Confronting Anti-Black Racism on Daniels Construction Sites

By Adonis Huggins – Staff of FOCUS Media Centre

In the week following a hate crime incident at DuEast Condominiums’ Construction Site on June 26th 2020, the Regent Park Neighbourhood Association (RPNA) reached out to The Daniels Corporation (Daniels) requesting information on Daniels' response to the incident. In response to this request, Daniels has prepared a comprehensive Report that how the organization and the industry is working to address the hate crime incident, and confront systemic racism more broadly. The report was released in a Town Hall co-hosted by RPNA and Daniels on November 24, 2020. Daniels was joined by Carpenters Union Local 27, LIUNA Local 183, RESCON -Ontario’s leading association of residential guilders, Toronto City Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam. The following is a summarized report of to meeting.

In the hours following the June 26, 2020, discovery of a hate noose on a Daniels construction site, CEO Mitch Cohen released a public statement. Cohen was unequivocal in his condemnation of the incident as a hate crime, an act of racism targeted at the Black community. He also confirmed that there was a zero tolerance for racism, prejudice and hate within the organization as a whole.

In addition to Cohen's statement, Daniels filed a report with police and fully cooperated with their investigations including providing access to security cameras and records of personnel on site. Daniels also initiated its own internal workplace violence investigation including interviews with supervisors and workers on site in an effort to identify the culprit. Unfortunately, investigators to date have been unable to identify who tied the noose and are partnering with Crime Stoppers in the hopes that an anonymous witness to the crime will come forward. Currently Daniels is considering offering a financial award for tips that lead to the arrest of a suspect.

In following up to this immediate response, Daniels organized a series of all workers meetings held on each of the organization's construction sites across the GTA starting with the Regent Park site where the noose was found. These meetings began on the Monday June 29, 2020 and included senior management of Daniels team, construction site management, representatives of partnering construction unions and associations as well as all the workers on the site. No one was allowed to go to their work area without first participating in the meetings. In total over 900 workers attended. The content of these meetings Daniels reiterated their disgust over the incident and reinforced their zero policy for racism at its construction sites and within the organization. Furthermore, it was announced that anyone found of committing a hate crime would not only be reported to the police and fired from the organization, but would be kicked out of their associated union making it difficult to work in the industry. Anyone with information about the hate crime was also encouraged to come forward.

According to Toronto Police Superintendent, Peter Moreira, at 51 Division, over 20 hate crime incidents has taken place since the discovery of a noose at Daniel site. Acknowledging the need to address the systemic nature of racism, senior representatives of Daniels has met with the Mayor's Office and senior construction industry leaders to discuss incidents and prevention policies. As part of this work Daniels industry initiatives include: signing the Black North Initiative pledge committing to diversifying its workplace and senior management (Daniels currently has no Black representatives on its senior management and admits it needs to do better in this regard); and working with the construction industries to better design and implement Anti-racism policies including the requirement for contractors to have a diversity and inclusion policy prior to working on construction sites.

Internally Daniels is also working on a separate Anti-racism policy from their Workplace Violence Policy; has initiated an employee survey that will include demographics to identify employee concerns; reviewing its hiring policies to better identify visible minority and indigenous candidates; continue to identify, hire, offer apprenticeships and train local residents in partnership with TCHC and Community Benefits Network; implementing diversity and inclusion and bias training; implement a site signage policy around all its construction sites informing workers of Daniel's zero policy for racism; and procurement of local art work particularly from members of the Black community.

Other follow up actions from the meeting was:

the need for Daniels and other leaders in the construction trades to work with government around industry wide anti-racism policies;

the need for Daniels to better collaborate with contractors and sub-contractors to ensure that hiring and anti-racism policies are in place;  

the need for Daniels to conduct better data collection and tracking of the 500 resident employment positions and 170 youth that were hired on Daniels construction sites in Regent Park including demographics, length of employment and why they left;