Carpenters’ union member resigns over latest Toronto noose incident
By On-Site Staff
Health & SafetyA member of Carpenters Local 27 was forced to resign July 29, a day after a noose was found on a construction site in midtown Toronto.
The Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario (CDCO), which represents more than a dozen local carpenters’ locals across Ontario, said Local 27 “requested and received the unequivocal resignation” from the member, who had recently joined the union.
“After a review of the events that took place, severing this individual’s connection and membership was the appropriate action,” the CDCO said in a release.
The noose found on a Crosstown LRT site at roughly Eglinton Avenue and Dufferin Street was the fifth found on a Toronto job site since the beginning of June. Police have launched hate crime investigations into each incident.
Last month, the CDCO, along with numerous other construction groups, strongly denounced the recent incidents, saying it was both “disgusted and saddened by the racist and hateful acts that have taken place at construction sites.”
“Behaviour that makes anyone feel unsafe on construction worksites will not be tolerated, and accountability rests on everyone in the industry to create safe and respectful workplaces,” it added July 29.
The identification and resignation of the union member has not yet prompted an arrest. Toronto Police Service said July 30 the investigation into the incident remains “open and active,” with no charges having been laid at this time.
