RE: Urgent action required after fifth temp worker death at Fiera Foods 

Dear Premier Doug Ford,

As you know, on Wednesday, September 25, Enrico Miranda, a father of two, was killed on the job. As you also know, Mr. Miranda is the fifth temporary agency worker who has died on the job at Fiera Foods or an affiliated company.

Shockingly, it has been almost two weeks since his death and yet we have heard nothing from you. You have chosen to remain silent, despite having the power to implement legislation that could have prevented this tragedy.

Mr. Ford, this is the second worker killed at Fiera Foods under your watch. 

Had you implemented Section 83(4) of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act - legislation which has already passed, but simply needs your signature - Mr. Miranda might still be alive today.

That’s why we are writing to you to demand that you immediately enact this existing law that will make companies using temp agencies financially responsible under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act for workplace deaths and injuries.

Laws like this will make companies like Fiera Foods think twice before putting temp workers into harm’s way.  

There’s no more time to waste, and we need you to take action to make sure this is the last temp agency worker death.

Implement Section 83(4) of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act - right now!

We expect to hear from you right away, and certainly no later than Friday, October 11.

Ontarians deserve to know whether their premier will stand up for workers – or whether he will remain silent and continue allowing companies to treat their workers’ lives as disposable.
 

Signatories:
Butterfly GoPaul, Resident Member, Jane Finch Action Against Poverty

Deena Ladd, Executive Director, Workers’ Action Centre

Chris Buckley, President, Ontario Federation of Labour

Pam Frache, Provincial Coordinator, Fight for $15 and Fairness

Toronto, April 2, 2019 -- “The passage of Bill 66 today means only one thing: Premier Ford has forgotten that he was elected to serve the people of Ontario, not CEOs,” says Pam Frache, Coordinator of the Ontario-wide Fight for $15 & Fairness Campaign.  “This legislation has clearly been designed to allow corporations to save money at the expense of workers, our health, and the environment. It should never have been introduced in the first place.”

 “In communities like mine, many people already struggle because of poverty wages, unstable hours, and contract jobs with no benefits. Yet the Ford government is giving employers unrestrained powers to force us work more hours while paying less in overtime,” says Navi Aujla, Organizer with the Brampton chapter of Fight for $15 & Fairness. “Without Ministry of Labour oversight, this just opens the door for more employer abuse.”

Bill 66, which passed third reading today, will:
- Cancel protections against excessive hours of work & unpaid overtime, 
- Make it harder for workers to learn about their rights on the job, 
- End collective bargaining agreements for many construction workers in the public sector, 
- Put children's lives at risk and jeopardize early childhood educator jobs, 
- Lead to more pollution in Ontario by cancelling protections against toxic chemicals in our workplaces, and much more.

“Ontarians are outraged at Premier Ford, who once again chose corporations over people,” says Pam Frache. “In November 2019, the Ford government cancelled the $15 minimum wage, just 6 weeks before it was scheduled to come into effect, delaying it at least until 2025 despite massive public opposition. On top of this, Ford’s so-called tax break for low-income workers leaves them $400 worse off than if the minimum wage had increased to $15 this past January,” adds Frache, referencing the findings published today by the Financial Accountability Office.

“First his government scrapped the much needed labour law reforms to satisfy demands coming from Big Business. Then they paused the Pay Transparency Act because corporations think paying women fairly costs too much, even if it means families have to make do with less income thanks to pay discrimination. Now, Ford has rammed through Bill 66,” says Frache.

“If an employer can make a single worker put in a 70-hour week under Bill 66 and do the job of two people at no extra cost, why would any employer ever hire more staff?” asks Navi Aujla. “The answer is they wouldn’t. And that is on Premier Ford.”

The Fight for $15 and Fairness is a growing movement of workers committed to fighting for decent work, and includes anti-poverty activists, health providers, labour groups, students, faculty, and faith leaders. 
To learn more, visit: www.15andFairness.org.

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For more information and to arrange interviews: 
Nil Sendil, Communications Coordinator, Fight for $15 and Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

(TORONTO, ON) -- With the unconscionable passing of Bill 47, which takes away basic workplace rights from Ontarians, this government has shown again that it is governing for the few, making decisions without sufficient consultation and research that will drive millions of working Ontarians into poverty, say labour and community advocates.

