{"id":405128,"date":"2024-10-09T04:45:15","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T08:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada.constructconnect.com\/?p=405128"},"modified":"2024-10-08T16:25:25","modified_gmt":"2024-10-08T20:25:25","slug":"metrolinx-marks-10th-anniversary-of-community-benefits-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada.constructconnect.com\/dcn\/news\/labour\/2024\/10\/metrolinx-marks-10th-anniversary-of-community-benefits-program","title":{"rendered":"Metrolinx marks 10th anniversary of community benefits program"},"content":{"rendered":"

Metrolinx<\/a> is marking the 10th anniversary of the launch of its community benefits program by highlighting successes such as its diversity hiring record and also reflecting on how the program has become a sophisticated tool to engage the communities where they build.<\/p>\n

The organization released its first annual Community Benefits and Supports (CBS) report<\/a> last month for 2023-2024. It calculated there were 148 public improvements incorporated into projects, including $173.2 million in active transportation projects such as bike storage rooms and multi-use pathways and $127.7 million in local access and accessibility improvements such as new bridges and streetscape enhancements.<\/p>\n

On its LRT projects, 29.1 per cent (169) of new hires by project contractors came from BIPOC communities and 21.9 per cent (164) identified as women. On subway projects, 62.5 per cent (90) of new hires by contractors came from BIPOC communities and 35.7 per cent (55) were women.<\/p>\n

Metrolinx chief planning officer Karla Avis-Birch<\/a> says the CBS program has grown in scale and effectiveness since it was launched with the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had some agreements with the contractors there, but we\u2019ve grown over time and learned a lot from what we\u2019ve done there,\u201d she said, noting the CBS program is now a part of all major Metrolinx transit projects.<\/p>\n

\"Metrolinx
Metrolinx YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve grown in a lot of ways, not only in the learnings of how to deal with the contractors, but also, we\u2019ve learned a lot in how we are working with community partners.<\/p>\n

\u201cInternally, we\u2019ve built a more robust tracking program, really embedded it into how we think about things, really understanding, at the heart of all the construction that we\u2019re doing, that the community is really a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The CBS program has four pillars: employment opportunities, local business supports, public realm improvements and community improvements.<\/p>\n

The report found since 2016 there have been over 1,800 skilled workers hired from historically underrepresented groups and communities, which surpasses hiring targets by 10 per cent. Avis-Birch said the benefits accruing from those results range from economic and community gains to improving many hundreds of individual lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re talking to a lot of people. We\u2019re listening to a lot of people. We\u2019re hearing a lot of stories, and in the report, there\u2019s a couple sections where we have what we\u2019re calling \u2018Transforming Lives,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThose ones really are a testament to how we\u2019re making an impact and how we\u2019re driving those changes, and how it actually means something to the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report quotes Lovleen Sarah, a third-term carpenter\u2019s apprentice with Local 27 who worked on the Hazel McCallion LRT project and is now progressing towards her Red Seal certification: \u201cGrowing up in Brampton as a first-generation Punjabi, we didn\u2019t have connections to the industry; I was the only girl in my co-op class and I\u2019m often the only young woman of colour on site\u2026This is why apprenticeship opportunities and diversity are important for our field.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was combined spending of $35.7 million on local businesses and social enterprises across the region last year, with direct supports to local business improvement areas that often bear the brunt of construction disruption. Metrolinx held 115 community liaison meetings as part of regular community outreach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to learn\u2026to make sure that we\u2019re reaching the communities in the right way, and that we\u2019re listening and we\u2019re really impacting and giving those meaningful inputs along the way,\u201d said Avis-Birch.<\/p>\n

In the end, the CBS program has gone from a fledgling program with modest community-building goals to an important tool beyond mere transit expansion that implements government policy and serves multiple purposes including broader economic and community growth targets, she added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re delivering on a $80-million capital program across the region to bring more transit to customers, to add more connections and integration, things like one fare and other\u2026initiatives,\u201d said Avis-Birch. \u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s all about really serving customers and community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow the author on X\/Twitter @DonWall_DCN.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Metrolinx is marking the 10th anniversary of the launch of its community benefits program by highlighting successes such as its diversity hiring record and also reflecting on how the program has become a sophisticated tool to engage the communities where they build. The organization released its first annual Community Benefits and Supports (CBS) report last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20838,"featured_media":405175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[11],"tags":[12800,89699,9890,76221,1846],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMetrolinx marks 10th anniversary of community benefits program<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Metrolinx is marking the 10th anniversary of the launch of its community benefits program by highlighting successes such as its diversity hiring record.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/canada.constructconnect.com\/?p=405128\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Metrolinx marks 10th anniversary of community benefits program\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Metrolinx is marking the 10th anniversary of the launch of its community benefits program by highlighting successes such as its diversity hiring record.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/canada.constructconnect.com\/?p=405128\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"constructconnect.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-09T08:45:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-10-08T20:25:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cc-production-uploads-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2024\/10\/PG3-DW-crosstownMainWEB.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sharon Gough\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/canada.constructconnect.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/canada.constructconnect.com\/\",\"name\":\"constructconnect.com\",\"description\":\"Canada's construction news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/canada.constructconnect.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/canada.constructconnect.com\/?p=405128#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cc-production-uploads-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2024\/10\/PG3-DW-crosstownMainWEB.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cc-production-uploads-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2024\/10\/PG3-DW-crosstownMainWEB.png\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":576,\"caption\":\"METROLINX - The Metrolinx Community Benefits and Supports program was expanded in 2023 to include all major Metrolinx transit projects. 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