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Hamilton Spectator
7 hours ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
‘Watershed moment': Provincial unions are coming together to support northern First Nations protesting Bill 5
As Ontario is expected to pass its controversial Bill 5 through its third and final reading on Wednesday, representatives of organized labour say their fight is only beginning. Members of the Ontario Federation of Labour intend to fill the gallery at 1:30 when the government is expected to pass the Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act , a proposal First Nations leaders say will trample their treaty rights to free, prior, and informed consent on major project development. 'I think this is a watershed moment where people will recognize who is fighting for workers and Indigenous peoples: it was us. We are the heroes we've been waiting for,' says OFL president Laura Walton. 'And it's time we actually embrace that and connect with our power and move forward and we can do this – every single one of us.' As members of five more northern First Nations fly to Toronto to rally for Premier Doug Ford to withdraw the bill, Walton is calling for a broad movement to oppose the bill's implementation, including united labour, that will be led by First Nations. Bill 5, the Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act, would introduce 'special economic zones,' inside of which the province can exempt certain 'trusted' developers from environmental and labour laws while overriding any municipal bylaws. Ford has committed to making mining development in the Ring of Fire deposit into the first such zone , despite insistence from First Nations in the area that commitments to proper consultation and restoring basic infrastructure be a precursor to discussions. Walton says the OFL stands with First Nations who demonstrated at Queen's Park on Monday and she sees common ground in the struggle to come. She worries this bill could erase workplace occupational health and safety, regulations in the Skilled Trades Act, and provisions for injured workers under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board .The Progressive Conservative majority government has moved this bill so quickly through the legislative process that the labour movement has been caught off guard. Walton says even developers with whom she has met are unaware of its sweeping power, and that broad worker education and mobilization efforts will be necessary to confront the two-tiered environment for labour laws the bill will introduce. 'This government only reacts to intense and continuous pressure,' she says. 'All of us want development. No one is here to say 'we don't want to be developed, we don't want to be economically prosperous.' Nobody is saying that. What we're saying is, 'you don't have to supersede treaty rights in order to achieve that. You don't have to strip away the rights of workers to achieve that.' 'This is simply a power grab, and you're rushing it through because you know damn well it's a power grab and we're going to be on the other side of it as well.' Representatives of 290,000 Ontario public sector workers voted unanimously to call on the government to scrap the bill at the Canadian Union of Public Employees' annual general meeting in May. Their resolution commits to educate and to mobilize to form, 'the broadest possible coalition to demand the immediate and full withdrawal of this dangerous legislation.' CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn says that before coming to the AGM, the vast majority of his local representatives had never heard of Bill 5. He describes it as 'a fundamental shift in the way we govern in our country' that gives the Premier's office 'unlimited executive power,' pointing out the speed of its passage adds to the shock and confusion the public is experiencing around its implications. 'The government wants us to believe that once they pass a bill, that's the end – it's not,' Hahn says. 'We can monitor what they do, we can resist what they do, we can overturn legislation. There can be court challenges to overturn it. These things have happened in recent history in our province.' Hahn foresees a broad movement forming to confront the implementation of the legislation in which workers will join First Nations out of mutual interest and solidarity. 'It's enormously important that labour and Indigenous leaders are starting to come together. We need to keep going because legislation like this should not stay on the books, period. It's a long game so sure, they have a majority and they can ram through legislation that's fundamentally undemocratic. That's not the end, it is the beginning.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Toronto Star
28-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
WSIB, union to resume talks a week after thousands of workers hit picket lines
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) and the union representing 3,600 of the provincial Crown agency's workers will be back at the bargaining table on Thursday, a week after employees went on strike over issues surrounding wages and workload. The WSIB announced the new round of talks in an emailed statement Wednesday morning. 'We are pleased that the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU) has decided to come back to the bargaining table. The WSIB remains committed to reaching a fair and reasonable agreement that recognizes the needs of people who are injured as our top priority.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW In a statement of its own, the CUPE-affiliated OCEU confirmed that negotiations had restarted after union executives received a letter from the employer Tuesday evening that WSIB management were preparing 'a narrowed list of proposals' to discuss on Thursday. Harry Goslin, president of OCEU/CUPE Local 1750, said in the statement that the union had hoped to have discussions on Wednesday. 