“The Ford government is attacking workers across this province. Workers have been telling them what’s needed for a dignified life: workplace laws that offer protections based on the realities of modern workplaces and the very real need for a $15 minimum wage. Instead, this government has chosen to treat Ontario as if the laws of the 1990s will do the trick today. They won’t,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley. “Passing Bill 47 leaves millions of Ontarians without the protections and wages that are needed for them and their families to thrive in our province.”

“It is clear that workers can’t count on their government to support them. Unions will. I urge all Ontario workers to join a union so they can collectively bargain better rights in their workplaces and keep fighting until these protections are the law for every worker in this province,” added Buckley.

The Ontario economy benefited from the labour law reforms introduced in 2017, with 83,000 new jobs created since the Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act came into effect.  Unemployment has also dropped to record lows, after minimum wage was increased to $14.

“Passing Bill 47 shows that this government is not considering the real-world effects of decent work laws, which have helped the Ontario economy,” added Buckley. “It also ignores the voices of the people who will be most affected by these laws – women workers, racialized workers, Indigenous workers and workers with a disability. Now, it will be much easier for unscrupulous employers to take advantage of their employees. I say shame on this government for the damage it has done to Ontario workers.”

Today’s announcement by the government of Ontario repealing the majority of Bill 148 steals basic rights from Ontario workers. Ford’s plan eliminates paid sick days, cuts wages, makes it easier to fire workers in precarious work, makes it more difficult to join and keep a union, cancels fairer scheduling laws and lowers fines for employers who break the law.

This announcement also means a real-dollar wage cut for minimum wage employees.

“Under this new act, it will be at least 2025 before minimum wage workers see a $15 minimum wage, and by then it will be, once again, a sub-poverty wage,” said Pam Frache, Coordinator of the Fight for $15 and Fairness. “Doug Ford’s government is cutting our $15 minimum wage just six weeks before it was to take effect. To cut wages, to cut sick days, and to make it easier to fire workers who are already in precarious situations is cruel and callous in the extreme.”

Ontarians have held marches, rallies, signed and presented petitions, called and emailed MPPs demanding this government protect workplace rights and the $15 minimum wage. Nonetheless, the government has passed Bill 47, despite growing public opposition.

“Removing equal pay for equal work provisions will increase the gender and equity wage gap, and intensify the discrimination that so many workers face in the labour market,” said Frache. “And it goes without saying that as long as employers are allowed to pay part-time staff less than their full-time counterparts, employers will have an incentive to create multiple part-time jobs instead of creating full-time ones.”

“We know that without strong workplace protections and a $15 minimum wage, workers’ health suffers. We hear from educators that students who face poverty face difficulty learning in school and themselves often work to supplement the low wages of their parents,” said Buckley. “By contrast, a higher minimum wage is good for workers, for the economy, and for our communities. That’s why the labour movement and communities are going to continue to push for changes, including a $15 minimum wage.”

To arrange interviews or for further information, please contact:

Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator,
Fight for $15 & Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

(TORONTO, ON) -- Supporters of the $15 & Fairness campaign and decent work laws will pack the Queen’s Park Public Gallery to witness the final vote on Bill 47 on Tuesday, November 20, as the Ford government’s controversial legislation gets debated for its third reading.

A Campaign Research Poll released last week showed that 77 per cent, more than two-thirds of Ontarians including 64 per cent of Progressive Conservative voters, opposed the elimination of paid sick days, which Bill 47 seeks to do. In another survey, released by the Canadian Medical Association, 8 in 10 Ontarians said, in reference to the Bill 47 provision that will allow employers to ask for sick notes, that if their employer required a sick note, they would probably come in to work when ill.

Members of Provincial Parliament are expected to debate the Bill one last time, between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm on Tuesday, November 20, followed by a final vote. However, the Ford government has the power to change the timing of the debate at the last minute, to avoid public scrutiny.

If passed, Bill 47 would impose a real-dollar wage cut for Ontario’s lowest paid workers by delaying $15 until at least 2025. The Bill would also eliminate the two paid sick days, reduce the number of unpaid personal emergency leave days, make it easier to fire workers who decline last minute shifts and make it harder for workers to access union protection.

When:  Tuesday, November 20, 2018 
Where: Public Gallery, Queen’s Park Legislature
Speakers: Community and labour advocates involved with the Ontario-wide $15 & Fairness campaign will have media availability after the vote on Bill 47.

For more information and to arrange interviews: 
Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator, Fight for $15 and Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

(TORONTO, ON) -- High school students, joined by teachers, will call on Premier Doug Ford to withdraw Bill 47 by organizing an action on Friday, November 9, from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm at Toronto’s Bloor and Yonge intersection. What stands to be the first-ever high school student rally in support of a $15 minimum wage, comes at the heels of 50+ Ontario-wide emergency actions that were held in response to the introduction of Bill 47 on October 23.

