Recognized as one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2025):
By Richard Yerema and Kristina Leung, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Dec 2, 2024)
Here are some of the reasons why Liquor Control Board of Ontario / LCBO was selected as one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2025):
- LCBO helps employees fulfil their career ambitions with in-house career planning, leadership development programs and through the recently launched PairUp mentoring program that enables employees to learn more about different business areas
- LCBO maintains a dedicated resource hub to share wellness resources (topics include nutrition, financial health, physical activity, and mental health) and helps employees take the time they need to rest and recharge (up to eight personal days and five sick days, varying by employee group)
- LCBO supports employees who want to start a family with maternity and parental leave top-up for full-time employees, to to 93 per cent of salary for up to 27 weeks for new mothers, and up to 10 weeks for fathers and adoptive parents
The LCBO supports success for every team member
As acting operations manager at the Whitby, Ont. warehouse of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), Daniel Strange-Dedier has a range of responsibilities – including showing up at 4 a.m. on a Friday to help organize a barbecue for the night-shift team. He doesn’t mind the early hour, though. “We have fun at work because there’s such a strong sense of community – these are all my friends,” he says.
Headquartered in Toronto, the LCBO is a provincial government agency and a responsible retailer and wholesaler of wine, beer and spirits in Ontario. When Strange-Dedier joined in 2023, he started as an operations supervisor before being offered a secondment as acting operations manager.
“I’m a very eager person, and I was happy to take on more work and responsibility, starting slowly by covering other people’s holidays,” says Strange-Dedier. “I’ve always received full support from my senior management team and I continue to learn from them.”
There’s a strong emphasis on learning right across the organization. “The ability to grow at all levels is an important pillar here,” says Lori-Ann Romano, regional director. “The LCBO encourages team members to do more of what they’re interested in as individuals, and we’ll support their paths.”
“We win as one team” is a corporate value – and that’s evident from the top down. “It’s really about the success of the full team and the support that’s offered to our people both inside and outside of work,” says Romano. Building inviting, welcoming spaces and highlighting professional and personal milestones and accomplishments are integral to people feeling supported, appreciated and safe at work.
In fact, safety and wellness are top priorities of LCBO’s People Strategy. Warehouses hold regular safety talks to keep people informed, and there are LCBO-wide campaigns throughout the year focused on whole-person health topics, ranging from mental health, nutrition, safe lifting and financial wellness.
Embracing diversity, equity and inclusion is also part of LCBO’s People Strategy, since employees hail from around the world and reflect the diversity of Ontario. On the menu at that 4 a.m. barbecue: burgers, with vegan, vegetarian and halal options.
Strange-Dedier, who is of Caribbean descent, recognizes the importance of inclusion in the workplace and is a Good Culture Ambassador, a voluntary network of employees who are passionate about building an inclusive culture and fostering a sense of belonging. “My team knows I’ll listen to them, and I’ll fulfil my duty to them, which is how you build trust, and that makes everything a lot easier,” he says. “The open door policy helps us have these important conversations, build relationships and create that sense of community.”
Another way Strange-Dedier has connected with colleagues was by taking part in an LCBO volunteer tree-planting event in Whitby in partnership with Tree Canada. “It was my first time planting trees, and the ground was hard!” he says, laughing. “It was great because I got to meet people from other divisions, like head office and retail, and it was rewarding knowing I was helping the environment and also fostering a sense of community with my co-workers.”
LCBO people come together for a common purpose – to serve Ontarians – but also to have fun and share experiences. Many of them were customers before joining the organization.
“I’ve always been a loyal LCBO customer, but when I was looking at career opportunities and I researched the LCBO as an employer, I was eager to join this world-class organization,” says Romano. “I liked that it’s committed to supporting local products, and that it’s focused on putting its customers and its people first.”
