Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) has launched an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee as part of its advocacy work to create a more inclusive and equitable construction industry.
The committee is made up of VRCA members and industry leaders from the Lower Mainland and will focus on advancing and fostering diversity and inclusion initiatives across the industry. This includes promoting the recruitment and retention of equity-priority trades workers.
Anna Lary, a master electrician and instructor at the BC Institute of Technology (BCIT), has been appointed as the chair of the new committee. She has extensive experience and leadership in promoting equity in the trades and has served on numerous national working groups dedicated to improving recruitment and retention practices.
“There is a groundswell of change occurring across the industry, and there are tremendous opportunities to not only improve the participation of equity-priority trades workers but for organizations to adapt, evolve and profit from these changes,” said Anna Lary, VRCA EDI Committee Chair. “I look forward to working with my fellow committee members, who represent an interesting and diverse cross-section of the industry. I firmly believe the advocacy work that this committee will do will help provide the resilient and richly resourced workforce that is so urgently required to address labour shortages.”