Social Services Department honoured with Excellence Canada award

Whitby, Ontario – The Regional Municipality of Durham, Social Services Department was presented with Excellence Canada's Gold certification in the Excellence, Innovation and Wellness Standard at Durham Regional Council today. To achieve this standard, the department demonstrated a commitment to excellence, embraced innovation across its six divisions, and continued to prioritize employee wellness.

“On behalf of Regional Council, congratulations to the Social Services Department on this national achievement,” said Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer John Henry. “The Gold certification is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Social Services employees. When employees care about what they do, our Durham Region community benefits.”

An Excellence Canada team of experienced and certified experts conducted an assessment, evaluating the department's performance against the Canada Awards for Excellence (CAE) Excellence, Innovation and Wellness Standard:

Excellence – includes all aspects of quality and continual improvement across all requirements.

Innovation – includes using innovation and collaboration to improve services, products and relationships.

Wellness – includes both the physical and psychological wellness of key stakeholders, as well as the development of people.

In 2015, the Social Services Department was awarded the Order of Excellence in the area of quality by Excellence Canada—the highest level of recognition for an organization in Canada. Achieving the Gold certification in the Excellence, Innovation and Wellness Standard confirms the department’s dedication to long-standing excellence.

“Working with Excellence Canada during the past 15 years has provided our organization with a valuable strategic framework to support the department’s journey of excellence,” said Dr. Hugh Drouin, Commissioner of Social Services. “I remain deeply grateful for Excellence Canada’s guidance, and for our wonderful, gifted staff who always put people first. In doing this, they have created a ‘massively human’ workplace.”

The Canada Awards for Excellence, presented annually since 1984, recognizes outstanding achievements by organizations in the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.  

Founded in 1992 by Industry Canada, Excellence Canada is an independent, not-for-profit organization that is committed to advancing organizational excellence across Canada. For additional information about Excellence Canada, please visit www.excellence.ca.

To learn more about the department’s journey to excellence, and its programs and services, please visit durham.ca.

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For more information, please contact Corporate Communications.