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'Left unchallenged, we know the attacks ... on our jobs and public services will only be the first wave of more to come.'
Toronto (20 May 2010) - The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) is mobilizing activists across the province to raise awareness of "serious attacks on the public sector" in the latest Ontario budget.
"Left unchallenged, we know the attacks ... on our jobs and public services will only be the first wave of more to come," the union says.
Two events, targeting Liberal political events and fundraisers, were held Wednesday, one in Ottawa to raise campaign funds for Madeleine Meilleur, MPP for Ottawa-Vanier, and another in Alfred to collect money for Jean-Marc Lalonde, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.
The Ottawa event was attended by Kathleen Wynne, minister of transportation, while the Alfred event was attended by Laurel Broten, minister of children and youth services
Upcoming events include:
- A May 20 Kingston and the Islands Liberal meeting (7:30 p.m. at Ongwanada Resource Centre, 191 Portsmouth Ave. in Kingston).
- A May 20 information picket at the ministry of labour offices in London (noon 217 York St.).
- A May 20 Liberal fundraising dinner at the Marconi Club in London (5 p.m. at 120 Clarke Road).
- A May 31 fundraiser for Leona Dombrowsky, MPP for Prince Edward-Hastings, at the Belleville Ramada Inn (6 p.m. in the Park Room at 11 Baybridge Rd.). Attending will be Dwight Duncan, the minister of finance.
The labour ministry event in London is designed to draw attention to a panel appointed by Labour Minister Peter Fonseca to review Ontario’s workplace health and safety system and recommend improvements.
"The true experts on preventing workplace accidents and fatalities are the province’s 430 occupational health and safety inspectors," OPSEU says.
"They are not on the panel or any of the seven working groups advising the panel. Inspectors believe there is a real danger that enforcement of the Occupational Health and Safety Act will be privatized through an insurance company or offloaded to the Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB)."
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
More information:
OPSEU Campaigns - Response to the Ontario budget