Saskatoon based Vendasta has been named to the 2021 Best Workplaces for Women. Vendasta says the list is compiled by independent researcher Great Places to Work.

Some of the criteria which allowed Vendasta to be eligible to make the list included a minimum of 15 female employees and at least 90 per cent of the employees must agree that people are treated fairly, regardless of gender. More than 30 per cent of Vendasta’s employees identify as women.

Chief Operating Officer Jacqueline Cook says it isn’t about balancing the scales, :It is about truly recognizing gender diversity, all genders, as an asset”.

Meanwhile, the Official Opposition has launched a petition calling on the Sask. Party government to enact pay equity legislation. The NDP says Saskatchewan is one of the few provinces that does not have pay equity legislation. The party says Saskatchewan has one of the highest wage gaps in Canada which it says is the result of systemic gender discrimination.

Jennifer Bowes, Official Opposition Critic for the Status of Women says, “It’s unacceptable that, here in Saskatchewan, women face a very different reality when it comes to compensation for their labour when compared to their male counterparts.”

The NDP says the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission has recommended proactive and comprehensive pay equity legislation. The party says that while the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code prohibits gender-based compensation discrimination, the complaint-driven process puts no positive obligation on employers.