Standing up for
Inclusion and Diversity
It was the right thing to do (x2), and our team was proud to do our part.
In March 2018, thirty buildings around the world, including Toronto’s EY Tower, illuminated buildings
with giant red female symbols on the eve of International Women’s Day. The bold move was part of the
Catalyst Skyline Takeover, a
global campaign to push for equality in the workplace.
To continue on these efforts, in celebration of Pride Month Toronto, EY Tower once again prominently
displayed the Pride rainbow flag mural on the north facing side of the building in partnership with
the building’s largest
customers EY, OMERS and TMX. This was a powerful visual representation showing our commitment to
diversity and inclusion in our society and in business.
The install of the mural was completed with the help of volunteers from OMERS, EY, and TMX and it lit
up the skyline for a week in June, 2018.
Safe Places
Oxford is committed to developing an inclusive and respectful culture – at our workplace and
buildings we manage. And we are proud of the actions we are taking to bring this commitment to life.
In 2018, Peel Regional Police launched their “Safe Place” Program and Square One Shopping Centre
registered in the program as part of their continued commitment to inclusivity in the workplace and to
demonstrate support to the
LGBTQ+ community. A Safe Place sticker is placed prominently on the front window to notify members of
the LGBTQ+ community that this business is committed to providing safety to the victim by allowing
them to enter their business,
provide them with shelter and by assisting the victim in contacting police to report hate-motivated
crimes and incidents.
Yorkdale Shopping Centre (Toronto) and Kingsway Mall (Edmonton) opened their first gender-neutral
washrooms, allowing shoppers, whether they identify as male or female, to use the same washroom. The
new washroom provides an
inclusive option for anyone, including transgender people, people of diverse gender identities and
those who may require accompaniment of some kind.
Berlin’s Red
Piano
The Sony Center Berlin launched the first public piano in Berlin.
The team came up with the idea on day when brainstorming how to create a greater sense of community
in the large mixed use developments public space.
With its bright red colour, the piano was placed prominently in the forum under the iconic roof
throughout the summer of 2018. What happened next exceeded the team’s wildest expectations. The piano
attracted locals and tourists
young and old, under the attention of nationwide media to play and share the joy.
It’s a great example of a simple action going a long way, and of Oxford’s commitment to connect
people to exceptional places.
Spreading
Happiness
Our teams love to make our customers happy every day.
So when there is an actual day – called the International Day of Happiness – they go all out!
Our office, retail, residential and industrial teams have engaged in the International Day of
Happiness since its inception in 2013. In 2018, the theme of “Share Happiness” was embraced by our
teams as they aimed to ‘surprise and
delight our customers.
The range of activities that were implemented across our portfolio was impressive – our customers
received free coffee, breakfasts, happy face cookies, chocolate, lunches and flowers. That’s a lot of
free, and a lot of happiness.
Pets were even taken care of across some of our residential buildings with treats for them as well.
Overall, it’s a great win for our customers, and also for our highly engaged teams!
Opportunities
out of Compassion
How do you make Halloween a little easier for children with autism?
Our team at Southcentre Mall in Calgary had an idea and ran with it, based on a conversation with a
customer. The team learned that sometimes decorations, sounds, and the other children around them can
be barriers on Halloween and
very challenging for children with sensory difficulties like autism.
“A Special Time for Halloween” was born and children with special needs were treated to a unique
Halloween event on a Sunday when the mall was closed. It’s the only event in the city of its kind
where parents of children can sign
up and bring their child to have fun and collect some treats in a calm, safe and secure environment.
The event build on a similar event around Christmas that the team has been running since 2013 in
collaboration with Autism Calgary.
What a great way to ensure that the mall is a welcoming place for everyone to enjoy.
Still a lot of
Buzz
Since 2017, Oxford Properties has participated in urban beekeeping programs across Canada.
Our hives continued to grow in 2018 and are now at our office, retail and industrial properties in
Toronto, Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Montreal, Brossard, Calgary and Vancouver.
Over the past two years, the bees have become part of a broader interest of our staff and customers.
Our Property teams have taken an interest in providing the hives with ideal conditions, including
adding extra pollinator-friendly
planters, becoming educated in urban beekeeping and hosting workshops for our customers to also learn
more. The addition of the bees has provided an opportunity to further engage with our customers and
strike a dialogue about the
declining bee population.
In total, we were able to produce over 350 kilograms of honey through our successful hives. Since we
started, we have had the pleasure of sharing jars of our Oxford Skyline Honey to customers throughout
the year.