Final chance to submit nominations for inaugural Building Diversity Awards
By On-Site Staff
Labour Leadership
The awards will recognize construction employers and staff taking the lead on inclusivity
There’s a little over a week left to nominate individuals or organizations for the first annual Building Diversity Awards.
The inaugural event, focused on recognizing those taking the lead on boosting the participation of Black, Indigenous and racialized workers in Ontario’s construction industry, is set to take place May 13. The period to nominate contractors, unions and individuals for an award in one of five categories, meanwhile, comes to a close March 30.
Spearheaded by the the Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN), a community-labour coalition, the Building Diversity Awards (DBAs) is backed by a range of prominent industry stakeholders, such as EllisDon, Tridel and the Ontario General Contractors Association. The program is open to Ontario construction workers and employers. According to research carried out by the Ontario Construction Secretariat, roughly 11 per cent of the unionized skilled trades workforce in the province is made up of visible minorities.
A panel of judges that includes construction veterans and experts on inclusivity from outside the industry, will weigh the nominations before deciding on the winners next month. TCBN said the panel will use the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks, as adapted by BuildForce Canada for the construction industry, to evaluate the submissions.
