Ivan Dawns – Celebrated Community Activist “The community is the union and the union is the community.”

BY PAUL JUNOR

Ivan Dawns is the first Black Business Representative in Canada for the International Union of Painters & Allied Trades (IUPAT) and holds the position of Political Director.

In 2021 he was presented with the Dr Anderson Abbot Award from the Ontario Black History Society.

Later that year, he received the Dudley Laws Award from the Black Action Defence Committee. In 2020 he was presented the Toronto and York Labour Council Bromley Armstrong Award and was also recognized by TCBN as one of Toronto’s Black Construction Union Leaders. In 2019 he received the Jamaican Canadian Association Community Service Award. He is a recipient of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist Jack White Community Service Award, the IUPAT CORE Committee Award and was a presenter of the 2014 Role Model Award at the Black Excellence Conference.

Ivan is passionate about working with youths, particularly those who are at risk due to social and economic impediments. He not only believes that being a skilled trade unionist is a pathway to a good job and economic prosperity; he has lived it. After migrating to Canada from his birth country Jamaica; Ivan was introduced to the Drywall Finishing Trade (Taper/Plasterer}. He enrolled and successfully completed the apprenticeship program.

Ivan now mentors youths as part of the Toronto Community Benefits Network’s (TCBN) NextGen Program and is also a board member at TCBN. He is a member of the Local’s Apprentice Committee at the Interior Finishing Systems Training Centre. A member of the Central Ontario Building Trade Central Committee and is Co-chair for the Black Community Organizing for Real Economics Committee (Black CORE), tasked with finding how the union can better serve its Black members.

Ivan also believes in giving back to the community. In 2019 for Black History Month, he got 20 members of his organization to paint 1,100 square feet of the iconic Jamaican Canadian Centre. In 2018 he was told of the need for a school in rural Jamaica. He got his organization to donate to the cause, and he went to Jamaica to help build the school. He also got IUPAT to sponsor a float in the Toronto Caribbean Carnival.

Ivan hosts an annual turkey dinner for between 250 to 300 less fortunate people on Christmas day at the Back Door Mission homeless shelter in Oshawa, and also sponsored two youths at 360 Kids. He gave them gift cards worth $250 each. In summer of 2022, He organized to paint the planters in Little Jamaica on Eglinton Ave for the beatification of Little Jamaica.

I interviewed Anthony Henry, First Vice-President of The Walnut Foundation, and he shared information regarding the selection process. Anthony told me that as part of his outreach work, he wanted to reach as many families as possible at: churches, community centres, social settings and other places. He believes that if you want to spread the message of education and information you have to go where men are.

Anthony told me that being an honorary chair is not just a ceremonial title, but it is reflective of someone who has contributed significantly to the health and well-being of the Black community. Dawn is a selfless trade unionist and celebrated community advocate. For his 50^th birthday, Ivan organized a BBQ and food drive where guests were asked to bring non-perishable food items. He collected close to 800 pounds of food items and $4,000. Donations collected were donated to 360 Kids, a York Region homeless shelter for youths, and Back Door Mission, a Durham Region all age homeless shelter and food bank He also sponsors a scholarship at the Jamaican Canadian Association for youths pursuing a career in the trades.

Like others in the construction industry IUPAT DC46 was not immune to incidents in 2020 where nooses were found hanging in construction sites. Committed to eliminating racism; Ivan worked with his union to implement policies aimed at deterring acts of racism and discrimination; calling for offenders to face disciplinary actions.

He co-wrote a resolution for the recruitment and retention of Black people and women in the trades that would also see those already in the trades attain leadership positions in Canada and the USA. He championed IUPAT DC46’s endorsement of the Toronto & York Region Labour Council’s Charter of Inclusive Workplaces and Community.

This work has resulted in DC46 receiving the 2019 IUPAT General President’s Political Award, the Jamaican Canadian Community Award, and Reno for Hero’s (renovating homes for veterans) Award. Ivan’s hard work has translated into more youth becoming members of IUPAT DC46, resulting in the local becoming more diverse with an increasing number of women looking at employment opportunities in the trade.

Dawns recounts, “I started as an apprentice and worked my way to journeyman status. My boss saw something in me, so I became the crew leader. I would always go to union meetings and speak my mind,” He notes further, “I was active in the union. You can’t just sit down, pay dues and not take part.”

Dawn’s drive brought him many promotions. He recalls, “When I just came off the tools I wasn’t sure if it was for me; then I went to battle for one of our members and I loved it. I knew I was in the right spot.”

Dawns shares the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic created for the workers in the construction industry, especially with respect to their health and safety, and the steps he and other union representatives had to take to fight for the workers. He recalls, “In the beginning, one of our biggest concerns was the washroom situation, we went to all the job sites to make sure our members had the proper PPE and made sure the washrooms were clean and being sensitized frequently. We had to take precautions for the members to be able to work six feet apart.”

Dawn has seen an increase in the number of racial complaints since the summer of COVID-19 and the death of George Floyd. He states, “People are definitely feeling more comfortable to voice their concerns about racism here. Racism isn’t new in construction at all; I remember I would experience things, but I wouldn’t say anything. I’m not going to complain to them about them, and I wanted to keep my job. Now that people like me are in this position, people feel more comfortable telling me what’s going on.”

Dawns knows that the construction sector is known for being a violent work environment for the BIPOC community. He encourages his members to speak up early the first time they are aware of any problems. He states, “Sometimes people wait until they’ve been fired, or things have gotten too out of control to tell me what happened. By then it’s too late, I can’t do anything. You have to speak up as soon as things happen, then I can step in.”

Dawn encourages youth to pursue careers in the trades. He mentions, “We always need workers. I still have contractors calling for work: things are steady.” He would like to emphasize that being a tradesperson is more than a fixed role. He stresses, “It’s not just a job, there are career paths within the trades. Not everyone is going to go to college or university. There are honest and fair options for you. If you’re looking for a career, we give opportunities to make a good living to take care of your family and have a comfortable pension. We can guarantee that.”