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NEWS Oakville cham ber m em bers and local MPs talk workplace inclusivity Chamber members say practice benefited their businesses Members of the Oak­ ville Chamber of Com­ merce and local MPs spoke about the impor­ tance of workplace inclu­ sivity during a roundtable discussion, which was held on the subject recent­ ly. FreshCo founder Man- dy Rennehan said she nev­ er made a conscious deci­ sion to be an inclusive em­ ployer, noting her busi­ ness strategy has always been to lead with her heart and that hiring is no dif­ ferent. "I lovingly say I hire misfits- they are all unique and don't fit into a stereotypical mould, and it works," said Rennehan. "My staff is from all walks of life, different ages and backgrounds. I firmly believe in hiring based on personality and bare po­ tential, a resume is just a piece of paper and skills can be taught." Rennehan said the richness of an inclusive team is the diversity of opinions and points of view. She said if everyone at FreshCo came from a sim­ ilar background and thought and acted the same way the company wouldn't evolve and grow as quickly as it has. Julia Hanna, past Oak­ ville Chamber chair and owner of the local restau­ rant Ritorno, also weighed in on the subject stating she has always been an in­ clusive employer. She said this practice has always felt like the right thing to do and has proved beneficial to her business. "I would absolutely en­ courage all businesses to consider inclusive em­ ployment. I have found that there are numerous rewards," said Hanna. "The employees that I have hired have been ap­ preciative of the opportu­ nity. They give 100 per cent commitment to learning and often have been the • See FOSTERING, page 41 Y a n g A c c o u n t i n g . c a C P A i ! YY @Yang Accounting .ca CRA Re-Assessment iOverdue Tax Return, Appeals IRS NEW Tax Treaty fo r Canadian Experienced Professional Services for Individual Business & Corporation ( 6 4 7 ) 9 8 9 - 1 2 7 6 Y i n g ( K i m b e r l e y ) Y a n g (289) 291-3924 (647) 255-8049 1 1 - 1 1 5 5 N o r t h S e r v i c e R d . W , O a k v i l l e 1 8 t h F l o o r , 2 S t . C l a i r A v e . W , T o r o n t o Freshco CEO and Founder Mandy Rennehan. Freshco photo GROCERIES DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR! WE'LL SHOP ANY STORE IN OAKVILLE! O R D E R O N L IN E AT W W W .OAKVILLE.M RSGROCERY.COM O R CALL 2 8 9 - 8 1 3 - 7 7 0 8 SAME DAY DELIVERY TO YOUR HOME OR OFFICE. P L A C E Y O U R O R D E R . W E D O T H E S H O P P I N G . I T E M S A R R I V E . P A Y M E N T A T D O O R . IZ/STEV EN SO N W H ELTON k i * a i r\«» r \ \ / A wi i i nM a c D O N A L D & S W A N L L P PERSONAL INJURY + MEDICAL MALPRACTICE Experienced Trial Lawyers Serving Oakville, Milton and Burlington U J SWLawyers.ca 9 0 5 . 8 4 2 . 3 8 3 8 1 5 4 0 C o r n w a l l R o a d S u i t e 1 0 6 , O a k v i l le o> | O akville Beaver | Thursday, April 12, 2018 insidehalton.com http://WWW.OAKVILLE.MRSGROCERY.COM