Third act of racism reported at East York construction site

Message found Friday at Michael Garron Hospital — nooses found earlier

A racist message scrawled in black marker has been found at a construction site at East York’s Michael Garron Hospital, the third racist act in the past four months there.

The message, which reads “This site needs a (N-word) purge,” was shared in a tweet posted Friday by Mohammed Hashim, a senior organizer with the Toronto and York Region Labour Council.

In the tweet, Hashim said a construction union member found it at the worksite at 825 Coxwell Ave. He’s calling on Michael Garron Hospital to act to put an end to this hate.

On June10, two Black workers found two nooses when they arrived to work for the day at the same site. On Sept. 24, Toronto police were called after two more nooses were found at the site, which remains closed to the public.

Hospital spokesperson Erica

Di Maio said they “recently responded to an act of racism that occurred on the EllisDon construction site on our property and this hateful act is further demonstration that this problem is systemic in the construction industry.”

In a statement, EllisDon spokesperson Dustin Luchka said the company “condemns this despicable racist act.”

“Our people are not just our employees — they are our family. We know we need to do better to protect their safety, both physically and emotionally,” he wrote, noting upon learning of this incident, they “immediately boarded up the area and removed the graffiti.”

“We have initiated an investigation and have already begun to upgrade the security and surveillance on the site, both to catch these criminals and to ensure that every worker is safe from discrimination, hate and bigotry.”

EllisDon said it would be offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who brings forward information that leads to the identification of the individual(s) involved in acts of racism.

“We will not stop until the perpetrators are found and permanently evicted from our industry,” Luchka said, noting the racist graffiti was found in a washroom stall on the site.

He said EllisDon is taking actions to address anti-Black racism on its job sites and the industry as a whole with investigations, site security measures as well as education, awareness and support.

Late Friday, Toronto police Const. Michelle Flannery said they have not received any reports of any more incidents at Michael Garron since Sept. 24.

Local politicians have been quick to decry this latest act, including Beaches-East York MPP Rima Berns, who demanded action from both the hospital and EllisDon.

“This hateful act is further demonstration that this problem is systemic in the construction industry.” ERICA DI MAIO HOSPITAL SPOKESPERSON