A group of stakeholders from across the Ontario construction industry—including developers, contractors, unions, associations and workers—have thrown their support behind a new zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and acts of hate.

The Toronto Declaration of Inclusive Workplaces & Communities affirms the health and safety of every person and supports the construction industry's zero tolerance policy for discrimination or acts of hate of any kind.

Commitments from the employer community come from groups such as EllisDon and Daniels. Those two companies in particular, which saw their sites become targets for hate crimes last summer, have taken further action to educate their employees and their partners about the importance of eliminating racism and discrimination in the industry.

EllisDon, for example, has hosted diversity and inclusion town halls to discuss these crucial issues with employees, while Daniels has organized site meetings with construction teams to impress the importance of creating inclusive workplaces and to reiterate that there is zero tolerance for discrimination on job sites.

"EllisDon has zero tolerance for racism, and as an employer, we have a pivotal role to play in this movement,” said president and CEO Geoff Smith. “We will continue to work closely with our union partners to promote education and action across all areas of our industry.”

"Actioning change requires commitment and collaboration in our industry,” said Daniels president and CEO Mitchell Cohen. “Daniels has initiated important dialogues with construction unions, associations and industry partners to take a unified stance and engage in conversations at every level to set out clear expectations that racism, prejudice and hate will simply not be tolerated and have no place in our industry.”

The Carpenters' District Council (CDCO) has also indicated its support for the coalition.

"We're working with a third-party company to deliver anti-racism training for staff, shop stewards, and eventually all of our members," said Chris Campbell, equity and diversity representative for the CDCO. "Our partners across the labour movement have also begun rolling out this training to their members and we encourage everyone to join us and do the same."

In the last year, many in the construction industry have actively spoken out against racism and hate in all its forms and promoting inclusion and diversity on worksites.

Carpenters Local 27, for example, brought forward and signed the Charter of Inclusive Workplaces & Communities in the summer of 2020 as part of a multi-union effort to create safe and respectful workplaces.

The CDCO appointed Campbell as its equity and diversity representative, and shared member-focused video content celebrating Black History Month.

EllisDon appointed Jennifer Khan as its head of inclusive diversity, and established the Alliance of Black Employee Experience and Leadership (ABEEL) led by engineer Samuel Ajobo.

Daniels hosted a virtual town hall in Regent Park to share updates and actions in response to the hate crime on one of its construction sites. RESCON, Carpenters' Local 27 and LiUNA Local 183 participated.

"As Mayor, I have made it clear that racism and discrimination have no place in Toronto," said Toronto Mayor John Tory. “We have met with workers, developers, contractors, unions, and associations to create this declaration and take a stand together against any form of hatred in our city."