Ontario Construction Report staff writer
The Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen (OBCT) is calling on government, employers, unions, training centres and industry partners to adopt an anti-discrimination and anti-harassment (ADAH) training program as a core training requirement to step foot on job sites in Ontario.
“It’s 2025, it’s clear that our industry needs change,” Karen Pullen, OBCT’s chair and Business Representative, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 353, said in a statement. “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.”
Designed by tradespeople for tradespeople, the ADAH training program directly addresses the systemic causes of stress, exclusion and harm on job sites – issues that continue to undermine the recruitment and retention of skilled workers across Ontario. The program is free to support the creation of safe, respectful and equitable workplaces for every skilled tradesperson.
Workplace culture remains one of the biggest obstacles for underrepresented groups entering the trades. With the construction industry projecting a need for 154,100 new workers over the next decade, barriers such as harassment, discrimination and unsafe conditions continue to challenge long-term career success. These conditions underscore the urgent need for industry-wide change to create a safer and healthier workplace culture.
“ADAH is essential to building safe, respectful job sites,” said OBCT progam manager Kate Walsh. “To strengthen recruitment and retention, it must be mandatory – built into apprenticeship training and a requirement before anyone steps onto a job site. Optional culture change isn’t enough.”
OBCT is advocating to make ADAH training a mandatory component of apprenticeship completion. Findings from the 2025 OBCT Survey show that 52% of tradeswomen have experienced harassment at work highlighting the need for structured, consistent training that equips employers and workers with the skills to identify, prevent and respond to discrimination and harassment on job sites.
Aiming to build awareness of the rights and responsibilities of all job site personnel, ADAH promotes inclusive, team-oriented worksite culture that supports improvement across unions, employers, and training institutions. The program also explores mechanisms that encourage early reporting and proactive resolution of workplace issues, reducing lost time on harassment-related claims and preventing workplace injury.
“This training gives employers, supervisors, and tradespeople the tools to recognize, prevent, and address harassment and discrimination before they take root,” said Jack Mesley, president, Ontario Erectors Association Inc. “We are committed to building not only the infrastructure of Ontario but also a culture of respect where every worker can contribute and succeed.”
Training is structured around four core modules and incorporates real lived experiences from tradeswomen across Ontario, which are used as scenarios within the modules to provide practical and relatable learning.
For more information, go to www.ontariobuildingtrades.com/training/adah.
“As a boilermaker and training instructor, I see firsthand how the culture on a job site can shape a worker’s entire career. 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,” said OBCT chair and a training instructor with the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 128. “That’s why ADAH can’t be optional, it has to be embedded in apprenticeship training from day one.”