Statement on Transgender Day of Remembrance
On Transgender Day of Remembrance, the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) stands in solidarity with the Trans community, honouring the lives lost to anti-Trans violence and prejudice. Today, we remember those who have been taken from us too soon and recognize the ongoing struggles faced by Trans people in Ontario.
Trans people are impacted by significant political and social challenges causing marginalization and discrimination. Access to gender-affirming health care remains a critical issue, with many facing long wait times and financial barriers. Employment discrimination and housing insecurity continue to threaten the well-being and stability of Trans and gender diverse people. Transphobia, both systemic and interpersonal, creates an environment of fear and exclusion.
We face profound losses due to anti-Trans bigotry and violence. Each life lost is a reminder of the urgent need for action and change. We must fight for Trans rights and inclusion, ensuring that every Trans and gender diverse person can live with dignity and respect.
Liberal and Conservative governments have failed to address inequities and structural barriers for Trans communities. We need a government that will remove barriers to services and programs Trans and gender diverse people need and promote systems of safety and inclusion.
The escalating anti-Trans rhetoric attacking the rights and safety of Trans and gender diverse communities needs to be stopped. Trans rights are human rights. No person should be subject to discrimination, intimidation, or violence because of their gender expression or identity.
That’s why we are calling on all members of the labour movement and our allies to join us in building a province where every Trans and gender diverse person feels safe, valued, and supported. In demanding justice, equity, and fair treatment of all people no matter what their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression are. In using the power of many to build the Ontario we need!
Join the movement here.
In solidarity,
Ontario Federation of Labour
Looking for other ways to get involved in supporting Trans rights in a meaningful way? Here are some steps you can take:
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The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), on behalf of 54 unions and one million workers across Ontario, stands in solidarity with port workers in BC, Montreal, and Quebec City. These workers’ constitutionally protected right to strike was undermined this week by Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon’s decision to impose binding arbitration. The OFL joins unions across Canada in calling on the government to respect the Canada Labour Code and allow for a fair collective bargaining process that respects workers and ensures they receive their fair share in an era of record corporate profits.
“In the case of the Port of Montreal, the employer locked out workers and requested government intervention before even attempting to return to the bargaining table,” said Laura Walton, OFL President. “This is a shocking move that is concerning for all workers.”
Port employers have refused to engage in good-faith negotiations despite making record-breaking profits throughout the pandemic. Now, as port workers are asking for what they deserve – fair wages, job security, and safe working conditions – their rights are being trampled on.
“Workers deserve their fair share in an era of extraordinary corporate wealth,” said Walton. “The only way to ensure workers get a fair deal is through free and fair collective bargaining.”
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The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), representing 54 affiliates and one million workers across Ontario, signed this open letter on November 12, 2024.
We, the undersigned labour unions, representing hundreds of thousands of workers across Ontario, call on Premier Ford and Minister Jones to immediately reverse their deadly decision to force the closure of 10 supervised consumption services (SCS). We call on the Ontario government to support and fund evidence-based health care services that save lives, amidst a public health emergency.
As workers in many different sectors and communities across Ontario, we are all impacted by the devastation of the toxic drug crisis: whether through experiencing the personal loss of a loved one, or the distress and pressure that affect communities due to ongoing poor management of this crisis. Rather than pouring fuel on the fire through devastating cuts, the Ontario government must immediately support and scale up SCS across the province as a necessary emergency response.
Shutting down SCS means more 911 calls to our paramedics, firefighters, and police that could have been diverted. It means more patients and longer wait times in our overrun emergency departments. It means more overdoses at our job sites, public parks, community centers, and library bathrooms, where all workers must regularly respond to critical health emergencies.
Every day in Ontario, 10 people die due to the toxic unregulated drug supply. More than 21,000 people have died since the Ford government was elected in 2018, causing immeasurable grief, loss, and distress. Without access to SCS and other harm reduction measures at scale, toxic drug deaths will soar.
