By Lincoln DePradine

Women, in increasing numbers  in Canada and elsewhere, are entering the workforce in the skilled trade and construction industry.

There was a time when construction was widely regarded as a “man’s job’’. However, this attitude did not prevent some women from shattering the stereotype and blazing a trail by  venturing into the construction industry. One such woman was Shelley Harding-Smith.

Harding-Smith, who taught courses in skilled trades at high schools in Windsor, was the first female African-Canadian Master Electrician.

Her father, Morris Harding, owned and operated Harding Electric with his wife Ruth. Later, Shelley herself would own and operate Harding-Smith Electric.

Today, the number of women in construction is growing; many are able to get jobs in the industry because of the efforts of the Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN) and the organization’s “NextGen Builders Mentoring Program’’.

The mentorship initiative, financed with Ontario government funding, prepares racialized workers, women, and newcomers – groups that have been historically under-represented in the construction industry – to enter the workforce of skilled trades’ employees.

This week, in continuation of a TCBN Black History Month feature, we profile five powerful Black women in construction.

Paulette den Elzen

Over her 20-year career, Paulette den Elzen has acquired experience in numerous areas, including transportation and transit. She also has held various jobs in the workforce, starting as Senior CommunicationWomen in the construction industrys Advisor  with the City of Toronto’s water department.

Den Elzen also has been Project Communications Manager at Infrastructure Ontario. At present, she’s the Communication and Public Engagement Manager with the Mosaic Transit Group that’s responsible for the Finch West Light Rail Transit project.

She has used her expertise to bring awareness to the need for the massive funding that would be required to update aging water infrastructure in Toronto. As well, she’s been trying to partner with public and private sector companies to support local economic and employment opportunities on large infrastructure and commercial projects across Ontario.

Den Elzen is a strong believer that “building infrastructure is more than the bricks and mortar; it builds communities, opportunities and lives’’.

Denisa Leiba

Denisa Leiba, a human resources construction executive, is the head of People & Culture at Crosslinx Transit Solutions – the contractor building the $5.4 billion Eglinton Crosstown LRT project. She’s on secondment from her role as Vice-President of Human Resources at Aecon Group.

Leiba has almost 25 years of experience in the building industry. She’s been leading award-winning teams in information technology, logistics and manufacturing, construction, and infrastructure development. Leiba is widely respected for her expertise in workforce planning, employee and labour relations, compensation and talent management, and diversity and inclusion.

Judy Brooks

Judy Brooks is a construction sector professional working at Metrolinx. She’s Manager of the Community Benefits Program at Metrolinx. 

Brooks has a range of professional, career and volunteer skills that enable her to apply her knowledge and interest in the areas of community and policy development. Brooks is lauded by her peers for what they describe as “the depth of her experience’’.

Her experience covers work done with not-for-profit groups in areas such as program development and organization development and effectiveness, including community planning, engagement and outreach. 

Patience Adamu

Patience Adamu is Manager of Employee Experience at Aecon Group. Among her credits, as a construction professional, is the instrumental roles she has played in leading the successful implementation of the Community Benefits Program on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT; the Finch West LRT; and consulting on the Gordie Howe International Bridge in Windsor-Detroit.

Adamu has worked extensively with historically disadvantaged communities, serving as a liaison between their leaders and various companies, organizations and institutions including the Terry Fox Foundation, the 2015 Pan American Games, the University of Toronto, and Crosslinx Transit Solutions.

Kimoy Francique 

Kimoy Francique is a member of Local 353 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), an organization made up of nearly one million women and men.

Francique is a licensed Electrician and for 15 years, she has excelled at her profession, earning her “Red Seal’’ designation early in her career.

She is involved in community and volunteer work that includes serving as a mentor with TCBN’s Network NextGen Mentorship Program; sitting as a longtime member of IBEW’s Human Rights Committee; and, more recently,  was appointed Secretary of the Electrical Workers’ Minority Caucus.

Francique is also a member of the Afro Canadian Contractors Association. She recently was appointed Treasurer to the Board of Directors of the association.