The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) joins First Nations communities in condemning the passage of Bill 5, legislation that violates First Nations sovereignty, guts workers’ rights, and greenlights corporate overreach under the guise of “Special Economic Zones”.
On Wednesday, we joined First Nations leaders, community members, and labour allies as the government rammed Bill 5 through ignoring urgent, repeated calls from First Nations leadership. Our commitment doesn’t end there. We will continue meaningful engagement and, most importantly, take direction from First Nations communities on what comes next.
This is not what reconciliation looks like. Reconciliation does not mean bulldozing over consent. It does not mean misleading First Nations leaders. It does not mean consulting after the damage is done. This government has broken trust, broken treaties, and broken any pretense of a respectful relationship with First Nations peoples.
Truth and Reconciliation means upholding treaties- not shredding them. It means respecting sovereignty, not steamrolling it with corporate bulldozers. Bill 5 does the opposite. It’s disrespectful, dangerous, and it’s disgraceful.
Doug Ford’s government is carving out lawless zones for profit, where environmental protections, labour rights, and community voices are being sidelined. That’s not economic development. That’s colonization playing out in real time.
Doug Ford didn’t even bother to show up for the vote. His government failed to acknowledge the First Nations community members including survivors, land defenders, and the rightful stewards of this land who travelled from across the province to be heard. The Ford government deliberately shut the door on any meaningful engagement before passing this legislation.
We are calling on Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation of Ontario, Greg Rickford to resign immediately. You cannot claim to honour reconciliation while actively betraying First Nations communities. There is no trust, no respect, and no legitimacy left in his role.
The OFL will join First Nations communities in this fight: in the courts, on the land, and across this province. As Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said: “We will meet you on the ground.” If this government thinks they’ve won, they’re in for a wake-up call.
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The Ontario Federation of Labour is Canada’s largest provincial labour federation, representing 54 unions and more than one million workers. The Administrative Assistant Summer Student, Archival Assistant & Special Projects supports OFL administrative teams, campaigns, communications, and special projects.
Intended job posting audience:
Anyone who can legally work in Canada can apply for this job. If you are not currently authorized to work in Canada, the employer will not consider your job application.
Term: Summer 2025 – Temporary 8 consecutive weeks between July 7, 2025 – August 29, 2025
Hours: 35 hours/week
Rate of Pay: $25.00 / hour
This position is funded by Canada Summer Jobs which aims to provide quality summer employment opportunities for youth to develop skills and gain paid work experience to successfully transition into the labour market.
Qualifications:
The successful applicant will have:
The Administrative Assistant Summer Student, working under the direction of the Executive Officers and General Secretary, is responsible for administrative and technical support for the archival operations of the Ontario Federation of Labour, and internal and external stakeholder engagement and special projects.
Responsibilities include:
This is a great opportunity for an individual looking to gain valuable experience in an administrative role. If you are a motivated, organized, and detail-oriented individual with excellent communication skills, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity.
Full-time, 8-week limited term temporary contract, working out of the Federation of Labour office in North York, Toronto.
Additional Application Instructions:
Note that this is a Canada Summer Jobs-approved position, only open to youth who meet the eligibility criteria.
Applications, including a cover letter and résume, can be sent to General Secretary, Rob Halpin at [email protected]. Applicants are asked to reference “Administrative Assistant Summer Student” in the subject line of their email application.
The deadline to apply is June 16, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. EST.
Only successful applicants will be contacted.
DATE POSTED: June 4, 2025
REMOVAL DATE: June 16, 2025
ROB HALPIN
General Secretary
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This morning at Queen’s Park, OFL President Laura Walton joined Anishnaabe Chief Scott McLeod and spokesperson for the Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin and former Chief Dean Sayers, ONDP Leader and Leader of the Official Opposition Marit Stiles, Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa, and Shadow Minister Jamie West to issue a clear and urgent warning: The “Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025, or Bill 5” is a direct threat to Indigenous rights, worker protections, and democracy itself.
During Question Period, we witnessed MPP Sol Mamakwa – Ontario’s only First Nations MPP, named and removed from the Legislature for refusing to withdraw his statement that the Doug Ford Conservatives have mislead First Nations about Bill 5. We respect MPP Mamakwa’s courage and principled stance in speaking the truth and defending Indigenous rights.
“If Ford thinks he can bulldoze his way through Indigenous territory without consent, he’s not just provoking a backlash, but he’s reigniting a movement,” said OFL President Laura Walton referencing the Idle No More movement that rose in response to the federal Conservative government’s Bill C-45.
Indigenous communities and workers have been clear: we are not opposed to development. In fact, we welcome responsible projects that respect land, honour treaty obligations, protect workers’ rights, and treat First Nations and Indigenous communities as true partners.
What we oppose, and what labour will never accept, is a government pushing through legislation that overrides rights workers and Indigenous communities have fought and bled for, silences dissent, and excludes the very people it impacts the most.
We will not allow this government to ignore its duty to consult, seek consent and show respect to the workers and communities they are meant to serve.
“Workers and Indigenous peoples have stopped governments before, and we will again.”