Bill 47, currently in its second reading, seeks to repeal almost all of the new workplace protections that were adopted a year ago, including the $15 minimum wage that is still scheduled to come into effect on January 1, 2019 ($14.10 for students). If passed, Bill 47 would impose a real dollar wage cut for Ontario’s lowest paid workers by delaying $15 until 2025. The Bill would also eliminate the two paid sick days, reduce the number of unpaid personal emergency leave days, and make it easier for employers to fire workers who decline last minute shifts.

Students are holding the demonstration to call attention to the impact of poverty wage jobs. While parents juggle multiple jobs to pay the bills and tuition fees skyrocket, an increasing number of students are joining the workforce to help their families make ends meet.

When:  Demonstration on Friday, November 9, 2018 at 4:00 to 5:30 pm
Where: Northwest corner of the Bloor and Yonge intersection in Toronto
Speakers: High school students, teachers, community organizers will speak about the impact of Bill 47 and have media availability.  

For more information: 
Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator, Fight for $15 and Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

(TORONTO, ON) -- Leaders of the $15 and Fairness movement, including a family physician, a mother who lost her 2-year old son to influenza and a former temp agency worker, will be speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 2:00 pm in the Queen’s Park media studio.

Last week Doug Ford government tabled Bill 47, seeking to repeal almost all of the new workplace protections that were adopted a year ago, which aimed to ensure safety and well being on the job.

If passed, Bill 47 will:

• eliminate 2 paid sick days and reduce access to personal emergency leave
• lower penalties assigned to employers for violating workplace laws
• make it easier to deny workers any employment standards protections -- including EI, CPP and WSIB -- by misclassifying them as self-employed contractors, instead of employees
• make it easier for employers to fire workers who decline last-minute shifts
• impose a real dollar wage cut for Ontario’s lowest paid workers by delaying a $15 minimum wage in Ontario to 2025
• allow employers to pay part-time and temporary agency workers a lower wage than their full-time or directly-hired counterparts, which will lead to an increase in precarious jobs with no benefits

When: Press Conference on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 at 2:00 pm
Where: Queen’s Park Media Studio
Speakers: Dr. Danyaal Raza, a family physician and member of Decent Work & Health Network, Jill Promoli, mother of Jude who died at the age of two due to influenza, Navi Aujla, former temp agency worker and Deena Ladd, Workers’ Action Centre.

For more information: 
Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator, Fight for $15 and Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

(TORONTO, ON) -- In response to Ford Government’s Bill 47, which was tabled yesterday and seeks to freeze the minimum wage and repeal the most basic protections for workers, emergency actions will be held by community and labour groups across Ontario starting today, announced leaders in the $15 and Fairness movement including the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Workers’ Action Center.

The bill, if passed, will mean a real-dollar wage cut for minimum wage employees, the elimination of two paid sick days, fairer scheduling rules and the right to equal pay for equal work.

“Big corporations will get all the benefit of these changes, not Ontarians. Not the people who are struggling to make ends meet on two or three or four jobs,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President, Chris Buckley.

“Millions of workers voted for Ford because they believed him when he said he would stand up for the little guy,” said Pam Frache, coordinator of the Fight for $15 & Fairness campaign. “By attacking our new labour laws, Ford has betrayed the voters of Ontario and they will not forget.”

Emergency actions will include a rally outside the Ministry of Labour in Toronto today at 5:00 PM as well as other protests being organized across Ontario. To see the most up to date listing of events, visit http://15andfairness.org/events

Wednesday, October 24

OAKVILLE
Oakville Emergency Action
Wednesday, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM, Oakville GO Bus station, 214 Cross Ave.
https://www.15andfairness.org/oakville_oct24

OTTAWA
Ottawa Emergency Action
Wednesday, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM - Ottawa Board of Trade, 328 Somerset St. West 
https://www.15andfairness.org/ottawa_oct24

NORTH BAY
North Bay Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:00 – 5:00 PM – Intersection of Judge Street and Lakeshore Street 
www.facebook.com/events/179445379603992/ 

WATERLOO
Waterloo Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:00 PM - Waterloo Square, 75 King St South
https://www.facebook.com/events/1956765354401727/

LONDON
London Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM - London Chamber of Commerce, 244 Pall Mall St.
https://www.15andfairness.org/london_oct24 

