By Zaid Noorsumar When she first began working as a home and community care nurse twenty years ago, Anne* had a regular 40-hours a week schedule. Today, Anne is working between 12 and 14-hour days at least three times a week and every other weekend. “I see 12 to 14 patients a day and am Continue readingPrivatization, two-tiered home care, and the burden on women
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By C. Rockarts In March, cities across Canada implemented fare-free public transit and back door boarding to encourage social distancing and curb the spread of COVID-19. On March 20, the City of Edmonton moved to temporarily suspend fare collection on all Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) buses, LRT and DATS services. Now, as many cities ‘relaunch’ Continue readingThe battle in Edmonton for a new kind of transit
By Lisa Cameron Nova Scotia’s essential workers have been sustaining the province during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those on the front-line are Nova Scotia’s care professionals, whose employment requires that they jeopardize their health (and the health of their families) to tend to those most medically, financially, and structurally at risk. Care workers in Nova Continue reading“Now it is a disaster”: Nova Scotia long-term care worker speaks out
“If you aren’t careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing” – Malcolm X By Zaid Noorsumar The Ford government is back to overhauling Ontario’s home and community care system this month and Canadian media has nothing to say about it Continue readingMainstream media refuses to talk profits in Ontario home care
By Haseena Manek The Ontario Municipal Employee Retirement System (OMERS) Sponsors Corporation Board of Directors will be voting on whether or not to scrap guaranteed indexing for members in favour of a proposal they call “Shared Risk,” on June 24. OMERS is a defined benefit plan for about half a million municipal workers in Ontario, Continue readingShared Risk? OMERS indexing dispute fits pattern of attacks
By Zaid Noorsumar Ontario’s new home and community care legislation will likely become law by the end of the month with virtually no public consultation, even as it impacts over 700,000 annual care recipients who require personal support services, nursing care, physiotherapy and other services. Instead of addressing the myriad problems that have plagued the Continue reading“We need a public, not-for-profit home care system”
By Zaid Noorsumar Premier Doug Ford and his PC government are moving ahead with their new home and community care legislation. According to the Ontario Health Coalition, the legislation will further enable privatization of home care and remove the existing provisions of public control and accountability. The legislation was being pushed through the Ontario legislature Continue readingFord government moving ahead with home care privatization bill
By Zaid Noorsumar Last month, Rankandfile.ca exposed extensive connections between Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives and the for-profit lobbying group, the Ontario Long-Term Care Association (OLTCA). Amidst growing public anger against the for-profit long-term care homes, a recent Huffington Post news report further highlights the ugly nexus between the for-profit long-term care industry, the Ford Continue readingOntario PCs aren’t alone: Exposing Liberal ties with corporate long-term care lobby
By C. Rockarts On Thursday, May 14, Alberta “relaunched the economy” and began the first phase of the plan to re-open golf courses, provincial parks, as well as some retail stores, daycares, and museums. While many of the prairie provinces have decided to re-open, the comparison of cases between Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba is stark. Continue readingProfits over health in Alberta
By Hanna Wallace and Billy May Similar to the community care movement that has sprung up during the COVID-19 pandemic, the workers at Lifestyle Markets decided to organize a union drive out of a sense of care and respect for our fellow workers. Lifestyle Markets has three locations on Vancouver Island. The first and largest Continue readingVancouver Island grocery workers go union and fight for hazard pay
By Rawan Abdelbaki It has been just over two months since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. It was only a few days after that when the Conservative government of Ontario passed Bill 186, Infectious Disease Emergencies amendment to the Employment Standards Act. Bill 186 was designed to offer job protections to those workers who Continue readingEven in a Global Pandemic, Workers in Ontario Still Don’t Have a Right to Paid Sick Leave
Jim Brophy, occupational health expert, says guidelines are not based on scientific evidence By Zaid Noorsumar Gloria Turney, is incensed at the death of her fellow union member and home care worker, Arlene Reid. Reid, aged 51, tragically died a few days after contracting COVID-19. Her primary job was as a home care worker for Continue readingOntario PPE guidelines based on supply, not protecting workers