WINDSOR— Staffing levels at The Village of St. Clair are below crisis levels and action is demanded from the provincial government, says Unifor.

“This is a matter of life or death,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “The current owners of The Village of St. Clair are no longer capable of providing the necessary care. The Government of Ontario must step in.”

Unifor has written to Premier Ford to ask that his government to take over control of the long-term care home’s operation.

To-date, the home has 97 active COVID-19 cases among residents and 50 among staff. Nine residents have died. The employer’s attempt to use agency workers as replacements is not working, says Unifor. There have been reports of one PSW assigned to care for more than thirty residents.

“The government has resources at its disposal for emergencies like this, including the armed forces or the Red Cross. Something must be done immediately before a terrible situation gets even worse,” said Dias.

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. 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.

Anti-Indigenous racism has profound negative impacts on the health and wellness of Indigenous people, their families, and their communities in Canada. Deep-seated racism within our health care systems have made it unsafe for many Indigenous peoples to access the services and care they need.

On January 13, 2021 at 6 p.m. Eastern, Unifor Education will host a webinar to hear from Indigenous leaders about identifying the systemic racism and barriers to proper care.

“Non-Indigenous and non-racialized Canadians take our quality of public health care for granted,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “The fact is that the right to health care is not enjoyed equally by all. Our union’s anti-racism work must also extend into the systemic racism inside public services such as health care.”

Panelists for the webinar include Dr. Alika Lafontaine, and Indigenous physician of Cree and Anishinaabe heritage from Southern Saskatchewan/Treaty 4 territory and Cheryl Ward, the Interim Director of Indigenous Health and the Provincial Lead for the San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training program at the BC Provincial Health Services Authority. The webinar will be moderated by Unifor’s Indigenous Liaison Gina Smoke. To register, email onlineeducation@unifor.org. Registration is required.

A group of Unifor members marked Human Rights Day 2020 with the first online bystander intervention training offered by the union.

The group training went beyond intervention in conflict, to craft a discussion about building more caring communities in the face of structural oppression and inequality.

Trainer Rajean Hoilett took the participants through real life scenarios and provided practical advice on how to not be a bystander to any injustices towards people, but instead to understand ones active role and place in their communities.