Communications

Letter to the Premier Recommending Paid Sick Leave and Mandatory Medical Notes.

On June 15th, the Workers’ Health and Safety Legal Clinic wrote a letter to Premier Ford and Minister McNaughton to urge the Ontario government to work with the federal government to require employers institute paid sick days for provincially regulated workers in Ontario. Whether it is the common cold or COVID-19, infectious diseases that impact workers will remain a constant. In Ontario, workers who are required to obtain medical notes and do not have access to paid sick leave are disproportionately racialized women, migrants and young workers, working lower income, non-unionized positions which cannot be performed remotely.

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U of T Capstone Project: Improving Manual Material Handling.

The Workers’ Health and Safety Legal Clinic continued its partnership with first year engineering students at the University of Toronto by participating in U of T Engineering Strategies & Practice Course, and the 2019-2020 Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Course. Proposed by Clinic volunteer, Edward Liu, this year’s project looked to address one of the most common injuries in the workplace - lower back pain. Statistics show that almost 1 in 4 workers will experience some form of injury because of repeated lifting and transporting of heavy materials.

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COVID-19 Health and Safety Considerations.

Working during COVID-19, will depend on the type of work and its effect on public services. There are many workplaces that are considered essential including grocery stores, pharmacies and healthcare providers, that will require workers to come in despite the current government recommendations to avoid leaving home. Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), a worker has the right to ask their boss to take reasonable health and safety precautions in their workplace if there is a high likeliness of exposure to COVID-19.

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Work Safe Guide 2020.

Protect your health and safety! As a worker in Ontario, you have basic health and safety rights. It is against the law for your boss to fire you or punish you (or threaten to fire or punish you) for using your health and safety rights. Check out our new booklet: Work Safe: Your Health and Safety at Work For more information on our services or if you have have been fired or punished for speaking out about your health and safety rights, contact us.

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Letter to the Ministry of Labour - Impact of COVID-19 on Non-unionized Essential Workers.

On May 6th, the Workers’ Health and Safety Legal Clinic wrote a letter to Minister McNaughton to urge the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development (MOL) to better support non-unionized essential workers who are experiencing unsafe working conditions due to COVID 19. The MOL plays an important role in enforcing the OHSA with a view to preventing the spread of COVID-19 at Ontario workplaces. There are many non-union low wage workers in factories, retail, and other sectors who, due to the very real prospect of being fired, will not stage work refusals or make complaints to authorities.

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Annual Report 2019

The Workers’ Health and Safety Legal Clinic’s Annual Report outlines the activities and initiatives that were made in pursuit of advocating for workers’ rights. It further details the Clinic’s efforts to continue providing consistently high quality services in a cost-effective, efficient and innovative manner. The Clinic provides such legal services as advice, representation, public legal education and law reform concerning occupational health and safety and related workplace laws. The following PDF documents are available for review -

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Workers' Comp Is A Right! - December 10, 2018 at 11:30am

Workers’ Comp is a Right! Join us for a province-wide week of action from December 10th to the 14th, and take a stand for fairness for injured workers! In Toronto, we’re kicking the week off with a rally on Monday, December 10th at 11:30am outside the Ministry of Labour located at 400 University Avenue - view map for directions. Click here to access a PDF of the 2018 Toronto Rally Poster.

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Annual Report 2018

The Workers’ Health and Safety Legal Clinic’s Annual Report outlines the activities and initiatives that were made in pursuit of advocating for workers’ rights. It further details the Clinic’s efforts to continue providing consistently high quality services in a cost-effective, efficient and innovative manner. The Clinic provides such legal services as advice, representation, public legal education and law reform concerning occupational health and safety and related workplace laws. The following PDF documents are available for review -

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AGM - October 24, 2018 at 6:00pm

The Workers’ Health and Safety Legal Clinic will be hosting its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, October 24th, 2018 at 6:00 pm. Join us at 180 Dundas Street West, 19th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1Z8. We are located east of University Avenue [map]. Light refreshments will be served. Click here to access a .PDF version of the AGM Agenda. Click here to access a .PDF version of our 2018 Annual Report and Audited Financial Statements.

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Workers' Guide

Protect your health and safety! As a worker in Ontario, you have basic health and safety rights. It is against the law for your boss to fire you or punish you (or threaten to fire or punish you) for using your health and safety rights. Click below to learn more: WORKERS’ GUIDE TO OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY. For more information on our services or if you have have been fired or punished for speaking out about your rights, contact us.

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