Ontario has seen a sharp uptick in the number of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) positions over the last decade, with the salaries of over 30 individuals working at the province’s colleges, universities, hospitals, and other public sector institutions reaching over $150,000 per year in 2022. This comes in the midst of a national conversation around the role of private DEI workshops for government agencies and businesses in the wake of the suicide of a former principal.
According to Ontario’s 2022
public sector salary disclosures, listing all public sector employees paid $100,000 or more in 2022, the top spot went to the special adviser to the president on “equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization curriculum transformation” at Toronto Metropolitan University, who made $329,697.48 in 2022.
Public sector salary
disclosures for the year 2012 showed there were 23 public sector employees making over $100,000 a year in roles related to DEI in municipalities, hospitals, universities, and Hydro One. Only three of those people made over $150,000 per year, with the top spot going to the chief diversity officer of Ontario’s attorney general, making $202,107.72.
By 2022, the number of public sector employees in DEI-related roles had reached over 120, with 34 making over $150,000 per year. Of the 34, 16 worked at either a university or a college in Ontario.
According to the website Salary Expert, based on data last updated on Aug. 16, collected from employers and anonymous employees, the
average DEI manager’s salary in Ontario is $98,712, and they earn an average bonus of $7,818 per year. An “entry-level” DEI manager earns an average salary of $68,789, while a senior-level DEI manager earns an average salary of $122,715.
DEI Workshops Growing in Cost
These figures are just the tip of the iceberg, however, as private DEI workshops for government organizations, school boards, and even private corporations have become major businesses.
In June, these workshops were thrust into the public consciousness after Richard Bilkszto, a former principal with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), took his own life following diversity training sessions in 2021 that led to him being accused of white supremacy and saying he was bullied at his workplace. A Workplace Safety and Insurance Board ruling described the instructor as engaging in behaviour that was “abusive, egregious and vexatious.”
According to Mr. Bilkszto’s lawyer, the 24-year veteran educator had recently retired but continued to do contract work for the board. Following a series of DEI training sessions, which were conducted by trainer Kike Ojo-Thompson, CEO of the KOJO Institute, Mr. Bilkszto experienced “an affront to that stellar reputation” that caused him “severe mental stress,” his lawyer said. Ms. Ojo-Thompson has not returned requests for comment from The Epoch Times.
A TDSB agenda from 2020 showed that the KOJO Institute was awarded a sole-sourced contract from July 2020 until May 2021 for $81,000. The federal government has spent about $100,000 on service contracts with KOJO, which has
listed clients including the RCMP, the Ontario government, the CBC, and various universities, according to the National Post.
In August 2022, the federal government cut funding to the Community Media Advocacy Centre after senior consultant Laith Marouf was found to have posted comments such as “Jewish white supremacists” on social media, which created uproars about antisemitism concerns. The program
had received more than $133,000 in funding from the federal government to develop a project on combating racism in broadcasting.
