Trades NL: Building Trades Council of Newfoundland and Labrador represents 14 building trades unions in its work operations and prides itself on having a diverse, qualified, safe, and productive workforce of over 14000 unionized skilled trade workers. Trades NL fosters a culture of inclusion and belonging for all, including employees, members, and communities. Trades NL values diversity, inclusion and belonging within its organization and recognizes the mental health impact that comes with having a safe and respectful workplace. As a result of their DEI efforts, Trades NL has implemented a mental health taskforce for its members, as well as having mental health, respectful workplace, and culture awareness resources available on a learning hub for all its unions, contractors, and members. Under the organizations Standard of Excellence, it commits to treat all employees fairly, support career development, teamwork, and collaboration. Trades NL takes pride in its’ positive impact on its membership and contractors and its well-known reputation across industry. As part of the organization’s diversity work, Trades NL created an Indigenous Skilled Trades Office (ISTO) in 2018, located in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. In 2023, the office expanded to Corner Brook and St. John’s which gave staff the ability to offer services province wide. The addition of the ISTO office has increased the diversity of its staff, increased staff retention and employees are invested in the organization’s goals and vision, benefiting both Trades NL, ISTO and it’s members. The ISTO has advanced the DEI within Trades NL and the community by successfully assisting over 500 clients with job search skills, preparedness, and/or employment interventions. As its mission, the office seeks to create new employment opportunities for Indigenous apprentices and journeypersons while increasing apprenticeship completion rates. The ISTO also fosters greater commitment and participation of employers and unions to create employment opportunities, overcome barriers and enhance support in the workplace. Lower Churchill Project Trades NL takes pride in its collaborative approach and continuous advocacy on community benefits agreements ensuring equal opportunities for its workforce. The building trades council has committed to negotiating collective agreements on behalf of the unions the organization represents and has negotiated various agreements for industrial projects including the Lower Churchill Project. The Lower Churchill River Project is a monumental hydroelectric development located in Labrador. Spanning the Lower Churchill River, the project began in 2013 and consists of two main components: the Muskrat Falls Generating Facility and the Gull Island Generating Station. The Muskrat Falls Generating Facility, completed in 2021, harnesses the power of the river through a dam and powerhouse, generating up to 824 megawatts of electricity. Meanwhile, the proposed Gull Island Generating Station, expected to be constructed in the future, is projected to have over 2,250 megawatts. Best practices from this project were the Gender Equity and Diversity Program, hiring priority to ensure that local qualified talent was hired first (Order: Innu, community, provincial, national) and a women’s employment plan. Trades NL is committed to diversity on many levels of the organization. Its mission statement is to provide a highly trained, diverse, safe, and highly productive working tradespersons to the Newfoundland and Labrador Building and Construction industry by fostering pride and professionalism in the trades through training for life-long career opportunities.