TORONTO — EllisDon has issued a statement saying the firm is disgusted by an incident it says involved racially motivated hate at a Toronto jobsite last week.
The statement indicated hate paraphernalia – two nooses – was found at the Michael Garron Hospital site by two subtrade workers. The nooses were strategically placed and EllisDon said it has concluded the actions were racially motivated.
“To say we are shocked and disgusted would be an understatement,” the release stated.
EllisDon president and CEO Geoff Smith said he was “appalled and outraged at the hateful and racist actions.”
“This will not be tolerated, not now, not ever. We will work with Toronto Police Services, with every resource we can muster, to identify the guilty individual or individuals and ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent, and never allowed to participate in our industry again.
“We have worked extremely hard to ensure a culture and environment that allows people to work free of discrimination and intolerance. Obviously, there is more work to be done; and I know I speak for the entire industry when I say that we do not intend to rest until this kind of behaviour is eradicated entirely.”
This type of intolerance will never be permitted on an EllisDon jobsite or office, the statement said.
“These actions are not a joke. They are ignorant and will come with harsh consequences which we will fully support,” the release stated.
Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario president Mike Yorke called the incident “outrageous.” While it was isolated, he said, the matter should further the resolve of the whole construction sector to eliminate racism from its workplaces.
“It is an outrageous happening. It should never happen in construction,” Yorke said. “We want to put a stop to this completely.
“All stakeholders in our industry need to address this and eradicate it.”
Yorke said he had written to EllisDon and Smith “thanking them for their solid leadership and direct response to this outrageous event.”
The Carpenters’ recently signed on to the Charter of Inclusive Workplaces and Communities supported by the Toronto and York Region Labour Council and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
“We also need to put into place mechanisms around education,” said Yorke. “That is part of our responsibility. Local 27 only last week put forward a motion that we will take actions to address anti-Black racism and we want to deepen solidarity and address inequality in our industry.”
Messages from the charter will be posted in Carpenters’ offices and training facilities and shared with members through social media, he noted.
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