The team

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

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Gilberto Fernandes

Project manager. Curator. Designer. Producer. Director. Screenwriter. Interviewer.

Dr. Gilberto Fernandes is a historian of migration, race, and ethnicity in North America, and of Portuguese diaspora(s) in the world. He graduated from York University’s Ph.D. program in History in 2014. His dissertation-turned-monograph is slated for publication with the University of Toronto Press in 2019. Since 2016, he has been the course director of HIST4530 The Development of Toronto, at York University’s History Department. Along with his academic research and teaching, Gilberto is also an active public historian involved with multiple initiatives in Toronto, including the Portuguese Canadian History Project, of which he is co-founder and president. See here for more information.

AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCTION

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Paulino Nunes

Narrator (documentary)

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Luis Moreira

Director of photography.

“This project has improved my understanding of the important role that unions have played in making the workplace of tens of thousands of workers safer; including that of my father, a Portuguese immigrant who worked many years in construction. I am proud of the fact that I played a role in giving visibility to the difficult history of immigrant workers who toiled in harsh conditions and fought for their labour rights. The experience of interviewing people who helped build this city, province, and country into what it is today has been amazing.”

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Alex Parker

Editor (documentary and oral history videos).

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Pedro Rodrigues

Editor (oral history videos). Motion graphics designer.

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Ruben Lopes

Editor (oral history videos). Motion graphics designer.

“It was a pleasure to work on this project, where I learnt a great deal about the working conditions facing immigrant construction workers in the past, and how unions improved their lives. It was a challenging project where I learned immensely with a great team.”

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Antonio Burgio

Editor (oral history videos).

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Andrey Osipov

Editor assistant (documentary). Motion graphics designer.

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Daniel Cooper

Camera operator

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Nathan Greavette

Recording engineer

RESEARCH

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Thomas Arthur

Research assistant. Interviewer.

“Working on the City Builders project has been interesting and informative. It has given me greater insight into the experiences of postwar immigrant construction workers, whose hard work shaped the Toronto that we know today, and made a positive impact on that industry that future generations have benefited from. It is exciting to know that this project will help bring to light the personal sacrifices and achievements of the workers of LiUNA Local 183.”

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Jessica Whitehead

Research assistant. Interviewer.

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Anthony Macchia

Research assistant (placement student)

“This project allowed me to have a better understanding of the dedication and hard work of the many migrant workers that have made Toronto the city that it is! I am proud and grateful to be a part of such an insightful project.”

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Robert Di Girolamo

Research assistant (placement student)

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Trevor Harnett

Research assistant (placement student).

“The bulk of my research for the City Builders project was on construction accidents. Seeing how bad the safety regulations were made me realize how important unions are for allowing the common worker to have a voice and make life better for himself and all who continue to build our city.”

DIGITIZATION

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Anna St. Onge

Digitization Director

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Brittany Nolan

Digitization assistant

“I am thankful that I was able to contribute to the City Builders project through my role as a digitization assistant. As part of this role I digitized close to 1,000 photographs and negatives and uploaded them to York’s digital repository. I was able to get more digitization experience while learning about a part of Canadian labour history that I hadn’t studied before. Because of this, I was able to not only grow as a historian, but I also gained valuable digitization experience that will aid me in my future endeavours.”

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Fauzia Khalid

Digitization assistant

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Cesare Ciraco

Digitization assistant

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Maria Mathaiou

Digitization assistant

TRAVELLING EXHIBITION

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Robert Liscio

Display designer

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Tanaaz Bamji

Display designer

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

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Laura Taman

Office coordinator

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Mariya Yurukova

Fundraiser

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Muneeb Syed

Fundraiser

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

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Abril Liberatori

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Milena Silva

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Nancy Oliveira

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Lucia Battocchio