Desiree Smith is one of the few Black women working in construction, and she has advice for the City of Toronto if it wants to encourage diversity on publics works projects.
“Our industry has a long way to go but I can tell you, based on my own personal story, the way to make the industry more inclusive is by sticking with the unions,” Smith, 49, recently told a meeting of the mayor’s executive committee considering the question of whether to change a long-established city practice when it comes to choosing contractors.