Eight weeks into the shutdown, the prescriptions Canadians got filled before the pandemic or in its early days are starting to run low.
For those who rely on those medications to stay healthy, or even to stay alive, this is a new and personal health crisis stacked on top of a very public one. After all, those with underlying health problems are most at risk if they contract the coronavirus.
In many ways, COVID-19 has exposed the inequities in our society. It has taken the cracks in our society and blown them wide apart – including access to medications.
TORONTO – Unifor mourns the loss of Leonard Rodriques a Local 40 PSW member who passed due to a preventable workplace exposure to COVID-19. “I want to extend my deepest sympathies to Leonard's family, as well as his union sisters and brothers who are working for Access Independent Living Services,” said, Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “Leonard worked for more than thirty years providing care for those in need.
HALIFAX – Unifor is pleased to see government respond to Unifor’s demands for premium pay for health care workers and welcomes the latest announcement by Premier Stephen McNeil to provide a cash bonus for health care workers in Nova Scotia amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Right Honourable Prime Minister Trudeau, P.C., M.P.
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister,
Since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, Canada and the rest of the world have been responding to what will surely be remembered as the biggest health, social and economic crisis of our time.
May 7, 2020 Sent by email: @email Hon. Doug Ford Office of the Premier Legislative Building, Queen’s Park Toronto, ON M7A 1A1
Dear Premier Ford,
Unifor recognizes the importance of the $4 per hour “pandemic pay premium” that is being provided for front-line workers during this crisis. We all agree that these front-line workers deserve the extra compensation given their hard work and the health risks that they face while on the job.
The plan to relax COVID-19 restrictions on British Columbia’s economy is incomplete if it doesn’t include restoring public transit service, says Unifor.
As Ontario establishes collection of race-based data on COVID-19, Unifor requests responsible collection guidelines and asks other provinces to follow suit.
TORONTO – Unifor is calling on Doug Ford to immediately revise the Ontario's pandemic pay premium to include all health care workers. "I applauded Doug Ford when he announced the pandemic pay premium for health care workers but the devil is always in the details," said, Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. "The premium leaves out many hospital workers, some of whom are doing the same job as those in long-term care and social services.
May 7, 2020 The Honourable Marc Garneau Federal Minister of Transport Sent by e-mail: @email The Honourable Bill Morneau Sent by e-mail: @email Federal Minister of Finance
Since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, Canada and the rest of the world have been responding to what will surely be remembered as the biggest health, social and economic crisis of our time.
The federal government has indeed stepped up to implement significant emergency support measures for individuals and businesses. As this crisis continues, however, we urge you to address one of the most glaring and pressing issues facing Canadians: the lack of access to prescription medication.
Canada’s news organizations are in mortal peril, and it’s time for the federal government to take on the two marauding tech giants that are largely to blame.
Facebook and Google have pillaged the Canadian digital advertising market over the past decade. Between them, they have scooped up the vast majority of the revenue in Canada’s $6-billion-plus online advertising market — advertising that has been the chief source of revenue for Canadian media organizations.
May marks Asian and South Asian Heritage Month in Canada, an important time to celebrate the contributions and achievements Asian and South Asian Canadians have made to our society—enriching our culture, politics, diversity, and everyday life. During this time, we also reflect on the perseverance and activism of Asian Canadians who’ve shaped Canada into what it is today.
VANCOUVER—Unifor locals from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia have marked International Workers’ Day by making donations to local food banks across Western Canada.
ST. CATHARINES—Members of Unifor Local 1999 working at Mr. Furnace have been served notice that they could be locked out of their jobs on Monday, in the midst of a public health and economic crisis.
“It’s a new low for labour relations to see an employer issue this notice during a pandemic,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President. “COVID-19 is already responsible for hundreds of thousands of layoffs. Locking out workers that still have their jobs is an especially heartless move right now.”
Pressure is growing for Premier Scott Moe to end the Co-op Refinery lockout with binding arbitration after the Regina City Council endorsed the idea today by a near unanimous vote of 9-1.
After Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) snubbed the premier’s mediators and unilaterally forced a final contract vote on refinery workers, Unifor Local 594 members have voted 89 per cent against the contract.
Unifor welcomes the Ontario government’s announcement today that it will expand access to emergency child care for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 has sparked an important conversation about the nature of decent work and the inadequacies of Canada’s social safety net that is long overdue.
The vital roles played by jobs that many once considered undeserving of a minimum wage hike, and the importance of ensuring that all of us have enough money to pay the rent and put food on the table, are important lessons that we must all remember in the post-pandemic world.
Since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, Canada and the rest of the world has been responding to what will surely be remembered as the biggest health, social and economic crisis of our time.
Since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, Canada and the rest of the world has been responding to what will surely be remembered as the biggest health, social and economic crisis of our time.
Since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, Canada and the rest of the world has been responding to what will surely be remembered as the biggest health, social and economic crisis of our time.
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