WHITBY
Durham Emergency Action
Wednesday, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM - MPP Lorne Coe Office, 114 Dundas St. East
https://www.15andfairness.org/whitby_oct24

TORONTO
Toronto Emergency Rally at the Ministry of Labour
Wednesday, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM – Ministry of Labour, 400 University Ave.
https://www.15andfairness.org/toronto_oct24rally

Thursday, October 25

PEEL
Peel Emergency Rally
Thursday, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM, Corner of Hurontario St. and Steeles Ave., Brampton
https://www.15andfairness.org/brampton_oct25rally

KINGSTON
Kingston Emergency Rally
Thursday, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Tim Hortons, 681 Princess St.
https://www.15andfairness.org/kingston_oct25

SCARBOROUGH
Scarborough Emergency Action
Thursday, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM, ACCES Employment (temp agency), 2100 Ellesmere Road, Suite 250 -- (Markham Rd. and Ellesmere Rd. intersection)
https://www.15andfairness.org/scarborough_oct25

Monday, October 29

HAMILTON
Hamilton Emergency Meeting
Monday, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM, Workers Arts & Heritage Centre, 51 Stuart St.
www.15andfairness.org/hamilton_oct29

To arrange interviews or for further information, please contact:

Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator,
Fight for $15 & Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

(TORONTO, ON) -- Leaders of the $15 and Fairness movement, including the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Workers’ Action Centre, will be speaking at a press conference on Tuesday October 23, 2018 at 2:00 pm in the Queen’s Park media studio.

With only ten weeks to go before 1.7 million Ontario workers get their long-awaited $15 minimum wage, the Minister of Labour announced today that the government will be taking steps to repeal Bill 148. In addition to cutting the minimum wage, the government is also planning to repeal two meager paid sick days, right to equal pay for equal work as well as fairer scheduling rules. By taking away these basic protections that put more money in the pockets of low wage workers, the government will hurt women, workers of colour, and newcomers the most.

When: Press Conference on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 at 2:00 pm
Where: Queen’s Park Media Studio
Speakers: Chris Buckley, President, Ontario Federation of Labour; Pam Frache, Fight for $15 & Fairness Campaign; Dr. Jesse McLaren, emergency physician; Gilleen Pearce, small business owner and coordinator, Better Way Alliance, and other community leaders to be announced.

For more information, please contact:

Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator,
Fight for $15 & Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

(TORONTO, ON) -- Over 50 actions are expected on Monday, October 15, when communities across Ontario mobilize in defense of new workers’ rights brought in by Bill 148: Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, including the $15 minimum wage that is scheduled for January 1.

What stands to be the largest coordinated day of action for Ontario workers in the past decade will target ridings of Conservative MPPs, after Premier Doug Ford revealed the government is considering the full repeal of Bill 148, cancelling Ontario’s decent work laws.

“It is not too late for Premier Doug Ford and his cabinet to do the right thing and help Ontario workers,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley. “This October 15, wherever Conservative MPPs look across the province, they’ll find workers who want, need and deserve decent work laws, including the $15 minimum wage.”

“The law is the law, and as it stands, nearly 2 million workers are scheduled to get a raise in 11 weeks,” says Pam Frache, Coordinator of Fight for $15 & Fairness Campaign. “Every single day we encounter people who tell us they voted for Premier Ford because they thought his promise to be ‘for the people’ meant standing up to corporate elites, like Galen Weston and Rocco Rossi. Repealing Bill 148 now would be a slap in the face of many workers who voted for Premier Ford,” she added.

Rocco Rossi is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, which has repeatedly called for a full repeal of Bill 148. That same bill brought in modest reforms like 10 days of job-protected emergency leave (the first two days paid), equal pay for equal work, and making it easier to join and keep a union (read more here).

Actions across the province range from public rallies, visits to the offices of Conservative MPPs, workplace actions in support of $15 & Fairness, campus actions at universities and colleges as well as neighbourhood outreach blitzes.

The day of action is coordinated by the Fight for $15 and Fairness and the Ontario Federation of Labour as well as community, student, teacher, faculty, faith, health, labour and non-profit associations across the province.

Scroll below for October 15 Actions, more details are coming, including actions at Ontario’s 24 colleges. To see the latest listing of events, visit www.15andFairness.org or www.oflevents.ca.

