This webinar event will feature a discussion on the role of labour and unions in meeting labour supply demands while supporting underrepresented groups and the next generation of builders to secure good jobs with benefits and pension in the construction sector through Community Benefits Agreements
Welcoming Words: Chris Campbell, Chair, Toronto Community Benefits Network and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Representative at Carpenters' District Council of Ontario
Adam Melnick - Program Director, Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario
Adam Melnick is the current Program Director for the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario where he is overseeing the design and implementation of two new initiatives, Construction Training and Apprenticeship Ontario (CTAO) and Tomorrow’s Trades. Previously he served various roles from the Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 95 Ontario. In 2020 Adam was appointed by Provincial Minster McNaughton to serve as a Youth Advisor as part of the Provincial Government’s Skilled Trades Strategy.
Christopher Wilson (he/him) is the 1st Vice-President of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Ontario and Director, Regional Offices Branch for the Public Service Alliance of Canada
Christopher Wilson (he/him) is the 1st Vice-President of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Ontario and Director, Regional Offices Branch for the Public Service Alliance of Canada. Christopher is a community and labour activist with over 20 years’ experience advocating for workers and Black trade unionists. Christopher is co-investigator in the Green is Not White Research project that has engaged over 3,000 labour and community activists in participatory workshops to confront Environmental Racism.
Merissa Preston - Manager of Partnership and Business Development at the LiUNA Local 506 Training Centre
Merissa is the Manager of Partnership and Business Development at the LiUNA Local 506 Training Centre. She has over 20 years of workforce development experience, focusing on connecting youth to apprenticeships in the construction sector. In her current role, Merissa develops partnerships with the community, owners of construction and contractors, providing apprentices with careers in construction through LiUNA Local 506.
Jason Ottey - Director of Government Relations and Communications for Laborers' International Union of North America (LiUNA) Local 183
Jason Ottey is the Director of Government Relations and Communications for LiUNA Local 183 where he provides direction, advocacy and strategic advice on construction related issues at all three levels of government. Prior to joining LiUNA Local 183, he was the Director of Research and Policy for RESCON, where he represented the interests of single and multi-family residential builders across the GTA. He is graduate of McMaster of University and the University of Toronto, receiving Master of Arts in Political Science and Master of Industrial Relations respectively.
