 publicpower
means that we help the least fortunate among us with the supports
they need to live with dignity and purpose.
Ontario today
faces a dramatic increase in violence that threatens the lives
of women and children across our province.
Howard
Hampton and the NDP will combat violence against women with
a comprehensive "Freedom from Fear"
strategy that will protect women and children by providing the
social, economic and legal tools to protect themselves and their
families from abuse.
 Conservatives:
The Conservatives have cut $8.2 million from the Ministry of Labour's
health and safety budget and 25 per cent of the staff.
Those few remaining
ministry inspectors lack the resources to adequately investigate
and
enforce health and safety standards in tens of thousands of Ontario
workplaces.
And the number
of workplace deaths keeps increasing. In 1996, 168 workers were
killed on
the job. In 2000, 304 were killed.
 Liberals:
Unlike the NDP, the McGuinty Liberals have refused to commit
to repeal Conservative legislation that removed the requirement
that new toxins in the workplace be reported, and removed mandatory
on-site inspections when workers exercise their rights to refuse
unsafe work.
NDP:
Howard Hampton and the NDP would take strong action to reduce workplace
deaths and ensure safe workplaces. The NDP safe workplaces plan
would require:
- Prominent
notices be posted alerting workers of their right to refuse dangerous
work and mandatory on-site inspections when workers exercise this
right.
- Coroner's
Inquests for all workplace deaths. Currently inquests are only
mandatory for construction and mining-related deaths.
- Mandatory
reporting of all toxic substances introduced into the workplace
and workplace education for new workers, including the right to
refuse to work with toxins that could endanger your health. Section
34 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, that formerly required
an employer to give notice when a new toxin was brought into the
workplace, was repealed by the Conservatives in 2001.
- Fully tie
Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) benefits to the cost
of living. Injured workers have lost 12 per cent of the value
of their compensation to inflation over the last seven years.
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