OFL Commemorates First Official Injured Workers’ Day and Demands Recognition Be Met with Justice
TORONTO – June 1, 2025 (GLOBENEWSWIRE) – One year after celebrating the successful second reading of the Injured Workers’ Day Bill, the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) proudly stands today with injured workers, community groups, allies, and ONDP MPP and Shadow Minister for Labour, Mining, and Energy, Jamie West to mark the first officially recognized Injured Workers’ Day in Ontario.
“For over four decades, injured workers have fought to be seen, heard, and protected,” said Laura Walton, OFL President. “Today, we can proudly say their fight is recognized in law, but the work to fix a broken workers’ compensation system is far from done.”
In Toronto, injured workers and allies gathered at Queen’s Park for a rally featuring speeches from injured workers, MPP Jamie West, and supporters. Rallies also took place in London, Oshawa, Peterborough, Thunder Bay, and Windsor, led by the Ontario Network of Injured Workers’ Groups (ONIWG).
Jamie West added the collective effort behind the legislation:
“Whenever I’m congratulated for passing ‘my bill,’ I remind people this is really ‘our bill’. I tabled Bill 118: Injured Workers Day Act, but it wouldn’t have existed without the injured worker groups who made it clear that June 1 had never been officially recognized by the province.”
In April 2024, the OFL partnered with ONIWG and launched the Injured Workers’ Bill of Rights, outlining a bold, worker-driven platform for justice. Today, the OFL’s Injured Workers Committee continues to push for those urgent and unmet demands which include, full and fair compensation, an end to deeming, equitable healthcare access, and strong protections for migrant and precarious workers.
David Newberry from Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic added, “This year’s official proclamation of “Injured Workers’ Day” by the legislature is very exciting and deeply meaningful, but it needs to be followed up with meaningful action that makes a material difference in the lives of the workers who lost their health at work and are struggling in poverty and pain.”
The OFL and its allies will continue the fight to transform Ontario’s workers’ compensation system, because recognition alone is not justice. No worker should be punished or neglected for being injured at work.
Media Contact:
Jenny Sellathurai
Director of Communications, Ontario Federation of Labour
[email protected] | 416-894-3456
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Toronto – May 29, 2025 – As another sweltering Ontario summer approaches, the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), frontline workers, and Ontario NDP MPPs gathered at Queen’s Park to demand immediate passage of the Heat Stress Act, a Private Members’ Bill that would establish enforceable heat protection standards for workers.
The bill is tabled by MPP Peter Tabuns and co-sponsored by ONDP MPPs Jamie West, Lise Vaugeois, and Chandra Pasma.
“We’re here today to endorse the tabling of the Heat Stress Act because it does what this government won’t, it protects workers,” said OFL President Laura Walton. “This is about basic safety. No one should be forced to choose between their health and a paycheque.”
Launched in May 2024, the OFL’s Heat Is On campaign has highlighted the surge in heat-related illness and unsafe working conditions. Today, over 1,000 signed petitions from workers across the province were delivered to Queen’s Park demanding urgent action.
“We’re back at Queen’s Park because the government hasn’t done its job,” Walton said. “We’ve brought petitions. We’ve brought science. We’ve brought stories from frontline workers and still, they refuse to act. But workers aren’t backing down.”
Edie Mariconda, President of Toronto Civic Employees Union Local 416 emphasized the urgent need:
“Access to water and rest shouldn’t be a luxury. Our workers are lifting heavy bins in extreme heat for hours, often with no shade and no cooling. Paramedics face surging call volumes and wear heavy PPE with no time to recover. The risks are real, and without enforceable standards, they’re unprotected.”
“Working in extreme heat shouldn’t be a death sentence,” said Tabuns. “Climate change is already here, and workers across the province are feeling the impact. It’s time for the government to stop dragging its feet and put real protections in place.”
The Heat Stress Act would set enforceable standards and guarantee the right to safe working conditions during extreme heat.
“Extreme heat is here and it’s only getting worse,” Walton added. “If this government truly wants to ‘protect Ontario’, it needs to start by protecting the people who make it run.”
Media Contact:
Jenny Sellathurai
Director of Communications, Ontario Federation of Labour
[email protected] | 416-894-3456
The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) is honoured to welcome the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), representing over 20,000 members, back into Ontario’s House of Labour. The labour movement’s strength isn’t just in our numbers, it is in our unity.
OFL President Laura Walton met with IUOE, Business Manager Michael Gallagher, President Dave Turple, and their team to formally recognize the affiliation and begin the first of many conversations about what we can build collectively, alongside our 54 affiliates and over one million workers across the province.
“In a moment of deep uncertainty for working people in Ontario, we know this for certain: unity amongst workers is our greatest strength,” said OFL President Laura Walton. “The IUOE brings a proud legacy of skilled, organized, and determined workers into our shared fight. We are stronger with them as part of the Federation.”
The OFL and IUOE are aligned in our commitment to good union jobs, safe and healthy workplaces, and an Ontario where working people can build stable, secure lives – for themselves and for future generations. We are united not only by common values, but by the work ahead.
As Canada’s largest provincial labour federation, the OFL continues to grow. Every affiliation strengthens the voice of Ontario’s workers and brings us closer to the province we know is possible, one built by workers, for workers.
We are proud to welcome IUOE to the OFL.
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