Come December, it’s nearly impossible to ignore Christmas everywhere you go. Stores and malls are completely transformed to focus on Christmas shopping, Christmas music is on the radio and over every speaker, and there are enough Christmas movies on TV to keep Hallmark in business for decades to come.

Yet all of this shows us just one single lens of how some people interpret this time of year, and as wonderful as Christmas is for so many, there are also so many other traditions, and even other holidays. Even though Christmas is all over the place, there are dozens of other cultures right here in Durham Region, and our goal is to celebrate all of them.

When we started Fortitude Construction, we knew how lucky we were to be starting a business in Canada. We also knew that this country is home to amazingly talented new immigrants from around the world, and we wanted to offer them as many opportunities as possible.

Earlier this year we were announcing plans to close down over the Christmas holidays when we took an informal poll around the table and learned that at least half of our team did not celebrate Christmas. In fact, there were several other key cultural holidays and observances throughout the year which were firmly rooted in their own families and traditions.

We’re proud to have one of the most diverse workforces in our industry. We have team members from India, Saudi Arabia, Guyana, Jamaica, and Iran. Combined, our team speaks multiple languages as well as English, and brings countless years of international experience to each job that we do for our clients.

Our role is helping to celebrate this diversity at every turn. It means that along with celebrating Christmas, we’re also excited for 2023 as we look forward to Pongal, Ash Wednesday, Easter Monday, Puthandu, Holi, Nowruz, Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha, Navarati, Diwali, and other holidays as our team continues to grow. We make sure to give observant employees paid time off, so that they can observe and rejoice with their communities without the stress of missing work.

Our commitment to multiculturalism goes far beyond the holidays. We celebrate our team’s diversity whenever we can, whether it’s through celebrating holidays and milestones collectively, sampling each other’s cuisines, or learning more about where each of us comes from and how we stay connected with our roots. 

To us, equity diversity and inclusion isn’t just a hollow commitment. We know that so many of our team members received training in their countries of origin far beyond the work that they are licensed to do in Canada. 

That’s why we’re working hard to level the playing field wherever we can, and we try to give newcomers an opportunity not just to work but to stand out and shine. We purposely hire newcomers to Canada whenever we can not only because of their work ethic, but they often have years of helpful experience to bring to the table.

When you hire Fortitude, you’ll probably hear a range of different accents and languages on your construction site. It’s a huge part of what makes our team as good as we are. 

On behalf of our entire team, happy holidays however you and yours are celebrating.