Recognized as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2025):
By Kristina Leung, Chantel Watkins, and Cypress Weston, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Feb 24, 2025)
Here are some of the reasons why Liquor Control Board of Ontario / LCBO was selected as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers (2025):
- LCBO maintains the Spirit of Inclusion initiative to help break down the barriers diverse women encounter when entering winery, brewery and distillery fields -- in addition to bursaries and scholarships, the program facilitates mentorship relationships and identifies paid co-op placements for participants looking to begin or advance their career
- LCBO created the Good Culture Ambassadors program to enlist employees in grassroots engagement and act as culture champions -- over 700 employees across the organization are actively involved, receiving updates regularly on activities related to diversity, inclusion, belonging and equity, mental health and wellness, change, as well as information regarding the organization's Spirit of Sustainability platform (which helps to build awareness, drive engagement, encourage participation and solicit feedback from employees)
- LCBO's inclusion leadership council provides strategic oversight and input into diversity, inclusion and belongingness (DIBE) initiatives, with a lens of addressing equity and racism -- the council is made up of diverse senior leaders across the organization
The LCBO embraces diverse backgrounds and voices
When Shraddha Gotad and her husband immigrated to Toronto from Mumbai in 2019, he had to return home to deal with a family emergency just four days after they arrived — and because of the pandemic, he couldn’t return for a year. “Being alone in a new country taught me the values of patience and perseverance,” says Gotad. She applied those values during her job search, and they paid off when she joined the Toronto-based Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) in 2021.
The LCBO is a provincial government agency and a responsible wholesaler and retailer of wine, beer and spirits in Ontario. Embracing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is part of the LCBO’s people strategy, since employees hail from around the world and reflect the diversity of Ontario. Gotad’s first role as a learning and talent development consultant was an 18-month maternity-leave cover.
“I knew from the first interview that this was where I wanted to work,” says Gotad. “The panel members were so polite, and I felt like I was being valued and heard. When I joined the LCBO, I felt at ease right away.”
Now an acting senior manager of learning and talent development, Gotad volunteers as lead for human resources in the LCBO’s Good Culture Ambassadors program. She’s also a co-lead for the employee resource group that supports racialized employees and promotes racial equity, understanding of diverse cultures and appreciation of global experiences; as such, she serves as a bridge between the diversity program and employees.
The LCBO’s first diversity roadmap was created in 2020 and consisted of 10 key areas of focus, which were assessed and updated last year. “Diversity, equity and inclusion is a journey — you’re never done,” says Priscilla Fraser, vice president of talent, safety and inclusion. “That’s because the world changes, language changes and people change.”
As part of its commitment to evolve, the LCBO also revisited its corporate values. “All of our employees were surveyed, and we co-designed our refreshed values with their feedback, which was that our previous values didn’t represent enough of the new DEI work we’d been doing — they wanted to see that reflected,” says Fraser. Creating a safe place for all and celebrating authenticity are among the five new values that steer the LCBO’s inclusive culture.
The roadmap and values are promoted on the LCBO’s intranet and accessible to all employees, in the corporate offices, stores and warehouses. “We want everyone to feel safe, valued, respected and heard,” says Fraser. “It’s good to pause and take stock regularly.”
Team huddles, seminars and fireside chats cover such wide-ranging topics as Truth and Reconciliation, responsible consumption of substances, sustainability, mental health, community and charity. Gotad appreciated a discussion about gender pronouns. “It was very educational for me, and I learned how to be more inclusive and respectful,” she says.
Another important program is called We Belong, which supports the hiring of individuals with disabilities in stores and warehouses. “It’s very close to my heart, because I have a sister with an intellectual disability, and I have an invisible disability,” says Fraser. “We’re very proud to play a small part in making people’s workplace dreams happen.”
Gotad feels like she’s in her dream job – and that there’s plenty of room to grow. “Priscilla is a mentor – she put me on projects that pushed me to learn and do my best, and she fully supported me,” she says. “Senior leaders are pro-growth, so if an opportunity arises and they see you’re ready, they’ll offer it to you.”
Above all, Gotad appreciates that the LCBO values diverse backgrounds, abilities and experiences. “DEI is a mindset,” she says. “It’s how you work together, learn together and grow together.”
