Cuts, privatization and staff shortages put Ontario at risk
TORONTO – Leah Casselman, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, told the Ontario Legislature’s Justice Committee today that cuts, privatization and staff shortages have put Ontario at risk.
Casselman was speaking on the Emergency Management Act, the legislation that provides for the establishment of emergency management programs based on hazards and risks that the people in Ontario may face.
“This government needs to come to grips with what it will really take to rebuild Ontario’s vital public services,” Casselman told the committee. “If we cannot meet the needs of regular public service demands, how can we deal with emergencies?
“The government has to stop offloading public services and stop ignoring the voices of the workers on the front line. They also have to start distancing themselves from the public policy disasters that characterized the Harris/Eves period, and start open discussions with front-line workers.”
OPSEU has more than 100,000 full and part-time members, many of whom work to protect the public and clean up after disasters.
“These are the people who need to share their first-hand information with the government so that episodes like Walkerton and the SARS crisis never repeat themselves,” Casselman said.
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For more information, please contact:
Kay Singh, OPSEU Communications: (416) 443-8888 ext. 440
