On Saturday, June 22, 2019, the LIUNA African American Canadian Caucus working with the Canadian Multicultural Inventors Museum produced a new initiative - The Toronto LabourFest 2019. The festival was created as a tool to garner more black youth into the skilled trades. The LabourFest combined a skilled trades job fair with a family festival. LabourFest 2019 also provided an opportunity for local community vendors to promote their products to the audience. Local politicians from the municipal, provincial, and federal level also attended and delivered messages to the audience. A stem of the LIUNA African American Caucus, the LIUNA African American Canadian Caucus was founded five years ago and is focused on mobilizing the Canadian black community to explore job opportunities in skilled trades, especially within the construction sector.
In the official event press release, Anthony Tubbs, executive board member of the Caucus, expressed that the Toronto LabourFest 2019 is a means of raising awareness amongst black youth of the lucrative careers that can be obtained in the construction industry, “There is training available for over twenty different types of jobs. The festival will have that information to share with the young men and women who come to the event.” Tubbs said. He added the festival will also give the community insight into what LIUNA can offer to the community. Tubbs expressed his gratitude to LIUNA for its aid in helping the Caucus to stage the inaugural event and singled out Business Manager, Jack Oliviera of LIUNA Local #183 for his support.
LIUNA Local #506 also participated.
Watch video from the event: LABOUR FEST - LAACC 2019
