All About Janelle Benjamin (she/her)
Hi there!
First, I want to say thank you so much for the opportunity to work with you. I’m super passionate about helping my clients to create more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and safe workplaces for everyone! My service helps employers break barriers to inclusion for equity-seeking groups and achieve systemic changes that will lead to a happier, more productive, workforce.
Keep reading below to learn more about me.
I look forward to getting to know you too!
Janelle Benjamin B.A., J.D. (she/her)
Founder & Principal Consultant
All Things Equitable Inc.
Bio
I am an award-winning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultant who helps employers make their workplaces diverse, inclusive, and safe for everyone.
I have been helping organizations break barriers to inclusion for almost 20 years, mostly in provincial and municipal government. After suffering my own mistreatment in the workplace, I decided it was time to help others effect systemic change. I founded All Things Equitable, one of the Top 10 Canada Emerging Diversity and Inclusion Companies, to contribute to this historic movement for social justice and racial equity and I provide consulting services to employers. My recommendations for change have resulted in large-scale transformation to organizations and continuous improvement in a multitude of sectors and I have been featured in Forbes, the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Star, and have been seen on Rogers TV and the Ebony Podcast Network.
As a trained lawyer, I am no stranger to the DEI space, having worked as an investigator for the Ontario Human Rights Commission, as senior policy advisor to the Fairness Commissioner for the Province of Ontario; as well as senior policy advisor at the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, implementing the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA).
I obtained my Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto. I obtained my law degree with a focus on International Law, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and a Litigation Certificate of Concentration from Western Michigan Cooley Law School. I have a Certificate in Process Management from Excellence Canada, a Certificate in Workplace Mental Health Leadership from Queen’s University, and a Certificate in Reconciliation Education for the Workplace from First Nations University of Canada. I am also a Certified Diversity and Belonging Facilitator and am Certified in Joint Health and Safety for Management under the Occupational Health and Safety Act Ontario.
I am currently a member of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario’s Eligibility Review Committee; a member of the Jewish Family and Child Service’s Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Committee; a member of the Local Diversity & Immigration Partnership Council in the Regional Municipality of Durham; and a member of the Anti-Black Racism and Black Excellence Committee at the Durham Catholic District School Board. I live in Ajax with my two children and am committed to have them experience a fairer world.
Frequently Asked Questions
You know we all have them. You are welcome to message me if you have any other questions not listed.
What are some of your diversity dimensions?
I am a cisgender, heterosexual, Black, woman who uses she/her pronouns; First-generation Canadian; and child of Trinidadian immigrants who settled here. So I am a settler too. I present as able bodied but I have invisible disabilities. I am Christian, raised Catholic, but have not practiced in a while. I’m a happily divorced, single parent of two children—one boy, one girl. I’m also an introvert personality so I am introspective and enjoy recharging with solitary activities..
What aspects of yourself do you bring to your work?
I bring my full set of professional, lived, and intersectional experiences to my work. My work is grounded in the belief that all people deserve dignity, respect, and belonging at work.
What types of harms have you experienced in the workplace?
I have been twice laid off - once after a sick leave, once after a maternity leave. On the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had a job offer rescinded for negotiating for myself. I have experienced workplace violence in so many forms - hostility, marginalization, oppression, ostracism, bullying - you name it! Through storytelling, I often speak about the impact of these things on me, my family and my future generations. My goal is always to stop workplace mistreatment for someone else.
Why did you name your company All Things Equitable?
I believe strongly in our collective humanity. As a trained lawyer, I cannot envision creating a just society, without envisioning the scales of justice. When I think of those scales and I think of putting people on those scales, I imagine that I would want them to be balanced on both sides — for everyone! For me, a fair and just society require us to consider everyone’s particular needs and experiences and do a bit more to balance the scales. We need to do more to address inequities in our society, all the isms and phobias, so that everyone has access, everyone has opportunities, everyone can thrive.