About Us

Total number of employees by employment contract (permanent and temporary):

By gender

• Female: permanent = 4,322, temporary = 88
• Male: permanent = 1,171, temporary = 17

By region

• Permanent: AB = 39, BC = 1,1813, ON = 3,626, SK = 15
• Temporary: AB = 4, BC = 10, ON = 91, SK = 0

Total number of employees by employment type (full-time and part-time) by gender:

By gender

• Female: full-time = 2,175,  part-time=  1,995, casual = 170, temporary = 88
• Male:  full-time = 649, part-time = 468, casual = 54, temporary= 17

LifeLabs has a complex supply chain involving relationships with numerous suppliers in areas such as laboratory equipment, consumables, business services, goods for our operations and more.  We leverage the expertise of our Quality, Safety and Environmental departments on all major procurements for assessments of risks in these areas.

LifeLabs experienced tremendous growth and change over the past years, however in 2017 there were no significant changes to the organization and its supply chain.

LifeLabs is a member of a number of associations at the provincial and national level. Below are some examples of associations we engaged with in 2017: 

• Canadian Society of Medical Laboratory Sciences
• BC Business Council
• Greater Vancouver Board of Trade
• Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
• Ontario Association of Medical Laboratories
• Toronto Board of Trade
• Burnaby Board of Trade

LifeLabs is committed to building a culture based on our core values that are grounded in integrity, mutual respect and trust.  The Code of Conduct has also been developed to lend support to our vision of “Building a Healthier Canada” and to help guide us in living our values of “Caring, One Team, Agile and Customer Driven” – every day, everywhere in the business.  This Code is a guide to assist everyone at LifeLabs in making the right business decisions. It sets out principles that govern the way we carry on business, provides clarity about expectations at LifeLabs, and identifies other LifeLabs resources and policies that you can use to support decision making.

In April 2018, LifeLabs announced the launch of the Whistleblower program.  This program is intended to encourage employees to raise serious concerns they may have around issues of compliance with Code of Conduct, applicable laws, rules, regulations and our policies where those concerns have not been adequately addressed through regular channels employees can make an anonymous report by telephone, through a dedicated website, or by mail, via our third party provider, ClearView Connects.

Responsibility for reporting on sustainability has been delegated to the Director of Community & Environmental Sustainability.

Engaging and collaborating with our stakeholders is a key input to the development of our material topics and Sustainability Strategy at LifeLabs.  We are committed to working toward amplifying our disclosure on stakeholder engagement in our future reports.

21.8% of our employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements as of December 31, 2017.  We are committed to working toward amplifying our disclosure on employees covered by collective bargaining in our future reports.

• Non-union employees: 4,380 (78.2%)
• Union employees: 1,218 (21.8%)

We do not have a formal process for stakeholder engagement; however, we are in the process of developing a plan to work toward amplifying our disclosure on stakeholder engagement in our future reports.

Every effort is made to ensure that we report accurate data, and our processes are designed to support this.  In cases where we become aware of updates to data from previous years, we consider providing updated data if the changes result in a discrepancy that is material to our reporting.

This report covers data and progress from the calendar year 2017, unless otherwise stated, from our operations.

2016 Community Report
The prior report from 2016 was published in April 2017 and can be found on our corporate website.

We plan to continue to report on an annual basis.

LifeLabs does not receive financial assistance from the government.

Wages at LifeLabs are not defined based on gender and comply with all provincial legislation related to pay. Our pay is established based on our internal job evaluation system, which groups similar roles based on the skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions, and the external market for each position.  This system ensures that pay decisions are free from any deliberate or systemic gender bias.

For roles which are regionally or provincially focused, LifeLabs hires qualified candidates from the local community.  For roles with company-wide (national) accountability, the most qualified candidate is selected.  In most cases, the candidate is not asked to relocate.

Healthier Communities:

This was a baseline year for measuring infrastructure investments and services supported. Our contributions for 2017 consisted of commercial, emergency relief, and in-kind engagements. We are currently building systems to track our in-kind service offering and are committed to work toward amplifying our disclosure on these investments.

• Employee Giving Program: $32,188.75
• Community Investment BC: $51,312.50
• Community Investment ON: $51,206.70

The LifeLabs Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest Policy and Whistleblower Policy applies to all LifeLabs officers and employees. It also extends to other parties acting on behalf of LifeLabs such as consultants, the Board of Directors, or other representatives of LifeLabs.  A review of LifeLabs Code of Conduct, Conflict of Interest Policy and Whistleblower Policy is included in the orientation plan for all new employees.

Healthier Environment

13,647,842 kWh of electricity was consumed in 2017 at LifeLabs’ four main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Toronto, Mississauga).*

367,330 m3 of natural gas was consumed in 2017 at LifeLabs’ four main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Toronto, Mississauga).*

*Original data collected in 2017 has since been updated due to changes in data collection methodologies.

In the laboratory sector, water management is an important issue because testing processes and equipment require large volumes of water.  In 2017, our main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Toronto, Mississauga) withdrew 82,868 m3 of water from municipal sources.  This value assumes that water in = water out, and that no water is consumed in our laboratory operations.  We are unable to capture water usage at other locations using our existing systems, as we do not currently have a water management program in place.*

*Original data collected in 2017 has since updated for consistency and due to changes in data collection methodologies.

