Another incident of anti-Black racism on Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital construction site may be causing a rift between the constructor and project owner.

Late last week, a racist message was found scrawled on the wall of a washroom stall on the construction site. The message, which reads "This site needs a N-word purge," was found late Thursday afternoon.

This is the third act of anti-Black racism to occur on the site since June, and the most recent since two nooses were found at the same location on September 25.

EllisDon responded quickly to the incident by publishing a statement and offering a $5,000-reward to anyone who can help identify those involved in the acts.

“EllisDon condemns this despicable racist act,” said a statement from the company. “Our people are not just our employees — they are our family. We know we need to do better to protect their safety, both physically and emotionally.”

“Upon learning of this incident, we immediately boarded up the area and removed the graffiti. We have initiated an investigation and have already begun to upgrade the security and surveillance on the site, both to catch these criminals and to ensure that every worker is safe from discrimination, hate and bigotry.”

“We will not stop until the perpetrators are found and permanently evicted from our industry.”

Despite such statements, hospital president and CEO Sarah Downey isn’t satisfied. She wants the contractor do more to find and hold those responsible accountable.

In an open letter to EllisDon president and CEO Geoff Smith, Downey writes, “I appreciate the serious response taken by EllisDon in responding to these incidents including involving Toronto Police Service, conducting safety stand downs on the site, offering support to the workers and offering financial reward for information that leads to charges. It is clear, however, that this disturbing trend requires a stronger and louder response.”

She goes on to say that, despite the contractor’s best efforts to call out these acts and heal with the community, more action is needed.

“I am calling on EllisDon to do more to stop racist acts on your construction sites and on our hospital property. Access to the job site at MGH is managed by EllisDon. We believe more security and safety controls are required to safeguard the site to ensure that whoever is responsible for these acts is identified and prosecuted,” she says.

“Finally, I am asking for EllisDon to be a louder voice in our East Toronto community, sharing publicly the actions you are taking to dismantle anti-Black racism and to ensure the safety of the construction workers who work on this site.”