Yorkdale Shopping Centre, EllisDon, deny construction workers were banned from mall
Posted April 1, 2015 3:03 pm.
Last Updated April 1, 2015 7:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A construction company’s memo that appeared to ban its workers from entering Yorkdale mall during their shifts has led to a barrage of online backlash — and an eventual reversal of the directive.
The mall is currently undergoing an expansion.
A viewer emailed CityNews a copy of the EllisDon memo.
It reads: “No workers are allowed inside the mall during construction work hours. The food court (or) anywhere else inside the mall is NOT permitted anymore. If workers are caught inside the mall they will be removed and dealt with accordingly.”
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That led to a slew of angry tweets and Facebook posts from people saying the note was heavy-handed and elitist.
Despite the memo, both EllisDon and Yorkdale Shopping Centre deny there was ever a ban, saying workers were merely prompted to change out of dirty clothes and boots before accessing the mall.
In a Facebook post Yorkdale said: “All are welcome at Yorkdale including the construction crews working on our expansion and always have been…At no time ever were our workers restricted from Yorkdale.”
“There were safety concerns because of contaminants (diesel, grease tar, mud), being tracked into common areas at Yorkdale, especially in the Dine on 3 food court,” the post continued. “Because of these concerns, we provided access to an elevator where the workers park their cars so that they may change out of their footwear and gear. This elevator has direct access to the Dine on 3 food court.”
EllisDon spokesperson Dustin Lucka chalked it up to a misunderstanding and muddy language.
“Our site and safety team noticed a great deal of mud being tracked into the mall and food court area which could have resulted in an avoidable accident,” he said in an email to CityNews. “We need to ensure not only the safety of our site teams but also of the general public and the mall staff.
“There was never any intent to ban our site team from the mall,” he added. “We have set up changing and boot washing stations for the work teams so that they can ensure that their clothing and work boots are free from mud and contaminants before entering the mall.
“The signs that were originally posted have been replaced with signs that explain this request more accurately.”
