Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2025) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 72
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CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2025)
York Regional Police focuses on training and inclusion
W
hen Regan
Enwright
applied for
her first job
at Aurora,
Ont.-based York Regional Police
(YRP) as a compensation benefits
and scheduling rep, she was 21
years old and still completing a
student co-op position. During
the interview, she asked for career
advice and quickly realized she’d
come to the right place.
“Their answers were insightful
and helpful,” she says. “And they
were so patient while I finished
my co-op. They gave me the time
and worked with me, and I felt
like they believed in me and really
wanted me to work here.”
There are always
development
opportunities. You’re
able to take on roles
that help you feel
fulfilled and have a real
sense of belonging.
— Chi Bhatt
Inspector, Professional
Leadership and Inclusion
Those positive experiences
continued through the onboarding process. “I was given every
resource I needed to succeed,”
Enwright says. “I was trained on
the systems so I was properly set
up and I had open communication
with my supervisor, with check-ins
and practice sessions where we
would do things together and talk
it out. I always had that support.”
York Regional Police supports employees who want to complete additional education through funding and
other development opportunities.
Karin Larkan had a similar
experience when she started in
YRP’s mailroom as a summer
intern 22 years ago. “I joke that
the mailroom was one of the most
influential roles I’ve had in terms
of learning an organization’s structure,” says Larkan, now director
of people services and talent
acquisition. “I moved around in
various jobs, and I was able to
apply everything I’d learned when
I made it into management.”
The organization supports staff
development with a large training
and education bureau. “There’s inhouse training and certifications
and opportunities to get external
training to build your skills,”
Larkan says. “And if you want to
complete additional education,
there are funds to support you in
that.”
Formerly a front-line officer,
Chi Bhatt is now an inspector on
YRP’s professional leadership and
inclusion team, and he’s proud of
the organization’s development
programs.
“Three years ago, we reimagined
our entire leadership philosophy
and made it more peoplefocused,” he says. “It’s based
around a hire-to-retire leadership
development program, so there
are always development opportunities. You’re able to take on roles
that help you feel fulfilled and
have a real sense of belonging.”
Diversity, equity and inclusion
is another important focus, and
those principles are incorporated
into all training. “We want to make
sure our members have a level of
knowledge on the issues facing
equity-deserving groups, like
racism and discrimination,” says
Bhatt, who points to a mandatory
course on addressing racism in
policing and an open forum where
members discuss equity and inclusion issues.
There are also staff-led internal
support networks (ISNs). “They’re
such a great resource,” Bhatt
says. “They provide a space for
members to connect and engage
with each other, talk about things
in or outside of the workplace that
may be impacting them and be
