The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) has launched a campaign to address racism in the industry.

“We have always taken a leadership role in fighting racism and discrimination in the construction industry,” says RESCON president Richard Lyall. “We are very proud of the fact that we have a multi-racial, multi-cultural and incredibly diverse workforce in Ontario’s construction industry and racist behaviour of any kind or in any form will not be tolerated by any of our employers.”

The group’s Construction Against Racism Everywhere (CARE) campaign launched on September 10. RESCON and its board of directors are also launching a coalition of employers, unions and sub-trades from all sectors of the industry. The group aims to come up with ideas on how to deal with racism and change the culture of the industry.

Members will also figure out a strategy to educate workers and engage construction stakeholders through conversations and meetings with the Ontario Residential Council of Construction Associations, Infrastructure Health and Safety Association, Construction Employers Coalition and Construction and Design Alliance of Ontario.

In addition, the group has created the #RESCONCare hashtag that it intends to use on social media. It will also distribute stickers that workers can use to show their support for the cause.

The campaign comes in response to several incidents of alleged racism on Toronto-area construction sites in the summer. RESCON was among the first groups in the industry to speak out against the incidents, and the council was part of a group of organizations that participated in a virtual meeting with Toronto Mayor John Tory to discuss the issue and options for addressing racism.

“We intend to work closely with construction employers and unions, the provincial and municipal governments to address racism in all forms,” says Bruno Giancola, chair of RESCON’s board of directors and senior vice president, project management at Tridel. “While the recent incidents in no way exemplify the majority of the 400,000 workers, contractors and builders who work in Ontario’s construction industry, RESCON is aware that there is a problem and will continue to do all that we can to learn and educate the workforce.”

RESCON also hosted a webinar on September 10 in which several legal experts discussed employers’ obligations when dealing with racism and discrimination incidents. The session also included a separate panel discussion on anti-racism and diversity efforts undertaken by builders and labour.