Canada.
• The Come Up (Edmonton): This is a youth collective focused on empowering black youth in Edmonton through community events and organizing. They are a subset of the Africa Centre, which serves as the hub of African communities in the province of Alberta through creating opportunities of access and encouraging participation.

At OTIP, we have always strived to be an inclusive organization. But the work is never done, and there is always room to do better.

That is why we are committed to working together with our partners, employees and members, to educate ourselves and be better allies. Learning has never been more important.

Vic Medland, CEO