 This was a baseline year for measuring CO2e emissions.* CO2 emissions are based on the most current and up to date emission factors and may change annually.

• Road (courier) mileage: 24,329,419 km
• Road (courier) CO2 emissions: 4,957 tonnes
• Water CO2 emissions: 29 tonnes
• Electricity CO2 emissions: 339 tonnes
• Fuel (NG) CO2 emissions: 692 tonnes

*Original data collected in 2017 has since updated for consistency and due to changes in data collection methodologies. CO2 emissions are based on the most current and up to date emission factors and may change annually.

 This was a baseline year for measuring CO2e emissions.  Scope 3 business travel sources include air travel. CO2 emissions are based on the most current and up to date emission factors and may change annually.

• Air mileage: 4,455,478 km*
• Air CO2 emissions: 412 tonnes*
• Non-hazardous waste CO2 emissions: -492.5 tonnes
• Hazardous waste CO2 emissions: 1792.5 tonnes
• Total waste CO2 emissions (hazardous & non-hazardous): 1300.0 tonnes

*Air mileage data has been updated since 2017 due to transcription errors.

LifeLabs discharged 82,868 m3 of water from the main four laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Toronto, Mississauga) to municipal sanitary sewer in conformity with local legislation and permits, where required. In many LifeLabs laboratories, process water is collected in tanks and cleaned in on-site treatment facilities. If collected and treated on site, water is tested as per local permits or best practice before being discharged.*

* Original data collected in 2017 has since updated for consistency and due to changes in data collection methodologies.

Healthier Environment: Recycling and Waste
By the Numbers

‘This was a baseline year for measuring waste by type and disposal method.*

• Recycle: 562,890kg
• Compost: 26,790kg
• Landfill: 265,850kg
• Biohazardous: 791,740kg
• Chemical: 106,655kg

Data is based off our four main laboratories (Burnaby, Surrey, Toronto, Mississauga). Recyclable waste includes paper, corrugated cardboard, electronics, and single-stream recycling.

* Original data collected in 2017 has since updated for consistency and due to changes in data collection methodologies.

LifeLabs did not observe any reportable spills in 2017 that resulted in a release to the environment.

LifeLabs commits to fully complying with all applicable environmental regulations at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.  We did not receive any fines or orders for environmental non-compliance in 2017.

LifeLabs does not report specific numbers or percentages related to environmental screening, however our procurement processes do include specific environmental criteria against which all major equipment and consumable purchases are assessed.

LifeLabs complies with relevant local and national laws and any applicable contractual requirements regarding providing notice of significant operational changes.

LifeLabs supports a culture of safety, encouraging employees at all levels of the organization to participate in an open dialogue and constructive feedback on safety.  One hundred percent (100%) of employees nationally are represented by a Health & Safety representative or Joint Health & Safety Committee

By The Numbers

The injury rate for 2017 was 2.93.* There were no work-related fatalities.

Top 3 injuries: needlestick injury (33%), ergonomic incidents (30%), contact with objects (7%).

* Previously reported injury rate in 2017 has changed due to improving the methodology for the determination of the hours of work, in addition to changes within our reporting years.

LifeLabs is unable to pull data on annual average training hours per employee with the current systems, however we have recently upgraded our systems and are committed to work toward amplifying our disclosure on programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs. For 2017, we can report a total of 182,444 training hours across our employee population. This number includes New Hire Orientation, the Privacy Program, Employee Health and Safety, Client Services programs, Leadership programs, soft skills training, and other trainings across the organization.

LifeLabs uses Performance Management as a process that involves setting business goals and personal development plans (as appropriate), monitoring progress / on-going coaching and feedback and the annual performance review.

LifeLabs strives to provide an environment where all employees understand the impact of their contributions towards the organization’s vision and goals, and are provided with the opportunity for ongoing development. This is accomplished through the annual performance review program which all LifeLabs employees participate in.

Percentage of employees at year-end, who received a regular performance/career development review by gender and employee category*:

• Female: 3,980, 90.2%
• Male: 1,073, 90.3%
• Full-time: 2,653, 94.5%
• Part-time: 2,208, 89.6%
• Casual: 174, 77.7%
• Temporary:  18, 17.5%

*Employees would not receive a review if they are: on leave during the year and not worked for 3 months, a new hire, a temp, a union employee.

Percentage of individuals within the organization’s governance bodies (ELT) by number & percentage:

• Female: 5, 50%
• Male:  5, 50%

Number & percentage of employees in a leadership role (director level and above):

• Female: 32, 59%
• Male: 22, 41%

Number & percentage of employees by gender:

• Female: 4,410, 79%
• Male: 1,188, 21%

LifeLabs is unable to pull this data with the current systems, however we have recently upgraded our systems and are committed to work toward amplifying our disclosure on employee training on human rights policies and procedures.

Healthier Communities 

• “Pancakes for a Purpose – supporting chidhood cancer” 
• “Award-winning program for patients with Autism sets the new standard of care”

In 2017, we did not pay any fines or receive any orders related to non-compliance with laws and regulations concerning the health and safety impacts of our services.

LifeLabs offers services and does not manufacture or distribute products.  Therefore this is not relevant to our organization.

In 2017, we did not pay any fines related to non-compliance with laws and regulations in the social and economic area.