Giving Back

Commissions Donations

In 2021, we started our Commissions Donations initiative, where we selected a book each month by a Canadian BIPOC or LGBTQ+ author or illustrator, and donated pub month commissions to a charity of the creator’s choice. As of December 2023, we have donated $20,074 to places such as Hong Fook, Matthew House, Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, and many more. See the list: here

Diverse-Owned Bookstores

We created social media resources, such as lists of the following diverse-owned bookstores in Canada. These are updated regularly.

Asian-Owned Bookstores
Black-Owned Bookstores
Indigenous-Owned Bookstores
LGBTQ+ Owned Bookstores

Inclusive & Diverse Lists

We are so lucky to be able to rep some amazing & diverse creators! So we have committed to developing more diverse book & gift lists.

Book Lists
Themed Gift Catalogues

Diverse Social Media

With such a wide breadth of incredibly diverse creators (in both book & gift), we make sure to spotlight BIPOC & LGBTQ+ creators on social media & through email!

Instagram Spotlight Series.

Land Acknowledgement

We are continually working on educating ourselves on the history of these lands and their people, to show respect, and help bring an end to the effects of colonialism in Canada. One of the ways Ampersand has approached this is through educating ourselves on the importance of land acknowledgments, which we include in all of our email signatures as well as here, on our website. We recognize how we benefit as settlers on this land.

We at Ampersand would like to respectfully acknowledge the people of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, the Huron-Wendat, the Mississauga and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, on whose traditional territory our Toronto office resides.

We would also like to acknowledge the people and the histories of the Coast Salish, Tsawwassen, Stó:lō, Kwantlen, Stz'uminus First Nation, Musqueam and Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group, on whose unceded territory our Richmond office occupies.

We invite you to join us, and learn more about whose land you are on: https://native-land.ca/

Other Things We've Implemented!

Expanded where we post our jobs ads to reach a more diverse population.
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Committed to salary transparency and accessibility information in all of our job postings as of 2021.
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Developed and shared a code of ethics.
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Switched to using the terminology of parental leave, and not maternity or paternity.

On our to do list!

We are in the business of books & paper goods, and strive to be as sustainable as possible. We're looking into ways we can truly go green!

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