SPARK Toronto 2026

Find Inspiration. Leave with a new perspective. Spark impactful change.
SPARK Toronto 2026 is an exclusive, interactive event that convenes business leaders and 2SLGBTQIA+ changemakers to explore the evolving role of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Affinity Networks in shaping inclusive workplaces. Designed to move beyond passive learning, SPARK fosters meaningful, face-to-face engagement with those driving organizational and cultural transformation across Canada and globally.
This is not a “sit and listen” event that can be replicated online. SPARK Toronto 2026 is a dynamic, in-room experience focused on practical strategies, peer exchange, and actionable insights for organizations ready to invest in the next generation of inclusion leadership.
This Year’s Theme: Employee Groups
Employee Groups have long been a cornerstone of workplace inclusion—but their role is rapidly evolving. From grassroots community-building spaces to strategic drivers of organizational change, ERGs are increasingly being called upon to influence talent development, inform business strategy, and respond to a complex and shifting socio-political landscape.
SPARK Toronto 2026 will explore how Employee Groups can be resourced, empowered, and integrated into core business functions while maintaining their authenticity and community-driven roots. Through the voices of ERG leaders, executives, and community experts, this year’s event will examine how organizations can unlock the full potential of Employee Groups to advance equity, resilience, and innovation.
Event Objectives:

Elevating ERG Impact: Explore leading practices for structuring, funding, and scaling Employee Groups as strategic partners within organizations.
Leadership & Accountability: Examine the role of senior leadership in supporting ERGs and embedding inclusion into governance, talent pipelines, and organizational priorities.
Connection & Community: Create space for meaningful dialogue between ERG leaders, HR professionals, and executives to share challenges, successes, and emerging approaches.

Roundtable Discussion Themes:

Leadership, Sustainability, and Engagement:
Explore what it takes to build an employee group that can thrive for the long term. This roundtable will invite participants to share approaches to developing new leaders, preventing burnout, distributing responsibilities, sustaining member engagement, and recognizing the often-invisible labour behind employee group leadership.
Pride in a Polarized Environment:
How can employee groups respond when 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion faces increased scrutiny, resistance, or public debate? Participants will discuss strategies for navigating organizational uncertainty, supporting community members, maintaining meaningful inclusion commitments, and helping their organizations move from reactive responses to sustained action.
From Social Club to Strategic Partner:
Employee groups create vital spaces for connection and community, but their potential can extend much further. This roundtable will explore how ERGs can strengthen their organizational influence, build productive relationships with senior leaders, contribute to policies and workplace practices, and connect community priorities with broader organizational goals.

HOST SPONSOR & LOCATION
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EY
EY Tower
100 Adelaide St W – 40th Floor
Toronto, ON M5H 0E2
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Angelica Ross (she/her)
[/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″ css_animation=””][vc_text_element css_animation=””]Angelica Ross is an Emmy-nominated actor, human rights advocate, and entrepreneur whose work spans Hollywood, technology, media, and grassroots organizing. She rose to international recognition for her role in FX’s Pose, becoming one of the most visible trans actors in American television, and has continued to build a body of work across film, television, and stage. A member of the Television Academy and the Screen Actors Guild, she brings her platform as an artist directly into her advocacy — and her advocacy directly into her art.
A Black trans woman, Ross has spent decades as a human rights advocate, and her worldview is rooted in her practice as a Nichiren Buddhist and member of the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) lay Buddhist organization. That practice — a discipline of transforming personal and collective struggle into value — runs through everything she builds, from her nonprofit work to her media ventures.
In 2014, Ross founded TransTech Social Enterprises, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering trans and gender-diverse people through job training, employment pathways, and economic opportunity — work she continues to lead. Alongside TransTech, she operates Miss Ross Inc., her production company for film, television, and stage work, and is currently developing new projects under that banner.[/vc_text_element][vc_expandable_list skin=”light” css_animation=””][vc_expandable_list_item title=”Read more about Angelica”][vc_text_element css_animation=””]Most recently, Ross served as Director of Communications and Deputy Campaign Manager for Dr. Butch Ware’s campaign for Governor of California — a role that put her communications instincts and organizing experience to work at the center of electoral politics…