PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Watch a brief message from President Haggerty on
YouTube
Chronic issues plague our province: we all need to vote on June 2 A 2019 Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers survey found that 30% of Ontario’s workers “experienced symptoms of burnout ‘all of the time’ or ‘a large part of the time’.”1 Thirty per cent of Ontario’s 7.5 million2 workers is equal to 2.25 million people experiencing burnout. Behind that statistic are millions of family, friends, and co-workers in a significant state of mental distress that affects far more than just their work. As the June election nears, the state of mental health for Ontario’s workers should be at the front of our minds. We need to elect a government that, quite frankly, gives a sh*t about working people and the quality of life those working people have. There are always strings attached to promises made leading up to an election and the decisions made once in office. But when a government or candidate constantly boasts about slashing spending, that money has to come from somewhere. The province’s elimination of the annual license renewal fee is a good example. That $120 in our
pockets has a steep price tag of $1 billion in lost revenue for the province. That’s $1 billion less going to schools, healthcare, social programs and infrastructure. At a time when our healthcare workers have been begging for support, and the quality of care for our loved ones is on the line, why is that money not going toward that sector? If we can afford to lose a billion dollars in revenue, why are so many healthcare workers’ wages still limited to a 1% increase by Bill 124? Underfunded programs inevitably fail because there’s no money to run them; privatization of those services is the next step. While this is happening, to distract from the long game happening underneath it all, we see inadequate scraps tossed out: •
A $15 minimum wage (several years after Ford himself cancelled a planned increase);
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New legislation on employee rights to disconnect from work (while leaving what that means up to the discretion of the employer);
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“Protections” for Gig work-
ers (that treat them as another class of worker and don’t allow them to qualify as employees under the Employment Standards Act); •
Saving Ontarians $120 per year on license renewal fees (a gift with a hefty price tag);
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Paying a $5,000 retention bonus to nurses (just before an election instead of two years ago, and while Bill 124 remains intact).
None of this addresses the employment, healthcare and other systems that are crumbling with far too many people made to fight just to get by. And worse, the system leaves many people behind altogether, impoverished by a cycle that perpetuates only existing wealth and power. It took until the end of March for Ontario to sign on to the $10 perday childcare plan. Affordable childcare can save families thousands of dollars a year, and help ensure that parents that want to return to work can do so, particularly women who, for many reasons including an average wage gap of 32%, are the primary … continued at the bottom of page 6
