Creating spaces that honour diverse perspectives and experiences

At the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, we are committed to fostering a culture of belonging — one where everyone has the opportunity to participate fully in our shared academic and community life.

With the academic year well under way, it’s exciting to see the flurry of activity on our campuses, at our clinical sites and around our community. The breadth of opportunities to learn and connect through events, conferences and other learning environments is truly energizing.

As you plan events and create opportunities for connection, I encourage you to cultivate a sense of belonging by ensuring that learners, staff and faculty can participate fully. One meaningful step is to avoid scheduling events on religious, spiritual and cultural days of observance.

Planning inclusively allows all members of our community, regardless of identity, to have a voice and be empowered to effect change. Ensuring that large-scale, significant or signature events, conferences, meetings and other collective community activities occur on dates that maximize potential participation is one important way to do this.

Several resources are available at the university and the faculty to support you in the early stages of your planning:

• The University of Toronto’s Division of People Strategy, Equity and Culture provides an institutional list of dates of recognition, observance and celebration, including dates for 2026 and 2027 to assist with longer-term planning. The division also offers Inclusive Employer Guides, which provide information on inclusion related to religious and cultural observances.
• U of T Outlook calendars are pre-populated with institutional dates recognized by the university.
• The Multi-Faith Centre offers a more comprehensive list of religious, spiritual, and cultural days of significance.
• The Commemoration Resources page on the Temerty Medicine website provides links to a number of resources to support inclusive practices around dates of commemoration.
• The Inclusive Educational Events Planning Guide, developed by the Office of Inclusion and Diversity at Temerty Medicine, is an essential tool for creating events that foster inclusion and belonging.
• For further guidance, please contact the Office of Inclusion and Diversity at medicine.inclusiondiversity@utoronato.ca.

Please consult these resources as you plan events, meetings and activities. By creating shared spaces that honour our diverse perspectives and experiences, we strengthen our connections and uphold our commitment to inclusive excellence for all.

Professor Lisa Richardson
Vice Dean, Strategy and Governance
Temerty Faculty of Medicine