We need to value evidence and facts over ideology and opinion when making public policy – there are four decades of evidence proving that SCS and safe needle distribution programs work. Public health guidelines, including the Chief Medical Health Officer’s annual report and the provincial government’s own expert-appointed review call for the expansion of SCS.
SCS support people in stabilizing their lives and accessing care; providing connections to primary healthcare, detox and addictions medicine; administering vaccines; performing wound care; testing and care for HIV and Hepatitis C. SCS in Ontario have provided over half a million referrals to health and social supports. For every dollar spent on SCS, more than five dollars in future healthcare costs are saved.
The Ford government has actively worsened the health and safety of workers in Ontario with respect to the toxic drug crisis by closing 10 of 17 sites and preventing any new SCS from opening or existing services from relocating.
The announced SCS closures are particularly devastating for Northern Ontario communities, where the opioid mortality rate is three times higher than the south. The sole remaining SCS in Northern Ontario – where 80% of First Nations communities are located – is now slated for closure in Thunder Bay, where the opioid mortality rate is 4.25 times greater than the provincial average. The Ford government has refused to fund SCS in Timmins and Sudbury, where sites were already established and running after years of community investment and labour – forcing these two sites, and a third one in Windsor, to shut down. Should the Ford government’s decision carry forward, there will be no SCS between Ottawa and Winnipeg.
It shouldn’t matter who you are or where you live – all people in Ontario deserve access to lifesaving care and supports.
We reject the false narrative that it is “unsafe” to have SCS in proximity to schools and childcare centres – SCS keep our streets safer, bring drug use indoors, and create a place to build community. The reality is that people who use drugs are part of our communities and deserve healthcare services. In dense urban environments, it is inaccessible, stigmatizing, and wholly unfeasible to require two football fields of separation between a school or daycare and a healthcare facility, such as a SCS.
On Aug 22 2024, Minister Jones asserted that “people are not going to die” as a result of SCS closures. SCS in Ontario have responded to nearly 22,000 overdoses without a single death due to the dedication, care and resourcing of trained, skilled workers. Minister Jones and Premier Ford, people will die as a result of your proposal. The government’s announced HART Hubs are not an adequate or analogous replacement for SCS, with conditional funding that bans evidence-based health services.
Premier Ford and Minister Jones must immediately reverse the decision to close 10 of the 17 SCS in Ontario, ensure all established SCS remain operational, scale up SCS wherever there is need, and ensure equity in regional service availability, particularly in northern communities.
We call on the Ontario Government to do the sensible thing: support and expand lifesaving health services, rather than closing them.
Signed,
CUPE Ontario
CUPE Local 79
CUPE Local 5399
CUPE Local 4948
CUPE Local 7797
UFCW Locals 175 & 633
CUPE Ontario Library Workers (OLW)
Social Service Workers Coordinating Committee of CUPE Ontario (SSWCC)
Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL)
Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO)
Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA)
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), our 54 unions and over one million workers, join Canadians in mourning the passing of The Honourable Murray Sinclair. As Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he amplified the voices of residential school survivors and charted a transformative path for reconciliation with the 94 Calls to Action.
OFL First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Circle Vice President, Jonathan Lemoine shared the following quote by Murray Sinclair, “The road we travel is equal in importance to the destination we seek. There are no shortcuts. When it comes to truth and reconciliation, we are forced to go the distance.” Lemoine said, “The OFL FNMI Circle is committed to honouring these words and his legacy in all the work that we do, on behalf of the OFL, its affiliates, and all Indigenous people across Turtle Island.”
OFL President Laura Walton affirmed, “Murray Sinclair’s unwavering commitment to truth and reconciliation will inspire and guide our work in the labour movement. His legacy calls on each of us to strengthen our commitment to Indigenous rights and reconciliation, and we remain dedicated to carrying his work forward.”
OFL Secretary-Treasurer Ahmad Gaied stated, “Sinclair’s leadership challenged all Canadians, including labour unions, to confront and address the ongoing injustices Indigenous people face in our workplaces and communities.”
