Racist graffiti discovered at East York hospital construction site
Posted October 2, 2020 8:36 pm.
Last Updated October 2, 2020 8:45 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A racist message drawn out in black graffiti has been found at a construction site at East York’s Michael Garron Hospital.
The construction site operator, EllisDon, confirmed the discovery to CityNews.
“EllisDon 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,” a spokesperson said.
“Upon learning of this incident we 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,” they added.
A spokeswoman for Michael Garron Hospital says: “This hateful act is further demonstration that this problem is systemic in the construction industry.”
This comes after two nooses were discovered at the construction site located on Coxwell Avenue and Mortimer Avenue.
Toronto police said it is not being treated as hate-motivated.
A similar incident took place in June, around the same time global protests were being held following the police-involved murder of George Floyd.
At the time EllisDon said the nooses were strategically placed and that the act appeared to be racially motivated.
“As part of this investigation, EllisDon will 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,” they said.
“We will not stop until the perpetrators are found and permanently evicted from our industry.”
