Representatives from more than 20 organizations across the industry met for the first time as a group on October 15 to discuss strategies for addressing racism in construction.

The council comprises 22 organizations of varying stripes: employers, unions, employment agencies, educators, the provincial and municipal governments, and the health and safety sector. Among them are the Ontario General Contractors Association, the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association, the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association, LiUNA Local 183, the Ministry of Training, Labour and Skills Development, and the Carpenters District Council.

“Our construction industry consists of an incredibly diverse, multi-racial and multi-cultural workforce and we will not tolerate any acts of racism,” says Richard Lyall, president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON), which is one of the charter group members.

“We were appalled at racist acts that occurred recently on construction sites and decided to spearhead this effort to bring about meaningful changes to deal with the problem. We have some incredible organizations and industry leaders in this roundtable who will work together to stamp out racism in the industry.”

The group will meet quarterly to develop ideas and policy responses on how to deal with racism and change the culture of the construction industry. Subcommittees are being created based on such themes as employer policies; regulations and legislative requirements; education and training; and marketing and communications.

RESCON’s Amina Dibe, policy and programs analyst, will chair the roundtable.

“At the first meeting, we set the direction the group will take and the issues to be tackled,” she says. “When racist incidents were reported early this summer, RESCON decided to take a leadership role in fighting any acts of racism and discrimination in the construction industry. Combating racism and discrimination in construction is critical to ensuring a safe workplace for all. We were encouraged by the strong interest and commitment from everyone at the roundtable to make tangible and long-lasting change. We will be working to move the needle on the issues and continue to provide a space for valuable dialogue.”

Earlier this year, RESCON launched its Construction Against Racism Everywhere (CARE) campaign. One of the campaign’s goals was to raise awareness of RESCON’s sentiment that racism is not acceptable in the industry, with the hashtag #RESCONCare. Visual aids, including stickers are being distributed to employers and the industry for workers to post on their hard hats and around construction sites.