Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 54
54
( 2026)
SPONSOR CONTENT
Giving back is deeply rooted at Fidelity Canada
M
usic is a personal
passion for John
Brenko. As someone lucky enough
to have studied
it, he’s equally passionate about
music education as a way to help
marginalized youth. Fortunately,
his employer, Fidelity Canada,
gives him the opportunity to
do just that as a member of its
charitable giving committee.
“Science shows that music
is really formative in the
development of young people,
but music lessons are expensive,”
says Brenko, director, client
services at Fidelity Clearing
Canada. “It’s really heartwarming
to have the opportunity to help
organizations, such as Community
Music Schools of Toronto, to
continue doing what they do.
Arts and culture are often one of
those buckets that get cut first, so
being able to support the arts is
particularly meaningful to me.”
Fidelity Canada offers its employees a collaborative culture of learning across teams and departments.
Within Fidelity, there’s
a genuine spirit of care
and community where
people really want to
get involved.
— Chris Pepper
Vice-President
of Corporate Affairs
About five years ago, Fidelity
Canada formalized its giving
by creating a charitable giving
committee, taking a more
structured and impactful
approach to its philanthropic
efforts. The company focused
on six key pillars — education,
community development, arts
and culture, environmental
stewardship, health care and social
services. Members like Brenko —
along with all volunteers — help
make targeted decisions about
where to allocate funds across
national, provincial, regional and
local levels.
“The committee is very
inclusive, with representation
from individual contributors and
leaders across the organization,”
says Brenko. “We also have a very
engaged employee base who offer
a lot of feedback. When I talk to
my colleagues, peers, and team
members about what we’re doing,
it seems to be resonating.”
Chris Pepper, vice-president
of corporate affairs, has been
overseeing the charitable giving
committee for two years. He says
giving is deeply rooted in Fidelity's
culture and values: “we’re very
active in the communities where
we work and live.”
The company supports a diverse
range of charitable efforts, from
significant donations to major
institutions like The Hospital
for Sick Children to sponsoring
local sports teams and supporting
financial literacy programs for
young Canadians.
"Employees want to work for a
firm that they know is doing good
in their community, and it feels
good knowing we’re delivering on
that promise,” says Pepper.
Fidelity Canada’s annual giving
program is flexible and is adjusted
according to projected earnings.
Last year, the committee came
together quickly and decided to
increase donations to the Daily
Bread Food Bank locations in
Toronto, Montréal, Calgary and
Vancouver, where the company
has offices.
“Food insecurity is a pervasive,
terrible thing happening to too
many people,” says Pepper. “In
total, we were able to provide
over a million dollars extra to
these food banks. Within Fidelity,
there’s a genuine spirit of care and
community where people really
want to get involved. What’s
