Worker resigns after noose found at Eglinton Crosstown LRT site, Carpenters’ Union says

A construction union says one of its members has resigned amid an investigation into the placement of a noose at an Eglinton Crosstown LRT site in central Toronto.

“In response to a racist and hateful act at an Eglinton Crosstown LRT job site, Carpenters Local 27 requested and received the unequivocal resignation from an individual who had recently joined the union,” a statement issued by the Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario on Wednesday said.

“After a review of the events that took place, severing this individual’s connection and membership was the appropriate action.”

Details surrounding the review weren’t disclosed as of Wednesday night.

News of the resignation came a day after officials said the noose was found at the Fairbank Station construction site at Dufferin Street and Eglinton Avenue West.

A spokesperson for Crosslinx, the consortium building the LRT line, said Toronto police were called and that evidence was turned over, pledging “the person(s) responsible will be held to account for their heinous actions.”

“They will be banned from Crosslinx worksites and could face criminal charges,” Kristin Jenkins wrote in a statement to Global News on Tuesday.

A Toronto police spokesperson told Global News Wednesday evening the investigation by officers is still ongoing. It is not clear what, if any, charges might be laid.

Meanwhile, the union statement issued on Wednesday condemned the incident.

“Local 27 denounces these acts in the strongest terms and supports our industry employer colleagues in their swift removal of the individual,” it said.

“Behaviour that makes anyone feel unsafe on construction worksites will not be tolerated and accountability rests on everyone in the industry to create safe and respectful workplaces.”