'If the WSIB truly cares, they would make getting back to the bargaining table a priority without delay,' he wrote. The union also sent a counterproposal to WSIB management Tuesday evening, according to its Wednesday press release. A new offer from the OCEU had been a major sticking point for WSIB to return to the bargaining table, vice-president of communications, Aaron Lazarus, previously told the Star. It was not clear whether the counter-offer from the OCEU came before or after union executives received the letter from WSIB management. News of both sides returning to the bargaining table comes one week after the OCEU entered a legal strike position when the first round of talks stalled ahead of the May 21 deadline to reach a new collective agreement. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Thousands of unionized employees, along with allies from other Ontario labour groups, have been on the picket lines outside WSIB offices in Toronto, Ottawa and elsewhere in the province since Thursday. A group of employees also marched outside a workplace safety conference in Markham with WSIB senior leaders in attendance on Tuesday. The union had originally planned to conduct a 'rotating' strike schedule with alternating days in office and on the picket line, but announced Monday that its members would be going into 'full' strike mode after being allegedly locked out from WSIB systems by the employer. At issue, according to the union, are wages that have not kept up with inflation and concerns over alleged 'dangerously high' workloads that are worsening employee mental health, including depression and anxiety. The WSIB has continued to operate while unionized employees are on strike, although the agency previously warned of longer telephone wait times and slower responses to non-urgent inquiries and services. Even with both sides returning to the bargaining table, they seem to be 'still a significant way apart,' according to Steven Tufts, a geography professor at York University who specializes in labour studies. Tufts pointed to different understandings of the workload issue between the two sides as one area that will make reaching an agreement difficult. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'It doesn't seem to me like the sides even agree on the extent or the nature of the problem,' he said. Tufts acknowledged that he is not involved in the negotiations nor familiar with the work environment at the WSIB, but said the fact that the OCEU had never gone on strike in its more than 100-year history before last week suggested there's a lot employees are frustrated about. Still, he noted that public support for the union might be lower than other labour groups given peoples' frustrations over the WSIB. 'A lot of injured workers have had really, really hard times getting compensation from WSIB, even when it's deserved,' Tufts said. 'So no fault of their own just because of policies and structures in place, but it might be harder to mobilize the support that other unions can.' More to come.
Toronto Star
26-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Thousands of WSIB workers enter ‘full' strike mode after being allegedly locked out
Thousands of Workplace Safety and Insurance Board members were at picket lines across Ontario for the third day as their union announced a 'full' strike — with no end to the work stoppage in sight. Members of the CUPE-affiliated Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU) had planned to be back in office Monday as part of their 'rolling' strike against the WSIB that started last Wednesday when talks between union executives and the employer stalled ahead of the May 21 deadline to reach a new collective agreement.
Global News
23-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Ontario to require defibrillators on construction sites
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook Ontario is planning to require certain construction sites to have automatic external defibrillators. Labour Minister David Piccini says the proposal will be part of a larger piece of legislation, following six previous omnibus labour bills introduced by Premier Doug Ford's government. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Piccini says the recommendation for AEDs on construction sites came from industry stakeholders during consultations for a previous labour bill. Proposed regulatory amendments under the Occupational Health and Safety Act would require AEDs on construction projects expected to last longer than three months and employing at least 20 workers. A program through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board would reimburse companies for the cost, which is on average $2,300. Andrew Pariser, the vice-president of RESCON, which represents residential builders, says this move will save lives.
Hamilton Spectator
23-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Ontario to require defibrillators on construction sites
Ontario is planning to require certain construction sites to have automatic external defibrillators. Labour Minister David Piccini says the proposal will be part of a larger piece of legislation, following six previous omnibus labour bills introduced by Premier Doug Ford's government. Piccini says the recommendation for AEDs on construction sites came from industry stakeholders during consultations for a previous labour bill. Proposed regulatory amendments under the Occupational Health and Safety Act would require AEDs on construction projects expected to last longer than three months and employing at least 20 workers. A program through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board would reimburse companies for the cost, which is on average $2,300. Andrew Pariser, the vice-president of RESCON, which represents residential builders, says this move will save lives. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025.
