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Bell Media recently cut over 200 jobs in Toronto (including Dan O’Toole from popular sports show SC with Jay and Dan, while yesterday suddenly yanking three sports radio stations off the air in mid-broadcast in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Hamilton.
A new campaign is exposing the disastrous track record of new Conservative leader Erin O’Toole and the Conservative Party on health care and labour issues.
“As Canadians face a possible early federal election this year, it’s important to know the facts about Erin O’Toole,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias. “O’Toole presents himself as a fresh alternative who wants to change the political system to benefit working Canadians, but in truth he’s a Harper-era Minister with a history of supporting cuts to heath care.”
The ‘Worst Time O’Toole’ campaign features a series of videos broadcast on national television and social media channels sponsored by Protecting Canada, a new organization working to protect Canadians from the threat of Conservative cuts to health care and public services.
The hard-hitting ads illustrate the devastating result that health care cuts would have on patients, stressing that Canadians can’t afford Erin O’Toole and that he is the wrong leader at the worst possible time.
As health care workers struggle to provide COVID care, the consequences of reckless actions by Conservative Premiers across the country are worsening under the pressures of the pandemic.
In Alberta, Premier Jason Kenney is laying off thousands of health care workers. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford laid off health care workers and cut health research funding. In Manitoba, Premier Brian Pallister fired nurses and closed Emergency Rooms. All with the tacit approval of Erin O’Toole.
“We can’t risk electing a federal government that would cut health care, not in a pandemic, not ever,” said Dias.
For more information or to join the Protecting Canada campaign visit WorstTimeOToole.ca
February 8, 2021
TORONTO – Unifor is calling for enhanced safety precautions for school bus drivers as schools reopen across Ontario in the midst of a second wave of the pandemic that is still not under control and as more infectious new variants take hold.
“Keeping school bus drivers safe means keeping students safe. They are all crammed into the same confined space for the ride to school,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
“Much has been said about the risks in schools, and the measures taken to address that. We need to talk about the risks on buses, as well.”
While COVID-19 numbers are down from recent highs, they are still much higher than at the beginning of the school year. As well, new highly infectious variants of the virus are spreading.
“Many of our drivers come from high-risk groups, including seniors. Many others go home to large families,” said Debbie Montgomery, President of Unifor Local 4268, which represents school bus drivers across much of Ontario.
While Education Minister Stephen Lecce has talked about enhanced protocols in schools, no mention has been made about heightened measures on buses, Montgomery said.
“We clean the buses thoroughly, but that doesn’t protect us against someone getting on the bus and spreading the virus,” she said. “With these new variants spreading, more needs to be done.”
Montgomery said she would like to see school bus drivers declared priority workers for vaccination, for provincial restrictions to be lifted that prevent shields from being installed on buses, improved PPE and sanitizing equipment and contact tracing.
“We’d love to have shields or barriers, just like on public transit, but provincial law prevents any alterations being made to school buses. That includes shields, and that has to change,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery pointed out that several U.S. jurisdictions have installed shields in school buses for the safety of both drivers and students.
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy, and is the only union in Ontario actively advocating for school bus driver safety. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future
Black History Month is observed across Canada every February. Black History Month in Canada provides an opportunity to share and learn about the experiences, contributions and achievements of peoples of African ancestry (see Black Canadians). It was initiated in Canada by the Ontario Black History Society and introduced to Parliament in December 1995 by Jean Augustine, the first Black woman elected as a member of Parliament. Black History Month was officially observed across Canada for the first time in February 1996 (see also Black History in Canada).
Unifor 1996-O Recognize:
Donovan Bailey
In Solidarity,
Equity Committee 1996-O,
1996-O Executive
February 2, 2021
TORONTO – Unifor is condemning a round of cuts being made to CTV newsrooms across much of Bell Media this week, saying the layoffs will cost the network many valued media workers just when their communities need them most.
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, Canadians have seen how important a strong media sector is to their continued health and safety,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.
“These cuts go against the assurances made by the broadcasters last summer to the CRTC to stand by local news.”
Last summer, Canada’s major broadcasters asked the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for relief from Canadian content rules, saying that local news gathering is sacred.
“Despite their commitment to save local news, they’re not protecting newsrooms,” Dias said.
The cuts announced so far include about 100 Unifor members in Toronto, plus more outside Toronto, affecting all station operations, including news gathering. Bell Media also laid off all staff in the newsroom of Montreal radio station CJAD.
“Our democracy, our right to be informed and to push back against the tide of false information relies on a strong media sector,” said Unifor Media Director Howard Law.
“Bell Media had said that news gathering is sacred, but that doesn’t appear to be the case when cuts are made in news gathering.”
Unifor continues to monitor the situation and to work with affected locals to assist our members.