CLASS WARFARE EXISTS IN ONTARIO AND ALWAYS HAS

It is one of the less noble aspects of both the Liberal and Progressive Conservative parties although somewhat more obvious with the Conservatives. That is especially so when you recall that the Liberals under Katherine Wynne raised the minimum wage to $14 per hour and had it scheduled to then rise to $15 per hour last January until the Conservatives cancelled it.

Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record carried the following opinion piece by Patty Coates of the Ontario Federation of Labour titled "Kinder, gentler Ford government doesn't extend to workers". She is commenting upon the recently more conciliatory aspects of the Doug Ford government since the legislature returned from it's five week hiatus.

Ms. Coates points out that temporary workers in particular are facing government discrimination in that when they are injured or killed on the job, the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) are not allowed to attribute the costs of claims to the host employer rather than to the temp agency. In this manner, irresponsible companies can avoid higher insurance premiums and perhaps even greater scrutiny for the healyh and safety records.

Ms. Coates points out one company in particular whom she feels has taken advantage of loopholes in workers' health and safety rights. That company is Fiera Foods. She states that Enrico Miranda was the fifth worker to die on the job at Fiera or one of its affiliated companies in the past twenty years. Particular quotes from Ms. Coates that I agree with include "If an employer's negligence kills a worker, they should go to jail."and after a family member has died on the job that "Their family deserves to know the police have done more than rule out foul play, that they have looked at criminal negligence by the employer as a possible cause."

One does not have to be a genius to read between the lines. The Conservative Party (& the Liberals) collect the gravy train of corporate donations on an ongoing basis. Those corporate donors want total exemption from as many business risks as possible including negligence claims from injured workers or family members of the deceased. At the same time many companies do not spend the time or money to make their workplaces safe. New and young workers are especially vulnerable to hazards in the workplace although unfortunately even older, more experienced workers also are injured and die on the job. This can be vastly improved but not as long as the "us" versus "them" attitudes prevail in the workplace courtesy of weak and inadequate laws and follow up enforcement.