In December 2018, a Community Benefits and Apprenticeship Declaration was signed pledging to provide training and employment opportunities for underrepresented or disadvantaged groups through the construction of West Park Healthcare Centre’s new six-storey facility.
Three years later, apprentices in different fields are working diligently on the West Park hospital construction site.
“The construction of our new hospital is transforming one life at a time for apprentices and journeypersons looking to access meaningful work opportunities,” Anne-Marie Malek, West Park’s president and CEO said in a statement.
“Opportunities significantly increase their chances for stable, well-paying jobs in the future, which can positively impact lives and families for generations to come.”
With the official signing of the declaration by industry leaders, West Park became the first Ontario hospital to include a community benefits agreement in its capital project, requiring EllisDon to meet a target to provide 10 per cent of all trade and craft working hours, on a trade-by-trade basis, to be performed by qualified apprentices or journeypersons from historically disadvantaged communities or equity seeking working groups.
These groups include Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC), newcomers to Canada, women, at-risk youth, persons with disabilities, veterans and individuals who identify as 2SLGTBQ.
Several members of the Toronto Community Benefits Network’s (TCBN) NexGen Builders mentorship program are placed at West Park. A signatory of the declaration, TCBN is a grassroots organization that envisions Toronto as an inclusive, thriving city in which all residents have equitable opportunities.
Central Ontario Building Trades (Hammer Heads), Infrastructure Ontario, and the United Way Greater Toronto are also signatories of the declaration.
For more info on the West Park community benefits program, please visit westparkcommunitybenefits.com.
