Who We Are
The Toronto Community Benefits Network has built a strong community-labour partnership with a support base of workforce development agencies, learning institutions and funders.
Collectively, we are having impact on how the development process works, guided by the principles of the foundation document crafted by our members and supporters. In it, we envision Toronto as an inclusive, thriving city in which all residents have equitable opportunities to contribute to healthy communities and a prospering economy.
The expansion of transit now happening in Toronto will result in opportunities for good jobs and create markets for new businesses. It will also set the conditions for economic growth and intensification of urban areas around a network of mobility hubs. We believe that all Torontonians should have access to these opportunities stemming from infrastructure investments.
TCBN’s primary objectives are to:
- Provide equitable economic opportunities that promote economic inclusion for all Toronto residents
- Contribute to the development of a system of training and workforce development programs that can enable economic inclusion
- Support social enterprises and other related vehicles to economic inclusion through commitments to social procurement
- Contribute to sustainable communities with neighbourhood and environmental improvements built through new transit infrastructure.
- Ensure clear commitments and accountability from all parties to deliver on Community Benefits.
5 Pillars of Success
Success of the Community Benefit Agreement model depends on 5 sectors working together and solving problems collectively as they arise. Click on the tab below for a short summary of each pillar, and the role that they play.
- Community Partners
- Labour Organizations
- Workforce Development Groups
- Government
- Industry
Who are they? Community organizations represent newcomer communities, communities near transit facilities being built along Eglinton and Finch avenues, and the social enterprise sector
Role that they play: Supports public transit. Representatives make up half of TCBN Board. Community group partners Identify candidates for apprentice training and PAT (Professional-Administrative-Technical) jobs; and identify social enterprise opportunities. Integrates and maximizes local benefits of transit infrastructure and transit-related developments into local neighbourhoods and broader communities. Advocates for an inclusive, sustainable economy.
Who are they? Building Trade Unions which work in the construction sector and labour organizations.
Role that they play: Supports public transit. Representatives make up half of the TCBN Board. Provides expertise on the construction sector. Commits to opening its training centres to programs to qualified women and men from priority neighbourhoods and communities of interest, through the TCBN resident engagement process. Advises workforce development sector on better integration between Employment Ontario and Building Trades Training Centres.
Who are they? Employment Ontario agencies, service delivery sections of Toronto Employment and Social Services, TWIG (Toronto Workforce Innovation group), Colleges, and Universities with technical certification programs.
Role that they play: Not formally part of TCBN governance structure, but participate in general meetings and work groups. Work to build seamless job pipelines for apprentice, PAT and social enterprise candidates.
Who are they? Provincially: Elected Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs), including cabinet ministers, who enable their policy makers to establish new procedures to integrate community based recruitment with building trades training centres and the workforce development system. Lead staff at key provincial ministries: MTCU (Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities), MEDEI (Ministry of Economic Development Employment and Infrastructure) and Infrastructure Ontario, MTO (Ministry of Transportation) and Metrolinx. Municipally (City of Toronto): Toronto Social Development and Finance has lead in developing the City’s Social Procurement and Poverty Reduction strategies; and TESS (Employment and Social Services), City Planning, Economic Development, and potentially TTC will be involved in delivery decision-making. Politically, the office of the Mayor, City Executive members with key committee responsibilities, and ward Councillors can affect program development and project decision-making.
Role that they play: Set policy, deliver associated government programs.
Who are they? Each development project will have an owner and a General Contractor that will determine relationships with the construction and service sectors of the development industry. With public sector developments, the owner is government. The General Contracting group selected by Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx to design, build, finance, and maintain the Eglinton Crosstown LRT line is a consortium named Crosslinx Transit Solutions. Its partners include ACS Infrastructure Canada, Aecon, Ellis Don, SNC Lavalin, and Dragados-Canada. Each partner will have a supply chain of sub-contractors relating to its specific role in the Crosstown project.
Role that they play: Deliver on contract commitments made to Metrolinx. Through Community Benefits Work Group, ensure success of 3 job pipelines on the project. Work with other partners and with sub-contractors/suppliers to determine job levels and social enterprise opportunities.
