City of Vaughan

Clarico Place has made the decision to commit to contributing business practices and activities that respond to the Sustainable Development Goals as issued by the United Nations. The following is a list of the 17 goals outlined by the UN, and how we plan to commit to practices that best meet those goals.

We have flexibility in our fees for families who require financial support. Our partners extend this flexibility to ensure affordability to those in need. We also have regular philanthropic fund-raising events raising as much as $200,000 for our community.

We volunteer every Tuesday at Vaughan’s local Food Banks during the school year. We also prepare meals for participants who may not be able to afford to do so themselves. We offer culinary classes in our day, extended and respite programs. With staff assistance, participants complete the grocery shopping and then prepare healthy meals and desserts.

Every day we have a one-hour exercise program. Exercise is part of every day at Clario Place, whether it is using our newly completed gym, dancing to Zumba, following exercise videos on YouTube or walking outside. Through existing partnerships, we also have fitness coaches and artists who provide specialized fitness and art classes tailored for our participants.

At the start of every morning, our participants engage in a group share. On Mondays, each person shares what they did over the past weekend, while from Tuesday to Friday, they share what they did the previous night. This activity helps create a safe and inclusive space for our participants to help build trust, reduce isolation and enhance emotional well-being. We received a Trillium grant to provide a mental health program following the COVID pandemic. We provide courses on health, hygiene, and well-being.

We provide a computer resource area and formal and informal computer skills training including typing and conducting internet searches. In our life skills educational programming, the importance of money handling is taught through lessons of basic budgeting, making cash payments, counting change and more. Through our programming, we take our participants on weekly recreational outings where they practice their money handling skills in public places such as malls, restaurants, cafes and gift shops.

We also teach reading and writing skills for those participants who may require it. Other courses and training include Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Crisis Prevention, and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), Canada’s national workplace hazard communication standard.

We have a partnership with the York Regional Police in a diversity program as well as the York Region Alliance for Women Leadership, a special interest group with 45 members. We teach gender equality to our members. Our volunteers are equally split in gender 50-50.

We not only offer free, clean drinking water for our staff and members but also provide water through a filtered system throughout our premises.

Regularly scheduled inspections of our washroom and kitchen facilities ensure continuous cleanliness and hygiene throughout.

We provide bottled water free of charge to our staff and members for all outdoor activities.

As part of our corporate commitment to achieving carbon neutrality, we have transitioned to energy-efficient lighting and are focused on implementing light sensors throughout our facilities.

We offer courses on clean energy alternatives during our theme days.

In line with our sustainability goals, we have installed double-paned windows and double access doors to conserve energy throughout our premises. Our property is also equipped with solar panels, contributing to renewable energy sources on our premises.

We have six placements for students from local high schools and post-secondary institutions during the school year. This student placement program enables youth to develop work skills, gain experience in the vulnerable sector and network with industry partners.

Through our partnership with the York Regional Police, we offer work opportunities to those who have been convicted of a crime like shoplifting and need to transition back into society. We also work with the police to train those who are most vulnerable to develop valuable work skills so they may be prepared to secure employment. We are the only organization in Canada that has such a program.

We continue to keep up with current trends, designs and techniques on the most up to date and modern equipment. We communicate with our members and the public at large through a dynamic and informative website and several social media channels. We have contributed to innovation by being the first organization in Canada to create a social app for the disabled and vulnerable communities.

We are dedicated to diminishing inequalities by fostering inclusivity for individuals with developmental disabilities. We volunteer regularly at retirement homes and with other charities in the community.

Our washrooms are wheelchair accessible. This approach underscores our commitment to inclusivity and ensuring that our community activities are accessible to everyone.

We participate in all of Vaughan’s sustainable city programs including the use of the yellow bins to recycle paper and cardboard, plastic bottles, containers and trays, plastic plates, cutlery and cups, aluminium cans, steel cans and tins, glass jars and bottles, milk and juice cartons. We participate in the City of Vaughan’s Lights Out event for Earth Hour when the city shuts down electricity to non-essential services. On Earth Day we participate in Plastic Pick-up events in our community.

We actively promote responsible consumption and production through our sustainable practices of responsible recycling and e-waste disposal including computer cartridges and batteries. We also minimize our use of paper by transitioning to digital alternatives.

To further minimize environmental impact, we discourage the use of plastics and dissuade our members and staff from using plastic water bottles within our college. Instead, we strongly advocate for the use of reusable bottles.

We commit to promoting climate action for groups and organizations that align with our educational programs through our social media and website presences online. Furthermore, we pledge our support to climate action groups, including the UNFCCC and its Youth Climate Report programs. Through our social media subscriptions, website links, and information postings, we aim to keep the community well-informed about global climate initiatives.

To ensure we stay informed about climate change, both locally in Vaughan and on a global scale, we actively share relevant information and updates and invite guest speakers to visit our members.

We are dedicated to reducing the impact of plastic waste from our community on rivers, lakes, and oceans. Our ultimate goal is to transition exclusively to sustainably produced alternatives. To achieve this, we plan to actively provide information and resources that empower our members to minimize their reliance on traditional plastics. We also provide videos and educational programs for our members focused on the creatures of the sea and marine life.

When shopping for fish, we always choose locally available fish for our members.

As we have stated in previous goals of this sustainability mandate, we are committed to recycling and have set the objective of using only environmentally-friendly materials whenever possible. To reduce our paper consumption, we are actively planning to transition to a 100% digital approach.

We also plan to participate in community-wide litter pickup events in our local parks.

Furthermore, we plan to actively support the tree-planting initiatives made by the City of Vaughan and other organizations in our community.

To ensure the safety of our members, our premises are equipped with security measures, including regular visits from our partnership with the York Regional Police. Our partnership with the York Regional Police also includes youth, safety, and mental health programs. We support all local, police, and community actions to minimize organized crime.

We are dedicated to partnering with groups, organizations, and suppliers who share our commitment to sustainable business practices. To date, these include both local boards of education, the YMCA, the City of Vaughan, and the York Regional Police.

Through these collaborations, we aim to advance our commitment to adhering to all of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, reinforcing our dedication to sustainability and making a positive impact in various aspects of our community and beyond.