MISSISSAUGA, ONT. — Geoff Smith, president and CEO of EllisDon, has signed the BlackNorth Initiative CEO pledge, which invites senior executives across Canada to devote key organizational changes and actions to address, change and end anti-Black systemic racism.
The initiative is led by the Canadian Council of Business Leaders Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism which, in addition to the pledge, has a variety of resources and events including the BlackNorth Initiative Summit 2020, and numerous action committees that create measurable goals to put a spotlight on the real issues Black Canadians face.
Through the pledge, CEO signatories commit to various and targeted actions to fight anti-Black systemic racism throughout their companies.
According to a July 21 release, some of the pledge’s action items include: diverse and inclusive teams; open dialogue and communication about anti-Black racism in the workplace; anti-racism and unconscious bias education; and hiring goals of at minimum five per cent within the student workforce from the Black community, and 3.5 per cent of executive and board roles based in Canada being held by Black leaders by 2025.
“Signing the BlackNorth Initiative CEO pledge is only one step in acknowledging and eliminating anti-Black racism within EllisDon,” said EllisDon CEO Geoff Smith, in a statement. “We are committed to providing a safe environment, equal opportunity and support for our Black employees and youth entering the workforce, while maintaining an inclusive environment with strong opportunities for advancement and growth for everyone at this company.”
In June nooses were found at two EllisDon construction sites, the Michael Garron Hospital construction site in Toronto’s East York community and a tower project being built by the company and Govan Brown in a joint venture at 81 Bay St.
“Becoming a signatory of the BlackNorth initiative is an important step in demonstrating EllisDon’s commitment to the recruitment, retention and empowerment of our BlPOC employees at all levels,” said Jennifer Khan, head of inclusive diversity, people and culture with EllisDon. “The pledge will hold us accountable to take meaningful and lasting change to address anti-Black racism. We are not interested in just saying the right thing, we are committed to doing it.”
For more information on BlackNorth Initiative, visit blacknorth.ca
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