TORONTO – The report of Mr. Justice Roland Haines’s inquiry into meat inspection in Ontario bears out long-standing criticism from the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents the province’s meat inspectors.
OPSEU President Leah Casselman urged the government to act on the report’s recommendations promptly to enhance food safety in the province.
“He listened to us. Our members talked about the need for more staffing and more training. We told him we needed better support from senior managers in the system, and we told him we needed to be able to blow the whistle when public safety is at stake. We are delighted to find all of these recommendations in this comprehensive report,”
Casselman said.
She said the union would be happy to work with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food as the recommendations are implemented. “This will involve some serious re-organization at the Ministry, and our members would like to continue having input.”
Bob Lowry, a meat inspector, said he was “very pleased with what I have heard so far. It’s a real step forward for food safety.”
He welcomed the creation of a food safety division within the ministry that would operate independently from divisions which promote the agriculture industry.
OPSEU had called for more resources to test for disease and better reporting of tests to inspectors, both of which were adopted by Mr. Justice Haines.
He also recommended a more formal approach to dealing with disputes between abattoir operators and inspectors, and full documentation of all management intervention in decisions made by inspectors, another of OPSEU’s suggestions.
He also agreed with the union that a part-time inspector who shuts down an operation in good faith should not lose his or her own pay for the day, saying an inspector should not be out of pocket for protecting food safety.
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For further information:
Katie FitzRandolph: 416-448-7440 or cell 416-788-9057 or kfitzrandolph@opseu.org
Read the Haines Report
http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/
