News

Following years of campaigning by Black lawmakers and community advocates, in 2021, the government of Canada federally recognized August 1, as Emancipation Day, and the month of August, as Emancipation Month.

While it was less than 200 years ago, in 1834, that the British Empire ended the practice of slavery in the former British colonies, which included Canada, many Canadians are unaware that Black and Indigenous peoples were once enslaved here.

March 31^st is Trans Day of Visibility.

We celebrate trans students, faculty and staff; trans scholars, artists, and community members and celebrate their diverse contributions to all facets of life and our community. It’s a day to add visibility to folx who are often invisibilized, and centre their voices and experiences.

UPDATE: As of February 3, 2021, please note Friday prayer is cancelled for the winter term. In accordance to health recommendations and regulations, along with the need of the campus community, Friday prayer space will be evaluated for the spring term.

January 28 is an opportunity to talk about mental health. It helps to normalize conversations around mental health, remove stigma and harmful barriers, and recognize that it’s okay to not be okay.

The University of Waterloo and Canadian universities and colleges across the country are coming together on October 1st and 2nd to facilitate a national conversation to develop concrete actions for change in higher education and in our communities. 

June 1, 2020

To our Waterloo Community,

We acknowledge and accept responsibility for our silence on the issues of anti-black racism and hatred on our campuses. HREI wanted to ensure our statement came with tangible, coordinated actions, but we regret that we were not more responsive and thank our campus community for their continued honesty and for holding us accountable. We commit to doing better.

After a record number of submissions, the 2020 HeForShe Writing Contest winners have been selected.

Congratulations to Diana Parry, Associate Vice-President Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion, and professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies, on being named the recipient of the 2020 Angela Hildyard Recognition Award in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Women-Identified Academic Writing Retreat is a partnership initiative between the University of Waterloo’s Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion Unit, the Office of Research, and the Writing and Communication Centre. It was created to:

Please visit the University of Waterloo's Coronavirus website for the latest information.