Tradeswomen launch anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training

Ontario’s construction industry is under pressure to grow its skilled workforce, including increasing the number of women in the trades. But new data from Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen (OBCT) suggests harassment and discrimination remain significant barriers to retention.

In response, OBCT has developed an Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment (ADAH) training program tailored for construction, and is calling on government, employers, unions, training centres and industry partners to adopt it as a requirement before workers enter job sites.

Why the training was developed

OBCT was launched in 2019 by a group of tradeswomen under the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, with a mandate to advance, support and advocate for women in the skilled trades. At its initial conference, participants identified on-site harassment and discrimination as one of the main reasons women do not stay in the trades.

Since then, OBCT has focused not only on attracting women into apprenticeship, but also on understanding why many leave. “We really kind of pivoted in the last year and a half to look at reasons why women don't stay,” says Kate Walsh, program manager for the Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen Program and director of communications for the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario.

A recent OBCT research project surveyed tradeswomen across Ontario. According to Walsh, 52% of respondents reported facing discrimination and harassment on the job site. About half of those who reported incidents said they were not satisfied with how their complaints were handled. The survey captured only women still in the industry, so those who left because of these experiences were not included.

Policy gap and safety implications

Under Ontario legislation, employers must have harassment and discrimination policies, but training itself is not mandatory, “which is kind of surprising,” Walsh says. She notes other provinces do require mandatory training, suggesting there is “an opportunity here for Ontario to step up.”

Walsh frames the issue explicitly as a health and safety concern for construction employers. “People should have anti-discrimination, anti-harassment training before they set foot on a job site the same way that they have working at heights,” she says.

What the ADAH program covers

OBCT set out to design training rooted in construction realities rather than general workplace scenarios. The ADAH program examines the root causes of harassment and discrimination, how those behaviours appear on construction sites, and how they affect workers’ mental health, attendance and career progression.

An initial version of the training was piloted at the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Convention to test whether the material was understandable, relevant and practical from an industry perspective. “We really wanted to make training that was tailored specifically to the construction industry,” Walsh says.

Karen Pullen, chair of OBCT and business representative with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 353, describes the goal in cultural terms. “The ADAH training program is about fostering a stronger collective culture that aligns with the values of fairness, dignity, and equity. It is about ensuring that everyone feels safe and supported going to work to support the growth of our industry,” she says.

Delivery model and target audience

The ADAH program is currently offered in two main formats.

The first is a 90‑minute online session with a live instructor, Q&A and construction-specific scenarios. It is designed for anyone going onto a construction site, including apprentices, journeyworkers and supervisors.

The second is a train‑the‑trainer model intended to build internal capacity within unions and employers. OBCT has delivered train‑the‑trainer sessions to its leadership committee and to the executive board of the Ontario Building Trades, with additional sessions scheduled in Ottawa and other locations. “We can't do all the training,” Walsh says. “We are engaging with the unions on the train‑the‑trainer workshop so that we can train their trainers to deliver ADAH training to their membership.”

OBCT is also exploring a self‑directed virtual module to extend reach and accommodate variable schedules. “We've got really good feedback from the folks that have taken it about the content of the course,” Walsh notes. “We're happy to tailor it and make it their own for any employer in the construction industry that wants to put this on.”

Retention and workforce impact

Program advocates link ADAH directly to retention and skills development. “Apprentices come in ready to learn their trade but if they're met with discrimination or harassment, many don't stay long enough to become the skilled workers our industry needs,” says Nicole Lavoie, co‑chair of OBCT and training instructor with the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 128.

For health and safety leaders, the ADAH program offers a construction‑specific tool to address psychosocial risks alongside more familiar physical hazards. Information about upcoming sessions and registration is available on OBCT’s website.