Tears in Toronto

Not even a 5:45 am flight could temper my anticipation of showcasing our new payroll platform to a leader in the payroll industry in Toronto.

So far, our new system has received rave reviews from our staff and our customers. But what kind of review would we get from a well respected, 30 year veteran of the payroll industry?

Introductions and preliminary demonstrations went well. I moved on to our new Report Writer. I quickly got lost in the excitement of showing her various reports, how to create them, how easy they were to modify and multiple other reporting functions. It took a while for me to realize that the questions had stopped and the only one talking was me. Damn, I blew it.

Or, so I thought. When I turned to confirm my worst fears, I noticed tears and a subtle smile. I waited with bated breath. Finally she said, “People are really going to like this.”

Inside, I was doing the happy dance and thinking “whoo hoo” but I kept my composure and just said “Yeah, we think so too.”

IBEX Payroll extends our profound respect and immeasurable gratitude to all the ancestors and keepers of the land on whose traditional territories our work takes place. We acknowledge that we are on Treaty 1 territory, the traditional gathering place of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene people and the traditional homeland of the Métis people. This land is sacred, historical, and significant.

Every time we acknowledge this truth, we have an invitation and an opportunity to reflect on the wrongs of the past, what we do in the present, and what we can do to continually honour the people whose lands and water we benefit from today.

This statement only acts as a first step in honouring the land we reside on and its peoples, and must be paired with education, understanding and informed action.