Volume 49 No. 14
BEACHMETRO.COM
October 6, 2020
Cycling celebration
Racist incidents at hospital construction site being investigated A PAIR of racist incidents early this fall at the construction site for the Michael Garron Hospital expansion in East York has the hospital’s president and CEO calling for action from the construction company running the job. Sarah Downey says construction company EllisDon needs to do a better job combating racism at its work site after a noose was discovered there on Sept. 24. “This pattern indicates a systemic problem. Although we have been reassured by the efforts made by EllisDon and others to address the racism in the construction industry, it is clear that they need to do better,” said Sarah Downey, president and CEO of Michael Garron Hospital in a release on Sept. 25. That was the second time such an incident had taken place, as nooses were also found at the site on June 10. Further adding to the concern was the discovery of a racist message painted on a wall within the
site on Oct. 2. The derogatory message was shared on Twitter after it was discovered. “I am committed to addressing systemic and overt racism within our organization and the health sector and will hold EllisDon and all of our partners accountable to do the same,” Downey said in her statement. On Sept. 30, EllisDon posted a statement outlining actions it was taking to combat racism. “We want to update our communities on the steps we are taking as a company to hold ourselves accountable to take meaningful actions to address anti-Black racism on our job sites and the industry as a whole,” said the EllisDon statement. “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.” Measures taken will include increased security, and the offer of Continued on Page 4
Councillor set to host safety meeting
PHOTOS: ALAN SHACKLETON
David and Deborah Livingston-Lowe were at Withrow Park Sunday morning in advance of the Bloor-Danforth Celebratory Ride held by local cyclists. The ride was in honour of the bike lanes along Danforth Avenue that were installed this summer.
BEACHES-EAST YORK Councillor Brad Bradford will host a virtual Community Safety Meeting on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 7. The online meeting will take place on Zoom from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Guest will be Supt. Reuben Stroble from Toronto police’s 55 Division, which serves the BeachesEast York community. Along with hearing an update on measures being taken to keep residents safe while we all deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, there will also be an opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns. Continued on Page 4
What was making local news in February of 1973? Find out with our Front Page Flashback on Page 17.