“Murray reminded us that true reconciliation begins not only with understanding our history, but also recognizing its enduring impact on Indigenous people today. He provided us with the tools to continue building a brighter future for all Canadians,” added Jackie Taylor, Executive Vice-President.
A trailblazer as Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge and later as a Senator, Sinclair’s life embodied a deep commitment to justice, truth, and fairness. The OFL FMNI Circle honors his work and remains dedicated to advancing reconciliation in the labour movement. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and the many communities he touched.
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TORONTO – The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) and workers affected by heat stress in the workplace hosted a press conference in support of a Private Member’s Bill to implement a Worker Heat Protection Standard. The “Heat Stress Act” is being sponsored by Ontario NDP MPP and Climate Action Critic Peter Tabuns, and co-sponsored by ONDP Labour Critic Jamie West, ONDP WSIB and Injured Workers Critic Lise Vaugeois, and ONDP Education Critic Chandra Pasma. The bill is the next step in the OFL’s The Heat is On campaign to combat heat stress in Ontario workplaces.
“Last May, when we launched The Heat is On campaign, we were seeing sweltering spring temperatures. Now, on the other side of a summer of extreme climate events, we’re seeing twenty-degree temperatures in November,” said Laura Walton, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour. “Extreme heat in the workplace injures, sickens, and even kills workers, and heat stress will only intensify as our planet heats up, creating a workplace crisis within a crisis. This legislation is urgently needed.”
Since the OFL launched the heat stress campaign, hundreds of workers have signed a legislative petition calling for meaningful heat stress legislation. Workers have also shared their stories about the urgency of introducing heat protection standards.
“As the world gets hotter, more and more people will be risking their health and their lives just by going to work. Now is the time to put in place the laws that will protect working people in every workplace in this Province. This bill is a substantial first step in ensuring they have the protection they deserve,” said ONDP MPP Peter Tabuns.
“Heat is a hazard that many workers simply cannot escape,” added Walton. “Workers deserve protection in the workplace. That includes heat protection.”
For more information, please contact:
Melissa Palermo
Director of Communications
Ontario Federation of Labour
[email protected] l 416-894-3456
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) issued the following open letter to Queen’s University administration on Monday, November 4, 2024.
Patrick Deane, Principal
Matthew Evans, Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic)
Donna Janiec, Vice Principal (Finance and Administration)
Nancy Ross, Vice Principal (Research)
Dan McKeown, Associate Vice Principal (Faculty Relations)
Michael Villeneuve, Faculty Relations Office Director
Dear Principal Deane, Provost Evans, Vice Principals Janiec and Ross, Associate Vice Principal McKeown, and Director Villeneuve,
On behalf of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), which represents 54 unions and one million workers across the province, I am writing to express our support and solidarity with members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Local 901 Unit 2, Postdoctoral Scholars at Queen’s University.
Postdocs, as early career scholars and scientists, take on cutting-edge research projects. They make invaluable contributions to a university’s research profile and their communities. In exchange, these workers – many of whom relocate from outside Kingston – deserve adequate support from Queen’s University.
PSAC Local 901 Unit 2 members, who earn a minimum rate of $36,000 per year – a mere $224 dollars more than someone working full-time at minimum wage in Ontario – are calling on the Employer, Queen’s University, to respect their work with a contract that includes:
We join these workers in condemning the Employer’s choice to cancel the Queen’s Health Team Pilot Project, a pioneering initiative as the first healthcare access program for postdocs in Canada. This move, in addition to the expectation that postdocs continue research and teaching without basic protections, undermines Queen’s University’s commitment to postdoctoral scholars.
The OFL shares its strength and solidarity with PSAC members who deserve a fair deal. We urge Queen’s University to meaningfully address the issues of wages, healthcare access, relocation support, and mental health funding.
In solidarity,
Laura Walton, President, Ontario Federation of Labour
Ahmad Gaied, Secretary-Treasurer, Ontario Federation of Labour
Jackie Taylor, Executive Vice-President, Ontario Federation of Labour