AJAX

MPP Rod Phillips’ Office
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM — 1 Rossland Road W, Suite 209
https://www.facebook.com/events/1890033274377097/

ALLISTON 

MPP Jim Wilson’s Office
4:15 PM to 6:15 PM — 180 Parsons Rd, Unit 28
https://www.facebook.com/events/1105764262908474/

AURORA

Outreach Blitz
2:30 PM to 4:00 PM — 15900 Bayview Avenue
https://www.facebook.com/events/2278584029054493/

BRAMPTON

Outreach Blitz
5:00 PM to 6:30 PM — Brampton City Hall, 2 Wellington Street West
https://www.facebook.com/events/1109860432517237/

BRANTFORD

MPP Will Bouma’s Office
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM -- Assemble at Laurier Brantford (student centre), then visit the MPP’s office at 96 Nelson Street (Suite 101)
https://www.facebook.com/events/1925329787772168/

COBOURG 

MPP David Piccini’s Office
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM — 513 Division Street
https://www.facebook.com/events/2239650782774692/

ETOBICOKE 

Outreach Blitz
12:00 PM to 2:00 PM — Corner of Dixon and Islington
https://www.facebook.com/events/273361209972051/

GUELPH

Outreach Blitz and Banner Action
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM -- University Centre and Guelph City Hall
https://www.facebook.com/events/2051966904867912/

HAMILTON

Mohawk College
12:00 Noon to 1:00 pm — Fennel Campus (135 Fennel Avenue West)
https://www.facebook.com/events/660954794289049/

Rally
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM — Jackson Square (James North and King Street)
https://www.facebook.com/events/2126481291013219/

KINGSTON

Outreach Blitz - Queen’s University
12:00 Noon to 1:00 PM (University Avenue & Union Street West)

Outreach Blitz - St. Lawrence College
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm (main entrance, transit stop)

Outreach Blitz - Cataraqui Town Centre
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm (location TBA)
https://www.facebook.com/events/163504867919883/

LONDON 

Fanshawe College
10 AM to 3 PM — F Building at Fanshawe College
https://www.facebook.com/events/548694465559530/

Chamber of Commerce Action
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM — London Chamber of Commerce, 244 Pall Mall St
https://www.facebook.com/events/240792906594680/

MISSISSAUGA

Outreach Blitz
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM -- Westwood Mall, (7205 Goreway Drive), at the bus shelter
https://www.facebook.com/events/314623869120414/

Outreach Blitz
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM — Mississauga Celebration Square (300 City Centre Dr)
https://www.facebook.com/events/343116039596400/

NEWMARKET 

Action Against Corporate Bullies
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM — Real Canadian Superstore, 18120 Yonge St
https://www.facebook.com/events/550068845448883/

NORTH BAY

15 Workplace Actions
9:00 AM to 9:00 PM — Across the city
https://www.facebook.com/events/991736950987724/

OAKVILLE 

Banner Drop
4:30 PM to 6:00 PM — Trafalgar Road exit – South-West QEW off-Ramp
https://www.facebook.com/events/1800350026749723/

OTTAWA 

Outreach Blitz
4:00 PM to 6:00 PM — in front of Loblaws, 363 Rideau St (corner of Nelson St)
https://www.facebook.com/events/681597172211532/

PETERBOROUGH 

Outreach Blitz
4:30 PM to 6:00 PM — South East corner of George St North & Simcoe St
https://www.facebook.com/events/543791412738650/

SCARBOROUGH 

Centennial College, Progress Campus
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM — Progress Campus, the Bridge
https://www.facebook.com/events/243984089622188/?event_time_id=243984096288854

Scarborough Centre
10:30 AM to 12:00 PM — Intersection of Warden Ave and Lawrence Ave East
https://www.facebook.com/events/550380335403347/

Scarborough Agincourt
12:30 PM to 2:00 PM — Sheppard Ave East and Kennedy Road Intersection
https://www.facebook.com/events/336959493705534/

Scarborough Rouge Park
2:30 PM to 4:00 PM — Morningside Avenue and Milner Avenue Intersection
https://www.facebook.com/events/1083895695111500/

ST. CATHARINES 

Rally
12:00 PM to 2:00 PM — Outside the Ministry of Transportation, 289 St Paul St
https://www.facebook.com/events/2143198219048121/

TORONTO

Morning Outreach Blitz
7:30 AM to 8:45 AM — Dufferin & Sherbourne TTC stations
https://www.facebook.com/events/338555650239079/

York University Outreach Blitz
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM — Vari Hall, York University at 198 York Blvd
https://www.facebook.com/events/2149680478582507/

