The initial response from industry leaders to recent acts of racism on Ontario construction jobsites was swift and clear: there is no place for racism in our industry.
And at least one of the specific companies involved has taken concrete steps to ensure such incidents never occur on one of their projects again.
But what will it take to address racism across the industry? No construction executive I know is naive enough to think that a few sternly worded social media posts and a toolbox talk are enough to eradicate this blight from the industry for good. It will take an intentional, united and sustained effort from all corners of construction to end racism and prejudice of any kind.
The good news is that we know what it takes to bring about this kind of culture change in Ontario construction because we have done it before.