University of Toronto Outreach Blitz
11:00 AM to 1:30 PM — Sid Smith (East Side)
https://www.facebook.com/events/2186536938264706/

Rally outside Ministry of Labour
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM – 400 University Ave
https://www.facebook.com/events/251715398866409/

Educators at Lawrence West
3:15 PM to 5:00 PM — Lawrence West Subway Station
https://www.facebook.com/events/475332019618614/

WATERLOO 

MPP Mike Harris’ Office
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM — 63 Arthur St South Unit 3&4
https://www.facebook.com/events/1109742122517576/

For more information:

Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator
Fight for $15 & Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Representatives from the $15 and Fairness movement, including the Ontario Federation of Labour, a doctor, and an Imam from a Mosque in Etobicoke held a press conference at Queen’s Park today to call on the government to protect the $15 minimum wage and fair scheduling rules coming in on January 1, 2019.

Ontario is only thirteen weeks away from giving nearly two million workers a much-anticipated raise to $15, closely following Alberta where $15 is set to come into effect on October 1. Across Canada, support for a $15 minimum wage is on the rise, with active fight for $15 campaigns being led in almost every province, from Quebec to Manitoba, British Columbia to Nova Scotia.

In fact, an Angus Reid poll released in August showed that over 66 per cent of Canadians support a $15 minimum wage. A similar percentage of Ontario small business owners – 62 per cent – also believe the minimum wage should be at least $15 an hour, according to a Campaign Research poll.

Despite this majority support, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has been calling on Premier Doug Ford to fully repeal Bill 148; legislation that made Ontario the first jurisdiction in Canada to provide two paid sick days to all workers, unpaid emergency leave, in addition to fairer scheduling laws and a $15 minimum wage taking effect January 1, 2019.

Deena Ladd of the Workers’ Action Centre, a non-profit that operates a confidential “bad boss” hotline for workers who need help, argued repealing the bill would be a grave mistake.

“After nearly 5 years of consultation, committee review and hearings, the Ontario government brought in Bill 148 last year to deal with the massive deterioration of wages and working conditions in this province,” said Workers’ Action Centre Coordinator Deena Ladd. “The Ministry of Labour itself found, during proactive investigations, that three-quarters of employers who break the law are repeat offenders. Clearly what is needed here is stronger enforcement, not the rollback of new labour laws that offer modest protections.”

“It is shameful that the Ontario Chamber of Commerce is calling on the government to eliminate every single step forward we have made in the last year, steps toward decent work and making it easier to join a union,” said Ontario Federation of Labour President Chris Buckley. “They even want to eliminate the unpaid emergency leave that prevents workers from losing their job if they have to miss work to care for a sick child. It makes a person ill just thinking about what eliminating this provision would mean for a single parent.”

Christine, a minimum wage earner, spoke at the press conference to ask the government to stand up for people just like her instead of giving into corporate demands.

“Working for minimum wage is a struggle,” she said. “I’m a college graduate. I'm in my mid-40s. I live alone. I have the same bills most families do, and I struggle to pay them. That's with four jobs across the GTA. All my jobs are minimum wage. Last year I earned around $22,000. You can’t live in Toronto on that. You can’t live anywhere in Ontario on that. You just can't. I'd like to say that's after taxes, but the truth is I don't earn enough to pay taxes. Two-thirds of minimum wage earners don't.”

Negative predictions from right-wing think-tanks like the Fraser Institute about the higher minimum wage have proven false. Ontario’s job numbers have been outperforming the rest of the country. According to the August Labour Force Survey by Statistics Canada, Ontario’s average weekly hours of work increased from 36.3% in August 2017 to 36.5% in August 2018 – better than the national average. In fact, total hours worked in Ontario rose by 3.3 per cent from January to August, after Bill 148 came into effect.

The incoming minimum wage increase is only one of the many aspects of Bill 148 that the broad coalition of community and labour advocates are speaking out for. “Ensuring paid sick days is not just an improvement to labour standards, but also a major public health advance,” explained Dr. Edward Xie. “The flu season begins next week, and for the first time ever in Ontario, every worker will have the right to paid leave if they are sick. Of course, only two of the ten personal emergency days are paid, so for many Ontarians, this is still a financial struggle. We need to be providing more paid sick days, not penalizing workers for getting sick, as everyone eventually does.”

-30
To arrange interviews or for more information, please contact: 

Nil Sendil
Communications Coordinator
Fight for $15 & Fairness
[email protected] l 647-710-5795